the SIGNIFICANCE of insignificance

Have you ever stopped to think how selfish Christians can be?  It’s almost like we gain this extraordinary sense of entitlement.  Some of us take on this notion that it’s all about what we can get instead of what we can give.

I’ve encountered more people that have told me what they’d like to see in worship because it’s what would work for them.  There’s rarely any consideration for what truly honors God, much less what would work for someone without faith who might be visiting.  I’ve had more people gripe about the “new” worship that other churches are doing (not even their own church) and how it just doesn’t feel like worship to them.  I’ve actually had candid conversations with some people where I’ve asked just how many people they think connect with the body of Christ each year in contemporary churches versus traditional ones.  Something tells me that the worship hasn’t gone astray, the people have gotten comfortable and have never reinvented their worship.

What is our worship about anyway?  Is it about making us feel good and assuring that we can walk away with?  Or is it about what we can offer God?

I’ve preached some on temple offerings over the last two weeks. (by the way, my sermons are on iTunes - just search for Mt. Bethel)  We’ve lost the most ancient forms of worship for the sake of what we call traditional worship.  In Jesus’ time, you came to the temple to make your offering - to bring something in the form of a sacrifice.  Fortunately for us, our sacrifice has been made in Christ, but we forget that worship is an act - it’s something that we DO.  We come to praise God, to recognize our place in creation and our need for divine grace, and yes, to receive that grace, but our worship should be God-centered rather than self-centered.

Our selfishness doesn’t end with worship either.  We are selfish with our lives.  Sure, we’ll all commit our souls and our future eternity to Christ because the alternative sucks, but what are we doing to live our faith?  Micah 6 recounts a time when God was ready to punish the people of Judah, but he wasn’t going to wipe them out.  They repented and wanted to know what offerings they could bring to the altar to gain favor with God.  Micah’s response was unexpected:
       “He has showed you, O man, what is good.
       And what does the LORD require of you?
       To act justly and to love mercy
       and to walk humbly with your God. (v.8, NIV)”

God doesn’t want part of us, he wants THE WHOLE THING!  He wants our lives to be lived by his will and in his honor.  When Christ ascended, he basically told the disciples that it was their job to live as he had and to carry on his work.  It’s an incarnational theology - one where we embody Christ to the world and Christ works in and through us.  When we are selfish and act out of entitlement, we misrepresent Christ to the world.  What a disgrace!  No wonder so many non-Christians have no relationship with Christ because of the behavior of the church!

I’m hurt by the number of people that say they like to hear about Christ and wouldn’t mind following his teaching, but don’t want the label of Christian.  How shameful is that for the Christians of the world?  How long will we bring our own agendas to the public arena or the pulpit and neglect to bring God’s agenda to the world?  How long will we put up with idiots on TV and in public that either say nothing of substance for fear of losing their crowd or say things that are divisive and turn people off to Christ.  How long will we put up with church leaders who feel a sense of entitlement and are sabateurs of the faith when they don’t get what they want?

I’m tired of entitled Christians.  I’m tired of defending this faith against them. 

Who’s most important in your life?  Is it you or is it God?

I’m honestly amazed at the number of people who still check my blog daily or weekly, even though I haven’t posted since the beginning of October.  Here, at the end of November, I can’t believe it has been that long.  The last two months have been full of ordination requirements, meetings, a stewardship campaign, church budgeting, preparing for Charge Conference, doctor’s appointments, and other responsibilities.

I have to tell you that shortly after my last post, I wrote another post that never got published.  As I was praying over the membership list for Mt. Bethel and considering leadership positions for 2008, God began to speak to me.  I picked up my notebook (if you know me, I’m never without my Black ‘n Red notebook) and began to write.  I wrote as fast as I could for almost an hour and then translated it into a single document.    This wasn’t  your typical brainstorming or even your typical prayer time.  Something happened that I can’t quite explain and still amazes me.

Anyway, I typed up what I thought would be a great post and saved it to my computer.  I wasn’t ready to post it.  I needed to spend more time with God to realize that what I had written was spoken directly to me and my job was to, over time, lead the people of Mt. Bethel in this vision.  This vision in it’s rawest form wasn’t suitable to post.  Over the next several weeks, I will mention, from time to time, parts of this vision as part of my blog post.

I can tell you this much:  I have seen much need for improvement, opportunity for ministry, and incredible grace from God at Mt. Bethel.  I have pondered the context and circumstances of my appointment and see literally, thousands of things to do.  The need to find the core elements in God’s vision for this church has been important simply to begin moving in the right direction.  Through this prayer time that I had, God has shown me five priorities in helping Mt. Bethel to truly be the body of Christ in this community.  What an incredible gift and burden!

The next day was Sunday, actually Laity Sunday (the Sunday that our laypeople lead worship), and I was on a high from writing out this vision.  I wasn’t ready for Sunday though.  The day started with one of the couples in the church who struggle to see the glass as half full doing everything possible to explain to me that the future of the church was hopeless and it was all the fault of pastors, district superintendents, and bishops.  But wait, it gets better…

I had made all of the arrangements for laity to lead elements of worship.  I was proud - people were getting involved that hadn’t been before.  Then it happened - two people leading key parts of worship didn’t even show up!!  On top of that, they didn’t call to say why and one of them later lied to me about where they were that morning.  INFURIATING!

That afternoon I went home and ate lunch by myself (Erin was on a retreat and Ben was with his aunt).  I pulled together the final details for Sunday night youth (anybody want to be an unpaid youth pastor?) and returned to the church.  After all of my preparation the week before, only TWO youth showed up.  Nothing I had planned could be done with only two youth, so we hung out and had a very short lesson.

After youth, a couple in the church came to speak to me about their marital problems.  I’m accustomed to helping people who are struggling with their relationships, but this couple is more passive-agressively hostile toward each other than any other I had been with.  I mediated conversation for about an hour before they decided to go home.  By this time, the great mood I woke with that morning was pretty well destroyed.

I drove an hour to my sister-in-law’s house to pick up Ben and got him in the truck just in time for him to fall asleep.  As I returned home (another  hour back) I noticed a car keeping pace with me several hundred yards off.  It was dark, so all I saw was headlights and since they didn’t catch right up to me, I assumed that it was safe to keep my typical pace of way too fast.  WRONG!  I found myself pulled over by Georgia’s finest just a mile further down the road.  Those state troopers sure can be sneaky!

Needless to say, our highs often come with incredible lows.  At the end of that day, all I wanted to do was sleep.  That day was only the start of things to come.  I’ve spent the last eight weeks working harder than I believe I ever have, usually 7 days a week.  I haven’t had time to keep up with friends, much less take time to relax.  My work has become much akin to herding cats.  Nothing has  come easy.  I haven’t even been motivated to blog, which has been one of my joys since moving in June.

After all of this, I’m back to blogging.  I plan, over the next several weeks to share with you the five priorities I believe God has in mind for this church and my impressions of each.  Be sure to leave comments on each as I continue to work them out for myself.

Thank you to my faithful readers.  I will do my best not to halt posting for this long again.

-Alex

Erin’s out of town tonight at a meeting for an upcoming Emmaus weekend.  I took advantage of having the house to myself - I ate pizza and watched a guy flick.

Have you ever seen “We Are Marshall”?  It’s the Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox movie about the 1970-71 Marshall Football Teams.  I like to think that I’m a tough guy, but I started getting a little misty about 15 minutes into the movie.  By the end, I had pulled the Kleenex box onto the couch with me.  Go ahead and make fun, Erin would if she was here, but it was a great movie.

In case you haven’t seen it and aren’t up on your early 70’s football history, the Marshall football team of 1970 was killed in a plane crash, with the exception of a small handful and one coach.  In ‘71, it was up for debate as to whether or not they should suspend the football program, but through hard work, dedication, and an inventive, quirky new coach (Jack Lengyel) the program was rebuilt and a university and city began healing.

The first coach, Rick Tolley, finished his last game and told his players that nobody would remember them by the way they played, but by how many wins they had.  By the end of the story, that speech had been turned on it’s head and the new coach motivated his young team to play with heart because they WOULD be rememebered by how they played.  Pretty evident, since they made a movie about a team that had only two wins in a season!

Which statement holds most true in life?  Sure, I remember more about the 1980 UGA team even though I was an infant than I do about the 1990 team because of the number of games won.  But who are the people I remember in life?  I remember my grandfather as my hero because of the way he lived and the generosity that he exemplified.  I remember my college history teacher because of the investment he made in my education.  I remember my 6th grade math teacher because of her gentleness in putting up with wild 6th grade boys.

I’ve done plenty of funerals to know that people aren’t remembered in the end by how much money they made or how many homes they owned.  People are remembered by the way they “played.”  Isn’t this what Jesus taught?  Isn’t this why he had so many run ins with the Pharisees? 

We are remembered by the way we interact with others and the way we impact their lives, for better or worse.  My goal in life is not necessarily to be remembered - when I’m gone I won’t care if anybody remembers me!  My concern now is am I doing anything worth remembering?  I’ll never throw a game-winning touchdown; I’ll probably never be a Billy Graham; I may never lead a congregation from the margins to greatness, but I can still make a SIGNIFICANT impact in the lives of others.

How I raise my son, how I love my wife, how I pour my heart out to my people and listen as they pour theirs out to me, how I’m honest in my dealings, and generous in my giving, how I’m calm in my encounters, earnest in my prayers, and dedicated in my work will be how I am remembered.

I have a website for you to visit.  It’s www.weloveguy.com.  

Guy Shank (pronounced Gee) is a member of the First UMC of Lawrenceville.  Some of you may know him, others not.  Guy is a native Canadian that has had some trouble with immigration.  Thanks to Homeland Security issues, he is no longer welcome in our country, after 20 years of building a family, a home, and a business in Lawrenceville. 

He’s an active member of the church and does more than most people when it comes to missions and outreach.  He’s active in men’s ministry and in restorative projects at the church’s historic campground.  Outside the church he helps the Central Gwinnett HS band anyway that he can and in business, he always goes the extra mile for people.

If you know a congressman (or woman) or someone in his or her office, please give them a call and pull any strings you can.  Give them this web address and let them see for themselves.  Guy is in custody and awaiting deportation, but enough phone calls, letters, and prayers might just make a difference.  His wife, Dawn, and son, Tyler are still in Lawrenceville and are waiting for resolution of his issues. 

The website is constantly being updated.  Check back regularly for new information on how to help.

Praise God for beautiful days!  It’s 8am, Ben’s still sleeping, and it’s in the 50’s outside.  Good morning for sipping coffee.

 Yesterday was an adventure.  Have you ever experienced going on vacation only to return in a “vacation fog”?  I stuttered and stammered through the first half of my sermon yesterday, but Erin tells me I pulled it together at the end.  Good thing - it was one of the most challenging sermons I’ve had to deliver.

 I decided when I came to Mt. Bethel that I would preach the lectionary Gospel lesson each week until Christmas.  For those who are scratching their heads and asking, the lectionary is simply a listing of preaching texts for the year.  Each week, according to the season, has an OT text, a Psalm, a Gospel reading, and an epistle lesson.  It’s used by pastors across denominations and can be a good way to make sure you’re not preaching the same stuff over and over and that you’re dealing with difficult texts with your people.

I’ve held true to my decision so far.  Yesterday’s text was Luke 16:19-31, The Rich Man and Lazarus.  What a challenge to convey Christ’s words to people.  The rich man died and went to hell, not because of what he did, but because of what he didn’t do.  I’m serving a church that has had very little work in missions and evangelism.  The congregation’s been in the midst of a farming community for the last 180 years and are being challenged with a booming new growth in the area. 

I’ve been reflecting on this a lot lately.  There seems to be a feeling of desperation among many of the church’s members that they just don’t know what to do.  A small handful has tried door-to-door evangelism, but that’s proven unfruitful.  The older members are used to an agrarian culture where a new family moved in once every couple of years and with little effort, they joined the local congregation.  In the midst of a local population boom, there has been a feeling of being lost in attempts to reach new families.

It’s not so easy to reach new families.  We can’t simply open our doors and wait on them to come.  Even in areas that are still rural, the times have changed and so must our outreach.  For the last 100 years, churches have boomed in attendance simply because they were available and membership was part of being a good citizen.  Older churches are now being faced with the harsh reality that if you don’t provide what people are looking for, they won’t come.

 Servant evangelism is something that keeps coming to my attention and the more I see and the  more I read, the more I’m bought into this way of thinking.  I’ve added a new book to the book list on the blog.  Be sure to check it out.  Steve Sjogren has a plethora of easy ideas for people to share their faith without having to be like Paul.  I’ve caught the fever and I’m going to try a couple of these on my own.  I’m praying that servant evangelism will catch fire in the congregation at Mt. Bethel.

 As I finish this post, I’ve run across Tony Morgan’s blog for today.  Check it out.  It’s along the same lines of what I’m learning about our intentionality.  The mindset at Mt. Bethel is that it would be great to have 10 new members per year (just enough to break even or grow by 1%).  We’re clearly not thinking big enough.  Especially in an area that is becoming a bedroom community overnight.  Statistically, 30% of people moving in will look for a new church home.  In the new neighborhoods right around Mt. Bethel alone, and only looking at the homes that are currently on the market, we will have 200+ new households in our back yard that will be  looking for a new church.  What an opportunity!  It doesn’t take a prophet to figure out what God has called this church to do.

The challenge extends beyond the church as a whole though.  As individuals, what are we doing to reach other people?  The rich man/high priest went to hell by himself.  Jesus didn’t say that the whole temple went to hell or even the whole leadership.  Even though we live in community with one another, we are still individually accountable.  Are we relying on the few to do the work of evangelism for us or are we getting our hands dirty? 

I remember the first time on a mission trip that I was called on to share my faith.  I was terrified and rightfully so.  My faith was important to me and I wasn’t sure if I could handle any sort of rejection.  I wanted to be present with those who were sharing, but I didn’t want to be the one sharing directly.  I hid in the background until one of my good friends pushed me to the front.  I made every excuse I could, but Tom bested me in the end by simply asking, “do you remember the person who shared their faith with you?  How would your life be different if they had been too afraid?”

That one rhetorical question has provided the motivation for me to share my faith for the last 10 years and probably will for years to come.  Even now, I have times that I’m sitting in a coffee shop, working on a mission trip, or even getting up to preach on Sunday morning that I have my fears about laying it out there for someone else.  I’m always taken back to that day in inner-city Philadelphia and encouraged by Tom’s words.  I may never know if I’m making a difference when I share my faith, but  I know in my heart that there is always that possibility and that I never  do it alone.  God is the only one that can make it work, but I have  to make myself available as His tool.

How would your life be different if nobody ever shared their faith with you?  If nobody ever invited you to church?  If you never had the opportunity to encounter Christ?  What are you doing to be SIGNIFICANT for the Kingdom of God, even in the most insignificant ways?

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By the way, today is Stephen’s birthday!  Happy Birthday Stephen!  Nothing special happens at 27!

I’m reading a new book - “Principle-Centered Leadership” by Stephen Covey.  I’m already very familiar with the Franklin, Stephen, and John Covey material.  I’m having to read this book for my upcoming covenant group meeting.  This year, all probationary elders in North Georgia are concentrating on a leadership curriculum.  I’m glad that they’ve included Covey material - it is solid stuff with a definite Christian influence that emphasizes process and paradigm rather than sudden, quick fixes.  It’s all about changing essence and character in order  to actually become success rather than just achieving an instance of success.  Success can be defined in a variety of ways.  For instance, success for a corporate executive is profit and growth.  Success for a pastor can be effective evangelism, discipleship, and assimilation of new leaders into Kingdom work.

I’ve always been attracted to material that emphasizes hard work and actually denounces quick fixes and overnight solutions.  Anything that is lasting isn’t built overnight.  Realizing that becoming an effective leader, or a committed Christian, takes time is crucial.  Too often we have the expectation of becoming Peter or Paul overnight.  We believe that at the altar we can simply decide to become the perfect Christian and walk away without any struggle. 

It’s all about the PROCESS of sanctification.  At our rebirth - at the moment of our salvation - we BEGIN a new journey in life.  Much like a new couple begins a new journey at their wedding.  At our justification, we have not yet arrived at perfection.  We have been set free from the power of sin and death and we have been forgiven for past sins.  Nowhere did Christ say that his resurrection would make us exempt from  sinning.  I have yet to meet even the most committed Christian who didn’t still struggle with sin.

In fact, even John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, said that Christians still sin, but that they don’t commit sin.  His words reflect a commitment which we make when we profess faith in Christ that we will be intentional about not committing sin, or willingly sinning.  However, as Christians, we all fight with our own demons.  We all have our struggles with sinful thought and tendency - we aren’t perfect yet.  We could go from here into the question of “once saved, always saved” and I would invite that discussion with anyone.  (with salvation, we don’t lose our ability of free will - we can still choose to reject the cross - not sure why we’d do that - but we can.  Is that a loss of salvation?  Sure sounds like it to me.)

This is where the process of sanctification and Steven Covey - and for that matter, Bill Murray - come in.  Remember the movie “What About Bob?”  Bill Murray plays a crazy guy that torments his psychiatrist on vacation.  His mantra throughout the movie is “Baby Steps”.  Our faith, our leadership ability, our relationships are all built through millions of tiny baby steps.  Covey’s philosophy is to begin on a realistic level.  Achieve personal victory everyday and through that you’ll begin having public victories.  There’s only been one Savior.  Thank God I’m not him!

I’ve lived this process in life for several years now and it’s proven itself time and again.  I still have to relearn it, or as Covey says, “sharpen my saw” occasionally.  To be honest, coming to Mt. Bethel, having a vision for God’s Kingdom expanding in McDonough, and having to concentrate on baby steps has been difficult.  I’ve been here 12 weeks now…is it so unreasonable to expect the church to multiply by 1000, have financial stability, and be ready for Christ to return?  It sounds ridiculous to expect, but it’s definitely a real struggle.  As Christians, and as Christian leaders, it is our life to swim against the currents of the world.  Nothing eternal happens overnight.  God didn’t even create the universe in a day - he took six and made it a process.

It is in our insignificant steps toward perfection and sanctification that God uses us and makes a SIGNIFICANT difference in the world and in the Kingdom.

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Thanks to Stephen for filling in for me this morning.  It was a little unusual to be away on a Sunday morning.  It almost felt like leaving your child with a sitter for the first time.  I’m glad I could leave it in such capable hands.

I really appreciate the support I get from Stephen and others as I learn to take baby steps in faith and in ministry.

What do you think of when you think of an adrenaline packed career?  A skydive instructor? A bomb squad technician?  A rattlesnake wrangler?

What about ministry?

The last ten weeks at Mt. Bethel have been full of adrenaline-packed moments.  I’ve come to realize that true ministry is lived at the edge of control.

I was fortunate today to get to spend some time with two of the guys that really keep me going and that I can always count on, Stephen and Allen.  I asked the question if they felt like they were ministering at the edge of control.  I’ve struggled at times lately with knowing if I’m pushing too hard too fast or if I’m moving too slow in ministry.  God’s put an incredible vision in front of me and all I want to do is run as hard, as fast, and as far as I can for the sake of the Kingdom.  People issues come into play though (ministry sure would be easier if it weren’t for the people).  I’m serving a church where the majority of the members have been members since before I was ever born.  I’ve seen too many times in other churches when people acted as if they were on board with a vision, only to sabotage it later.

The guys echoed my sentiment.  It seems that if we’re not living at the edge of control, we’re not doing much to advance the Kingdom and not making the impact God has called us to.

Ministry is one of the most adrenaline-packed professions in the world today.  Everyday ministers put their careers on the line as well as their authority and influence so that they can follow the will of God.  How scary is that?!  By ministering on “the edge of control” I mean to say that we are somewhere between having complete control and no control at all.  I believe that this is God’s design for all believers that would be leaders.  He gives us enough confidence to keep us going, but takes enough of the control to keep us humble. 

My assurance in God’s plan and God’s care is growing at a record pace.  I feel like an elephant living at the edge of a small branch, supported only by faith and left out there only by the assurance of the tree.  What a rush!

Pray for the Christian leaders you know, lay and clergy.  Support them with all you can.  Words go far, but the actions of backing someone up go much further.  I continue to pray that my heart can survive 40+ more years of constant adrenaline.

Pray also for us that when we delude ourselves into thinking we have control, that God will push us further out on that limb until we realize where the control really is.  Praise God that it’s not left completely to us!

I’ve felt convicted about yesterday’s post since I posted it. 

My name’s Alex and I have a problem.  I complain too much.  There is so much good in my life right now and I choose to spend my time griping about someone or something that really has very little effect on me (if any).

I need to praise God for this past Sunday.  I’ve been at Mt. Bethel for about 10 weeks now (I’m starting to lose track) and I’ve already had two baptisms!

My first Sunday involved an infant baptism that had been planned for a few months.  What a joy to bring a little one into the Kingdom!  He’s already got a head-start and doesn’t even know it.  Praise God for good parents that want every opportunity for their children.

This past Sunday, I was honored to baptize a 70-year-old man.  He had been wayward for a long time.  Part of it was his upbringing, but most of it came from his  military service.  He served as a Marine sniper during the Korean War, which meant he saw a lot of action.  He never really found a way to deal with that, but his wife continued to pray for him and drag him to church.  A few years ago, Herman accepted Christ and is one of the most committed Christians I know.  He’ll tell you what it means that God has put his sin as far away as the east is from the west.  No matter what he did before, he is a child of Christ now.

All that was  missing for Herman was his baptism.  He was raised baptist and couldn’t remember ever having a time that he was baptized, so we made it official this past Sunday.  I’m encouraged by him as I prepare my sermon this week.  I’m preaching on the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin from Luke.  Jesus tells the critics, “I tell you…there will be more rejoicing in heaven overonesinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent.”  WHAT GOOD NEWS! There was real rejoicing at Mt. Bethel on Sunday.  People are still buzzing about it and it brings a huge smile to everyone’s face and sometimes even a tear of joy.

Pray for us this Sunday.  I’m stealing/borrowing an idea from Perry Noble (pastor at Newspring Church in  Anderson, SC).  Perry had his people come up and, on the walls of the sanctuary, write the names of people they were praying to come to Christ or renew their relationship with Christ.  If anybody from Mt. Bethel is reading, don’t worry, we’re not going to write on the oak paneled walls in the sanctuary.  We will have an opportunity for every person to come up and write  the names of those people that they want to pray for.  We’re counting on God to honor these prayers and we’ll keep praying until every person has been reached.  Join us!

As easy as it is for a pastor to become consumed with numbers and keep their finger on the pulse of worship attendance, last Sunday’s baptism was a reminder to me that the lost sheep wasn’t found simply to increase the size of the flock.  The lost sheep was found, at the risk of the other 99, because the lost sheep had it’s own inherent value.  Worship attendance is a very satisfying side-effect of continuing the search for the lost in the world.

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Thanks also to the folks who visited from Lawrenceville on Sunday.  What an encouragement it was that you traveled that far to worship with us!

I’m having a rare week where my sermon is coming to me faster than I  can write it down and my blog is drawing a blank.  I guess if it’s got to be that  way, I  really don’t have room to complain.

 My spacebar is finally worn out, so if I’m  missing a space here or there or it looks like I’ve put in too many spaces, please understand.  If anybody knows how to unstick a spacebar that seems to have lost its spring, please let me know.

 I had an interesting meeting this morning that felt like a complete waste of time.  Next month, an evangelistic organization is planning to host a Billy Graham-style crusade here  in my area.  A pastor-friend of mine called to see if I’d be willing to meet with one of the organizers and hear his spill.  Honestly, I came away disappointed and with some real questions about the old methods of evangelism.

Is it still effective to hold evangelistic crusades?  Make sure you hear what I’m actually asking.  I believe in evangelism as the top purpose of the church.  We are called  to make disciples in the world and nothing else really matters.  What I’m asking is if a gathering of  thousands of people to hear the Gospel turned into a sappy love-story or an angry message that doesn’t come across as good news, but rather a threat, still work? 

I’m saddened by people that make the decision to follow Christ based on emotion.  Accepting Christ as Lord and Savior isn’t an emotional decision.  If we make it one, the relationship to follow is doomed to fail.  It will fade with the emotion is rode in on.

When I perform premarital counseling for couples seeking to  get married, the first question I ask them is “why do you want to get married?”  This is a trick I learned from my mentor, Quincy Brown.  An emotional response to the question sends up immediate flags to me.  If the  couple is head over heels in love and hasn’t stopped to weigh the implications of marriage, I know it’s time for them to build a surer foundation.

It’s the same with our faith.  Why do you want to be a Christian?  Fear of the afterlife or mushy feelings for Christ isn’t good enough.  Where does your real commitment come from?  Our faith should come from the choice of something better and not from the escape from something we fear.  Our relationship to Christ should be left-brained, AS WELL AS right-brained.  Even love is more than an emotion - it’s  something that we choose and choose to do well.

 The other thing this guy kept saying that was  really getting to me was how freely he used “making disciples” as his objective for the crusade.  What does it mean to make a disciple really?  According to Christ, it’s a lot more than a  lifestyle change.  It’s the choice to follow someone.  For the original disciples, it was 3 years of teaching and learning.  It was 3 years of following Jesus everywhere and being in community as well as relationship.  You aren’t made a disciple at the altar and that’s it.  We aren’t instantly sanctified.  Our discipleship is a journey and just like anyone learning anything, we need a teacher or a guide.  This circus wants to come to town and preach for 3 days and expect that to suffice as making disciples.  There’s no guarantee for anyone who receives Christ to plug in afterward.  Sure, they can fill out the card with their  church affiliation and the church will be notified, but what about the dozens of people that will make a decision and have no affiliation?  Are they just  left to their own devices?

Just had to vent.  This guy never had a chance when he quoted the King James (as if it was the only true version) and spoke highly of Jerry Falwell and Franklin Graham (both of  which said some truly idiotic, and in my opinion, un-Christian, things following 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina).

 It’s time to be active in the evangelism in our own communities.  The harvest is plentiful and we need to pray for workers.  We can’t depend on these sideshows to do our work for us.

Are you significantly generous?

That’s the question that I’m putting out to the people I encounter.  It’s actually becoming a theme at Mt. Bethel.  God has given us so much that I want to ask, what are we doing to give it away?

I feel like generosity is one of the core values of a healthy faith.  Serious Christians find true joy in giving.  Whether it’s putting a check in the collection plate, serving a meal to a shut-in, giving shelter to the homeless, or just giving a gift to someone you love, generosity is one of the most satisfying and freeing virtues we can have.  I’m convinced that only Christians can fully understand the saying, “it is more blessed to give than receive.”

I’m in the middle of preparing a stewardship campaign for my church (can you tell?).  The more I read and the more I prepare, the more I realize that stewardship isn’t something you can do for  4 weeks in the fall and leave alone for the rest of the year.  Stewardship, giving, hospitality, and generosity has to be something that is in every aspect of what we do as a church.  I challenge anyone to find one ministry team, committee, or church that isn’t impacted by the spirit of giving in its people.  Civilization rises and falls on the ability and willingness of people to share.

I’m alarmed by pastors that don’t recognize the importance of stewardship.  I’m concerned when a whole year goes by without any mention from the pulpit of how we can be better stewards of what God has given us.  I’m bewildered by ministers that feel that it’s inappropriate to talk about money and its use on Sunday morning.

What is the concern?  My parents’ generation has this thing about talking about money.  Personal finances are just that - personal.  Sure, in today’s culture, you don’t want to show your hand.  Somebody would take advantage of you.  As a pastor, I don’t want to know what you make.  I don’t want to see a check stub.  I can do a good enough job of guessing what you make.  I also don’t want to know what you put in the collection plate on Sunday.  I don’t need to know it either.  What you give is between you and God.  However, I fully accept as my responsibility to teach you about giving, teach you how to give, inspire you to give, and help you to grow your giving. 

Pastors would quickly get called out for not teaching their people to pray, study, or share their faith.  Why don’t pastors get called out for not teaching a congregation to be generous?  I just don’t get it.  Sure, God has made it clear that his Kingdom doesn’t rise and fall on men and women.  After all, he can make the rocks cry out.  I understand that, but I also understand that at present, Americans could afford to give 2 trillion dollars more each year to charity.  With that extra giving, imagine how quickly the world’s problems would begin to disintegrate.  No more hungry in Darfur, no more remote locations unreached with the gospel, no more homelessness in the United States, no more of a lot of life’s woes. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not interested in stewardship so that one day I can be a Creflo Dollar, making millions, owning multiple homes, multiple cars, gaining as much for me and my family as possible.  I’m interested in your generosity for your own sake and for the sake of the coming Kingdom.  How are you giving it all away?