Wall Quotes and Picture Frames (Part 1)

"Sin disunites the most united hearts: It is the bane of holy fellowship."

George Whitefield

I love quotes. I mean who doesn't? I peruse Facebook and read quote upon quote day after day of friends statuses of meaningful quotes. I think I may be a quote hog? Whenever I read a book (generally non-fiction) I like to keep a pen or highlighter in hand to note quotes that really speak to me. I am not a person you would probably want to borrow or buy a book from because of all the underlining and notes I make. Quotes really make me happy.

If I come across on I really like I will open up my ancient version of Microsoft Publisher on my computer and copy the quote into the program. Then I give it a fun colorful font (with a shadow or outline for curb appeal) and tape or tack it up on my wall. I have been doing this for years. In fact for fifteen years I have been in ministry I have only acquired about two handfuls of quotes that have made the honorable transition from book to eye catching MS Publisher document that hangs on the wall.

This past weekend was my 41st birthday and for a present my wife bought me six picture frames and put some of the quotes in these frames so I could hang them on the wall in my office. This was a very thoughtful gift and I just (moments ago) finished hanging them (hopefully I didn't bug our youth pastor too much with all the hammering). As I was positioning these special quotes in just the right places on my wall I thought it would be fun to blog about them and how they impacted me so much. So, Lord willing, I would like to post a quote throughout the days and weeks and write about it and share with you a little of my heart.

The quote above from George Whitefield is probably one the most (definitely in the top three) favorite quotes simply because of the truth factor and reminder of the horrible consequences of sin. Since the creation of humanity sin separated fellowship between us and God. It was because of sin man and woman were cast out of the garden. It continues today to put up barriers between God and humanity. Sin not only creates a barrier between God and people; it also the main factor that ruins true godly fellowship we have with each another. I am often reminded of what the presence of unrepentant sin in one's life has done to sever the fellowship I have had with those who I love. Whether it is my own sin or the sins of others it is without a doubt the main thing that has broken holy fellowship between myself and others. This is why I hate sin.

On the contrary the unsettling thing for me is I claim to hate sin, yet it seems I find myself running to it more than I from it. Why is that? I wish I had the answer. I do know that when I allow sin to run unchecked in my life I feel distant from God and separated from other believers. I also acknowledge the destruction and hurt sin can and does produce in a family, church, small group or individual, yet I/we allow it to run rampant in our lives.

Only by the grace of God can I find forgiveness in Him and pursue the life of holiness He calls us all to. I will never reach sinless perfection in my lifetime but through the power of the Holy Spirit I can (and Lord willing) and will allow God's presence in my life to overshadow the temptations of sin that are ever before me. Words cannot express how much I enjoy fellowship with God and with fellow believers and I am thankful we have the privilege of having both. My hope and prayer for my life is for unity with God the Father and unity among fellow believers. Will you pray for and with me as I seek more joy in fellowshipping with God and believers than I do in pursuing the "pleasures" of sin.

Next Christians (Part 2)

The second category of Christians are called Cultural Christians. According the Lyons there are two sub categories that make up this second group of believers according to how they interact with the current culture.

Cultural Christians - "They don't obsess about the afterlife and generally believe heaven is reserved for most, everyone, except for awful folks..." These groups tend to focus more on social justice and not being too Christian (which many believe can be harmful to the face of Christianity).

BLENDERS - These are individuals who who identify themselves as Christians but culturally they try to "blend" into contemporary culture and try not to "look" or "act" to Christian. The author writes, "Blenders have one concern: being like everyone else." It seems as though these people desire to be Christian but do not want to come across as "holier than thou" or seem like a bible thumper so they become Christians incognito. Lyons identifies many "blenders" as individuals who believe they "inherit their parents' religion - It's a generational hand me down."

PHILANTHROPISTS - These are Christians who emphasize working on making the world a better place to live. Often these individuals are heavy on "doing good things for the better of humanity" and light on the Gospel. They take seriously Jesus' command to serve the needy and one another but often neglect the Great Commission.

With these two groups we can see that Separatists do everything in their own power to disconnect from the world and its evil while the Cultural Christians concern themselves mainly with engaging the world, becoming part of it and doing social justice. Both groups have an exclusive feel to them... Separatists may view the Cultural Christian as too liberal and the the Cultural Christian may view the Separatist as too conservative, strict or judgmental. While both have good qualities about them they do ultimately miss the point of the Gospel of Jesus.

The Next Christians (Part 1)

Today I started a book entitled THE NEXT CHRISTIANS by Gabe Lyons and after reading 50 pages of it this morning I am finding it extremely insightful. Below is a summary of some insights Mr. Lyons made in regards to the "different ways Christians Interact With Current Culture" (What do they emphasize? How do they interact with the world? Where did this mentality come from?) It is broken down into three categories with sub categories for the first two... 1) Separatists 2) Cultural 3) Restorer

Today I am going to share his/my insights about the first group...

Separatists - This group of people take seriously the call of Jesus to bring the light to the world at any cost irregardless (sometimes) of how they come across to others. Many believe that

1) INSIDERS - these individuals "earn their label from the spaces they choose to occupy - or perhaps the spaces they avoid at all costs." This group tends to immerse themselves into the Christian culture and separate themselves from the world. According to Lyons, "These Christians spend the majority of their time in Christian communities - 'safe' places." I (Jeff) call these people "Bubble Christians". They live in a bubble of safety and protection from any influence from the secular world.

2) CULTURE WARRIORS - This group "often hold an underlying view that America and Christianity are deeply intertwined." They have waged war on culture because they believe that modern (or post modern) thinking is the demise of America and ultimately the Church.

3) EVANGELIZERS - Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is their main goal and to these people is the ONLY "legitimate Christian activity in the world." They are passionate and motivated for spreading the Gospel (which in itself is not a bad thing it's actually part of our commission) however they can come across as judgmental, rude and loud. "For them, the ability, courage, and boldness to witness - in hopes of winning converts - is the defining mark of the truly faithful."

While the author may come across as critical towards these people he does say that many of these people's motives are pure... they just may not be the most effective way to reach the world for Jesus. The times are changing and so our method of sharing the message of Jesus may have to change just as well. Now this does not mean the MESSAGE (The Gospel of Jesus Christ) should change but the METHOD or way we share may have to in order to be more effective for Christ.

He Must Increase

As I was studying the text this morning for Sunday's sermon the words of John the Baptist have struck a chord in my heart today. "He must increase, I must decrease." Such a simple, yet profound statement. As I prayed this morning I said, "Lord make my attitude be that of John the Baptist."

The church and ministry that God has given me charge over has nothing to do with ME and increasing my influence in the world; it has all to do with Jesus. I do not want to waste an iota of my time trying to promote myself because none of what I do has anything to do with me and advancing my agenda. I want to promote Jesus and His Kingdom... God has given me charge to point this congregation and all of my friends, peers and relatives to Jesus.

Lord, I continue my prayer today... "You must increase in my life, ministry, family, relationships, work, recreation etc. and I must decrease because all I do I want to do for you."

A Pastor's Success

"A pastor who feels competent in himself to produce eternal fruit- which is the only kind that matters- knows neither God nor himself. A pastor who does not know the rhythm of desperation and deliverance must have sights only on what man can achieve... We are called to labor for that which is God's alone to give. The essence of the Christian ministry is that success is not within our reach." John Piper (Brothers We Are Not Professionals)

The above quote really hit me this morning. I love the last sentence, "The essence of Christian ministry is that success is not within our reach." How true this is. As a Pastor I am called to labor in Christian ministry nevertheless success is not a result of my labor but because of God's grace. I am called to pray continually for the congregation, use my time wisely to prepare a message that is Gospel-centered and God glorifying, and love God's people. However the end result of my labors is not up to me, it is up to God. If He in His grace and sovereignty decides to bless us it is only because He will be glorified. No amount of planning, scheming and vision casting can MAKE God do what I want Him to do. Sure I can come up with some great programs that will appeal to the public, I can create a message that will tug at hearts, and create a vision that will encourage the troops to go out and take our little town for the glory of God. But if God is not in any of these things then it is pointless.

My success is not God's concern... His glory is. So I will commit my ministry, time and life to seeking His will and getting on board with Him for His glory. Lord, "Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I will trust you and believe your will to be accomplished.

Super Bowl Bash

I am not a fan of the Green Bay Packer's (this is no new revelation to those who know me) and I REALLY do not like the Pittsburgh Steelers (again no new surprise). However I want to congratulate the Packer's for a great game and for winning the big one. But what I really want to thank the Packer's for is a reason to get together with family and friends at the church, watch the game and have an AWESOME time of fellowship! We had a blast! It truly felt like a family gathering (minus all the drama and bickering).

Thanks to all who came and to those who didn't... Maybe you can join us next year when the Patriots make their next appearance in the big game.

A Pastor and Prayer

This past week I attended the Desiring God Pastor's Conference in Minneapolis, MN. During this time I was encouraged, convicted and challenged concerning my prayer life. Below is a link to a message by Francis Chan that convicted me and encouraged me in the same way. I have never listened to Francis (I have read his books) and I was blow away. If you have some time check out the message. I have a link to the video and posted the outline below.

FRANCIS CHAN MESSAGE (Video)

Being Amazed at Answered Prayer (Message transcript from Francis Chan - Desiring God Pastor's Conference)

Pastor John gave me the topic of prayer as a personal journey. In my life, prayer has even rivaled the Scriptures in stirring my affections towards God. I know that Jesus loves me because the Bible so—God, you love me that much! But I know he loves me because of the way he answers my prayers. Just five minutes ago backstage, pleading with God, “How do I share what you and I have been through all of the years!? How do I communicate that? Do you love everyone this much? I see it so much in how you answer my prayers.”

Whenever I have money in the bank, I want to give it to people in need. But this one time I wanted to take my family on vacation and I pleaded with God and made it known. And I prayed and waited. A few days later my wife called me at work and said we got a cashier’s check in the mail for $2,000. All it had on it was a Post-It note that said, “Spend it on your family.” Wow! God is so good in answering my prayers.

Another time, my wife and I were talking. She was saying how she just loves our life and loves how simply we live. But she said, “You know, I just want to be more generous.” We have always wanted to be the kind of people who just write checks to people. We just are not those people though, so we prayed for wealthy people to be raised up in the church who just don’t care about their stuff. We also prayed that God would make us wealthy to give it away. And just last year, we made about $2M off of sales from Crazy Love. None of it comes to us but to a fund and we get to write checks to people.

Prayer is a way of walking in love. I love God so much because of how God has answered my prayers. Sometimes even we pray the wrong thing and we are so grateful and amazed that God did not grant those prayers. But when you look at Scripture, don’t we see that prayer is what sets us apart from other religions? The story of Elijah, God is the one who answers prayer. He is not a block of wood. He answers the prayers of his people.

One thing I have done is writing in prayer journals. I write my prayers on one side and then go back and write on the other side of the page when God has answered that prayer. It is so good to go back and remember how God has answered prayer. We so easily forget what God has done. This is a serious power that we have here in prayer.

Another time I was cleaning out my garage. I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to do something that would last for eternity. So I prayed that God would help to do something eternal in it. So I was cleaning out my garage and my neighbor stopped by. He said he had been wanting to talk with me and asked that I pray for him. It was great!

Believing in the God of Power

Every time I experience answered pray, I am just in awe of God. Why do I do anything but pray? The only thing that ever differentiates between me and some other religion is that God is my God who answers prayer. When I talk to someone on a plane or somewhere, I pray that God would show up in power, otherwise I will just sound like one of these other religions. He has to work and do something.

When an unbeliever walks into your church, don’t you want him to walk away saying, “Man, that guy, those people, are connected to God!” Is that what they see? Is that what comes across in your church? Isn’t that what we want? We want to show how great God is through our connection with him.

Yes, God is sovereign and he could use an unbeliever to preach the gospel with authority. But don’t you want to be connected to God so people are pointed to God? Remember Sunday School as a kid? You would walk out thinking and believing that your God can do anything! You would read and hear about all these great things God has done and would believe it. But now that we’re older, we are no longer amazed by the miracles that God does. Instead, we’re amazed by a communication style and by knowledge.

Maybe we need to get back to preaching those great stories of God’s greatness in the Old Testament. We need to remind our people that our God can do anything. Do you still believe it? Do you still believe that God is able to do anything? We have lifted up Moses and Elijah as super heroes but they were just men like us. They have nothing on us. If they were here today, we may be in awe of them. But they are no big deal! We have a nature just like them. They prayed fervently. We could pray that we could do that.

Cry Out, He’ll Answer

I am now getting so used to God answering my prayers that I have to pause think about it more when he doesn’t. I have to think harder about why he doesn’t heal that person. I have to think if I’m praying with wrong motives or if I’m not treating my wife well or what is going on. I want to point you to Isaiah 58:5-9.

There were people who were pleading with God for certain things, but because of their disregard for his commands, of course he was not going to listen to them. But as soon as they start doing them, he says, “Here I am.” There are times when I marvel at the Lord because I don’t pray as hard and long as some people. I feel spoiled because of how he answers when I just pray quickly or just think about it. This passage says he will answer. Just cry out.

If you abide in Jesus, he will abide in you. This is probably my biggest failure. It is so easy to get busy in the ministry and my prayer life just turns into, “Do this. Do that.” It lacks abiding in Jesus. It takes faith though to sit and abide in God. I neglect the most important thing, which is prayer as a way to walk in love. I fail to just commune and talk with God.

I fear that many of you focus so much on the work of God that you neglect the person of God. If you abide in him, there is much fruit. Think about it. The great things that have happened in your ministry—were they a result of your great planning or strategy or did something just fall in your lap? It is always the grace of God. Just abide in God.

The One Thing

I have camping out on this verse for the past several weeks, Psalm 27:4. What is the one thing you keep asking of the Lord? If I read a transcript of your prayers, what would I see is the one thing you keep asking for? Would it be, “Let me dwell in your house all the days of my life and gaze upon your beauty”? Is that what I would read? Joel said last night, “If you want to humble a man, ask him about his prayer life.” What would it be?

The context of this passage is danger and crazy things happening in the life of the psalmist. The Enemy wants us looking at all the things that are going around us and anxious about the future and all the chaos. If he can get us fearful and worried about the things around us, no one will be amazed by God. But the psalmist says that God is the stronghold of his life.

Other things become our stronghold. We rest on our great staff who can pull off anything. Or we look forward to a day off or vacation or a great conference like this as our stronghold. Maybe you come here not desiring God but you are desiring Desiring God. Or maybe you are desiring Piper. We begin to find our stronghold in other things beside God. But when you are alone with God and baring your soul to him, there should be sweet fellowship and abiding.

When you face the stressful and terrible things of life, you should be able to have a “Go ahead, make my day attitude.” You should have a confidence. Why? Because of the one thing you have asked of the Lord. Because you are in God’s presence, communing with him. Who will attack you as you commune with Lord? That’s ridiculous! Just dwelling with the Lord and things will be fine.

Think about it. If there is only one sovereign Being who is over all things in the universe, then if I just abide him all things will be taken care of. Right? We would say that we believe in the sovereignty of God, but the question is how is that fleshed out in your life. Does it result in a peace that surpasses all understanding? Even when it seems like there is nothing else going for you, you have the sovereign God who is your refuge.

Do you get to the point where you just want to stay with God and stay in his presence? That’s what this verse is about—just gazing upon his beauty and spending those sweet moments with him. It doesn’t have to be somewhere special. I spent two hours at an IHOP eating pancakes, communing with God. Sometimes in the middle of the night I will just count my breaths and be amazed that God has given me another breath. It should stun us that the God of the universe will listen to us in prayer. What is better than that?! He listens and hears and loves. Let this be the one thing you ask.

The Pitfall of Assumption

Everyone has been talking about me leaving my church in Simi Valley. I moved to San Francisco three weeks ago and everyone’s asking what I’m going to be doing there. But not one person has asked, “How is your prayer life?” It’s because everyone assumes that you’re doing that. I think people assume that I am doing that. Maybe they think it is silly to ask me if I’m praying. I wish more people would say, “I hope you haven’t started anything without praying first.”

We’ve all done that, right? We’ve made assumptions about staff people or congregation members. And then we find out later what they have been dealing with and wrestling with. So I don’t want to assume anything this morning. I don’t want to assume that you are walking closely with God right now. My prayer is that your boast is in God and that you are about God and that people see that in you.

It takes so much faith to abide in Christ and to dwell in the house of the Lord. I pray that you get there. That is what people want to see when they come to your church. They want to see a man of God who is connected. Elijah was a man just like you, just like me. He was connected to God. I want you to be connected to God like that.