Forward Thinking

Is your Church where it should be? Does it need change? Can you do things in greater ways than you are doing now? Then maybe its time to do something about it. Maybe its time to not worry so much about the few who get upset when change takes place and time to get on with the mission of God. That group or handful of people who do not want change in your Church are not going to change. How do I know that? Because I have experienced it in the past and it exists at almost every Church in America. It is a sad commentary of American Churches that only a few people can be allowed to hinder the progress of the Church.

Now I am not talking about change for the sake to make things more appealing. I am talking about changing anything and everything that hinders God moving among us in greater ways. That could mean implementing new leaders and asking contentious ones to step down. It could mean starting a new outreach program with only 3 people because no one else is motivated to reach out. It could mean that you have a time of concentrated prayer once a month at the end of you morning service even though it makes a few uncomfortable (the Church is not about our comfort levels). It could mean that you have family meetings once a month or quarter to make sure that everyone is on the same page even though one leader is fighting against it because they fear losing power. It could mean that you draw up new parameters for the functions of every area of leadership in your Church regardless of the few who criticize it. Are you getting where I am coming from?

Some of the things that I have mentioned we have done at this Church and every time there is a change there is a complaint. Realize that before you even step out of the boat. By realizing that it will help you become less frustrated and hopefully help you to keep moving forward. Our biggest enemy in the Church today is fear. We are frightened of change and the criticism that comes along with it. We need to overcome our fears because too many Churches are in stagnation mode right now. Is this what Jesus intended His Church to be like? No Way (as my son loves to say to every question asked)! Jesus wants His Church to be a thriving, living, active, spiritual, and dynamic place. And we want our comfort levels every time we walk through the door. If you want change in your Church then start today on your knees asking God for strength, wisdom, and insight and He will begin to direct you to what needs to be done. Paul wrote in Ephesians "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." This sounds to me that God wants to move among us in greater ways. Maybe He is waiting on His people to feel the same way.

Learn to be Silent

Pastoral Ministry is an interesting adventure. Unless you have thick skin you should probably never undertake any leadership role in the Church. Any leader in the Church is always underneath a microscope no matter who they are. You are human like everyone else, but the expectation for you life is held up to a higher measure by all. Every word spoken, action taken, and ministry started will be criticized by a few or by many. Those in leadership roles are not perfect, but there is an expectation for you to be perfect by a few people in every congregation.

While we cannot hide from criticism in leadership we can model Christ in greater ways when it happens to us. Most people in and outside of the Church let criticism cut them deeply and create a lasting wound. This is a choice and a mistake that many make. When we become hurt by criticism we need to assess a few things in that process.

1. Who is the person criticizing me?
2. Do they readily criticize others in the Church also?
3. How involved are they in the Church?
4. Did their criticism have validity in any way?
5. Did they confront me in person or through a phone call (a person who does this usually has more character)?
6. Did I deserve the criticism?
7. Is there something that I need to personally work on?

It will take time to become a person who can assess the situation, but over time it will help you mature in greater ways. Learn to ask yourself some questions like the ones that I have listed before you ever respond in any way. By learning to accept it before you ever respond you will develop greater character and glorify God in greater ways by how you handle it. James 1:26 says "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." When you receive criticism that is unwarranted the best course of action is to listen to the words of James and give the matter over to God and let him sort it out. Even though someone is a Christian and you have tried to work through a matter with them does not always guarantee that it will always work out. Some Christians are just more mature than others. If you honor God's word He will honor you.

Is Doctrine Dead?

Our Church has been going the the book of 1 John. This is a tough book with themes that can seem repetitive. It is a fabulous book and one that needs to be preached over and over again. I personally have never heard a series on 1 John when I was sitting in the pew as a young believer. This weeks text is taken from 1 John 2:18-27. In this text John says "See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you." That one bit from verse 24 says a lot to the modern/post-modern church. It reminds us that we have a Christian obligation to understand the basics of the Christian faith with as much depth as possible.

We are living in a time when people of any Church background do not understand their Church background or the basic tenets of the faith. Doctrine can seem like such a dry and scary word to many, but it is a word that needs to be elevated by Church Leaders and understood by them. When the Leaders of any Church do not know, understand, and teach basic doctrine the Church is left with a group of people who are bringing in their interpretation of what scripture means to their lives instead of understanding scripture and applying it to their lives. Those of us who are called to lead must teach the basics of the faith to our people because we are obligated to do so. In 1 Timothy, Paul charges his young disciple to keep the basics of the faith and to teach it to the congregation he is Pastoring. This charge remains!

When our Church is done with its series in 1 John we will be moving into the Doctrine of Salvation until the beginning of December. Every year I take one aspect or category of Doctrine and turn it into a Topical Series using a given complete text for each sermon. This is a simple task that allows the congregation to grow and gives freedom to the Preacher to piece the Bible together on a given but yet important matter. The sheep are hungry right now and they need to be fed! They have had enough milk and it is time to give them some steak!

Overflow

We love to talk about the things that matter to us the most! I talk a lot about the St. Louis Cardinal because of my passion for baseball and my team. I tell everyone how I could do a better job than the current General Manager and point out the trades that he should have been involved in. In my own eyes I am the greatest baseball sofa Coach that ever lived. If I had a direct line into the dugout and could talk with Cardinals Manager Tony Larussa about the lineup the Cardinals would be in a much better position. At least this is what I think when I talk about my beloved Cardinals.

The things that we love in this world the most are always on our minds. As I type these words I think of how my Cardinals are on a bad losing streak that could keep them out of this years playoffs. Even though I love baseball I wonder if I fill my daily conversations with the same time dedicated to God? I am passionate about Jesus and salvation, but I have been questioning lately how much time is dedicated to telling others about this wonderful God I serve. So many different ways to do so, but sometimes I refrain out of fear of what people might think or say. I might seem a bit cultic or something. Does it really matter what other people think? Even people in the Church might find it strange to talk about God everyday! Other peoples perceptions should never stop me from talking about God. The only thing that does seem to stop me is when my walk is not what it should be.

As a Pastor there is always that perception by people that I am living on the mountain top. I wish that was what my life with Jesus was like, but it is far from the truth. No matter who we are in the Church we all have to be committed to spending quality time with God everyday. When we become committed Christians we begin to experience God moving through our lives in such wonderful ways that we will not be able to stay quiet about it. There is a pressing need in our country for people to hear about how wonderful, loving, gracious, compassionate, forgiving, and big our God is. I think the biggest problem why people are not hearing more from those inside of the Church is that the life of faith has become routine to many. I refuse to settle for a life with God of just going through the motions. I refuse to stay quiet about the goodness of God and the things that HE has brought me through. I have a faith that believes that when non-believers see God moving through the life of one of HIS servants that they will be impacted in some way.

The Church is here to help those in Christ grow through various means. As a Christian everyone has the responsibility of growing on their own as well. Whether you are a Pastor or just someone who shows up on Sunday morning. When you make a decision to start growing and put effort into the life you have been called to live you will discover over time that God will begin to move into many of your conversations. We need this in the Church! We need to stop thinking that it is strange to be consumed by God and that people are strange who want to speak about HIM whenever they get a chance. When the people of the Church begin to overflow with praises for God and what HE has done and is doing in their lives it will become a witness to the world around us. We need to be better witnesses to the world through our lifestyle in the Church. We need the overflow of God in our lives because we are losing ground. It is time for the Church to shine in new ways for the glory of God.

Solitary Confinement

I have many Christian friends who come from different backgrounds and different denominations. Over the past month I keep running into people who love Jesus but attend a different type of Christian Church than I do. When the topic of Church comes up I find that I enjoy the conversation because its usually centered on what God is doing in someone's life or about how to get the Church moving. The Christians that I seem to gravitate toward the most are the ones that care more about the Great Commission than if their denomination is successful. That probably bothers some people, but it is all about Jesus first and everything else second.

Lately I have been questioning our focus at the Church that I Pastor and the others that are out there. We seem to be building our own personal kingdoms while people around us are far from Christ and are experiencing inner turmoil. I don't want to live like this anymore! I don't want to minister like this anymore! I want radical change! I want revolution and reformission like I never have before! But that change I desire will not just happen overnight because I have a desire for it. I have to give that desire over to God through prayer and learn to "Be Still" before Him and wait for Him to move. That is the hardest part. But I believe with every ounce of my being that God is waiting for all of us to wait. I believe that God is telling us to slow down, get on our knees, and wait for His movement in our Churches. But are we willing to pray, listen, and wait?

My answer is YES! I am at a point in my walk with the Lord where I am tired of not seeing lives impacted to such a degree that the overflow is a genuine and lasting excitement for the Christian life. It starts by pouring out all that I am before the Lord and letting Him constantly conform me to His WILL! While that is easy to type and talk about it becomes much harder to live out. What will make it easy for anyone who desires the same is to become so frustrated with the current state of the Church that you are willing to pray and wait until you experience a fresh move of God. My own tradition loves to quote the book of Acts and talk about salvation, but why don't we talk about how mighty God moved through the early Church that trusted Him? The early Church spent a lot of time trusting, praying, and waiting for God and He blessed them in spiritual ways they never expected. This is the same God I serve. This is the same God whom I will trust for a fresh move. I am tired of living in solitary confinement. It is a dark and lonely place to be. It is time to break out and I am willing to wait for God to open up the door.