Living in the Dip

In recent weeks I have been doing a series on Habakkuk and what you do when God seems to be unfair. Habakkuk is one of 12 minor prophets in the Bible and though all give the people God's response only Habakkuk responses to God on behalf of the people. In chapter 1 Habakkuk cries "foul" when God informs him that He is going to use the more wicked Babylonians to bring judgment on Israel for their wickness. Habakkuk knows that the people should be judged but he believes that it is unfair that God is using Babylon who is evil to bring said judgment. In chapter two Habakkuk listens to God and writes down what God shares with Him and decides to trust in God. This is what we refer to as the dip, living in a place where you trust God but you just don't understand what He is doing. I mean you pray but rather than the answer coming it seems that things get worse. Living in the Dip.
How do you survive living in the dip? That is where chapter 3 comes in. In chapter 3 Habakkuk begins to praise God even though he can see any change. He says "though the fig tree is bare, and the stables are empty, I will rejoice in the Lord". The attitude of praise even in the mist of struggle is what brings Habakkuk through the dip. I have found this true in my own life. As I look back over 20 years of serving God I realize that He has brought me through enough of my yesterdays, for me to trust Him completly for my tommorrows.

How do you let her go?

Saturday June 7th at 3pm I had to do one of the hardest things I guess any father hasever had to do. I walked my little girl (now 21) up the aisle and gave her to another man. The truth is, he is a good young man, a hard worker, loves Jesus and loves Ashley. But to be honest as a dad that really doesn't make it any easier when you walk her up the aisle and give her away, and Oh yea did I mention that I had to do the ceremony as well. When I watched her that day I kept thinking where has time gone. I mean just yesterday I was taking her to school for the very first time, and now I am walking up the aisle about to turn her over to another man. Where did all that time go? How did the little girl who had defined my life for two decades, all of the sudden grow up? How does a father turn over all that he has done for twenty years over to someone else? I mean when she is scared it is not me that she is going to come to. When she needs a strong shoulder to cry on, mine will not be the first that she looks for. When it comes to taking care of her I'm not the one responsible anymore. I know that her time has come and that she is ready for this new life. My prayer is that God will bless them in ways that they never imagined, but it still leads me to wonder, how does a father let her go? Stay tuned because I am about to find out.

New Style-Same Spirit

Did you know that the church is losing an entire generation. Those between the ages of 19-30 to be specific. Now many churches have changed how they do things, by having a more contemporary style of worship. The music is model, upbeat, and non-traditional. The pastor is no longer the Senior Pastor but is now the Lead Pastor, and he has traded his suit and tie for bluejeans and a t-shirt. Now don't get me wrong i have nothing against any of these if it is reaching the lost for Jesus, but the problem is that even in the new style church we are losing a generation, just a different generation.
What if a church could be as Paul said "all things to all men"? What if we could reach every generation? If we could do church in such a way that it would reach across generational lines? What if we could reach "church people" and "non-Church people"? Well maybe there is a way that we can.
Here at the church we are beginning something brand new. You see I do believe that it is time that the church try new things to reach the unchurched people in our community. So starting June 14th on a Saturday night we are going to have what we call a Revolution Service. Yes we are going to have Christian Rock music to worship to, blue jeans and t-shirts will be the main attire, and we will be using more media than ever before. Our goal is to create a church experience for people that don't like church. In doing this we believe that we can draw a generation of people that would never come to church any other way.
At the same time we are not going to just change everything we do, just so we can say we changed. Sunday morning we have a somewhat contemporary style worship and that service will remain intact for our growing congregation. You see I truly believe that a church should be a place where everyone is being reached with the gospel. I ask that you pray as we step out on faith to add this service to our weekend experience.

What does the True Church Look Like?

For the last several months I have been asking myself the question, What does the true Church suppose to look like? What is it that God see when He see the true Church? I have been sharing with my Wednesday night small group some of the discovery that I have had. Thoughts such as:
(1) The True Church is about being a Contributor not a Consumer.
In this Consumer driven society that we live in we find where many people have come with that same attitude to the church. They want to know what the church can do for them. What does the church have to offer me and my family? What can I expect from the church? If I become a member then what do I get in return? Sometimes I wonder if the church should advertise free toaster oven for every new member. I mean when the church become about us. I understand this if someone is not a follower of Christ. We want them to consume what we have because they need Jesus but for those that claim to have a relationship with Him there is something wrong. The church does exist for us but rather we exist for the world that needs Jesus. As members of the church we should be looking to contribute to the welfare of this world by sharing Jesus no matter what the cost.
(2) I has discovered that the church is a dangerous place. The message and presence of Jesus is the most dangerous that the status quo can run into. Because in the presence of Jesus there must be change. When confronted with the message of Jesus there is a call for change. The church is suppose to be a place where people are changing, and being transformed into the image of Christ. The church is not suppose to be a safe place where when you step in it is as if you have walked into a time warp and are back 50 ago. It is a place where change is happening and where people are maturing and growing in Christ everyday.
(3) The Church is suppose to be place of life and death. A place where Jesus is alive in everything that we do and the flesh is dying. A place where it is so important that everybody is happy but that Jesus is happy. A place that is not controlled by the will of men but the will of God. A place that is ruled by faith, where love is the answer, and where mercy is freely given. A place where people can always find the truth even when the truth is not popular. A place where Jesus is being lifted up in everything that is done.

These are the things I have discovered about the true church. There are more but time does not allow me to discuss them all.

Roadside Assistance

For the last several weeks I have been preaching about blind Bartimaeus. Some things that I have brought out over the last few weeks:

(1) Jesus doesn't just stop because there is a need but He stops when there is someone that is crying out for Him. Jesus said "Ask and ye shall receive"..... "those that hunger and thirst, shall be filled". If we are going to receive something awesome from God then we have to be willing to cry out and get the attention of Jesus as He is passing us by (which is all the time).

(2) We will meet opposition from people when we cry out for more of God, and it is how we respond that will determining what we get from God. They told Bartimaeus to shut-up but the bible says that he cried the more. He got louder and louder. His need causes him to break social order, it caused him to be controversial, need can do that. He was blind, they were not, and so therefore he was not going to be stopped. If you are trying to get the attention of Jesus you can not be pushed away by the opinion of men.

(3) We do not always know when Jesus stops. Remember Bartimaeus is blind and so when Jesus stopped, it was a great moment in his life but the truth is that he didn't know it because he could not see it happening. Just because you can't see God working doesn't mean that He is not. He might have stopped in the heaven lies but you can't see it in the earthly. That is why we have faith.

(4) Sometimes God uses the same people that were rebuking you one minute to bring you to Him the next minute. Be open to what ever God wants to do in your life and to whom ever He wants to use to do it.

(5) You have to leave the thing that identified you with your former life. For Bartimaeus it was a beggars coat. For you it might be an attitude, it might be hurt, it might envy, but what every it is you have to leave it and move forward.

(6) Be direct with Jesus. If you have the faith to cry out and if He has to mercy to stop then know that He has the power to do what you ask. So ask and be plain. Tell Him what you want. Talk Crazy Faith to God.

These are just a few of the points that we have been talking about during the last several weeks on Sunday morning. If you would like to listen or download the messages you can at the church website.

82%

That's right studies show that 82% of the friends and family that church members ask to church will attend church services if they are just ask to come. What a number, I mean that is saying that if I ask 10 of my non-church friends to come to church that over 8 of them will say yes and will come. When I saw that number I had to ask myself why is the church not full. I mean if 8 out of 10 people will come if only asked to then why isn't every pew filled up every week. The answer is because the church quit asking. We use to be good about inviting people to church but now days we have stopped. Maybe it is because we are so busy that we have failed to make close friends outside of the church. If that is the case then we should work harder to making sure that we know people that don't go to church. Maybe it is because we just don't want to do it, or we don't want people to see us in the church environment. The fact of the matter is that the church stopped trying to bring people into the house of God and if we are ever going to see the church grow then we have to begin to share the good news with non-church going friends and family. So get out there and invite someone to church this week.

Marching Into the Mission

The World is a very large place, and so when we talk about missions it is easy for us to get overwhelmed by the mere magnitude of it all. I mean really how is someone in Decatur Alabama suppose to make a different in Kenya ,Africa? The truth of the matter is that when God specks to us about going into all the world that is exactly what He means. So many people think that all they have to do is give money to missionaries, which is important, and they have done all that God has required. What they don't understand is that God has equip us all to take the gospel into our world. I mean let's face it we all live in the world and so when He says go into all the world that is what He mean, GO. Go to your neighbors, go down the street, go to work telling them about Jesus. What ever you do just go. God never said that we had to go around the world but just that we had to go in the world around us. We are suppose to taking the word of God to a dying world that is in need of Him and the only way that can happen is if we go and do what God has called us to do. GO