It is amazing to me the impact that a baby boy who was born about 2000 years ago had on the earth.
No matter, what you believe about Jesus, it is undeniable that he has changed the world.
This year people in China will exchange gifts and sing songs. People in India will attend Christmas events around the nation. People throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, and even here in the States will all celebrate. Many may not even know they are celebrating the Savior's birth - yet they still celebrate. The impact of Jesus is amazing.
Who could have imagined this when He was killed on a cross? At that time he had a handful of close followers, and a mixed reputation. Who could have even comprehended the impact he would have on billions of people?
Jesus is amazing.
Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
I Hate All Your Show and Pretense --God
There is a song called 'Instead of a Show' written by Jon Foreman. It is direct, convicting, and I imagine to a lot of people, controversial ... just the kind of thing I like. The theme is that God hates all your shows, pretense, and noisy hymns. Instead, he desires justice and righteous living.
I have often wondered about it. It sounds right, but I wasn't quite sure about the 'hate' word. Does God really hate all the things he commanded us to do like gather together, celebrate, sing, and have festivals? Then I found it in the Bible.
So there it is ... When we make following God all about attending a worship service, we have completely missed the point, and He hates it.
The tragic thing is that our first response to this passage is to think we need to fix our shows. We think we need to make them more flat, boring, and uninspiring, or do away with them completely. (Everyone knows that boring is more authentic, right?)
I guess in some ways this is accurate. If we're not following God, cancelling the show is probably the best thing we could do. However, if we want to address the core issue, we need to look at what God tells Amos in verse 24 - following God should be about justice and righteous living. The 'show' is intended to flow out of that.
Festivals and assemblies were commanded by God - we should not do away with them, but they must become a celebration of our justice and righteousness rather than take the place of it.
I confess, that too many times I make following God all about participating in the shows rather than doing justice and living righteously. I don't think I'm alone in this regard. Americans as a whole are on a dangerous path. Think about it. When we hear the word 'church', we automatically think 'a meeting on Sunday'. We measure our spirituality based on attendance. We feel good about ourselves for just showing up (particularly if we sing something heart-felt while we're there). This is exactly what God hates.
I have often wondered about it. It sounds right, but I wasn't quite sure about the 'hate' word. Does God really hate all the things he commanded us to do like gather together, celebrate, sing, and have festivals? Then I found it in the Bible.
Amos 5
21 “I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of
your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. 22 I will not accept your
burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your
choice peace offerings. 23 Away with your noisy hymns of
praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24
Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous
living.
So there it is ... When we make following God all about attending a worship service, we have completely missed the point, and He hates it.
The tragic thing is that our first response to this passage is to think we need to fix our shows. We think we need to make them more flat, boring, and uninspiring, or do away with them completely. (Everyone knows that boring is more authentic, right?)
I guess in some ways this is accurate. If we're not following God, cancelling the show is probably the best thing we could do. However, if we want to address the core issue, we need to look at what God tells Amos in verse 24 - following God should be about justice and righteous living. The 'show' is intended to flow out of that.
Festivals and assemblies were commanded by God - we should not do away with them, but they must become a celebration of our justice and righteousness rather than take the place of it.
I confess, that too many times I make following God all about participating in the shows rather than doing justice and living righteously. I don't think I'm alone in this regard. Americans as a whole are on a dangerous path. Think about it. When we hear the word 'church', we automatically think 'a meeting on Sunday'. We measure our spirituality based on attendance. We feel good about ourselves for just showing up (particularly if we sing something heart-felt while we're there). This is exactly what God hates.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Church, Death, and Multiplication
What would happen if local church institutions were willing to add dying and multiplying to their mission?
I stumbled on this article today. It details some of the recent events in China between large unregistered churches and the government.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091210/ap_on_re_as/as_china_mega_church
Here is the crazy thing. Although it sounds like this is bad for the church, I believe that government actions like this are precisely the reason the church is thriving in China.
Think about it. The government just broke up a 50,000 person church. So what will be the likely result? It will result in an energized and supremely dedicated group of tens of thousands that will now likely form hundreds or thousands of new individual churches.
In 5 years, many of these new churches if not most will likely have doubled or tripled in size. If the large church were left alone, it is highly doubtful that it would experience this type of growth.
Jesus knew this and explained over and over again that the kingdom would grow through multiplication. We in the church tend to forget this when left to our own decisions.
I have often heard it said that a church is 'organic' and that organic things grow so a church should be focused on growth. However, this is a very incomplete and somewhat dangerous thought, particularly when applied to a single local church institution. In addition to growing, organic things also multiply and on an individual level, they die. While everything in our world is busy living, dying, and multiplying, the local church is busy trying to exist and grow - and losing ground in the process.
So think about it ... What would happen if local church institutions were willing to add dying and multiplying to their mission?
I stumbled on this article today. It details some of the recent events in China between large unregistered churches and the government.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091210/ap_on_re_as/as_china_mega_church
Here is the crazy thing. Although it sounds like this is bad for the church, I believe that government actions like this are precisely the reason the church is thriving in China.
Think about it. The government just broke up a 50,000 person church. So what will be the likely result? It will result in an energized and supremely dedicated group of tens of thousands that will now likely form hundreds or thousands of new individual churches.
In 5 years, many of these new churches if not most will likely have doubled or tripled in size. If the large church were left alone, it is highly doubtful that it would experience this type of growth.
Jesus knew this and explained over and over again that the kingdom would grow through multiplication. We in the church tend to forget this when left to our own decisions.
I have often heard it said that a church is 'organic' and that organic things grow so a church should be focused on growth. However, this is a very incomplete and somewhat dangerous thought, particularly when applied to a single local church institution. In addition to growing, organic things also multiply and on an individual level, they die. While everything in our world is busy living, dying, and multiplying, the local church is busy trying to exist and grow - and losing ground in the process.
So think about it ... What would happen if local church institutions were willing to add dying and multiplying to their mission?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Start of Something Big in India
I apologize that it has taken this long to update you on what happened with the Pastors Conference in India. I know many of you were praying for it consistently, and I am very excited to report that your prayers were answered.
For those of you who don't know, we kicked off our church planting strategy during my recent trip to India. We have a dream to facilitate the finish of the spread of the Gospel in the Visak district. To us, this looks like a home in every village where people are regularly gathering together to follow Jesus.
Our first challenge is to find some core leaders. We started that process by holding a Pastor's Conference where we taught the 'First Steps' church planting training developed by E3 Partners. In a few months, we will follow-up and see if anyone is implementing what they learned. When we find the 'doers', we will have our core leaders.
I was praying for 50 pastors to attend, but more than 200 pastors showed up. We focused our teaching on the barriers to multiplication. This was a tough message with the pastors. We told them that the Gospel would not spread in this area as long as they tried to maintain control. The church could not center on their salary, their people, and their building. It had to change from an institution with them in the lead to a movement with them playing a part.
The Spirit of God is an interesting thing. There are a handful of times in my life where I truly felt that I was a part of something much bigger than myself - where it was almost as if it wasn't me doing the work. This was one of those times. I can't describe what happened under that tent in India, but God showed up. We delivered a tough message, but the pastors felt the presence of God and were excited about the teaching. How humbling that I even got to be a part of it!!
We counted commitments, and tallied up the numbers. They were very significant, but all that pales in comparison to the fact that God's Spirit was evident. The truth is that I don't know if 100 people will follow through or 2 people will. Number are important, but can often be misleading. For this reason, I am not near as excited about the numbers as I am about the presence of the Spirit of God. That presence confirms that we are working with Him, and if we are working with Him, some good things are just around the corner.
Thanks to all of you who prayed while I was gone. Your prayers were answered. Wouldn't it be cool if this was the beginning of a church planting movement in Visak ...
a movement where nobody knows who we are or what sparked it
a movement where churches were not concerned with authority, denomination, or money, but instead with the love of Jesus and of people
a movement that sees poverty lessen, orphans and widows cared for
a movement where the followers of Jesus multiply exponentially in the area
a movement where isolated villages who have never heard that any God or any person cares about them, hear that for the first time
This will be cool!
For those of you who don't know, we kicked off our church planting strategy during my recent trip to India. We have a dream to facilitate the finish of the spread of the Gospel in the Visak district. To us, this looks like a home in every village where people are regularly gathering together to follow Jesus.
Our first challenge is to find some core leaders. We started that process by holding a Pastor's Conference where we taught the 'First Steps' church planting training developed by E3 Partners. In a few months, we will follow-up and see if anyone is implementing what they learned. When we find the 'doers', we will have our core leaders.
I was praying for 50 pastors to attend, but more than 200 pastors showed up. We focused our teaching on the barriers to multiplication. This was a tough message with the pastors. We told them that the Gospel would not spread in this area as long as they tried to maintain control. The church could not center on their salary, their people, and their building. It had to change from an institution with them in the lead to a movement with them playing a part.
The Spirit of God is an interesting thing. There are a handful of times in my life where I truly felt that I was a part of something much bigger than myself - where it was almost as if it wasn't me doing the work. This was one of those times. I can't describe what happened under that tent in India, but God showed up. We delivered a tough message, but the pastors felt the presence of God and were excited about the teaching. How humbling that I even got to be a part of it!!
We counted commitments, and tallied up the numbers. They were very significant, but all that pales in comparison to the fact that God's Spirit was evident. The truth is that I don't know if 100 people will follow through or 2 people will. Number are important, but can often be misleading. For this reason, I am not near as excited about the numbers as I am about the presence of the Spirit of God. That presence confirms that we are working with Him, and if we are working with Him, some good things are just around the corner.
Thanks to all of you who prayed while I was gone. Your prayers were answered. Wouldn't it be cool if this was the beginning of a church planting movement in Visak ...
a movement where nobody knows who we are or what sparked it
a movement where churches were not concerned with authority, denomination, or money, but instead with the love of Jesus and of people
a movement that sees poverty lessen, orphans and widows cared for
a movement where the followers of Jesus multiply exponentially in the area
a movement where isolated villages who have never heard that any God or any person cares about them, hear that for the first time
This will be cool!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Pornography Addiction
I was pulling some stats together for a group I'm speaking with tonight ... listen to this:
It is interesting that even though we as Christians know that following Jesus is about forgiveness, we quickly equate our self-worth to appearing to be a good person rather than actually becoming one. The beautiful thing about the forgiveness Jesus provides is that it should give us the ability to face our sins honestly - and in the process to be changed. We should not have to pretend! So why do we?
If more than 50% of men struggle with pornography now, that means almost every man has at some point in their life - particularly the younger crowd who has grown up with porn only an anonymous mouse click away. Practically everybody is struggling or has struggled!
So what are you doing to be honest about this issue? Are you honest with anyone?
And for Parents ...
If you have teen children who have access to unfiltered internet at home or at a friends house, they HAVE VIEWED pornography. You do not have to wonder about it! The stats say 90% ... and that includes those 8 years old! They have viewed it. It has happened. Are you speaking with them about it? If you have never spoken with them about it, it is not their fault that they don't know how to deal with it.
I hope this isn't overly direct or harsh. It is something I feel passionate about. We believers, seem to be quick to protest these things publicly or politically, but very slow to address them in our own life. Let's start with us ... and we start by talking about it.
- In a 2002 meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers two thirds of the lawyers present said that pornography played a large role in more than half of their divorce cases ... and that it was almost non-existent only 7 to 8 years earlier.
- 53% of Christian men consume pornography
- 90% of 8-16 year old children have viewed porn online ... yes 90%
It is interesting that even though we as Christians know that following Jesus is about forgiveness, we quickly equate our self-worth to appearing to be a good person rather than actually becoming one. The beautiful thing about the forgiveness Jesus provides is that it should give us the ability to face our sins honestly - and in the process to be changed. We should not have to pretend! So why do we?
If more than 50% of men struggle with pornography now, that means almost every man has at some point in their life - particularly the younger crowd who has grown up with porn only an anonymous mouse click away. Practically everybody is struggling or has struggled!
So what are you doing to be honest about this issue? Are you honest with anyone?
And for Parents ...
If you have teen children who have access to unfiltered internet at home or at a friends house, they HAVE VIEWED pornography. You do not have to wonder about it! The stats say 90% ... and that includes those 8 years old! They have viewed it. It has happened. Are you speaking with them about it? If you have never spoken with them about it, it is not their fault that they don't know how to deal with it.
I hope this isn't overly direct or harsh. It is something I feel passionate about. We believers, seem to be quick to protest these things publicly or politically, but very slow to address them in our own life. Let's start with us ... and we start by talking about it.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A Girl Named Durga Bhavani
A couple years ago our family decided to sponsor a child in India. Honestly, I didn't give much thought to it at the time. It just seemed like the right thing to do. For just over $30 dollars per month we could provide food, housing, and safety for a street child in India. Why wouldn't we do that?
After we signed up, we received a picture of our girl, and we learned that her name was Durga Bhavani. We put her picture on our refrigerator, but the magnitude of what we were doing never sank in to me. Outside of a sentence prayer while grabbing something out of the fridge, I really didn't give her much thought.
Then I met her and she became real to me.
One night, the leaders at the orphanage prepared a campfire for us. I'm not entirely sure why as it was over 80 degrees outside, but it did provide a nice backdrop, as we sat in chairs and listened to a couple members of our team play guitar and lead us in worship. I was enjoying the moment of rest and relaxation when I looked across from me and saw another member of our team with a child on his lap. I thought, I wonder if Bhavani would like that?
One of the things I love about Bhavani is that she is always respectful, yet always available. Many of the kids would bum rush us for hugs and photos every time we stepped out of the little cottage we were staying in, but not Bhavani - she waited. She always waited for me to come towards her, but amazingly every time I stepped off the small porch, she was there - and usually she had brought friends to introduce to me.
When I was sitting by the fire, it was no different. As soon as I turned my head I saw her standing right behind me with several of her friends. I motioned for her to come over and lifted her up on my lap. She smiled.
After a few minutes had passed, I began to wonder if she was doing this out of obligation. I didn't want her to feel forced to stay there if she preferred to go play with her friends so I moved my arm which was wrapped around her so she could get up. As soon as I did it, she looked up at me, grabbed my arm and wrapped it back around her. I felt tears welling up in me - the fire, the worship, the music, and a little girl who just wanted to be held was almost to much for me.
As we sang a little more, I noticed her wiping a tear from her eyes. I thought to myself. I bet she has never been held like this. I bet she has never had someone hold on to her for 15 minutes before. What an incredible blessing to be able to provide for a child, and now to hold her.
Bhavani is tough - she doesn't like to show emotion. She didn't want me to see the tears. At 8 years old, she has already experienced the death of her father, and the attempted suicide of her mother - who tried to burn herself alive. She knows the tragedy of life, but maybe for a few minutes on this night, she was able to experience the joy of life. Maybe this will help her to always know that there is someone who cares, and more importantly, that there is a God who cares.
I don't know when I will see Bhavani again. I don't know what God has in store for her. All I know is that I now love her. She is no longer just a child on our refrigerator. She has moved from my refrigerator into my heart. That $30 a month is now going to my girl instead of some girl, I am now praying for my girl, instead of a girl. I feel so fortunate to be involved!
I expected my first post after returning from India would talk about the Pastor's conference, and it was amazing, but I think maybe a more amazing thing happened in my heart and in Bhavani's. I won't get to see her often, but she knows she has a dad - and I get the privilege and blessing and honor of being that dad ... all for just $30 a month. What an amazing blessing!
If you are interested in sponsoring a child check out www.onelifechild.org.
After we signed up, we received a picture of our girl, and we learned that her name was Durga Bhavani. We put her picture on our refrigerator, but the magnitude of what we were doing never sank in to me. Outside of a sentence prayer while grabbing something out of the fridge, I really didn't give her much thought.
Then I met her and she became real to me.
One night, the leaders at the orphanage prepared a campfire for us. I'm not entirely sure why as it was over 80 degrees outside, but it did provide a nice backdrop, as we sat in chairs and listened to a couple members of our team play guitar and lead us in worship. I was enjoying the moment of rest and relaxation when I looked across from me and saw another member of our team with a child on his lap. I thought, I wonder if Bhavani would like that?
One of the things I love about Bhavani is that she is always respectful, yet always available. Many of the kids would bum rush us for hugs and photos every time we stepped out of the little cottage we were staying in, but not Bhavani - she waited. She always waited for me to come towards her, but amazingly every time I stepped off the small porch, she was there - and usually she had brought friends to introduce to me.
When I was sitting by the fire, it was no different. As soon as I turned my head I saw her standing right behind me with several of her friends. I motioned for her to come over and lifted her up on my lap. She smiled.
After a few minutes had passed, I began to wonder if she was doing this out of obligation. I didn't want her to feel forced to stay there if she preferred to go play with her friends so I moved my arm which was wrapped around her so she could get up. As soon as I did it, she looked up at me, grabbed my arm and wrapped it back around her. I felt tears welling up in me - the fire, the worship, the music, and a little girl who just wanted to be held was almost to much for me.
As we sang a little more, I noticed her wiping a tear from her eyes. I thought to myself. I bet she has never been held like this. I bet she has never had someone hold on to her for 15 minutes before. What an incredible blessing to be able to provide for a child, and now to hold her.
Bhavani is tough - she doesn't like to show emotion. She didn't want me to see the tears. At 8 years old, she has already experienced the death of her father, and the attempted suicide of her mother - who tried to burn herself alive. She knows the tragedy of life, but maybe for a few minutes on this night, she was able to experience the joy of life. Maybe this will help her to always know that there is someone who cares, and more importantly, that there is a God who cares.
I don't know when I will see Bhavani again. I don't know what God has in store for her. All I know is that I now love her. She is no longer just a child on our refrigerator. She has moved from my refrigerator into my heart. That $30 a month is now going to my girl instead of some girl, I am now praying for my girl, instead of a girl. I feel so fortunate to be involved!
I expected my first post after returning from India would talk about the Pastor's conference, and it was amazing, but I think maybe a more amazing thing happened in my heart and in Bhavani's. I won't get to see her often, but she knows she has a dad - and I get the privilege and blessing and honor of being that dad ... all for just $30 a month. What an amazing blessing!
If you are interested in sponsoring a child check out www.onelifechild.org.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Lepers and Aids victims
Thanks so much for your prayers for K.C. I spoke with him last night and he sounded great. Their travel went very smoothly and everyone was pumped and ready for the youth conference. He said that our little girl we sponser at the children's home was attached to him every second. I am so glad that she can feel a little bit of what it is like to have a family.
While we are sleeping tonight the team will be spending the day with the lepers and the women with HIV/Aids. That is always a very emotional but very spiritually rewarding day. The lepers have so much joy despite their situation. They are true examples of the joy that comes from a very real relationship with Christ.
Please continue to lift up the pastors conference. It will be the last two days of their trip, and we want it to be thoroughly covered in prayer.
Here are today's requests:
While we are sleeping tonight the team will be spending the day with the lepers and the women with HIV/Aids. That is always a very emotional but very spiritually rewarding day. The lepers have so much joy despite their situation. They are true examples of the joy that comes from a very real relationship with Christ.
Please continue to lift up the pastors conference. It will be the last two days of their trip, and we want it to be thoroughly covered in prayer.
Here are today's requests:
Saturday, October 24 Acts 17:11
- Pray that God would be preparing the hearts of the Indian people to receive the message from these pastors with obedience and great joy upon their return home.
- Pray for time with Raja, who we at WFC hope to be our point person in India , to understand his passion and what God is asking him to do in relation to church-planting.
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