11 things to know for 2011...

Happy New Year Trinity Church!  As we head into 2011, there are the eleven things that I want each of you to know. 

1. Prayer is the foundation.  Join us New Year’s Eve for a time of prayer as we start 2011 by intentionally seeking God’s presence.  This worship based prayer time will be from 10 pm until midnight.  We also need your help filling prayer slots for the 24/7 prayer event.  If you are able to fill a slot please call the church office.  Prayer is the work of God’s people, moving the church in the mission of bringing God glory.

2. Focused on being the church.  This Sunday, January 2^nd, we will celebrate and clarify our direction as a church family.  The Elder Board believes God is asking Trinity Church to be a prayer driven, kingdom multiplying church that makes disciples who love God, love others, and serve the world.  We will be talking about being the church instead of going to church.  Too often church is viewed as an event, activity, or location.  But, the church is God’s people fulfilling God’s mission here on this earth.  Being the church means we are people focused on God’s glory and this is revealed by changed lives.  You won’t want to miss this Sunday, and if you must, check it out online.

3. Groups are essential to following Jesus.  We encourage everyone to get in a group and engage in the lives of others on a personal level.  The investment we make in Christ-centered relationships matters for eternity.  Groups that are focused on discussing what God says and then living it out produce changed lives.  Being connected to other followers of Jesus is how we grow in our ability to love God, love others, and serve the world at a deeper level.  Group sign-up is going on now.

4. Multi-site launch.  We are on the verge of announcing our first multi-site location.  This is a huge praise!  We continue to seek God as he works out the details to impact communities throughout Western Iroquois County with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is exciting to be on track for an Easter 2011 campus launch!

5. Ministry teams.  Ministry teams are the foundation of our church’s ministry areas.  As we have transitioned to the “team” format, we have experienced changes in how we do ministry.  This is healthy, and will continue as we put people in positions to use their gifts to lead ministry areas for God’s glory.

The worship ministry is an area that I would like to address specifically.  This past fall it underwent a time of transition.  With the impending launch of our first multi-site campus, we transitioned from an individual team approach to an overall worship ministry team approach.  This has caused some confusion in our church family and I take responsibility for that.  Our worship ministry team has done an excellent job in the transition and deserves our full support.  They do an excellent job in seeking to lead us into God’s presence with heartfelt and thoughtfully designed worship services every weekend.

6. God’s provision continues.  We began this fiscal year with an aggressive budget goal, as we looked to the launch of our first multi-site campus.  As of this communication, we are ahead of our budget need for the fiscal year.  This should be an encouragement to each of us.  It also serves as financial confirmation that we are on track with the vision God has given us as a church. 

7.  Online giving.  Another way to facilitate faithful giving, is a secure online option.  A current user commented, “Online giving helps me be consistent in my giving.  I never miss a week!”  This year, consider online giving. You can check it out at www.mytrinity.tv.

8. Decisions to follow Jesus.  This past weekend we saw God do amazing things at our Christmas services... 12 people made decisions to follow Jesus, and more than 50 people recommitted their lives to following him.  This is a huge praise!   As we head into 2011, join me in praying that God would continue to move in the lives of people and that they would follow Jesus.  What a blessing it would be as a church family to see at least one person a week come to know Christ personally.

9. Intern on staff.  We have an intern joining our church staff.  Ashley Wolf is a senior from Lincoln Christian University who will be working with the Community Life and Missions ministry areas.  This is an unpaid position.  She will be looking for work in the local community to offset her expenses and will be with us from the beginning of January until the first part of May 2011.

10.  Serving people.  A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the amazing volunteers that step up week after week to make sure all of our services and events happen.  Your willingness to do what you do makes an eternal difference in God’s kingdom. 

11.  A spiritual battle.  These are exciting days for Trinity Church.  While there is much to celebrate, there is also a real spiritual battle underway.  Ephesians 6:12 is clear that if we are in Christ, we are never battling one another.  I ask for your partnership in praying at a whole new level as we head into the next year.  Prayer is the beginning and end of this list for a reason. 

My prayer for every one of you is that you would love Jesus more at the end of this coming year than you do today.  I am so grateful to be the Lead Pastor here and part of the team that God has assembled to lead Trinity Church in the pursuit of him and his heart for our church.   

May God bless and keep each of you as we head into the New Year!

“Missional” Communities

In my last post I talked about being the church instead of simply going to church.  The best way for us to live as the church is to be part of a smaller community of followers of Jesus that meet regularly to live life together being connected to each other and to God’s Word.  This smaller community is where growth actually happens.  Andy Stanley is known for saying, “things happen in circles that never happen in rows.”  When we step out of the classroom mentality to the active partner in living in God’s presence mentality, everything changes.

Acts 2:42-47 describes the church as the first mega-church was launched almost 2,000 years ago.  Over time that relational community has turned into something far different from the biblical description of Christ centered community.

A healthy group will move past simply talking about what the Bible says to actively doing what Jesus says.  When we do that we can really focus on the mission of being the church instead of attending church activities.  That is what “Love God, Love Others, Serve the World” is all about.  Our mission as followers of Jesus is to actively pursue being part of God’s disciple making mission, not to keep busy with inward focused activity.

As a church family we ought to be praying that we would each be connected to a group of fellow followers of Jesus.  We should also pray that those groups would become fully functioning, healthy “missional” communities.   The life-changing power of God is displayed when people get serious about living out what God says in community.  What an amazing way for people to see exactly who Jesus is.

Being the Church

Christmas time is a special time for many people for all kinds of different reasons.  You don’t even need to believe in Jesus to have the Christmas holiday be a significant event in your life.  But as the church, Christmas for us should be different.  Christmas offers us a great opportunity to be the church.

The word “church” in our culture has a few different meanings.  To some it is a building set apart to practice religion; to others it is a religious activity to attend.  But neither of those views aligns with how the Bible uses the word “church.”  In the New Testament the word translated as church always refers to a group of people never to an activity or a place.  The church is the community of followers of Jesus.  That means being part of a church has to do with who I am not an activity I attend. 

Christmas time offers the community of believers a special opportunity to impact the lives of people who are far from God.  Few of us need more activity in our lives but many of us need true community.  People were created to be in right relationship with God and one another.  Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, where God came to earth as a living and breathing person.  The birth of Jesus represents the beginning of our opportunity to be joined with God and other people in real community.

For followers of Jesus that means, Christmas is time to invest in other people by being the church.  What are some ways you can be the church this Christmas?

Willing Givers

As a parent I love to give gifts to my children.  The joy and excitement as they open and are surprised by a gift always bring a smile to my face.  But there are times, when I wish that I had never given the gift to them in the first place.  That time is when they are reluctant to share their gifts with someone else.  When they are greedy and poor managers of the gifts they receive it makes me reluctant to give them more gifts.

As a father, I want my children to be willing to share their Nintendo DSi.  For followers of Jesus, our heavenly Father wants us to be willing to share everything we own.  But how do we do that?  How do we train ourselves to be willing givers?

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ” (2 Cor. 9:7, ESV)

One of the simplest steps we can take in learning to become willing givers is to choose to give 10% (called a tithe) as a starting point instead of a finish line when it comes to our kingdom investment.  In a previous post, I stated there is no requirement to tithe in the New Testament.   I want to take the opportunity to clarify what I mean by that statement.  In other words, Jesus did not come a say if you are a follower of mine you must give 10% of all your gross income to me.  But Jesus also does not do away with the idea of the tithe rendering it as no longer relevant.   

In Matthew 23, as Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their religious hypocrisy he says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ” (Matt. 23:23, ESV) Note Jesus doesn’t tell them not to worry about the tithe and instead focus on justice, mercy, and faithfulness.  Instead he instructs them to not forget the tithe while they also practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

Former pastor and author Randy Alcorn writes; “Tithing is the toddler’s first steps toward stewardship.  It’s the training wheels on the bicycle of giving.  It’s not a homerun – but it gets you on base – which is a lot farther than many Christians ever get.” (Randy Alcorn; Money, Possessions, and Eternity; p. 194) 

Consider what impact it might have on your life to start viewing bringing the full 10% of your income to God as a starting point instead of a finish line.  Do you think the Father might want to bless you with more gifts?

Thinking Biblically

Below is a portion of the message Francis Chan delivered at Catalyst 2010.  In this clip, he challenges us to what it means to really think biblically and how our lives would read if they were on the pages of Scripture.  What an interesting thought for followers of Jesus...


Catalyst East 2010: Francis Chan from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Ownership Is Everything

We are in the middle of a series at Trinity Church titled Money Matters.   The premise of this series is that money should matter to followers of Jesus because money matters to God.  What the Bible says about money and possessions is often challenging, seeming even radical to how we approach money in our world.

The stereotype of some people who reject the church is that the church is only after their money.  This stereotype can make us fearful of talking about money as followers of Jesus for fear that people will be turned off.  Jesus, however, never shied away from talking about money and possessions.  How we handle our money is critical as followers of Jesus, so we should make sure we have conversations about it.

The word “stewardship” communicates an important biblical concept.  Being a “steward” is simply being a manager.  The concept of people being managers of what God owns is found throughout Scripture beginning with the first man God created and placed in a garden to “work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).  The key to being a steward or a manager is to fully comprehend that you are not the owner.  A steward is someone who is placed in charge of the resources owned by someone else.

As followers of Jesus that is exactly what we are.  We are owners of nothing.  Instead we are managers of the many resources that God has entrusted to us.  This includes how we spend our time, how we utilize our talents, and how we invest our money.  When it comes to money, ownership is everything.  Settling the ownership issue is the single most important key to finding joy and freedom in managing money.

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, ” (Psalm 24:1, ESV)

Declaring God’s ownership of everything, including our money allows us to experience joy in areas we never knew was possible.  When we recognize God’s ownership of everything, including our very lives we are free to finally invest in his kingdom in a way that demonstrates our love for him.  Maybe, that is why money matters so much.

Do I need to tithe?

The issue of money as a follower of Jesus is important.  So important that Jesus spoke about money and possessions frequently in Scripture.  But even with everything Jesus had to say we might still find ourselves with questions about giving.  Our questions revolve mostly around how much we should give.  A question we might find ourselves asking is, “As followers of Jesus are we required to tithe?”

If we have grown up around church, we have likely heard that as followers of Jesus we need to tithe.  But is that what the Bible says?  Or is something more required of us as people who love Jesus?

The word tithe means ten percent.  More precisely it is the first 10 percent of all we receive that is devoted to God.  The teachers of the Law during the New Testament era (called rabbis) taught that the Law required three separate tithes.  The tithes went to support the priests, the celebrations in Jerusalem, and to charity.  You may have heard a pastor teach that you are required to tithe, but he likely never told you to give thirty percent of your income to the local church.

In the New Testament we see no requirement to tithe, but that does not mean the requirement to give to God’s kingdom purposes is eliminated.  Jesus never lowered the standards as he taught about the true meaning of the Law.  He simply provided greater clarity.  When it comes to money, it’s all about who is in control.  It’s all about demonstrating what or whom we love.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24, ESV)

This past Sunday we learned that giving is simple heart issue.  Money is a great revealer of the heart.  It functions like a spiritual life EKG.  God measures what we give and he alone determines the value of the gift.  We can tithe and have hearts that are far from God.  But the reverse is not true.  We simply can’t say that our hearts are in love with Jesus but then turn around and give nothing.

As people we like things neatly defined.  Just tell me how much I have to give and I’ll meet that and feel good about myself in the process.  Jesus didn’t do that.  He did not give a specific amount that we could give so we would feel good.  Without this specific guidance we must learn to be people who listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings in our giving.  We must learn to be people who are dependent upon Jesus in every area of our lives.  That includes our money and how much we give.

Church Discipline

In light of God’s loving discipline that I talked about in my last post, as a church family we must be open to what it is that God wants to do in the area of discipline.  The topic of church discipline is one that many people within the local church find confusing at best.  How is it that a church that is all about the love of Christ being displayed in the lives of people, could then turn around and go through a process of discipline in the life of one of their members?

First of all, church discipline is simply a broadly defined set of intentional steps designed to restore a member who is walking outside of God’s loving instruction.  The most commonly referenced Scripture for this practice is Matthew 18:15-17.  The sequence described in this passage has two steps that we follow relatively easily.  Approaching the individual first privately and then with the help of others.  The third and final step of taking the matter to the church is a different story.

Church discipline is one of the most difficult areas of church life to put into practice.  The Scriptures are clear that those who are walking outside of the fellowship of the local church are to be approached with loving discipline.  R. C. Sproul writes, “The church is called not only to a ministry of reconciliation, but a ministry of nurture to those within her gates.  Part of that nurture includes church discipline...”

As a church leadership team committed to being Word dependent, practicing church discipline is not optional.  It is in fact, the most loving thing we can do in the life of those who are walking outside of the fellowship.  Church discipline is not punishment or retribution.  It is instead loving discipline intended to train and restore those who are walking their own path to return to God’s loving instruction. 

In the end, a church family that refuses to practice loving discipline within their church family ends up robbing God of an opportunity for his glory to be more fully revealed.  When those who are in the discipline process turn in repentance to following the path of Jesus, God’s glory is on display.  That is why we exist as a church, for God’s glory to be revealed in us and through us.

God loves enough to discipline...

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day and we started talking about God’s discipline in our lives.   Our conversation made me start thinking that there might be other people with questions about God’s discipline in the lives of his children.  After all, the idea of love and discipline being connected can be difficult for us to reconcile as we may have encountered unloving discipline in our lives.

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. ” (Proverbs 3:11–12, ESV)

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews (12:3-17) references this Proverb as he encourages us as followers of Jesus to not grow weary as we face adversity in our lives.  Ultimately God’s discipline exists to encourage us in our growth as his children.  God will do whatever it takes for us to be formed into the image of his Son.  The painful tests and trials in life require our response in faith trusting our loving Father’s discipline.

In light of Proverbs 3:12, we ought to be encouraged when we face the discipline of God because his discipline indicates we are his children.  James 1:2-4 say, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ”(James 1:2–4, ESV)  The thought of God’s discipline in our life being viewed positively is important for every follower of Jesus.  God is not looking to get us or to get even with us but instead to love us.  God loves us enough to bring loving discipline to shape us into who he desires us to be.

Created to work?

As followers of Jesus we love the idea that God created us for a purpose.  We love the idea that we were created for the glory of God and for a meaningful and significant relationship with him.  But we don’t often celebrate God’s intention of creating people to work.  We often simply view work as a necessary evil to be managed and even avoided if possible.

But that is not the view of work that is presented in Scripture.  Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15 ESV)

Before sin entered the picture, God created people to work.  The problem we face is that we have the wrong view of work and it’s purpose in our lives.  When we think that work’s purpose is simply to make money to allow us to do other things and buy stuff we miss the point altogether.  God created us to work for his glory.  That opportunity exists in every work place in America.

In his book, The Me I Want To Be, John Ortberg writes, “Your work is a huge part of God’s plan for your life, and God intends the Spirit to fill and energize workplaces.” (p. 219)  With the right perspective God can transform the workplace into a place where the Spirit’s presence is revealed.  As followers of Jesus we should not feel guilty about desiring to accomplish, to dream, and to work when we are listening to God’s leading in our work.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23–24 ESV)  God’s glory can be revealed each and every day as we work for his glory. 

Dreaming With God

 What is the one thing that you dream about accomplishing in your life?  That’s not a question that is often encouraged in the church.  We often don’t relate the things of God and our dreams.  But what if God has made you to accomplish the dream that he has placed within your heart?  What if the dream that you have stopped dreaming was God’s dream for your life?

God has made us to join in his work.  In that process God has given us passions and desires from his heart to ours.  As followers of Jesus we must allow God’s dreams for us to become our dreams.  Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:4 ESV) 

As we connect with God in prayer we begin to trade our dreams for his.  As we learn to dream with God in prayer, God transforms the desires of our heart.  What happens then is we begin to dream large dreams; God sized dreams.  We dream those dreams until we decide to come back to “reality.”

Instead of focusing on what we think is possible we should be focused on God’s dream for us.  As we spend quantity time with God, he shapes our dreams.   Yes, you read that correctly, not simply quality time but we must also spend quantity time with God.   So often we think we can make up for the quantity of time we spend with God in some other way.  However, there is no way around our need to spend time with our King.

As we spend time with God, he shapes our passions to come in alignment with his purposes.  The problem we often face is we don’t spend enough time with God to recognize his voice in shaping our dreams.   

Take the time to ask yourself hard questions.  What is your God given dream and how are you joining with God in it?  Then make the choice to allow God to drive your passions toward seeing his dream for you become reality.

Beyond Being Good

This past weekend I gave a message that encouraged followers of Jesus to move past trying to “be good” to being people who rely totally on the “goodness” of Jesus Christ.  In this message, I especially encouraged moms and dads to stop trying to get their children to simply be good and moral people, and instead point them toward looking like and walking with Jesus.   As followers of Jesus our hope is in the transformation that he brings, not in our ability to act and talk right.  This is a message that God has been working out for some time in my life. 

When we stop recognizing Jesus as our righteousness and start thinking we are pretty good, we end up expecting people who are far from God to simply live up to our moral standards.  The good news of Jesus loses when we expect people to clean themselves up apart from his grace.  The kingdom of God is not about our ability to live as decent people, but instead to live transformed lives by his presence.  As followers of Jesus we should not bemoan what is wrong with the world, but instead be people with hope in the midst of hopelessness.

In 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, encourages the church to be “ambassadors” for the “ministry of reconciliation” that has been entrusted to us as followers of Jesus.  As ambassadors of Christ our message is not to place our hope in our ability to do good and act right.   The message is one that those who are far from God, with no hope of bringing themselves near, can be brought near through Jesus alone as their righteousness.

The hope we bring to the world is that, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)  It’s time for us to live that way.

Change

Change happens.  It is a simple truth of life.  Everything changes.  We do not have any choice in whether or not change will happen.  We do, however, have a choice on how we choose to embrace change.  We can attempt to fight it, being frustrated by it, or we can get in front of change influencing the process.

We live in the middle of a rural agricultural area that has many farmers who have embraced change.  Over the last twenty years the nature of farming has changed considerably.  So much so, that those who refused to embrace change are likely no longer farming at all. 

God is in the business of change.  While God is eternal and unchanging in nature, he is in the business of changing people.  It is called transformation.  God himself actually changed, without compromising his eternal nature, as he was born in a real human body.  As God became a man, God embraced a new manifestation of his presence while not changing the essence of who he is.  Jesus is the perfect representation of God.  God is in the business of transforming people to look more and more like Jesus.  So the hard question is, if we are adverse to change are we actually adverse to what God wants from us?

Growth brings change.  It is simply a fact.  We cannot grow in maturity in Christ and not change.  So why would we expect that the things of God should not change?  We should be surprised when things of God are not changing.  When churches remain the same as everything else in the world is changing, is that possibly an indication that the church is not listening to God?  I suggest that is exactly what is happening.

Community Prayer

The idea of praying with other followers of Jesus can be intimidating. In fact, the closest that many people come to praying with others is in listening to a pastor pray during a Sunday morning service. The reluctance of God’s people to join in community prayer is foreign to the New Testament. Throughout the New Testament we observe God’s people engaged in and encouraged in community prayer.

Prayer is simply communication with God. Prayer in community is simply communication with God together. In his book, Together in Prayer, Andrew Wheeler writes, “Consistent, ongoing prayer for life-change is simply not a part of the experience of most small groups; and yet, such prayer may be the single most empowering thing that a small group could do to develop Christlike character in its members.” (p. 18)

In his letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul instructed that God’s will for them was to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances...” (1 Thes. 5:16-18). We have so individualized our spiritual lives that we lose site of the fact that this command was written to the Christian community called the church. God’s heart for us is that we would seek him with others as well as on our own.

We become frustrated with the lack of life-change in our lives. The struggle we face with guilt, and trying, and more guilt, and more trying until we finally decide to give up all together is very real. We get together in a group with fellow followers of Jesus and we talk about our problem in trying and failing, and then we go home and try it again. We never think of bringing God into our conversation, allowing what he might have to say guide our transformation.

Authentic prayer that is based in Scripture prayed in the context of Christian community leads to life transformation. Prayer in community was a normal part of life for the church described in the New Testament. It should be normal for our lives as well.

Why Multi-site?

As we begin a new chapter in the life of Trinity Church it is important that we have clarity in our direction as a church family. We have begun a journey that will transform our church from meeting together in one location to meeting together in many locations throughout the rural region in which we live.

One of the most important things that leaders do is ask questions. As a leadership team, it is really important that we not only ask questions but that we ask the right questions.

The question we used to ask as leaders was, “How many people can we reach from here?” As a leadership team we believe we needed to add one letter to that question that ends up changing the answer radically. The question that we are asking now, as a church leadership team is, “How many people can we reach from there?” This question switches the focus from us to those who are far from God. This question is about going to where people are instead of expecting them to come to us.

Communities of people in need of life-giving churches surround us. So what if we switch from expecting people to come to us to going to them? The goal is to be the church in the communities in which we live not to have people come to a church building.

The vision is that we would be in more locations, so that God can use us to make more disciples, seeing an area transformed by God’s presence. The reason? For God’s glory, that there would be more people transformed by Jesus Christ for God’s glory.

Unself... moving from me to we in community

God is in the business of bringing change to the world in which we live. The question many of us face is, how can we really change? We try and strive but end up on a merry-go-round of effort and failure. I believe real change happens when we learn to pray God’s Word. That is why our next series is not only going to focus on what God’s Word says but on praying it into our lives so it becomes who we are.

Our society is consumed with self. We are self-preoccupied people. The life that Jesus calls us to is the exact opposite of the "self-life" of our culture. As followers of Jesus instead of being consumed with self, we are supposed to be consumed with a love for God and a love for others that moves us toward being servants to the world around us.

This series will look at seven Psalms from the nation of Israel that are totally relevant to transforming our lives. We will see how we can overcome such "self-problems" as self-centeredness, self-assertiveness, self-righteousness, self-pity, self-service, self-sufficiency, and self-love by praying these Psalms together. God wants us to make a difference in this world for his glory but it requires that we Unself.

Why Groups?

The foundation of Christian community described in Acts 2, was the foundation of the local church. The mission of the local church has always been to carry out God’s instruction to love him and love people and then to go to the world with the good news of Christ. To be on mission with God requires a connection with God’s people.

One of my previous ministry positions was as a group’s pastor. In that role, I spent a lot of time telling people to get into groups so that they could grow. But what I have discovered is I was wrong. The motivation for every follower of Jesus to be connected in a group is because it is the best place to love others and serve the world. The description of Christian community in the Bible is not as much about personal growth as it is about God’s glory being revealed in God’s disciple making mission. Don’t get me wrong, growth will be the result, but it is not the motivation.

Groups are simply people joined together in relationship through being partnered together in God’s mission of making disciples. Groups come in all different shapes and sizes, but the goal is the same; partnering with God in his mission of life transformation. Groups that are active in that mission, flourish. Groups that join together for only part of that mission, such as friendships alone, tend to flounder.

So a group that is on mission together in pursuing God’s disciple making mission will experience Christian community the way God designed.

The Heart Matters

Throughout the Bible, God is clear that what He cares about most is our hearts. When our hearts are right our actions will follow. But the reverse is not true. Our actions may appear to be right, but our hearts may be far from God. That was the problem with the religious establishment in Jesus’ day (Matthew 23:25-28). Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong.” (Crazy Love, p. 79)

God sent Samuel to anoint David as the new king of Israel. In that process, Samuel considered David’s brother Eliab because he looked the part. As Samuel thought he had surely found the future king, God said, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks upon the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 ESV)

Religious people are comfortable living with surface level transformation. They like to look right to those who are looking from the outside but have not considered what God is observing on the inside. When we are in love with Jesus, we care more about our heart, knowing that our actions will always follow our heart. God is looking for people who are willing to undergo a heart change, not those who are looking to simply act a little bit better than the next guy or gal. As you examine your heart what does God say?

Rock or Sand?

The majority of people in America today will say that they believe in God when asked. So why then do so many people act like God does not exist? The same can be said in the church. Many people will say they love Jesus but then live each day of their lives like Jesus does not exist. God is not calling us to believe in Jesus but to believe Jesus. That means we will move past surface level religion to a deep, loving relationship with the God who made us through a personal relationship with Jesus.

In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a ‘Christian nation.’” (Crazy Love, p. 78)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it clear that we simply need to believe Him. In Matthew 7:21-27 we observe Jesus emphasize the necessity of hearing the Word and then living it out in practice. The ones who hear what Jesus says and apply it to their lives allowing it to transform their lives are called wise. They are the ones who are building upon the Rock.

The ones who build their lives upon hearing what Jesus says but not living it out are equated with the foolish man who built his house in the sand. If we build our lives upon trusting our church attendance, or the faith of our parents, or even the label of being a “Christian,” we are building our lives upon the sand. When you consider what you are building your life upon, do you see it as being the Rock or are you playing in the sand?

Comfortable

When it comes to answering the questions raised in these posts, it can be easy to make excuses for our inability to measure up. While we would all like to be people who can be totally in love with Jesus, we have a practical reason why it just is not possible for us. I know that because I have been there, and still find myself returning there. The goal of every one of these posts is for it to lead to reflection that leads to action.

The bottom line is that we need help in looking in the mirror and seeing the reality of how lukewarm our love for Jesus has become. That is why Jesus wrote to the seven churches found in Revelation 2-3. These people needed help looking in the mirror to see the accuracy of their condition.

Using the descriptions in Crazy Love is meant to help us look in the mirror as well. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, ‘Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is.’ Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel ‘called’ to minister to the rich; very few feel ‘called’ to minister to the poor.” (Crazy Love, p. 75)

It can be easy to love those who are like us and invest in those who already have. After all, that is easy. It gets a lot harder to love people and invest in them when they are not like us or they are in need. Throughout Scripture, it is clear that God’s heart is for the poor. (Isaiah 58:6-7) As people who are in love with Jesus, the same thing that moves Him should move us. Jesus is moved by people who are hungry, thirsty, and without. What moves you?

Thinking of Heaven

Living with our thoughts on Heaven is not something most of us do. We are either simply too busy trying to keep up with what is going on to give it a thought, or consider the thought of dying to be too depressing to consider. Have you ever considered that maybe one of the biggest problems you have, as a follower of Jesus, is that you don’t think about Heaven enough? Chan writes,

“Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C. S. Lewis writes, ‘If you read history you will find the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.’” (Crazy Love, p. 75)

Hebrews chapter 11 presents people used as examples of faith. We could even call them heroes of faith. The thing that each of these heroes of faith have in common is that they did not live for an earthly promise. Instead they looked forward to the better promise that God had given. The better promise is that all of those who have faith will one day be able to exalt the name of Jesus together, glorifying God throughout eternity. In order to be a person of faith, we simply can’t be consumed by thinking about this world.

Colossians 3:2, is clear that our thoughts ought to be set upon heavenly things. That means that while we live each and every day here on earth, we do not need to be consumed by earthly things. When we have a biblical view that Heaven is a real place that we will live as real people in the presence of a real God, we can begin to live for the day that we will finally be there. We can exchange the temporary pleasures of this world for the eternal glory of the next.

One thing that I have observed about people who are really in love with Jesus is that they simply can’t wait to be with Him in a real place we call Heaven. They allow the thoughts of being with Jesus someday drive them today. What is it that you find yourself thinking about?

Serving the World

The life of Jesus was defined by love demonstrated by being a servant. When it came to being a servant to the Father and to people, Jesus showed no limits. Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.” (Crazy Love, p. 74)

It is easy to end up justifying the limits we place on how much time, talent, money, and energy we expend in serving God and other people. We can even try to attempt to sound spiritual in the process. We do not think of ourselves as being lukewarm, we simply see ourselves as normal Christians living in the real world. The only problem is that is not the Bible’s description of normal.

In Matthew 20:20-28, the mother of James and John asks Jesus for a place of honor for her sons. When the other disciples end up hearing of the request they are angry with the two brothers. Jesus responds by defining greatness in the kingdom as being a servant. This definition of greatness flies in the face of everything our culture teaches us. We simply don’t aspire toward being a servant. We don’t encourage our children to grow up and become servants.

Every follower of Jesus ought to aspire toward greatness. Jesus defines greatness by our willingness to serve others. No limits, no ulterior motives, simply loving people with the love of Christ enough to serve them like Jesus. When it comes to serving others for the kingdom of God where are your limits?

Loving Others

Today we look at the essential follow-up to loving God, which is loving others. At Trinity Church, we talk about loving others almost as much as we talk about loving God. We can summarize the teaching of Jesus found in Matthew 22:37-40 in four words: Love God, Love Others. All of Scripture is based upon these two foundational loves. Francis Chan writes,

“Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached.” (Crazy Love, p. 73)

When it comes to loving others we really try to keep our distance because loving people is messy. Our lives are filled with mess and we do our best to try and minimize the mess. Loving people is difficult and so we end up doing our best to love others from a distance, all the while making excuses about why we can’t be more involved.

The example of love that we are to emulate toward others is the love that Christ has given to us. We are to love others because it is the defining characteristic of someone who is in love with Jesus. In John 13:35, Jesus says love is the identifying characteristic of His disciples. As we live out our lives using the gifting that God has given us, if our motive is not love, it is worthless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Loving God and loving others is not a motto but the identity of those who are in love with Jesus.

Loving God

At Trinity Church we talk a lot about loving God. The reason we talk about loving God so much is that it is the primary thing we were created for. The first and great commandment is to love God above everything else. In Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors and missionaries and radicals.” (Crazy Love, p. 73)

In Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus emphasizes the primacy of loving God originally given to the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Loving God is easy in theory, but becomes much more difficult in practice. After all, we are people with busy lives. We have families and jobs that we must make sure that we attend to. We end up justifying our lukewarm behavior by trading away the best things of God for the good things we choose for ourselves.

When it comes to priorities of love in our lives, we must be vigilant in assessing our own hearts in how much we really love God. When was the last time we made a choice to do something God asked us to do over something or someone else? When was the last time you took an hour to just get away and spend it with Jesus? We can say we are in love with God all we want but do our actions provide evidence that we actually do?

Content at Lukewarm

As followers of Christ we need to admit that it is quite easy for us to be content with lukewarm Christianity. We never have to be inconvenienced, or stray too far from what it is that we want. Often we allow Jesus access to the areas of our life that we desire to be cleaned up so they are more appealing to others and ourselves. But when it comes to allowing God access to every area of life, we quickly put on the brakes. Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives.” (Crazy Love, p. 72)

Jesus’ encounter with the rich man described in Matthew 19:16-22 should serve as a stunning wake up call to those who see Jesus as something to believe in rather than a person to be believed. The rich man appeared on the surface to have everything it took to be a follower of Jesus. The one area that he could not turn over, was the one that made all the difference. When Jesus asked the man to turn over control of his wealth the man went away “sorrowful,” because he had lots of stuff. He simply didn't want to lose control of his stuff.

The call of following Christ is a call to relinquish control. Not just control over the areas of morality that we ascribe to, but control over every area of our lives. When we are in love, we don’t mind sharing everything we have with the one we are in love with. If we truly love God, giving control over every area of our lives should be our response. Taking inventory of whom or what controls our time, money, and thoughts is a good indicator of our love for God. What does your inventory reveal about how in love with God you are?

Moving Beyond Good Behavior

When it comes to living life as a follower of Christ, we make a mistake if we think it is all about being good and moral people on the surface. The goal of following Jesus is not appropriate and civil behavior. Instead we should long to see God change who we are from the inside out. In Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Lukewarm people gauge their morality or ‘goodness’ by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street.” (Crazy Love, p. 72)

When we compare ourselves and the level of our moral goodness to the secular world, we make a drastic mistake. The Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12 thanked God that he was not like the sinning tax collector while pointing to his perfectly religious behavior. In Luke 18:13 the sinful tax collector beat his chest begging God for His mercy in light of his sinfulness as a person. Jesus makes it clear that it is the second man who has the right perspective (Luke 18:14).

We must constantly remember that we are rebels at heart. Rebels against the God of the universe deserve punishment. That means that we are all deserving of punishment from God, but instead, we have encountered God’s incredible mercy and amazing grace. In light of that, we should never attempt to compare whom we are to a world that does not know Jesus in a real way.

Are you content with being a little bit more moral than the guy and gal down the street? Or are you so grateful that God has had mercy on you, a sinner?

Sharing Our Story

If we have a relationship with Jesus we all have a story. Often times we forget that, settling into the normal daily routines. We forget that we were once blind, but now we see. We were once dead, but now we are alive. So we stop talking about how our story intersected with God’s story. When this happens it is a good indication that our relationship with Christ is lukewarm at best.

Over the past week we have been looking at some excerpts from Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love. Today, we look at what happens to our witness for Christ when we lose our passion for Him. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.” (Crazy Love, p. 71)

I have to admit that one of the things that I miss the most about no longer working in the secular work place is the constant opportunity to interact with people who do not know Christ personally. The opportunity to share what God has done, and is doing, should be one of the most joyous things we get to do as followers of Christ. It can also be one of the most difficult things to do if we let our pride get in the way of the Spirit’s guidance.

The bottom line is that when we are in love we talk about the one we are in love with. When we are crazy, head over heels in love, we can’t stop talking about the one we are in love with. We definitely do not avoid talking about the ones we love like we are ashamed of Him. In Matthew 10:32-33 Jesus makes it clear that if we are in love with Him, we must ensure we are not ashamed of Him. Do you talk about Jesus as if you are in love with Him?

Radical or normal?

The call to follow Jesus is not a call to the easy life or a life of comfort. It is a call to “radical followership.” While we might say this is true, we must ask ourselves if our lives demonstrate this is true. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people are moved by the stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for ‘extreme’ Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call ‘radical’ what Jesus expected of all His followers.” (Crazy Love, p. 70-71)

I remember listening to the story of a woman who gave up her job as a captain on a heavy jet for a major airline, and instead, travelled with a group of evangelists for a year. My thought as she shared her story was, “she’s crazy!” The more I read the pages of Scripture, the better I understand her choice. Now I would simply call her decision normal by New Testament standards. Giving up everything and following Jesus is something required of a normal follower of Christ. We have come to the point in our comfortable lives where the normal actions of someone who has given their life to Christ are seen as being radical.

What is the radical call for followers of Christ? Doing what it is that Jesus wants us to do, when He wants us to do it. In other words, living out the Word in practice, not simply agreeing in theory. It means that when God says we must love our enemies, we actually do. When God says that we cannot love God and money, we ensure we have actually chosen God over money. It means we do not simply listen to the Word of God and fool ourselves, but we actually live it out (James 1:22). It means when God says go we go and when God says stay we stay.

If we are in love with Jesus we begin to see what is considered radical by the lukewarm, as being completely normal for a follower of Jesus. Would you ever be accused as doing something radical because God asked you to?

Grieved by Sin

Hopefully you have taken the time to ask yourself the hard question each day so far. If we desire to see God do something extraordinary in our midst, we must ensure that we are seeking Him. Not simply a surface level, happy interaction to make us feel better, but a true encounter with the Living God that requires us to reveal the very core of who we are.

As we continue on this journey of self-examination, the questions get harder. Today we look at what lukewarm people think about sin. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they only want to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.” (Crazy Love, p. 70) I told you it gets harder!

As you examine yourself, can you say that you genuinely hate sin? That is a tough question when we dig past the surface. As a parent, I frequently have to help my children understand that it is not “getting in trouble” that should motivate their actions, but instead a longing to glorify God by making right choices. As followers of Chris,t we must hate sin because by His very nature He hates sin. We cannot be conformed to the image of Christ and hold on to those things that are in direct opposition to His nature.

There was a time in my life when this description fit me perfectly. And I would have to say that my relationship with Jesus was lukewarm at best. Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1–2 ESV) We must move past simply being sorry for the consequences of sin to being grieved by the sin itself. The new life that God has for us is better by far than the bondage of sin. Do you believe this is true?

Consistency

Today we look at Francis Chan’s third indication that our life is lukewarm. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.” (Crazy Love, p. 69) Attempting to be like the people you are with is a natural human response. As followers of Christ, we are not called to live in the natural but instead to be transformed in the image of Jesus.

The major flaw of the religious elite of Jesus’ day was that they cared more about what other people thought of them than encountering the living God. The same can be true for us. When we care about being like our church friends when we are around them, but being like our non-church friends when we are around them, we are showing that our heart is not first and foremost after Jesus.

Jesus was not impressed by the religious efforts of the scribes and Pharisees, so we should not think that He might be pleased with our divided attention either. In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces judgment on the conduct of the religious elite in His culture for their outward conduct, while they remain full of “hypocrisy and lawlessness” on the inside (Matthew 23:28).

As you examine yourself, where is it that you find inconsistency in your actions and attitudes in the different areas of your life? Would people describe you as loving Jesus no matter what area of life in which you encounter them? If we desire for God to bring revival in our lives, we must be ready for the necessity of allowing Him authority over every area in our lives. There can be no areas that we hold back.

Where is your heart?

As we prepare for the Summit, it is important for us to remember that self-examination is key to the process of renewal or revival. The process of looking into the mirror and examining ourselves is often times painful at best. When we look at our devotion to Christ, often times we can be disappointed feeling as if we simply do not measure up. There are people who seem far more spiritual than we do. The question is not how spiritual we seem on the outside, but where our heart is.

Today we look at another heart-probing statement from Francis Chan’s, Crazy Love. The second description of someone who is lukewarm is; “Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church... as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?” (Crazy Love, p. 69) Now this is starting to get personal!

When it comes to checking on where our heart is, there is no better indicator than our money. Jesus taught about money and wealth frequently. That means it must be a pretty important subject. What we do with our resources is a good indicator of our spiritual condition. If we are wise, we will use money as a spiritual EKG. What is your money saying about the condition of your heart?

As we look to Christ, asking for a fresh touch of His presence in our lives, we must do so from a position of full surrender. We cannot hold back anything in our life and expect the Holy Spirit to do something extraordinary in our midst. It is a matter of devotion. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24 ESV)

God shows up when His people demonstrate their heart is for Him. When they humble themselves, pray, seek, and turn. We must turn from our way of self-reliance in every area of our lives. That includes our money.