Archive for the ‘Missions’ Category
Fake God?
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
Are we selling a fake God?
This is a quote from a post I just read this morning.
Today’s church culture tends to put more emphasis on how great our church, is instead of how great our God is. When is this going to stop? “My church…My church…”…instead it should be “Jesus…”! Jesus didn’t invade our world as a baby, live a sinless life, die a torturous death, and rise again three days later so that we could talk about how great our churches are.
I encourage you to read the post… It shares my same feelings, and I would love to hear your thoughts…
To read it click here.
Tough Questions…
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
I’ve been reading a fantastic book by Dan Kimball entitled ‘They Like Jesus But Not The Church‘. Which is based on some investigation and relationships in which Dan has made with non-believers to see what their reaction to the church really is. Anyway, in my reading tonight I ran across a section that I find myself saying “Amen” on one side of the lip and “Ouch” on the other side.
Here’s the excerpt…
Though I stress that the church should be a positive agent of change, I know that it’s the Spirit of God in the church who does the changing. I also fully recognize that loving others as Jesus would may mean talking about sin, repentance, and judgment, so I’m not suggesting that we only “love” people. But love involves relationship. Love involves time. Love involves telling people about God’s abundant goodness and his “awesome works”(Ps. 145:6-8), and not just about his wrath and judgment. Love involves holding our tongues and being wise in the way we act toward those outside the church, having our conversations be “full of grace” and “seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:5-6). Love is more than passing out a tract or holding up a sign and feeling that our job is done because we’ve let others know about Jesus.
Now, I know that many churches, including mine has and is out amongst our communities with the Good News of our Saviour. Which is great. My question is… are we doing this because of a feeling of obligation? Or is it because we have a burning desire to let others know of the Grace and Love in which we have been given in Christ by building relationships with them? The non-believer has an impression of what Christians act like and look like. Ever wonder what they think of us?
Do we look like Christ, or do we look like a bunch of people that meet in a building and surround ourselves with other building goers, and one of the things that we do is to try to get other people to see things our way and come to our buildings? Because really, that is not much different than any other organization in our communities. I wonder what my motivation is in sharing my faith. Is it because I am so excited about the things of God that I just can’t contain them to myself? Or is it because I feel like I have to?
Is the church out in the community because we have a burning passion to share the Love of Christ with other people through relationship building? Or, are we just handing them a tract, and telling them to have a good day and Jesus loves you?
He also follows this chapter up with some pretty tough questions.
How is your church known in your community?
How do you think people in your town would describe your church and the people of the church?
Do they even know you exist?
What are you known for?
Would your church be missed in your community if it went away?
How would it be missed?
Makes ya think, huh? I know it does me…
What would He do?
Sunday, April 13th, 2008
Imagine you were sitting at home watching television with your family in your living room. Surrounded by your wife and your 9 children just enjoying family time, minding your own business, enjoying your time together in the confines of probably what most of us would consider the safest place that we have (our home).
Suddenly your home is lifted off of its foundation and thrown to the ground sending You and the rest of your family plummeting to the ground floor, since you were all on the second floor of the building. It happened in the matter of seconds. You can’t find your children. You yell for them to scream their names, so that to know that they are still alive and not crushed by the debris that has overtaken the immediate area. Thankfully they are all safe other than some basically small injuries.
Now, you have no home and everything that you own has suddenly, in the matter of seconds, been destroyed.
You wonder what happened? Why Me? What am I going to do Now?
This is what has happened to the Pesina family here in our community. As many of you have probably already seen flinging itself around the blog world.
Some of the children in this family have been attending our church recently. They are at the beginning of their understanding of who God is and what God means to their life.
It is nothing less than a miracle that this family did not perish in this horrific weather event.
And I believe this is the time when we as followers of Christ need to be His feet and hands. Allowing not only the Pesina family to see Christ through His Church, but all of Samaria!
Jesus told us that “What we do for the least of these, we have done for Him.” And that is what we are about to do.
Jesus’ church is going to get them a home! This is what we are commanded to do, and we believe that God has placed this family in front of this community so that all people can see His power and His face shown throughout all of St. Joseph.
We need your help…
My wife (who by the way has faith that could move mountains, or build houses in this instance) is extremely passionate about this commitment to see that Gods Will is done here. And that Christ is seen through this opportunity that we have, as His church, to show the world His face.
Many people have stepped up to see that God is glorified through this commitment of faith of helping the Pesina’s move on with their life, and truly see what Christianity is supposed to look like.
My good friend John has put together a website to keep everyone up to date on progress and the needs that will surround this project.
There has also been a letter sent to all area churches with a powerpoint to be presented to the congregations of these churches also.
If you are a believer in Christ, and believe that He is still alive and well, and he still answers prayer, please consider what role He may have in store for you.
May God be Glorified in His Giving Hope to the World!
Is This What We Look Like?
Friday, February 1st, 2008
I was reading an article today in which Former President Jimmy Carter was speaking to about 9000 people at the “New Baptist Convent Celebration” in Atlanta. He was speaking in reference to Baptist’s letting their differences go, over what I call “silly” theological differences. He makes a very strong statement, and something I am very passionate about. This is a quote from his speech…
“My wife Rosalynn and I have visited more than 125 different nations since we left the White House, and we and our hosts have had many discussions about religion,” Carter said. “Among the unsaved people on earth, what is the prevailing image of Christians today?
“It’s not the dedicated and inspired work of our missionaries. It’s not the great preaching of Billy Graham or others who inspire people. It’s the image of divisions among brothers and sisters in Christ as we struggle for authority or argue about the interpretation of individual verses in the Holy Scriptures.”
Ouch!…Unfortunately this is the world view of the “Church”. Aren’t we supposed to be different than the world? This reality seems to show that we are no different than the unsaved.
He goes on with these questions…
“How many believe that we are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ?” Carter asked. “How many believe that like the early Christians we should put aside our deeply felt personal differences and work in unity to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ? You see the distinction between those kinds of questions. We should remember which are the most important.”
Isn’t this what it’s all about? I think if we truly believe that we are saved by grace, and really realize the love that this gigantic God that we serve has for us, we would be so humbled that these differences over selfish opinions and ego building rif-raf would fade away. And at that point we could not help but to love others. And in loving others not only would we be less likely to argue over these differences in opinion on theology or what ever the issue may be. People would really be able to differentiate between what they have and what we have in Christ. After all, What is appealing about this bickering that is going on in our churches? How are we going to be able to show people who Christ is, if this is what they see? They can get that at home! They already have that! The only way people are going to come to know Christ, is to see it, firsthand. This starts with us, the “Church”.
What can we do to encourage this Christlike attitude? Can it be done? Or has it gone to far?
but this was an AWESOME post honey! And AMEN to all of it. I want so much...
