Posts Tagged: church planting

church planting / vision — No Comments
28
Jul 09

uncertainty brings weakness

As Christians, we quote 2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV a lot when it comes to being weak:

    That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

However, when it comes to church planting there are definitely times when being weak does not make one strong. I’ve been going through a time of weakness that has been rooted in uncertainty.

I think as church planters–or just human beings–we tend to question ourselves a lot. When in a leadership position though, uncertainty can be the death of a project. When the one leading the project begins to question things which in-turn cause uncertainty amongst those involved, there is no chance for success.

In preparation for being a church planter I studied vision–a lot! What I wasn’t prepared for was what happens when I become the reason the vision isn’t strongly embraced by those within the church. The more I was casting the vision, the more question marks were coming up. I started trying to conform to the circumstances rather than the original vision. I was sweating the details of the here-and-now and losing sight of the God that is driving all of this.

Uncertainty brings weakness. The kind of weakness that doesn’t belong in the equation. I must now become strength as Christ is strong and mighty within me. I must not get bogged down with the details right now as they are distracting. I must find a way through prayer and action to get back to the original vision I feel God put in my heart for our city and to make it known to others through my service to his people. We will always question our decisions and second-guess ourselves. However, if we are questioning the vision God gives us, we must work to resolve those questions or the uncertainty that follows will kill the dream. The uncertainty that others will have around us will cause us to lose hope.

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Bible / church planting / revolution church sacramento — 1 Comment
19
Jun 09

Church Planting & Philippians: Final Thoughts

It’s been a great week studying, praying, and mediating through the Book of Philippians…four chapters in 4 days. Here are some of my final thoughts:

  • Even though the Philippian church was supportive of Paul and gave him cause to rejoice always, it is clear that in Philippians 4:2-3 NIV that there was some strife going on with some of the leadership. If you’re looking for the perfect church, you will always be looking as it does not exist!
  • Jesus is coming back and we should live as if we believe it to be true. We may not know the exact day or hour, but Christ has promised to return and Paul reminds us of that in Philppians 4:5 MSG. We must act now and not presume that since there is always tomorrow we can relax. 
  • Even though there is emphasis on the financial gifts Paul received from the church in Philippi, he makes it clear in Philippians 4:11 that he is not in need and trusts in God to provide for him in all things. With money comes a lot of things, especially a sense of entitlement. May we never be afraid to say no to a big donor that asks for things in return. May we always trust in God that he will send his provision to us in proportion to what we need. He is always right on time!
  • In Philippians 2:25 Paul talks about sending Epaphroditus to help the church in Philippi. In verse 19 he mentioned sending Timothy. I am reminded that God has sent who we needed to support us in the time of our preview services. Whether we move forward as an actual launch team and core group remains to be seen, but I will never forget the things our group have done to get us here. They’ve worked hard to put their best foot forward for small gatherings on our Sunday preview services and God will honor that and their worship in the future. We all need help and when the right people come our way we don’t always count them as blessings. Team Revolution, please know that I am blessed beyond measure and indebted to each of you!
  • Philippians 3 AMP was a big chapter for me. It is a reminder I need to remain humble and put no confidence in my flesh or in others. Everything must be from God and for God, done in a spirit of reverence and humility. It’s been a long road for me to become humbled before my God, but he has been working on me from my first days as a new creation in him and he is continuing that good work in me this day. 
  • God has started something good within us at Revolution Church Sacramento. For some it may be the start of an amazing journey with us and for others it may be the start of a new journey in a new place or in an old place with a fresh, new perspective. Regardless of where we each go when our preview services finish next week, we have been put together for a reason and it’s been a great time! The presence of the Lord has been upon us and I am being stretched, shaped and prepared to keep pressing on towards the goal with clearer insight on how to move forward. 
  • Church planting has been difficult and easy, fun and painstaking, at times second nature and other times a battle of wills. Through it all, it has given me a sense of purpose and a deep inner peace that nothing else has ever done for me. It is so strange to me to think of future successes owing all things to Christ who gives me strength rather than immediate, tangible rewards from my business experience. It is a place that brings me great joy and I can freely admit that if another day ever comes in my time with Revolution Church Sacramento, I stand here right now with no regrets and only love for my fellow human being and a joy in knowing that the world has already been made a better place through our actions. 
  • As it is written in Philippians 2:17-18: “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.” Friends, let us rejoice and be glad together! To the people of Revolution Church Sacramento, I pray that we will be rejoicing together for years to come. Your sacrifice and service has made me so proud of your hearts for the kingdom and your love and grace.  
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Bible / Sacramento / church planting / jesus / ministry / prayer — No Comments
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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17
Jun 09

Church Planting and Philippians 3

As I reflect on the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3, I feel as if it were written directly to me. It speaks to who I am and how I feel God is calling me to be humble and press on toward the goal of seeing people’s lives transformed through the saving grace of Christ Jesus. I am not sure how many others are in similar situations in their church planting journey as I am, but I do know I am not alone. To help lend clarity to my thoughts I am quoting from the Amplified Bible translation today:

    Philippians 3:3 AMP-
    3For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God and exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence or dependence [on what we are] in the flesh and on outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances–

We are to put no confidence or dependence in the flesh and on outward privileges. If I ever feel that I should rely on our people more than God, I am headed for a lot of disappointment. Not to take away from the gifts and talents of anyone that is part of our team or church at this point, but it must always be about Christ and not about us. There are too many stories about how people have put their faith in others only to be let down and become depressed, disappointed, angry, or in some cases they quit as a result of trusting in others so deeply only to find out that feelings change. There is a hard rule in church planting. No matter how dedicated and gung ho your core group seems to be, expect that they will all be elsewhere within three years. Don’t put your trust in others that they will remain passionate about your vision or the mission of the church. It just is not likely to happen. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be anything other than someone whom you thought was going to be with you forever suddenly loses their job and finds a new one in another state and moves away. It really can be something that simple and mundane that will change your life for the worst if you don’t anticipate that possibility before starting to plant. After saying all of that, know that rules are made to be broken…there are always exceptions. Let those exceptions be pleasant surprises rather than believing your team is above all of that and being negatively impacted when you find they were not. As I have been fond of saying lately, seasons change…people change.

For us at Revolution Church Sacramento we not only take into account that people will be elsewhere in the future, but we want to embrace that change. It is one of our core principles to take people that feel called to something new and help encourage and build them up, training and discipling them so that God may use them to help start new ministries. We want to be a church plant that continues to plant new churches rather than be inclusive of everyone and grow to mega church size. Imagine how much more effective the message of the gospel can be in a local context if we are 50 local churches of 100 people (5,000 people collectively) rather than one central church of 5,000 people in one space.

Also from verse 3, I must always be reminded that no matter who I think I am or who others think I am, I cannot walk around as a person of privilege and lord it over others. I must remain humble in spirit always. Pride is something that the enemy will use against us and we must safeguard ourselves to prevent being larger than life…ever!

In many ways, even though I have had some very rough patches in my life, I feel I have been very privileged. As an atheist that did not believe in a God or gods, it was all about me and my achievements. When I needed anything, all that was necessary was hard work. The more I put into something, the more I could take away from it. I lived the life of being a business owner with a relaxed schedule after working several hard years to create a successful business. I lived in a house three times larger than I needed, drove luxury cars, ate fancy meals…I was living the American dream for most. However, once God got a hold of me and called me into living a life of humility and putting others before myself, things really changed. Some may look at this from the outside and think things are worse. I don’t! As difficult as the challenges are some days as a follower of Christ, I feel as if I am living through my best years. I am being conditioned and strengthened for the journey ahead. I am being connected to people I would have never have known in my former self-centered world. As Paul writes in verse 7:

    7But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [one combined] loss for Christ’s sake.

I don’t even consider my past materialism loss, but actually I think of it more as gain for Christ’s sake. This is the true life God had intended for me and I am now unbelievably privileged to have an opportunity to share the gospel with others and share the relevance of Christ to a community that is seeking more to life and their idea of what church is. Paul shares his perspective in verses 8 and 9 much more eloquently than I do:

    8Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),

    9And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith.

We at Revolution Church Sacramento are taking our first steps in what will be a somewhat long journey of helping to make a difference in the world through the work Christ has put in our hearts. It’s a road less traveled as it is one of many twists and turns, hills and valleys with rocky patches and potholes and forks in the road. Anyone can walk down a well paved, brightly illuminated path that is so straight and so short that the finish line is visible from the starting point. God is calling us to stand strong, not be easily defeated, have conviction, passion and purpose and know in our hearts that as we remain faithful God will grow us in maturity and allow us to be examples for others to follow as we follow Christ. That through our love and compassion others will come to know Christ personally and join us in the cause. May Paul’s passion and conviction for reaching many with the good news of the gospel and planting churches throughout Gentile nations speak to you and encourage you to continue on the path of planting his church for the sake of others. Let it never be about yourself or your team. May it never be exclusive and excluding. I’ll let Paul and his words from Philippians 3:12-21 AMP resonate into your minds and hearts and I look forward to standing firm in Christ and walk alongside all of my church planting brothers and sisters as we venture down this path of love and grace:

    12Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.

    13I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

    14I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.

    15So let those [of us] who are spiritually mature and full-grown have this mind and hold these convictions; and if in any respect you have a different attitude of mind, God will make that clear to you also.

    16Only let us hold true to what we have already attained and walk and order our lives by that.

    17Brethren, together follow my example and observe those who live after the pattern we have set for you.

    18For there are many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, who walk (live) as enemies of the cross of Christ (the Anointed One).

    19They are doomed and their fate is eternal misery (perdition); their god is their stomach (their appetites, their sensuality) and they glory in their shame, siding with earthly things and being of their party.

    20But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we earnestly and patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior,

    21Who will transform and fashion anew the body of our humiliation to conform to and be like the body of His glory and majesty, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself.

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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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