What does it mean to be missional?
Ed Stetzer briefly explains the concept of missional…it’s pretty simple really.
What Does It Mean to Be Missional? from The Resurgence on Vimeo.
Great Article by Mark Driscoll
Mark Driscoll is now writing for the Washington Post and here is his first article…it’s about the fact that Christianity at its core is about Jesus.
Period.
You can read the article here.
What Is Missional Christology?
This is an article from The Resurgence blog taken from a class being taught by Dr. Bruce Ware, on this subject, at the Resurgence Training Center. (more…)
Jesus and Martial Arts
Scott Knight who writes for The Resurgence wrote a provocative article about discipleship that I thought I would share with you.
Here is a little snippet…
“As far as I know, only two groups of people use the word “disciple” with any frequency in our culture: the church and the martial arts. Recently a close friend of mine, who is a professional fighter, committed his life to following Christ, and it became painfully clear to me that this word—disciple—may not mean the same thing to both groups.”
You can read the rest of the article here.
Weekend Services
We had a great weekend of celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
On Friday night we gathered for a time of worship, testimony, communion, and contemplation of the fact that our sins killed Jesus. Besides the nasty buzz we were getting from our sound system and some other logistical issues (lights going on and off when I wanted it dark the whole time) we had an awesome service that left us thinking about how wicked we are but how perfectly God loves us and how thankful we should be that we don’t have to face this righteous wrath.
On Sunday we had two services and both of them were really full. We began the services with this video and then incorporated a one man drama (the life of Peter) into worship. The drama written by our worship leader, Stewart White, and performed by a man named Blaine Jensen, from church, was abosolutely phenomenal. I then taught a very pointed and direct message from Acts 2…I probably offended some people but I cannot stand in front of all of those unbelievers and not deliver a candid call for salvation.
I know of at least one lady, who was previously a Mormon, who received Jesus yesterday. I didn’t do a formal altar call yesterday but I did clearly call people to respond to the gospel and I hope that many did.
If you would like to listen to either or both of these messages they are available for download or streaming in the media player on the home page of this blog.
Jesus Wants the Rose
Matt Chandler is the lead pastor of Village Church in Dallas, TX. He is one of the hottest pastors going right now…not hot as in good looking (well maybe he is but that isn’t for me to say because that would be weird) but hot as in everybody and their brother is podcasting his sermons. His church is blowing up and he has a lot to offer the Church at large.
This video is a snippet from a larger message he gave at the most recent Desiring God Conference.
You can also blog about it here at the Phoenix Preacher.
[youtube o-zR3h2UsR4]
Darrell Bock on studying the gospels
The Resurgence caught up with Darrell Bock at the recent Christian Book Expo. In this video he gives a quick synopsis of how to study Matthew-Luke as opposed to John.
[vimeo 3852520]
How Great is our God
On Wednesday night we watched a great dvd called “How Great is our God”. The video, taught by Louie Giglio, is about how amazingly BIG God is and transversely how pathetically small we are. But despite the vast distinction between God and man He chose to become like us and die in our place giving us the opportunity to have right relationship with Him.
Many of you from Calvary Crook County have been asking about how to obtain the video we watched on Wednesday Night. Here is a link to a pre-release of all 4 of Louie Giglio’s talks on dvd. It’s only $35 and will be available on March 24th.
Candle Wax Debacle
Last night we had an amazing Christmas Eve Service (even though we came in to find the roof leaking just above the sound booth). The building was packed…we had a wonderful time of worship and singing Christmas songs, I taught a short message from Luke 2:36-38 (4 characteristics from the life of Anna), and then we closed with candle lighting and singing Evan Wickham’s song “Halalujah Jesus”
It was really cool to look out at the congregation and see all those candles shining in the dark but I was unprepared for the mess these little suckers would make 
As some of you know we just bought brand new chairs for our sanctuary…now they are brand new chairs adorned with candle wax. We also have a remolded building that is less than a year old…now we have new carpet with huge splotches of white wax to add some character.
Actually I’ve heard there are some simple remedies to wax removal…either freezing it with ice until it hardens and crumbles or heating it with an iron and soaking it up with a paper sack are the most recommended solutions.
Not ideal especially for the folks who clean the church but we’ll get it cleaned up and research some alternatives for candle light for next year.
It does prove that you can have small disasters like these and still have a great service…everything doesn’t have to go perfectly for the Lord to bless His people. I’m continuing to learn this principle maybe one day it will REALLY sink in.
Have a Merry Christmas!
A More Excellent Way
In the midst of writing about the church and the gifts that God has given to it, Paul writes a beautiful treatise about the single most powerful influence the church has to offer…
“And yet I will show you a more excellent way.” (1 Cor. 12:31)
Jesus…expressed in love.
Paul goes on to say that without love (Jesus), we can be the most gifted church or person on the planet but it’s completely worthless (1 Cor. 13:1-3). (more…)
The Proper Focus
As most of you know I’ve been involved in what you might call a “blog blowup” over the last few weeks. My article called “What Are We Afraid Of?” was read thousands of times and commented on hundreds of times on various blogs around the internet.
Despite my article being misconstrued and blown completely out of proportion by some I truly believe that it will cause others to evaluate their own ministries and why they do what they do and say what they say. As I’ve stated in a few subsequent posts my heart was not to throw the movement that I love under the bus but to simply challenge pastors to hear from Jesus and not any man.
That brings me to the point of this post…yep Jesus.
In Colossians 1:17-18 Paul declares,
“And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.“
I’m currently teaching through Colossians on Sunday mornings and Paul’s main point in that letter is to focus the believers in Colosse upon Jesus. They were getting sucked into false teaching by weirdos who believed they had a deeper knowledge. The Gnostics, as a group, don’t exist anymore but their doctrines and proclivities live on today repackaged to appeal to this generation.
It is super easy for us to lose sight of Jesus. To make something else the focus of our life. You don’t realize it initially. Then the reality of our error hits us one day and we realize, “I’ve been focused on the wrong things”
Whatever side of this whole “What Are We Afraid Of?” blog war (or shall we call it a misunderstanding) you’ve fallen on I want us to refocus our attention upon Jesus and His amazing love.
We all have families to pour into…wives to love…husbands to submit to (I had to throw that in there) …children to love on. Many of us have churches to pastor…whether big or small those people that call us their pastor need Jesus and not some impostor. Are we pointing our people to Jesus? Do people leave each week reminded of what Jesus did for them or are they constantly being told what they need to do for Him?
Where is our focus? Who is preeminent in our lives and ministries? If it isn’t Jesus then something else will take His place. Maybe it’s our undying devotion to a movement or a man. It could just as easily be our unquenchable hatred for the same movement or man.
I love to write and will continue to do so candidly as the Lord leads. But my primary focus must be Jesus or I will have nothing to offer any of the people who look to me as their leader.
I love you even when you're bad
Yesterday I taught the second of a 4 part series on the cross called “The Result of the Cross”
To illustrate my fourth and final point and to conclude the message I told a story about a pastor named Mike Nelson as told by my good friend Jeff Stewart.
Here is the story… (more…)
Good bbq and a funny sign
My wife and I were having lunch today at a place called “Baldy’s BBQ” in Bend. On the wall they have a sign that reads,
“I liked you better before I knew you so well.”
First I got a good laugh out of it…then it got me thinking. (more…)
The Oasis
Michael Newnham of the Phoenix Preacher did an article about a ministry to the homeless and needy, that we oversee here in Prineville, called The Oasis.
Thank you Michael for taking the time and space on your blog to give some props to this important ministry.
You can read the article here
Jesus is the BEST thing about us
This is something that I say to our church constantly. It’s not our outreaches…our programs…our modern worship…our welcoming atmosphere…it’s certainly not our funky folding chairs or our cramped storefront.
And God knows it’s not the short, fat, bald guy that teaches every week
No the best thing about Calvary Chapel of Crook County is Jesus.
When people step through the door of our church I want them to experience Jesus. Not the Jesus of their own making. You know the one who smiles a lot and exists to make us happy because he’s really nice.
No what people need is the real Jesus. The One who compels us to take up our cross and live a life of humility, selflessness, and service. The One whose humble condescension and loving sacrifice demand us to lay our lives down and follow Him. Any other Jesus is a sham. Milli Vanilli without the dreds.
As a I pastor I desire to point people to the real Jesus. As a Bible teacher I want to take every text and make Jesus come alive to the listener. As a church planter my goal for our church is that it draws people into a deeper more intimate relationship with Jesus.
I don’t want people to just “enjoy” the services and ministries we offer. It saddens me when people show up with no heart to be changed. You know the people who say, “that was great worship” or “wonderful message pastor” but then depart to completely forget what was said and to have their lives remain exactly the same. I want our people to have an amazing encounter with their Creator who is longing to have a living dynamic relationship with them.
“Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus’.” (John 12:20-21)
This is the true need of every person that darkens the door of our churches. They need to see Jesus. Like the women with the issue of blood they desperately need to be touched by Jesus.
I pray every week that the people who attend our services will be arrested in their spirit having their hearts captured by the Lover of their Soul. I don’t want anyone to walk away without being challenged to wrestle with and personally apply the truths we discussed.
Sadly though many people will never truly experience the Jesus we so passionately worship and preach about. They are content to sing 5 songs, drop a few bucks in the box, listen to the sermon while checking their watch and return to their life unchallenged and unchanged.
It’s the sad reality of humanity. It’s the discouraging dichotomy of ministry. Some get it some don’t. There’s not much we can do about it. In fact there’s nothing we can do about it.
Jesus is the best thing about us. When people realize that it will change everything.
Our People's Greatest Need?
A pastor friend of mine sent me this quote from Robert Murray M’Cheyne…
“My people’s greatest need is my personal holiness.”
I guess Damian Kyle whom I greatly respect and appreciate quoted M’Cheyne at pastor’s conference as well.
With all due respect to Pastors M’Cheyne and Kyle I completely disagree with this statement…
Following the Right Shepherd
I was reading an article from Chris Elrod on his blog that you can read here.
It got me thinking…about following the right Shepherd. Jesus tells us that true sheep hear His voice and follow Him
(John 10:3-5).
It would then seem pretty obvious that as pastors (under-shepherds) we should make darn sure that we are hearing His voice and not the myriad of voices that are being shouted from bull-horns in churchdom today.
Grace
This time of year typically brings much introspection. As we look back at ‘07 we are reminded of our sin, our failures, and the the things we wish we had done better. As we look ahead to ‘08 we make commitments to right those wrongs and inevitably we fail in those vows as well.
So whether we are looking back or looking ahead we desperately need grace. The unmerited favor of God…recieving the exact opposite of what we deserve.
Paul told Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
(2 Tim. 2:1)
Peter tells us to “grow in grace…” (2 Peter 3:18)
In this New Year we all need to be strengthened and growing in the grace of God. We must daily experience the grace of God so that we can extend God’s grace to those around us.
If we are having difficulty forgiving those who have offended us. If we are struggling to deal with the failures of people in our lives. If we are lashing out in anger to our friends and loved ones then we are not experiencing the grace of God personally. This is just the fruit of the actual root problem. Our relationships horizontally are simply a picture of our relationship with Jesus vertically.
Jesus may we experience your grace that we might in turn extend your grace to those around us.
Humility
I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject lately…for two reasons really.
1. I am teaching through Philippians on Sunday mornings and it’s a major theme of the book.
2. It’s the Christmas season and the Ultimate Act of Humility is found in the Christmas Story.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5)
Jesus was the most humble man that ever walked this earth. He holds the highest possible position, God, and yet He took the lowest position by allowing Himself to be falsely accused, mocked, stripped naked, beaten, savagely whipped, drug through the streets of Jerusalem, and then nailed to a cross…all for our sins. All for the joy that was set before Him; that is the securing of a relationship with you and me. Jesus longed to have a deep meaningful relationship with us and His condenscension was the only way to make it possible.
It stands to reason then that as His followers we would make humility a top priority…but do we? (more…)