Tag: Church

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Crazy and Ridiculous

follow-your-dreams-image

For just a short period of time, Jesus was a rock star. The Bible tells us through many stories in the Bible that there were times where Jesus would come to a town and it would be so crowded that the people would press in on him. There was the time that the friends had to lower the crippled man through the roof to get him to Jesus and then there was that other time where the woman that had the issue of blood had to fight her way through the crowd to simply touch Jesus’ garment. Rock Star!

Jesus the Rock Star! Well, at least he was for a short period of time! It was easy to follow Jesus when his message was one of ‘Come and See‘ where he went around turning water into wine, healing the sick and lame, casting out demons and acting like David Copperfield on steroids. Everyone wanted to know Jesus and to be his friend. Everyone wanted to follow him and receive the blessings that he was freely giving. But then Jesus got all crazy and ridiculous. For instance, he started talking strange and teaching encrypted messages. He admitted that he knew people wouldn’t even understand them. He should have just called his audience dummies! As Pastor Rick Warren has pointed out, his message went from ‘Come and See’ to ‘Come and Die’ with crazy messages like:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

See, crazy and ridiculous stuff! Jesus didn’t say if you want to be saved, rather he said if you want to be my follower abandon your selfishness, die to yourself and follow me. I guess that’s the line that Jesus drew in the sand for those who ‘said’ they wanted to be a part of his group. It was a line that many were unwilling to cross and it was a commitment too great for many to make.

This is why the rich man walked away from Jesus sad. He was unwilling to sell all of his possessions and give all of the money to the poor and then leave the life he knew to follow Jesus into the unknown…or into the knowledge of the life following a transient Rabi who didn’t even own a home and often stayed with friends for rest, who had plenty of haters. This is why many of Jesus’ groupies who once saw him as a rock star walked away from Jesus sad. They saw he was about others, not about himself. They saw it wasn’t all about a show, rather it was about a totally new lifestyle that was focused on others and less on self.

This line wasn’t drawn in the sand for just the disciples of that day, it is a line drawn in the sand for all those who ‘say’ they desire to follow Jesus. Being saved and following Jesus are two totally different things and our American culture is quickly slipping into a comfort zone that is more willing to settle for the comfort of a salvation knowledge than they are a lifestyle of following Jesus.

Why? Mostly because people hate, absolutely HATE, abandoning their selfishness (concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure). We can’t be selfish and follow Jesus; he is the definition and reflection of perfect selflessness. We can’t be selfish (focused on self) and take up our cross and die to ourselves. Jesus didn’t walk the earth demanding to have things HIS way, no he did things His Father’s way. He didn’t walk the earth demanding comfort and convenience, no he was often inconvenienced.

If our local churches are unhealthy, I believe it’s for this reason. We have a lot of people who want to be saved, but we have very little who want to follow Jesus. People will come in droves when the message is one of ‘Come and See‘ and they depart quickly as it transitions to ‘Come and Die.’ The church is loved when it’s ‘Come and Watch’ or ‘Come and Experience’ the awesome show, but they disappear when it’s ‘Come and Serve’ or ‘Come and Make it Happen’. People love when the church is there to give and to serve, but when called to give and serve and die, well that’s just crazy and ridiculous. Teach me all that makes me feel good and like a winner and I’m there, but point out my sin and tell me I’m wrong and I’ll be gone. Jesus is a Rock Star, even in our culture and our generation, at least for a little while; but hang around long enough and you’ll discover that there’s a crowd who is unwilling to cross certain lines. It’s too far…too deep…and requires too much. It’s not convenient, it’s not comfortable and it’s not cheap, so count them out. Where do you stand? Are you willing to cross the lines Jesus calls you to, or are some lines just too far?

Join the Conversation….Why do you think so many are unwilling to cross the line Jesus drew in the sand to be his followers? What’s been the most difficult thing to abandon in your own walk?

 

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Jesus Heals the 10 Lepers…the Story Continued

Luke 17:11-17 (NLT) Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?

If this story took place in modern Christianity, the story would continue something like this…

Then Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” The Samaritan replied, “My Lord, don’t you know….?”

  • The second leper was upset by the style music you were humming
  • The third leper did not like the “disreputable” friends you like to hangout with
  • The fourth leper felt like the other lepers were excluding him
  • The fifth leper didn’t like the color of the rug you were standing on when you healed him
  • The sixth leper didn’t like the way you healed him, and thought he could probably heal people better
  • The seventh leper didn’t think you were dressed like a proper priest
  • The eighth leper thought you were asking WAY too much of him after healing him from leprosy
  • The ninth leper thought it was too far of a distance to travel to come back and worship you
  • The tenth leper said he may come back and thank you when it’s convenient, but you know, he has a lot going on right now

…three of the lepers stayed home and continued living life the way that was most convenient for them and the other 6 lepers went and joined another church where they could complain about the methods Jesus was using to heal people of their leprosy.

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The Two Faces of Leadership

Leadership Face One

Many of us have heard it taught that God ordains leaders and places them in their positions of authority and influence. I believe this.

A paraphrased look at the three most popular passages that we get this teaching from is…. Daniel 4:17, it tells us that, “the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses, even the lowliest of men.” Romans 13:1 tells us that those in positions of authority have been placed there by God; and finally 1 Peter 2:13-14 tells us to respect all human authority…kings…heads of state…or officials….he has appointed.

This is one face of leadership.

As Andy Stanley shared at the Catalyst Conference several years ago. Leadership is a stewardship, it is temporary and leaders will be held accountable for the influence God has entrusted to us.

If God ordains one to a position of leadership, that leader should steward that influence well. Andy presented three truths as to how we can steward our influence as leaders well: 1) Diligence – As Colossians 3:23 instructs us, we should work at whatever we do (or are called to do) with all our hearts. 2) Fearlessness – The final statement given to us in Colossians 3:23 is this, as for the Lord and not for men. A leader can only lead well when his concern for disobeying God is greater than his fear of disappointing people. 3) Humility – God placed us in the positions that he has placed us in; therefore we have no reason and no room to be arrogant or prideful in our leading.

This part of leadership is what everyone talks about. But, what about the second part of leadership? The part that is implied but unspoken? The part that most overlook and never talk about?

Leadership’s Second Face

I know several people that have a history of leadership, but for some reason they are struggling to get hired as a pastor or a youth pastor or as a manager or in some other leadership capacity that they’ve served as in the past. They want to be leaders again, but the door is not opening.

I also know several people that have never been leaders that would probably chew off their right arm (or left, if they are right handed) to be placed in a leadership position. Several of the people I can place in this category have a misconception about leadership and it’s requirements. They see what they perceive as the “perks” of leadership, but they have no idea about the struggles, the pain and the difficulties that come with the position. They think a leadership title of director, pastor or manager will change their life. For some, it’s an issue of power and control. They fail to understand that Being bossy doesn’t make someone a boss.

If it is true that God appoints people to their position of leadership then it must also be true that God does not appoint some people into positions of leadership. This is another face of leadership. It’s a truth we don’t point out much.

But, it is healthy to point it out. People need to know that it is okay to serve in support roles. To be the associate or the assistant or even a volunteer. We glorify the leadership position too much, so much so that people want the glorification of the position. They think it will provide them more perks or more rights, whereas the truth of leadership remains that in positions of leadership our rights decrease while our responsibilities increase.

If one loves the organization that God has placed them in and they truly want the best for that organization, they will serve and support wherever the need is. Someone that’s out for their own glory, power, prestige and/or position will hinder the organization by attempting to force themselves into a position God did not appoint them to, or they will hijack progress by refusing to cooperate fully within the role God has placed them in. Colossians 3:23 and 1 Corinthians 10:31 applies to people filling support roles as much as it applies to those God has placed in leadership positions. With every verse that we are told that God appoints people to positions of leadership, we also get as much instruction (or more) to follow those leaders and to follow them well.

If I am not serving in a leadership position, does that mean God will never appoint me to a leadership position? No, but but there is the possibility that he might not. The question should be, “Am I willing to serve in whatever role God has for me?” If you are not in a leadership position and you are trying to get back into a leadership position or you are trying to obtain a leadership position for the first time, here are some ideas that may be of help to you:

  • Pray – Make your requests and desires known to God while you wait
  • Prepare – Everyone influences someone. Prepare for the possibility of assuming a future leadership position by developing your leadership skills with those God has allowed you to have influence over (family, children, etc.) How do you communicate to them? How do you develop them? Work on those skills.
  • Properly Support – Along the lines of preparing to be in a leadership position, how you support those in leadership positions go a long way to how you develop into a stronger leader. John Maxwell has a great article on “Leading from the Middle of the Pack” that gives great insight into this.
  • Patience and Flexibility – God places people into positions. If it is his desire for you to be there, he will place you there. God gave Joseph a dream that he would one day be in a leadership position, but it took him approximately 22 years to see that dream come to pass. But, what if God does not have a position for you? Remain flexible and fulfill your support role to the glory of God.
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The “L” in Leadership is Not for “Liar”

There are several things that would disqualify a person from being a leader or at least from being considered a leader, but there are two particular reasons I want to discuss which happen to fall under the same category.

The “L” in Leadership is Not for “Liar”

Lying and/or Deception (which is essentially lying) is one of the top actions to disqualify a person from being a leader. Sure, they may posses a leadership position, but that doesn’t mean they are a leader; no more than my putting a golf ball in an egg carton makes it an egg.

Leadership is the ability to influence people towards a specific vision or goal. When an individual resorts to the art of lying or the use of deception, they are no longer considered a leader, but rather a manipulator (and that’s only if they are able to successfully maneuver people as a result of the lies).

Leadership is the ability to influence people towards a specific vision or goal. The use of lies and deception eliminates the key verb, “influence” in that definition. Lying is not influencing; its the attempt to appease another person (telling them what they want to hear) or its an effort to try and avoid difficult conversations or issues. A leader does not hide from confrontation, he addresses it head on (see Saul vs. Jonathan in 1 Samuel 13-14). A person will also be found resorting to lies and deception when they’re attempting to reach their own goal in a dishonest manner.

  • It could be a supervisor saying what they think an employee wants to hear in order to deceive them into believing they have an opportunity to retain employment when the supervisor’s goal is to keep them employed until the person they really want to work with is available.  Even if the supervisor is able to keep that employee in place until the perfect timing to replace them, the supervisor did not reach this goal through influence, rather by deceiving the current employee that they had an opportunity.
  • It could be a sales manger who promises a salesperson specific rewards or bonuses if they reach a specific sales number and then backtracks on that promise with some type of petty excuse once the salesperson reaches their goal. The sales manager reached their goal of higher sales from their salesperson, but they didn’t use influence, they used lies.
  • It could be a pastor with a specific vision or goal for his church and when facing opposition and friction from his leadership team and/or elders, he pushes harder, lies and deceives to paint a picture of horrible consequences if they do not go along with his idea. Even if the pastor gets his way, he will not have done it through any influence of his own, rather through manipulation.
  • Ditto point #2, just change the person in question with a politician and change the vision for the church to an idea for the country. I think you can figure it out.

Join the conversation: Are you a leader that’s resorted to lying and deception to get your way? Why?

Have you been in an organization where the “leader” above you used lies and deception versus influence to obtain what they wanted? What was the results?

 

 

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It’s Time for an Upgrade

 

I owned one of the first Samsung Galaxy S Android smartphones that came out.

I got robbed in Costa Rica last Summer and my Galaxy S was among the booty that the thieves acquired so I was able to upgrade to a HTC 4G Sensation. I love it! I can use it as a wireless hotspot and as we discovered during a Saturday set-up at New Passion, the 4G has enough power to stream live college football games through my laptop and onto a projection screen. Oh the beauties of technology. At times, it’s worth the upgrade.

One of the guys at work just bought the new Samsung Galaxy S III. Like my HTC it’s 4G and carries some of the same specs on the camera, etc., but it has some awesome additional features like motion sensors, no more need to swipe, just motion; tap to share and other great features. Holding it just makes you want to upgrade to it.

There are times where it’s beneficial to upgrade things. If the mobile phone you use is still in a bag, it might be time for an upgrade…just sayin! There are times where you need to upgrade your vehicle, your house or your technology. And, when we feel that we can justify that upgrade, we don’t hold back. It’s what we want…It’s what we need!

Now I’m talking to my New Passion family! It’s time to upgrade our church! It’s not time to upgrade so we can say we have a cool new auditorium or that we are using some great technology for our services. It’s not time to upgrade for any reason outside of the expansion of the Kingdom of God. The technology, the auditorium and the larger children’s worship environments are all a bonus and they will help us as we draw more people, but they are not the end goal for our upcoming move.

Upgrades are investments. You are investing in a tool and a resource that will benefit you in a variety of ways. Likewise, this upgrade or expansion of New Passion is no less of an investment, in fact, it is a greater investment than any technology we can buy. The Grovetown High School is a tool and a resource that God is providing for us to serve as a platform for the preaching of the gospel and as a launching pad for us to live that gospel message out in our community. This is an investment for your neighbors’, your friends’, your family’s and your children’s eternity! If you are a regular at New Passion, you know that the gym is not the ideal location for a worship service, it works and we make it work, but as we continue to grow the gym will become increasingly difficult to use and will require a lot more work on our team to make Sundays happen. In addition we are almost out of space for our PassionKidz worship environments and with just a little more growth this will be come a major problem. We’re a very fertile people…what can we say? The bottom line for us is this, the upgrade to Grovetown High School is a necessary and beneficial move for our future.

Friends, if you know me, you know that I am going to shoot straight with you and it will be no different here. We need to raise $10,000 in less than two weeks. Praise God, we have already received approximately $4,000 of that goal and are only $6,000 away. I believe God can provide our needs and I believe he will use HIS people to do it. Will you consider how God would have you invest in the short-term with this expansion opportunity he has brought our way?

In the long-term, we have to increase our regular giving by at least 30%. I am challenging all of New Passion to consider how God would have you to do that. The bottom line is this, a large portion of our people allow a smaller portion to carry the financial load of the church. God has not blessed us with jobs and finances so we can invest more in our technology upgrades than we do in our Kingdom upgrades. The Lord uses the faithful, worshipful giving of his people to meet the needs of his local church. For some, it may be that you are not giving anything at all, or you are just giving what is convenient and reachable in your pocket. Pray and ask God what he desires from you on a regular basis. This is the church where God has assembled us all together at and we are a family. Let’s reach this goal together! Let’s not hold back!

For us to understand the gospel we must understand that generosity is not an option it is a lifestyle.

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