Eager To Please

Easter Sunday, Pastor Brett related the disciple Peter being "eager to please" God.  Peter is a lot like us -- or should I say, we're all a lot like Peter.

Many of you are familiar with VeggieTales and their creator, Phil Vischer.  By his own admission, Vischer admits to wanting to be “a Christian Walt Disney”.  Many Christians, I’m sure, would support him in those thoughts.  But years later, after the demise of Big Idea Entertainment, Vischer has a different take on what some call a “vision” or “dream” (an eagerness if you will).

His viewpoint, as I understand it, is that we often think we have a vision/dream from God, when in fact, it may really be our effort to appease God through our works.  Actually, this is really a fascinating concept in light of the holiday we just celebrated.  Easter is the celebration of Christ’s work on the cross.

He notes that many (most?) people in the Bible who responded to visions/dreams given by God were hesitant (i.e. Moses).  We, on the other hand, come up with a “dream/vision” that we get excited about.  We get excited about it because it’s something WE can do – on our own power.  We are not dependent on God in our endeaver.

Sure we ask for God’s help and blessing for our dream/vision, but is He becoming the means to an end?  Is God the “how” rather than the “what”?  Sometimes we have a tendency to make Christianity about us and not about God.

I hope I’m expressing Vischer’s views well enough here.  I don’t intend to step on the toes of Rose and Pat, who lead our spiritual gifts class.  That’s biblical – and important!  They are helping people find their passion, but that is different from a vision/dream.

Passion and skill sets are something God gives each of us to serve His bride – the Church.  In the Old Testament, we are told of those who had the skills necessary to build the Temple.  Others had the skills to lead worship, etc.

We could have lengthy discussions pertaining to the definition of dreams, visions, passions and skills.  But I think ultimately, Vischer’s key points are that,

1)    God is the focus (not us).

2)    Nothing we do for God is enough, not matter how hard we work or what is accomplished.

If this eager-to-serve concept is something that is causing you to consider some self-reflection, you may be interested in Vischer's book, Me, Myself and Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God and Talking Vegetables.  Or, if you want just the YouTube "cliff notes" version, try this.

I think a great line from Phil is this: "Until I was ready to do nothing for God - to just rest in my relationship with Him - I wasn't ready to do anything for God."

It's not Easter, but let's talk about hopping.

I came across a post by a pastor in North Carolina regarding church hopping.  As a board, this issue comes up periodically.   You can read the post in it's entirety here, but here is a quick summary...with my additions  in burgundy from me (I couldn't resist).

First, church isn't about you.  Sorry, but it's not.  It isn't one of many stores in a mall that exists to serve your spiritual shopping list.  Church is a gathered community of believers who are pooling their time, talent and resources to further the Great Commission.  Rick Warren said it well in the very first sentence of his best selling book: "It's not about you."

Second, the very nature of authentic community is found in the "one anothers".  Love one another, serve one another, encourage one another; this cannot happen apart from doing life with people.  Romans, 1 Corinthians and the Epistles have a ton of "one another" references.

Third, the absence of a ministry you desire may be God's call on your life to start it, rather than leave to find a church that has it.  Remember, every member is a minister, and has been given at least one spiritual gift for service in the life and mission of the church.  Pastors are often told what kind of ministry their church needs.  Meanwhile, there are plenty of "holes" (i.e. volunteers needed) in existing programs.  Please get involved.

Fourth, you aren't going to agree with every decision the leadership of any church makes, regardless of its structure or decision-making process.  You either feel you can trust the character of the leadership, or you can't.  Leadership isn't perfect.  But we do pray,  discuss and send lots of emails before we make a decision.  Are they always right.  Of course not.

And being able to trust that leadership doesn't mean they will always do things the way you think they should.  In other words, don't hop every time you disagree.  That's immature.

(And for goodness sake, don't stay and pout either.  Either get on board once the decision is made, if it was one that didn't breach doctrine or ethics, or find a place where you can.

Fifth, don't worry about being fed as much as learning to feed yourself.  Even more, concern yourself with taking what you already know and applying it to your life, and then helping others who are new to the faith!  Let me quote from Mark Batterson's blog.  I saved this from years ago.  It's good.  "My kids learned to feed themselves when they were toddlers.  If you're not being fed, that's your fault.  I'm afraid we've unintentionally fostered a subtle form of spiritual codependency in our churches.  It is so easy to let others take responsibility for what should be our responsibility."

Finally, spiritual depth isn't fostered by satiating your sense of felt needs.  It's receiving a balanced diet of teaching and challenge, investing in service and mission, living in community and diversity that you probably would not select for yourself.  Not long ago we watched the Olympics.  All of those well-tuned athletes, while they focused on their sport, cross-trained so that all their muscles got a workout.  While maybe not fun, it made them a better athlete.

I thought he had some good thoughts and challenges.  Certainly worth our consideration.

Prayer of a Martyred Zimbabwe Pastor

I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit's power.  The die has been cast.  I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made - I’m a disciple of His.  I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.  My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure.  I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.  I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.  I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.  I now live by faith, lean in his presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer, and I labor with power.  My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions are few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.  I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed.  I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.  I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till he comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till he stops me.  And, when he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognizing me. . . my banner will be clear!

Faithful?

I appreciate our Worship Team and the spirit in which they help start off the service.  Before the song, Your Grace Is Enough, Dave Kurschner made mention of the Apostle Paul and the thorn in the flesh he dealt with.  Dave went on to illustrate how we as parents give "just enough" to our kids (i.e. money, freedom etc.) as they learn to mature and grow. So it is with God and us.

As Dave was speaking, the Lord brought to mind a friend of mine that I had exchanged emails with earlier in the week.  I had sent him the link to the sermon I gave in July about life being a roller coaster.  Since he left the company where we worked together, his life -- both professionally and personally -- has imploded.  He appreciated the message and said there was just one set of foot prints in his life right now (referring the footprints poem I read).

What God hit and convicted me with, was that while my friend was going through a long and difficult time -- a thorn in the flesh so-to-speak -- I had not been very faithful in lifting him up in prayer.  The passage God placed on my mind (and heart) was from Matthew 5, The Sermon On The Mount.  The Message version phrases it this way starting at verse 33:

And don't say anything you don't mean.  This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions.  You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,' and not meaning it.  You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace.

I'm not only guilty in this instance, but countless others.  Thank You Dave and the rest of your team for leading us and setting us up to hear from Him who is enough. Sometimes we hear what He's laid on your heart -- and then there are times when He adds a little more.

Stalking God

Pastor Mike asked me to teach the 7th & 8th graders this fall.  I gladly accepted.  And as I've contemplated meeting with these kids on Sunday mornings, I've tried to think of ways to make what I teach stick -- not in their heads, but in their hearts.  I've run across two things lately that have challenged me regarding that.

First, in one of the closing chapters in Bob Goff's book, Love Does, is one called: "Memorizing Jesus".  In that chapter, Goff talks about "stalking Jesus".  That is, collecting information and memorizing facts. But that's it.  He said he quit a "Bible study" he was part of because he wasn't doing anything with what he learned.  He in turn, started a "Bible doing" group.  They read, "what God has to say and then focus all their attention on what we are going to do about it."  Goff says by engaging in the Word, we will remember it better because we are living it.  Good stuff!

The second was a comment made by D.A. Carson regarding Psalm 27, verse 11.  This verse talks about teaching and leading.  But Carson's comment challenged me.  He wrote; "This cannot be said too strongly or too often; to claim that one is pursing God without concomitant reformation of life and growing conformity to the ways of God is wicked and dangerous nonsense."  That ties right back to Goff's thoughts above. Reform and conform - continually.

This is a great reminder of James 1:22-24, that tells us not to just read the Word and forget - but to put it into practice.

The Power of the Cross: Convergence.

About a year ago, I shared at a congregational meeting, some comments I heard from Rev. Samuel Rodriguez.  After Rev. Rodriguez made these comments about having a "cross-centered worldview," the interviewer said; "That was good stuff folks.  You should hit the rewind button."  And so I am.  Here, once again, are Rev. Rodriguez's comments about how we should have a cross-centered worldview.  I feel like they are quite appropriate for a body of believers that call themselves "CrossPoint".

The cross is vertical and horizontal.

The vertical direction represents God's Kingdom, His glory,  His presence.

The horizontal direction represents community relationships, culture and society.

Vertical is redemption.

Horizontal is relationships.

Vertical is the covenant.

Horizontal is our community.

Vertical is Billy Graham.

Horizontal is Martin Luther King.

Vertical is righteousness.

Horizontal is justice.

Vertical is the New Jerusalem.

Horizontal is Hennepin County.

The cross is BOTH / AND.

It is not either / or.

The strongest part of the cross is the point of convergence.  That is where we need to minister out of -- the strength of the cross!  It is where righteousness meets justice.  It is where John 3:16 meets Matthew 25:45.

Misery or Ministry?

I heard a preacher earlier this week ask, "Will you let God turn the misery inside of you into a ministry?"  Great question.  That is the last thing we feel like when we're miserable.  A few days later I listened Michael Hyatt (former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing) being interviewed about mentoring.  He mentioned that a guy in his mentoring group of eight men shared that he had just gone through bankruptcy.  He was enormously embarrassed.  In this group were men who struggled and also men who were very successful.

Hyatt said as the man spoke, he literally began shaking.  This was a tough thing for him to admit.  Yet, almost instantly the whole group came around him and supported him.   Everyone began telling their own stories of failures.

Over the years, Hyatt said that besides modeling, he's also learned to minister out of weakness.  When he tries to minister out of his strength he says, he might impress people a little bit - but it's not life.  People aren't healed.  He noted that it's the wounds of Jesus that heals us and it's our own wounds and failures that God can use to help heal the hurts of other people.

I have to admit.  As an elder, a leader in the the church, I feel like I need to have it all together -- all the time.   Shhh.  Don't tell anyone.  But I don't.

A couple of great Scripture passages to meditate on from the Apostle Paul are 2 Corinthians 11:30, 12:5 and 12:9-10.

That's the beauty of the new Shoulder to Shoulder Ministry here at CrossPoint.  These people (who were introduced last Sunday) are willing to come along side those hurting and in misery and share whatever burden is being carried.  Perhaps Tom Cairns can elaborate more on this in another post.