Last Blog Post...

I want to thank all who are following my posts on my blog site. It’s an honor to be able to share with others who are on Christ’s mission together.

I have good news to pass on - this will be my final blog on this site! I will now post my blog on Confluence, our Newfrontiers USA blog. (confluenceblog.com)

Click this link to see my newest blog post “More Leaders, More Volunteers” on Confluence. I know you’ll receive great insights and equipping encouragement from the many contributors with Confluence. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to visit and subscribe to Confluence. May you continue to follow Christ and see His kingdom increase in your city and beyond!

The Goal of Leadership

What’s the goal and purpose of church leadership?

To be clear from the beginning, church leadership is not for the purpose of having a nice Sunday morning entertainment package for your local church. Leaders are called to equip you to be effective ministers. Leadership is to prepare you for battle and on how to live and give. Eph. 4:12 reveals that the goal of leadership is to build up the church! In Ephesians 4, Paul reveals the church needs so much work done on it. This fact keeps us from discouragement as we realize how imperfect the church really is. The church is a place where it’s OK to not be OK, as long as we don’t remain that way. This means we start by receiving God’s grace and becoming believers. Leaders equip the saints so that every one is a minister, fixing what’s broken and supplying what’s lacking. As believers, reaching out and giving in the way God has graced us, we avail ourselves to the leaders who equip us for ministry.

What does this goal mean for church leaders?

Leaders are to strengthen the whole church body, not just certain parts. It’s not just strengthening individuals but the whole church. As Americans we are devoted to personal individual fulfillment and satisfaction. Devoting ourselves to building the whole church is difficult to grasp in an individualistic culture. The aim found in Eph. 4 is unity of faith and knowledge. There is one faith and one truth.

What are we to look like as a community?

The answer is to look like Jesus… “to a mature person, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13-14). The aim is for the Church to take on a personality like Jesus, a strength like Jesus and a love like Jesus.

What should a mature church know?

We are to be solid in knowing the Bible so we aren’t influenced by every weird belief (v.14). Rather, we are to “grow up in all aspects into Him (Christ)” (v.15). The aim of church ministry with our grace gifts is to become a church that is unified in faith and knowledge, growing more and more into a body that looks and acts like Jesus. Church leaders are to call you to this glorious work, to stir you to pray for it, to equip you to give yourselves to it!

What is the conclusion for the question: Why Church? To provide an opportunity for every grace-gifted believer to be equipped to effectively minister to Jesus’ Church until we look like Jesus and therefore impact our world.

Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher

As we consider Ephesians 4:11-12 and the leadership gifts listed there, it is important to realize their purpose. Paul reveals these leaders are to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (v 12). Leadership exists for local churches to mature.

What do they do?

Being an evangelist is a gifting that is highly valuable but often misunderstood today. Many today view an evangelist as someone who preaches guilt and condemnation, with some nuance of a ‘fire and brimstone’ message. Or they’re viewed as television preachers who constantly manipulate viewers for money.

In reality, the New Testament evangelist reveals they mainly equip others in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others. They themselves are especially gifted in reaching people as they spread the good news to those who have yet to believe in Jesus. (All Christians are to share Christ with others but the evangelist is especially gifted.) Evangelists may also open up new areas with evangelistic breakthrough.

The pastor-teacher is the gift more people have experience with in our culture today. However, the New Testament expression of this leadership can often be missed in contemporary practice. The common view today is where the pastor is a “one man” show, whose “job description” is to “marry and bury” church members and be sure to visit all who are sick. These are good practices that need to occur, and all believers are called to take care of one another. However, in scripture we find the pastor-teacher is called to lead people in the church and ensure that members are well taught. These leaders want to ensure believers are trained to teach and disciple others. They lead the church into green pastures but the sheep are able to feed themselves as well. Pastor/teacher leadership can discern wrong doctrine and watch for dangerous cultural trends that would lead people astray.

What are the results of these ministries today?

The evangelist affects a church by helping believers reach people with the good news. There are a variety of ways for this to occur, such as through personal relationships, an Alpha course, special meetings or events that non-Christians find welcoming, etc. But the good news being shared in the life of a local church is what the gifted evangelist lives for.

A pastor/teacher impacts a church by equipping them to be biblically grounded, loving and mature in beliefs and lifestyle. This gifting wants to develop disciples who are well-versed self-feeders in God’s word. They not only care for people but also help people serve and care for one another. They also communicate apostolic vision and values into the local church.

Apostles and Prophets

Ephesians 4:11-12 lists God’s key leadership gifts that are designed to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (v12). It’s important for local churches to receive this leadership if they want to mature and fulfill their role in the Great Commission.

The word apostle simply means “sent on a mission”. For those called apostles it means a power and authority has been conferred upon them.

• Apostles look beyond the local church to nations and are gifted to start new things.

• They have authority to do specific things to start churches.

• They provide wisdom to strengthen churches. They are master church builders laying good foundations of doctrine and mission for local churches.

• They serve as pastors to local church pastors and leaders.

Prophets are sensitive to what God is saying and to God’s purposes. All may prophesy but a prophet’s words carry greater weight.

• They bring “now” words from God for the church.

• They inspire the church with vision and direction.

• They see through issues and bring godly perspectives.

• They stir up the gift of prophecy in the local church.

• They encourage, bring comfort and exhort the church.

• Through their revelation and words they equip the church to be salt and light.

What effect do these gifts have on the church? An apostle shapes the local church to be more missional - to be mission-thinking and act with a global view. He hates the “holy huddle” of Christians just gathering with one another. With good apostolic foundations, a church will be doctrinally sound, Spirit-led and able to impact others in their community and beyond.

A prophet influences a church to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to be actively seeking to hear God. He provides clear vision & direction for the church. Churches become more obedient to prophetic words, and more people are released to prophesy.

For more on the gift of an apostle in today’s church, see David Devenish’s new book 'Fathering Leaders, Motivating Mission'. See Sam Poe’s blog for more on the prophetic.

The Gift of Leadership

God’s idea for His church can be seen in Ephesians 4:11-12, where we discover He gives leadership gifts to His people. Since God is the one “in charge”, He informs leaders what they are to do to benefit His church. This is different than the biblical truth that every Christian is a gifted member of the body of Christ. Here Jesus has gifted or given a divine donation to His church by calling and releasing gifted men to lead the church into maturity and effective ministry.

What are church leaders (apostles, prophets, evangelist and pastors/teachers) supposed to do? Christ has given the job description: they are to “equip the saints” - that is, believers. (All believers are “saints” in the New Testament; they are set apart for God.) The word “equipping” means fixing something that’s broken or supplying something that is lacking. Paul mentions this when he tells the church in Thessalonica that he and his leaders “desire to supply, or equip, what is lacking in your faith” (1 Thess. 3:10).

Jesus gives varied grace gifts to each believer in the church so they can minister. He also gives leaders to the church whose job is to repair what’s broken and supply what’s lacking in believers. Jesus descended from heaven to become flesh, die for our sin on the cross and rise from the grave for the forgiveness of our sin (Eph. 4:10). He then ascended to God’s right hand where He gives gifts of leadership to you.

Apply this to your situation. Jesus looked at your city, saw you and determined that you were in desperate need of His grace. He loved you and determined to reveal Himself to you and He radically changed your life. Now realize that we may be personally saved but we are never individually saved. He saves us into community. So the Lord determined to have a church in your city and He sent leaders to your church who are called to equip, fix what was broken, and supply what is needed in you.

Your church leaders are Jesus’ “divine donation” to you. Jesus gifts each Christian and yet we are not so perfect that we are not in need of fixing and being supplied by God’s donated leadership gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors/teachers. No one can say “I am gifted and don’t need these leadership gifts of apostolic authority, prophetic encouragement, evangelistic training or pastoral care and teaching.” All of us are indeed gifted with a measure of grace but all of us are in some measure lacking. We need fixing and supplying. Jesus has donated leadership to supply you in your growth and maturity as you follow Jesus. This is the ingenious design of God! Ephesians 4 reveals that the church needs you (verse 7) but the leadership gifts also prove that you vitally need the church (verse 10).

A Gifted People

Ephesians 4 is God’s reply to the question “Why Church?” In Ephesians 4:7-10 we discover that every person who is a believer is also a gifted minister. The focus is on grace, as God gives every believer grace in a measure suited to His good purposes both for each Christian and for His church. This means as a follower of Christ, you are uniquely graced with Christ’s gift. You are not an “accident” in life or in the body of Christ.

What is grace? Grace means that God, in an act of self-motivated pure love toward you, has generated His favor on your behalf. This is God’s own sovereign act of giving and generosity. What effect did this grace have? This grace released you from the guilt and shame of sin and empowers you to live in a righteous way. This way of life would have been impossible without His gift of grace.

Paul says this amazing grace not only saves us, but also enables us to serve God’s purpose and His Church according to His will. Jesus also gives to each of us spiritual gifts for the effective ministry of the Church. We are not given these grace gifts because we deserve it, but according the measure that Christ decided to give us (verse 7).

Romans 12:6 states “we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” Jesus knows what your local church needs so he has bestowed upon you gifts for the benefit of everyone in your church. Every member is a minister who is ordained by the grace of God given to him or her. Our generous Father wants His gifted people to live in freedom from sin, and to express His love to a wounded world.

Equipping the Saints or the Customer?

If you were asked the following questions, what would your answers be?

• What is the purpose of the church?
• What is the job of the church leader?
• Should the church exist to meet your needs?
• What style of music should the church have?
• What kinds of events and programs should the church have?
• What kind of church would make you happy?

We live in an individualistic, consumer-based culture where the customer is always right, and it’s all about you. A tragic issue arises when people view the church through consumerist eyes. People view “church” as a place you attend on Sunday that meets your needs and has good buildings; a place where the programs, music and preaching is centered on you. Basically, the church is there to help you have a happy life.

In reality, the ministries and priorities of the church aren’t intended to revolve around you or me. The church is called to revolve around God, His mission, and the people who need a Savior.

This means that as a church we believe that we exist to glorify God. Jesus never intended for His church to be a spiritual country club where membership has its privileges. This “country club” brand of Christianity is common in western culture, but this brand of Christianity would never have produced the advancement of God’s cause as seen in the book of Acts. These early believers glorified God by having an impact on their world. Their presence caused some to rejoice and caused others became violent against them.

Why isn’t the church in the USA having a greater impact? The real question is, why have we made church what we want instead what God needs us to be?

Consider a poem from a 9 year old entitled “If I Were In Charge of the World”

If I were in charge of the world, I’d cancel oatmeal, Monday mornings and allergy shots. If I were in charge of the world, there would be brighter night-lights, healthier hamsters, and basketball goals five feet high. If I were in charge of the world you wouldn’t have lonely, you wouldn’t have to clean, you wouldn’t have bedtime and you wouldn’t have ‘don’t punch your sister.’ In fact, you wouldn’t have sisters at all! If I were in charge of the world, a chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts would be a vegetable, a person who sometimes forgot to brush and sometimes forgot to flush would still be allowed to be in charge of the world.

If I were in charge of the world, one of the things I would change would be people’s idea about church.

• I would want people to see the church as God intended rather than as a consumer.
• I would want them to understand God’s design and determination for His people.
• I would want people to understand that every Christian is a minister.

The bottom line for us is that we understand that we join God rather than God joins us.

People Together in Mission: Designed For Community (Part 5)

Christ Followers are Devoted to the Mission. 

God is relational and His presence is attractive. His love and grace draws people to himself. Likewise, God’s community is magnetic. Note the early church’s experience in Acts 2:27, "The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

The community of God that I find in scripture is attractive. Recall how lonely people are today. When they see the friendships and activity of God’s presence among his people, the church, it’s captivating. This is only possible in an atmosphere of grace as opposed to legalism.

Our Heavenly Father is a relational being. The triune God himself lives in community. He lives in three parts that are intimately involved with each other, so with us being made in His image, it’s natural that He communicates to us through relationships. This community is to be found in His church.

• In true community you can see people for who they really are, people desperately in need of God’s grace.
• In community you can see God for who He really is. 
• In community you can see the true friendships that God desires for every believer. 

When people see these three things they are going to want in. “The Lord added to their number daily those being saved.” You don’t have to feel lonely any more. Do you want to be a part of a community that desires to be in God’s presence? Do you want to join people who are dedicated to each other and are devoted to God’s mission?

In his book When God Builds a Church, Bob Russell said,

"The church exploded in growth because the people loved being together. When you get a group of people together who genuinely believe something and who really enjoy each other, it’s such a contagious atmosphere that you can’t keep people away from it.”  

God’s mission actually resides in the midst of His gathered community. In the book Desiring God, John Piper explains, “Missions is the automatic outflow and overflow of love for Christ. We delight to enlarge our joy in him by extending it to others.” As Christ followers, we are meant for community and this design is missional. As Jesus said, “This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples-when they see the love you have for each other” (John 13:35 Message Bible). As God’s gathered people, we are together and we are on a mission.

A People Together: Designed For Community (Part 4)

Christ Followers are dedicated to each other. 

I want you to notice some of the imagery found in Acts 2:42-27. There’s a picture I see of the early church that is quite revealing…Everyone was filled with awe, all the believers were together, and every day they continued to meet together. 

The early church understood and had a clear sense of community. They wanted to be together and they were dedicated to each other’s needs. We are told if a practical, physical need arose, the early church sold their possessions and gave to anyone who had need. If a spiritual need arose, this tight knit group of people would be available for that as well, to help and pray.

Life can obviously be difficult and unfair. Dennis Wholey says, "Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian." The bad news in life is that tragedy happens. A good example of this is Matt Chandler and PJ Smyth: godly men who have had to battle cancer. There is good news, however. If you are a member of the body of Christ, you don't have to go through difficulties alone.

Do you know what happens when a church loves to be around each other this much? What occurs when hardship comes on one who is part of God’s family? Encouragement is given. Prayers are offered up. Sometimes checks are written. The body of Christ does exactly what our name implies: we become Jesus to that person in the midst of hardship.

The local church is a community called together by God. We are friends together who will help you in anything. So when someone gets a job promotion or a raise or if they’re pregnant or getting married, we all celebrate together! Conversely, if something bad happens and someone loses a job or a loved one dies, we all mourn together. We are a people dedicated to one another. We are called to be like the church in Acts 2, where “all who believed were together and had all things in common.”

A People With God: Designed For Community (Part 3)

Christ followers desire to be in God’s presence.

Often when we think of church, we think of wanting to be around people. However, the church in Acts 2 shows us that although it’s great to be in the presence of others, our first priority is to be in the presence of God. The early church understood that if you are getting together for a spiritual purpose, the most important thing that can happen is to grow closer to the Spirit of Christ.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42 ESV)

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47 ESV)

The early church prayed, read their Bibles, praised together and grew in their relationship with God…IN COMMUNITY. So, today in the local church we apply the Bible to our lives, we pray for people in our church who need encouragement, and we praise and honor God together. God speaks to us and we do it as the early church did…together! I love what is written in Acts 2:44 NIV, "all the believers were together."

Christ followers desire to grow in their relationship with God together.

Do you find yourself frustrated every time you try to start a devotional with God?

Do you feel dry or empty spiritually? Get involved with God’s people, with the local body of believers. Get plugged into God’s local community, where people will care about your spiritual welfare, where you can have some Bible application and prayer.

Do you want to grow closer to God? Grow closer to His presence by living among God’s community. We desire to know Him…together.

A Devoted People: Designed For Community (Part 2)

In Acts 2, we find a church that is dynamic, active and powerful. In Acts, we see the first churches and they were rapidly growing and on fire. The Holy Spirit was moving, but in the midst of this we see a group of real followers that were devoted to true community. Read Acts 2:42-47 and find out what made this church so powerful:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This was a people who desired to be together with a spiritual purpose. This church was not a social club; they were not just a group of Christians who were "hanging out." They were dedicated to the things of God.

In his new book, The Spirit-Filled Church, Terry Virgo expounds on this vibrant community:

The early Christians were devoted to fellowship. They were constantly together and relinquished the right to individualism and selfishness by no longer regarding the things they possessed as their own. There was no coercion…. They expressed commitment to one another as a spontaneous outworking of their new life in Christ.

Commenting on God’s design for community, C.S. Lewis states, "Christ works on us in all sorts of ways…. But above all He works on us through each other.”

WORSHIP: DELIGHT IN GOD (Part 5)

Worship is to delight in the Lord.

The book "Song of Solomon" is a teaching on the sexual delight between a man and a woman. It could easily be a teaching for marriage, love and romance between a husband and wife. This book is also often thought of as an allegory about Christ and the Church, though it is not referred to in the New Testament as a type of Christ and the Church. However, it could be viewed as both and therefore we can't reject either interpretation.

Regardless of these perspectives, the “Song of Solomon” does reveal how God has made us to long for and to desire delight. This desire and delight is to be directed toward God. As we worship, we take pleasure in God. Not in God's gifts, but God himself.

Worship does bring transformation. Worship changes us. When we worship, we experience the alchemy of transformation. Those taken up with God are changed into His glorious image.

Conclusion
Jesus said God is seeking worshipers. In worship we are changed. All ministry must flow from this center, otherwise it is simply a religious exercise. It is legalism and not the grace of worship. We are ultimately gripped not by an objective assent to an idea, but by a personal encounter with the living God. As John Piper writes in his book Desiring God, “To see Him and know Him and be in His presence is the soul’s final feast. Beyond this there is no quest. Words fail. We call it pleasure, joy, delight but these are weak pointers to the unspeakable experience.” May our delight be found in Christ alone, who is worthy of our worship.

A Lonely People: Designed For Community (Part 1)

A study by the American Council of Life Insurance reported that the loneliest group in America is college students. That’s surprising! Next on the list are divorced people, welfare recipients, single mothers, rural students, housewives, and the elderly.

Americans are some of the loneliest people in the world. We are a mobile society where many graduate from high school, move away from home for college, and then move again for a job. Most people will switch jobs 2-3 times. This contributes to our loneliness, and you couple this with our high divorce rate and that makes for some very lonely people.

Concert attendance has been slowly declining over the last 10 years because people no longer want to go and get lost in a crowd. In contrast, another trend over the past 10 years is that coffee houses are up. One person was quoted in The State Journal’s article on coffee houses, "I come here because I like an atmosphere of busyness, I don’t like to feel like I’m alone."

The popular show Friends takes place in a coffeehouse where friends in New York City just spend time together while trying to make it in life. The popular show in the 90s called Seinfeld was said to be about nothing, but was really about a group of friends hanging out and talking about meaningless stuff.

We live in a society that is extremely lonely and many have experienced this feeling firsthand. Charles Swindoll mentioned a Kansas newspaper ad which read, "I will listen to you talk for 30 minutes without comment for $5.00." Swindoll said, "Sounds like a hoax, doesn’t it? But the person was serious. Did anybody call? You bet. It wasn’t long before this individual was receiving 10 to 20 calls a day. The pain of loneliness was so sharp that some were willing to try anything for a half hour of companionship"

Coffeehouses, being with friends and hanging out will satisfy a need in your life, but it’s not the totality of life experience that God wants for you.

God’s Plan for Community
God’s desire is for you to experience "community." In God’s design of us, He said it’s “not good to be alone.” God created the church as a community of people gathered around Jesus and who are called to be together on a mission. Real community is "hanging out with a spiritual purpose." We need to learn to come together for a spiritual purpose.

Larry Crabb makes the simple statement, "Community matters." That’s like saying oxygen matters. Community is essential in a healthy Church. As our lungs require air, so our souls require what only community provides.

You are designed by God (who himself is a group of three persons living in profound relationship with each other) to live in relationship. How can a person tell if he or she is experiencing true community? Answer this question: “How often during the week do I get together with people with a spiritual purpose in mind?”

In a local church, you can experience community any number of ways.

• Sunday morning worship: we gather together and edify one another.
• Become involved in a ministry team.
• Get involved in a small group.
• Pray together with others.
• Encourage spontaneous gatherings with a spiritual purpose.
  

Feeling a bit lonely or detached? Start hanging out with others and have a spiritual purpose!

WORSHIP: PRAISE MUST BE EXPRESSED (Part 4)

Praise must be expressed. The expression of what you are enjoying is the consummation of it. There is a fulfillment and joy found in sharing your expression.

ADMIRATION AND REFLECTION

Praise is admiration and reflection. Just wanting an experience is religious existentialism. Worship must be rooted in reality. God loves us and the experience that His Spirit pours out is a greater reality of what we know. Our worship is a realization of that experience and is flooded with reality. We have a greater consciousness of being with the Lord. There is an appetite for God within us. David expresses this when he declared, "As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Ps. 42:1-2). An increasing appetite for God will move us on.

WORSHIP ENTAILS ENCOUNTER

We highly value being in God’s presence. When we worship, God touches us and dwells with us right where we are. The Message Bible describes Jesus’ coming to the earth as God “moving into the neighborhood” (John 1:14). God remains present among us today and worship manifests Him. In worship, there is intensity, God coming upon us with power.

In worship we express that we desire to encounter God. One song expresses this longing with the simple phrase, "I long for you, oh Lord…" We always want to know God and encounter Him in our worship!

We need to long to encounter God and find our highest joy in Him. As John Piper explains in his book Desiring God,

"The enemy of worship is not that our desire for pleasure is too strong but too weak! We have settled for a home, a family, a few friends, a job, a television, a microwave oven, an occasional night out, a yearly vacation, and perhaps a new personal computer. We have accustomed ourselves to such meager, short-lived pleasures that our capacity for joy has shriveled. And so our worship has shriveled."

We must re-awaken ourselves to knowing and encountering the reality of the living God. He is our greatest delight.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
(Psalm 63:1-3 ESV)

WORSHIP: PRAISE (Part 3)

Worship flows from an appreciation that comes out of knowledge. We consistently praise the things we appreciate. This begs the question: Do we really know God? Do we run out of things to praise God about? We can appreciate what we know, but it is difficult to praise what we don't know.

For example, you can't understand and appreciate football unless you grasp how the game is played and the skill involved. You can be in the stands of the football stadium while others are excited, but it doesn't help you if you don’t understand the game. Worship is not caught. Worship occurs in the midst of a relationship. A person who spends time getting to know God and His ways will praise Him for who He is and all He’s done.

The more we study, meditate and learn of God, the more we want to worship Him. We become fascinated about God. Study and read real material about God and not just the latest spiritual fads found in paperbacks. It is good to delve into biographies of great men and women of faith. It is good to read healthy theology written by godly men such as Wayne Grudem and Gordon Fee. We learn of God and get thrilled. Let’s pursue the goal to learn something of God on a continual basis.

In addition to reading, biblical worship also strengthens us with the truth about our God. Excellent worship songs speak of the wonders of God. When we sing great worship songs, do we really know what's behind these words? As we sing in worship, let’s reflect on the truth revealed about God and grow in our wonder and awe of Him and His great love for us.

We must know God, and true worship flows out of this relationship. Otherwise, our worship is weak, shallow and more focused on ourselves than on God. Our praise is enriched by our identification with Christ. For example, you can appreciate a good football team, but there’s much more excitement when it is your team. When my team scores…it's my team! I get excited! As believers, Jesus is our Savior and this truth comes out of relationship and out of a personal knowledge of Him. The less we understand, the less we praise. The more we understand, the more we praise.

Let me ask, are you impressed with God? If so, let’s praise Him.

WORSHIP: THANKSGIVING (Part 2)

It’s appropriate to be a thankful people. In his book A Passion for Holiness, J.I. Packer says, “No religion anywhere has ever laid such stress on the need for thanksgiving, nor called on its adherents so incessantly and insistently to give God thanks as does the religion of the Bible.”

In Psalm 100:4, the psalmist instructs us to "enter His gates with thanksgiving." This is the first order of worship. God's reign has created a natural order. Romans 1 speaks of the downward spiral of being unthankful and ungrateful. This downward spiral starts because people do not give thanks. Therefore, one thing that should characterize us as God’s people is that we are thankful. One of the first things we teach our children is to say “thank you.” This should be our initial attitude as we worship God as well. Thankfulness is to be a chief characteristic in our daily life and worship. Gratefulness in every circumstance is the obvious evidence of one’s faith in a sovereign God.

WORSHIP: DELIGHT IN THE LORD (Part 1)

Worship is vital for a healthy Christian life. Our Newfrontiers vision and values declare we want churches “where God’s presence is prized and where God is enthusiastically worshiped with genuine freedom for men and women to worship publicly in the Holy Spirit, to use spiritual gifts and to participate in ‘body ministry.’”

Worship is grounded in truth. In John 4:1-24, Jesus gives great teaching on worship and brings solid truth on the back of it. Speaking to an unsaved woman, Jesus teaches an amazing truth when he tells her, "God is looking for worshipers." God is the only one worthy of worship. The question that comes to mind is "Why does God want us to worship Him?" Does God have a problem?

We, in fact, know that God doesn't need anything. However, we need to worship Him. When we worship the Lord, we gaze upon Him, come out of unreality into reality and in that process, we are changed.

True worship differs from religious form and practice. At times, we can go through the motions. Isaiah spoke of this with Israel, "They worship me with their lips but their heart is far from me" (Is 29:13). Religious activity is external and merely a form. God is seeking heart-felt worship that Jesus described as being “in spirit and truth.” Prayer and faith comes out of our worship life. Motivation to pray and to share the gospel comes out of real worship.

In the Psalms, David calls out to God, “Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you” (Ps. 5:11). David instructs us to “Delight yourself in the Lord” (Ps. 37:4). This inner delight is at the heart of true worship.

Joplin Update

Bryan Mowrey of Jubilee Church, St. Louis, is part of my Newfrontiers USA apostolic team and he oversees and serves our churches in the Midwest. Here’s his helpful update of our support for Christ’s Church (the Newfrontiers USA church in Joplin) and the local Joplin community.

Any time there is a big event like the devastation in Joplin, there is a lot of information and misinformation to digest. Moreover, what’s communicated from afar is different than reality up close. I want to update you on the Jubilee/Newfrontiers effort to help Joplin and hopefully bring some clarity.

1) The devastation that this tornado has caused has not been overemphasized. It was a horrific tornado that destroyed a 1/3 of the town and the scene on the ground is unreal. It will take years, not days or weeks, to repair what was destroyed.

2) NOBODY from the Newfrontiers church in Joplin (Christ’s Church of Joplin) has been hurt and everyone is fine, has a place to stay and are optimistic about their present and future on a practical level. No one in the church needs any help at this point and all efforts to serve are directed toward the city of Joplin and those outside the church.

3) While there is a small team of Newfrontiers people who are going to go down there, there is NOT a very big immediate need for help. In fact, volunteers who want to help are being turned away. They don’t need food. They don’t need water. They don’t need clothes at this point. Those things are currently in abundance. A lot of people don’t want their homes touched until the insurance companies come out. Large teams of people going to Joplin either this week or even the next week could actually be counterproductive because it would put an administrative burden on the church to find stuff for people to do.

4) The need for assistance for people of Joplin will remain for weeks to come and as the attention turns away from that city, our help could make a big impact as the volunteer supply will start to decline. I am thinking that we could organize a team to go down there in a few weeks to a month…perhaps over July 4th weekend. If you were planning on going down there this weekend to help, by all means go, but just understand that the real need may be a few weeks out.

Our Joplin brothers and sisters are really looking forward to seeing you at Celebration Midwest! One of the great things about these conferences is having face to face contact with those we are praying for and are on mission with!

Christ-Centered Marriage: Biblical Marriage (Part 6)

Conclusions
We have considered what the Bible says about marriage in my previous posts. In today’s world, one doesn’t need to look far to see the need for healthy marriages and families. Regarding this important issue of having a biblical marriage, there are three key principles to keep in mind:

1. Marriage is designed by God rather than by western culture;
2. Christ is to be the center of your marriage;
3. Partner together as a team in your marriage.
   

Designed by God
Marriage was and is God’s creation and we need to recognize Him as the marriage expert rather than looking to our culture’s perspectives. Human behavior is consistent regardless of the age or culture in which we live. The same destructive patterns of behavior operate today with destructive force just as in the days of Adam and Eve. Ancient peoples had the same tendencies of wrongdoing and the same inner desires and needs that we have. Since mankind has not essentially changed, biblical instructions are just as relevant today in our culture as when they were first given. God’s design for a man and a woman to become “one flesh” as found in Genesis 2 remains intact today. "It is God's intention that in every marriage the couple love each other with an absorbing, spiritual, emotional, and physical attraction that continues to grow throughout their lifetime together" (Ed Wheat in Love Life for Every Married Couple).

Christ as the Center
A Christ-centered marriage calls us away from selfishness and thinking mostly about our own needs. Our model for marriage is to love our wives as Christ loved the Church in a self-sacrificing way and to respect and follow the leadership of our husbands as the Church does Jesus. Jesus desires marriage to last and fulfill God’s purpose through this union. He said that what God has joined together, no man should separate (Matt. 19:6).

Together With Grace
Marriage was designed to bring happiness, not misery. All marriages have struggles. We need to join together to face the issues rather than face off against one another. Stop fighting each other. Let go of the hurt. Train yourself to love and forgive.

When a barrier develops in your marriage, actively take it down.

1. Forgive. Wipe the slate clean and begin again.
2. Change your behavior. Don't look to your spouse to do it first.
3. Renew your mind through God's word. Allow Him to replace the negatives with good attitudes that will bless.
   

Marriage is a spiritual union by which a couple creates a life together sharing deep and meaningful goals. We need to set an atmosphere where we are open and non-judgmental so we can talk candidly and securely about how each person feels and why. When a couple shares meaning, calling and purpose, conflict is less intense and perpetual problems are not the determining factor in the quality of the marital relationship. The more a couple can share values, dreams and purpose together, the richer, easier, more fulfilling, and more meaningful your marriage will be.

Respecting Your Husband: Biblical Marriage (Part 5)

When discussing a biblical view on marriage, we need to consider what scripture says to wives.

“Let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33)
“Even if any of them [husbands] are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your… respectful behavior.” (1 Peter 3:1-2)

Wives need to know about a husband’s need for respect. Today, more than ever, we need to think biblically and not just culturally. Emerson Eggerich talks of this in his “Love and Respect” seminar and materials…

“In this culture, a love-dominated society, a woman tends to talk far more about her need for love than her husband talks about his need for respect. Biblically there are two sides to the marital coin: love AND respect…. Only the husband is commanded to agape-love his wife (Eph. 5:25,28,33). Both Peter and Paul reveal that the secret for a wife is to show unconditional respect (1 Peter 3:1-2; Ephesians 5:33). Unconditional respect is as powerful to a husband as unconditional love is to a wife. This truth needs to be put back on the marital radar screen.”

There are many ways a wife can tear down their home by not relating with her husband in a respectful manner:

• Resist his physical affection
• Refuse to do fun things with him
• Take the leadership role
• Stop attempting to be attractive for him
• Neglect your home
• Ridicule him
• Remind him of past mistakes
• Don’t understand his desire to apply himself to his career (He needs to conquer out there!)
• Complain often (Criticism causes a person to become defensive, withdrawn and insecure.)
  

But what if a husband doesn’t “deserve” respect? Recall that God called the prophet Hosea to unconditionally love his undeserving, adulterous wife. Peter instructed wives to win over their disobedient husband through their respectful behavior (1 Pet. 3:1-2). Eggerich explains this more…

“A disobedient husband is not respectable and DOES NOT DESERVE respect. But such a husband, like all husbands, needs respect that only his wife can give. However, the culture teaches that respect must be earned whereas love is to be unconditional. Further, the culture has given a wife license to express, ‘I love him but don’t respect him.’ However, this is equal to a husband saying, ‘I respect her but do not love her.’”

Expressing the biblical marital value of unconditional love and unconditional respect will certainly strengthen a marriage. For a woman, this can begin by understanding God’s call to respect her husband. The husband needs to know that you trust his leadership.

How is this respect to be expressed? A simple first step is for the wife to ask her husband. A few suggestions might also include:

• Be loyal to his leadership
• Dress for him
• Play with him
• Express desire for him
• Prayer to God on his behalf and with thanksgiving
• Express admiration
  

Both wives and husbands need to realize that praise isn't praise until it's spoken. Affection isn't affection until it's shown. Express sincere words of praise and appreciation for these awaken tender feelings and a romantic love. It also promotes self-confidence, security and an atmosphere of safety where you can be more vulnerable with each other.

May you be encouraged to find some way every day to communicate genuine affection and appreciation toward your spouse.