Joy In Trials

This week we concluded our Living a Legacy series. Suffering, trouble, and affliction are part of living in this world marked by sin. Finding joy in the midst of suffering, however, is a concept that is foreign in our culture. Even within Christian circles we end up not sure what this looks like. We know we are supposed to be filled with joy, so we put on a happy face while our hearts are hurting and pretend that everything is okay. We end up attempting to fake out others or maybe even try to fake out ourselves. We have the mistaken idea that we can’t allow other people to know our fear, disappointment, anger, or hurt because after all, if we love Jesus we are supposed to be filled with joy.

God uses adversity from external circumstances to shape us to look more like Jesus. This is one of the reasons that beginning with humility before God is so important. If we start with recognizing who God is and willingly submit ourselves under his authority, we are then able to embrace God’s process for spiritual formation. When we realize that we don’t have to prove ourselves to him, we can honestly open ourselves up to be transformed at the very core of who we are. This requires us to be people who find our joy in Christ, being now people who are at peace with God.

Legacy Principles #4: Live with joy in trials.

Ask these types of questions:

What is joy? How can we know that God really loves us? What kind of freedom do we have because God has given us the Holy Spirit? What kind of disappointments, hurts, frustrations, or problems are you suffering from right now? How does approaching our adversity knowing we are at peace with God and he has our best interest at heart encourage us to rejoice while still experiencing discomfort or even pain?

Or any others you find in The Journey Daily Guide.

Memorize this verse:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ Romans 5:1, ESV

Read and discuss these passages:

Romans 5:1-5

Ephesians 1:11-14

May God bless you as you embraced his love for you through the Holy Spirit’s presence. 

Loving Others

Last week we learned that the purpose for all people is to love God the most. We also learned that loving God through a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus is inseparable from loving other people. This week we learned how we are supposed to love other people with God's love. Loving Jesus deeply is going to directly impact the people I love.  Loving Jesus deeply is also going to directly impact the people I can’t stand.

Jesus directly links loving God to loving other people. Leviticus 19:9-18 is a portion of the Law that focuses on how the children of Israel were to interact with one another. This portion of the law reveals God’s heart for his children interacting in loving relationship. Loving people like Jesus is at the heart of all of God’s loving instruction to us as people who love him. If we are going to Live a Legacy, we must love others like Jesus.

Legacy Principle #3: Love others like Jesus.

Ask these types of questions:

How does loving God affect our love for other people? Who is our “neighbor”? What does it mean to walk by the Holy Spirit? What are the indications that we are living life under our own power? What are the indications of a Spirit empowered life?

Or any others you find in The Journey Daily Guide.

Memorize this verse:

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

~ Galatians 5:14, ESV

Read and discuss these passages:

Galatians 5:13-15

Galatians 5:16-24

Romans 8:1-11

Luke 10:25-37

We demonstrate our love for our children and others that we influence by having frequent and simple conversations about Jesus. It may be uncomfortable and awkward at first, but the more you invest in your relationship with Jesus the easier it will get.

May God bless you as you choose to listen to the Holy Spirit as he empowers you to love God and love other people like Jesus.

Elder Nominations

The time has come once again for elder nominations as a church family. I want to take a few moments of your time to present the role of elder in the local church and the process we use in adding elders to our leadership team.

Trinity Church is an elder led local church. The congregation must approve each elder by a congregational vote during our annual meeting each year at the end of August. Each elders term is three years and they may serve two consecutive terms. The elder chairman is an exception, his term is for one year and he may serve four consecutive terms. As leaders we believe it is good to have a rotation of new men as part of our elder team and yet still recognize the value of having consistency in leadership. We believe this system provides for both.

The qualifications for elder in the local church are addressed in both 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.  These descriptions go to the character of the individual who assumes the role of elder in the local church. Biblical qualifications have less to do with age, and more to do with Christ-like character. The role of elders in the New Testament is focused on oversight, leadership within the church and movingthe church in the mission of Jesus. At Trinity Church, we ask our elders to provide direction and oversight while entrusting ministry teams to accomplish the tasks of ministry. It is the elders who hold one another, the staff, and ministry teams accountable and focused in helping our church head in a unified direction of making disciples.

The name, “elder” itself can sometimes be misleading. In our culture, in order to be considered an “elderly” person one must be well advanced in years (for lack of a more politically correct way to say it). The New Testament uses multiple terms, “pastors” or “bishops” or “overseers” to indicate the role and function of elders in the local church. As you look to people you know to nominate think more of character than age.

One new thing that we have implemented over the last year is inviting a prospective elder to sit with our board. This experience has proven to be a valuable process for both the elder team and the individual observing the board. Due to the value added in this process, our plan for this next ministry year is to invite up to two potential elders to sit with the board for a year before asking them to become elders.

You can click here if you would like to view our current elder team or contact any of them. We look forward to answering any questions you may have about our elder team, the elder selection process, or anything else you might be wondering about. 

Loving God

This week we learned our second of four legacy principles we should apply to our lives and teach those we influence if we desire to Live a Legacy for God’s glory. We talk a lot about loving God as a church family. We do so because Jesus says that loving God and loving people are the most important aspects of everything God has commanded. That makes them pretty important.

As followers of Christ we are supposed to invest our lives in growing in depth of love for God and others. It seems so simple, yet this is exactly where spiritual depth is found. We can know all kinds of biblical facts, teach great lessons, share our prophetic gifting, and pray fancy prayers, even in King James English, but without love it is all meaningless (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Therefore, if we are going to Live a Legacy for God’s glory we must allow God to transform our humility into a great love for Christ.

Legacy Principle #2: Love God the most.

Ask these types of questions:

What is biblical love?  How does biblical love differ from worldly love?  How can we demonstrate that we love God? What are some things we need to cut out of our lives because we do love God? What are some things that we need to add to our lives because we love God? What does it mean to be controlled by the love of Christ?

Or any others you find in The Journey Daily Guide.

Memorize this verse:

...you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all you soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

~ Mark 12:30, ESV

Read and discuss these passages:

Mark 12:28-34

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Remember to keep it simple and frequent, applying the Moses model for spiritual growth. It is likely that you will get tired and frustrated as you attempt to lead those you love toward loving Jesus deeply. Pray and seek the leading of Jesus instead of trusting your method. As you get tired and frustrated keep asking and seeking, so that you and those you love might be transformed by the love of Christ.

May God bless you as you choose to grow deeper in your love for him in your life this week.

Choose Humility

Over the next four weeks we are going to learn the practical principles to live and teach if we are going to be people whom Live a Legacy. So over the next four weeks I will post some practical suggestions on implementing four Legacy Principles. These principles are foundational to being people who are dependent upon Christ to live a life that honors and glorifies him.

Instead of trying to get this into one solid time block and becoming frustrated, work it in throughout your week. Begin the discussion today and carry it through this week each day. Follow Moses’ Model: Simple and frequent conversations about Jesus. This week’s theme, the first legacy principle, is “Humble Yourself.”

Legacy Principle #1: Humble Yourself.

Ask these types of questions:

What is humility?  What is pride?  How can we choose humility personally? As a family?  In what ways have we chosen pride in the past? Or any others you find in The Journey Daily Guide.

Memorize this verse:

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

~James 4:10, ESV

Read and discuss these passages:

James 4:1-10

Philippians 2:1-11

Keeping it simple does not mean that it will not have a profound effect on you and your family. Keep your conversations short and frequent. Use examples of people who display pride or humility while you live life together. Whether that is at a sporting event, watching television, or eating together. Christ at the center means we bring him into every area of our lives. Living a Legacy begins with the intentional choice to be a person who submits himself or herself to God. May God bless you as you choose humility in your life this week.

Where do I start?

Many people find themselves in a place of desiring to Live a Legacy, but they are not sure how. In our current series we have discovered the “why” we should Live a Legacy, but over the next few weeks we will learn four principles that we can build our lives upon teaching them to those we are called to influence.

This past week we learned a basic principle from Moses on training our children in following Christ from Deuteronomy 6:7. We observed Moses’ Model for spiritual development in the lives of those we influence.  Moses’ model: Simple and frequent conversations about Jesus. While having regular times of prayer, Bible reading, and devotional discussions are all important, the heart of Living a Legacy requires frequent simple conversations about Jesus.

The first part of Deuteronomy 6:7 says, “You shall teach them diligently...” To teach with diligence requires constant attention but it is not complicated. We see that spiritual training is supposed to be ongoing; it is continuous throughout our lives, in every area of lives. We are to have continual spiritual conversations with our children. We are to remind them of everything that God has taught us and of God’s rescue from being people trapped in death as slaves to sin.

So often we think that we can’t lead our children spiritually because we don’t have all the answers. But God does not require us to have all the answers. God’s plan is to make spiritual development part of every day life. We are supposed to see every area of life as an opportunity to talk about Jesus, who he is, what he has done, what he is doing, how much he loves us, and why we follow him. The model that Moses talks about is taking the spiritual formation of those we influence into every day life, in every area of life. It is talking about how Jesus affects our children as students, as athletes, in the school band, and on the playground. It is allowing Jesus to influence every area of our lives. 

Living a Legacy

There are 168 hours in a week. As followers of Jesus, we have all the same demands that the world places on unbelievers plus the need to guide our own hearts along with the hearts of others we influence. So how do we do it? How do we ensure that we are influencing our children and the other people in our lives in the direction of Christ?

We start a new series this week about living lives that leave behind a legacy of humility, love, and joy reflecting the heart of Jesus. This series isn’t just for parents because we are all called to influence the people that God has placed into our lives for his glory. It is, however, essential for parents to understand their vital role in Living a Legacy as they seek to guide their children’s hearts toward Christ.

I am excited about this series because I have so much to learn in this area personally. That may seem weird, but even as a pastor I struggle with what it means to be the primary spiritual influence in my family. So I want to encourage you to not miss a week over the next seven, as we go from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day discovering what it means for us to be people who are Living a Legacy.

Celebrating Jesus’ Victory

This week we conclude our series titled Rescue. Hopefully it has been an encouragement to you that God’s rescue is available not just once as we are born to new life in Christ, but an ongoing rescue from everyday life circumstances that leave us feeling defeated. We finish this series by talking about Christus Victor, Latin for “Jesus the winner.”

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. ” (Colossians 2:13–15, ESV)

We must live in a place of constantly preaching the gospel (good news) to ourselves. Jesus is the winner, the only true winner in all of history. Not just once a year on Easter Sunday, but every day. Our role is to live our lives in the reality of his victory.

Today Is the Day

This Sunday we celebrate the work of Jesus as he has called us, as a church, to follow him in a new direction. For over a year and a half we have talked about being a church that would assemble in multiple locations throughout the rural region where we live. The reason we are headed in this new direction is because Jesus asked us to.

So often when we speak of God and his timing in our lives we think of a day in the far distant future. Like someday, in the future, is always the day that God will ask us to do something new. But there comes a time when God says, “today is the day” as he did with Joshua. As God chose Joshua to lead the children on Israel into the Promised Land he told them to make preparation because in three days he was sending them to take the land (Joshua 1:10-11).

After those three days of preparation, the day to cross over the river came. When the priests entered the water, the water parted and the children of Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground (Joshua 3:14-17). In Joshua 5 we read of how the people celebrated their first Passover in the new land and from that time forth there was no more manna as there had been in the wilderness. It was a new day.

Over seven months ago we called a campus pastor and put a launch date for our first campus on the calendar, Easter 2011. At the time we had no idea where that campus would be. The past seven months have been ones that have tried the faith of our leaders and church family. We knew there would be pressure as we sought to make an impact against the darkness that surrounds us but that still did not make the journey easy. We find ourselves at the point of “crossing the river,” to take the next step on the journey that God has called us to.

Following lunch together Sunday, we will commission a pastor and core team that are being sent to do something new. We will also pray for those who have been called to stay in Watseka and invest in the lives of people there. It will be a time for tears and cheers. A time where one chapter in the life of our church comes to a close while a new chapter begins. A time of being sad and joy filled all at the same time. Most of all a time to celebrate that Jesus has called all of us to be on mission with him.

The Blessing of Pruning

I love the way God works through themes in my life. Well, I don’t always love what the theme is but I love the way that God uses multiple forms of input to guide me along life’s journey. Lately the theme has been pruning.  John 15:1-2 says,

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ” (John 15:1–2, ESV)

When I moved to Illinois three years ago, I started a garden for the first time in my life. Growing up my father had always had a garden but I was really not very interested. Up until starting my own garden, I had read in the pages of Scripture about pruning but I had never experienced the abundance of fruit that comes from loving care through cutting a plant deeply. 

I recently watched a message from pastor James MacDonald and he shared some observations of God’s work in pruning. His point was the Christian life has seasons based upon a cycle; God sets the pattern. First comes pruning then comes fruit bearing. If we don’t give up pruning happens again. The life of a follower of Jesus is defined by, as James MacDonald says, “Seasons of fruit bearing, followed by seasons of pruning, followed by greater fruit bearing.”

As we follow Jesus in life’s journey, we must be people who willingly embrace God’s pruning in light of the promise of fruit bearing on the other side. Not people who simply endure but people who flourish in the midst of the pruning because we have our joy in Jesus not our circumstances. We must be people who find joy in the midst of the toil of it all, knowing that he who began a good work will complete it in Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). We must be people who embrace God’s pruning as the blessing that it really is, in order that we might be people who bear much fruit for his glory. 

Joy In The Trial

I tend to be a slow learner.  Over the last seven years of my life as I have faced adversity or trials my focus has most often been on escape.  The adversity I have faced has been great at times and sometimes it’s just a little annoyance because things don’t go my way.  In the end, I find myself asking God to deliver me from my adversity.   But lately, I have learned that I have been seeking the wrong thing.  Instead of being delivered from the trial, I am to find my complete joy in Jesus while in the middle of the fire.

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were three Hebrew men who faced the fiery furnace because of their great love for God and refusal to worship King Nebuchadnezzar.   When the king looked into the fire he was confused by what he saw...

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” ” (Daniel 3:24–25, ESV)

In the midst of the fire, the God of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah was with them.  As they emerged from the fire they did not even have the smell of smoke on their clothing.  Anyone who has ever been around a fire knows that you can’t keep the smell of smoke out of anything.  For those after a house fire, getting rid of the smell is the biggest obstacle of all.  As the men emerged from the fiery furnace, the King’s response was pure amazement.   He praised God because he recognized no one had the power to rescue the way their God had rescued them. 

James 1:2-4 is clear that followers of Jesus are to be joy filled even in the midst of trials.  Trials come in all different shapes and sizes.  But one thing they all have in common is their ability to shape us for God’s glory.  We often want to flee and find a way out.  When we are facing adversity, we often just want to find the path of least resistance to alleviate our discomfort.  Instead, we are to find our joy in Jesus while allowing him to work his plan through the adversity.  No matter what it is that you face look to Jesus as your joy instead of simply for a solution.

Stepping Out in Faith

This past week I was having a conversation with a friend and he made a good observation.  When comfort and familiarity guide our decisions in our spiritual lives it says a lot about our theology.   If the greatest good in our church experience is familiarity and feelings we end up missing out on the place where Jesus wants to lead us.

The book of Exodus tells the story of the journey of God’s children as they left slavery in Egypt and headed into the wilderness in pursuit of something better that God has promised them.  The children of Israel had cried out to God in their desperate situation in Egypt.  Exodus 3:24 says that “God heard their groaning.”  God’s response was to send Moses as a leader to deliver them from their captivity.

The children of Israel watched God do amazing things as he sent them into the wilderness.  Yet, while they were in the wilderness they continually longed to return to the comfort of their slavery in Egypt.  The wilderness was different, difficult, and scary.  The wilderness required them to depend on God alone.  The wilderness was preparation for what was to come. 

In our minds, we think about how crazy it was for the Israelites to desire the slavery of Egypt over the Promised Land where God desired to lead them.  Then in our own lives we seek out the comfort of what we have known in the past.  We stick to the familiar as the greatest good in our lives.  When God asks us to step forward in faith and it starts to get uncomfortable we start to look for our own way “back to Egypt.”  Jesus has not called us to pursue the way things used to be for our comfort and a sense of peace and contentment.  Scripture is clear that as we follow in faith we will face adversity but we are to cast our anxiety upon Jesus allowing him to guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:4-7).  May God bless you as you follow him by stepping forward in faith.

Ashkum Campus... Awesome!

The first meeting of our Ashkum campus happened this past Sunday.  Our church had more than 100 people upstairs and more than 90 people downstairs worshiping simultaneously.  Over the next two months we will be preparing for our Easter official launch day as one church meeting in two different locations.  There are lots of things to be done but it is great to see our core team forming.  This was a great first Sunday and a huge reminder that the location doesn’t make us one church.  It is the mission of Jesus that makes us one church.

It is exciting to see people who have embraced the mission to go into the world and make an impact for Jesus.  Throughout this journey we have witnessed God open doors and the fact that we are on track at this point to launch this Easter is only because God continues to open doors.  I am thankful for everyone who has given up the comfort of church as usual to make an eternal impact for the Kingdom.

Thank you for your continued prayers in seeing this campus take the good news of Jesus to the communities in the Western portion of Iroquois County.

Equipped

As we prepare for our first ONE Conference tomorrow I am reminded of just how important people partnering together in ministry is.  This conference is one way that we will equip our church family even though we will be meeting together in two separate locations.

The Bible provides a model for ministry that exists for the church to be united and growing in maturity so that it builds itself up in love (Eph. 4:13-16).  As a church we have embraced something we call an Ephesians 4 ministry model.  The focus of this ministry model is not in doing ministry for people, but instead equipping people for the work of ministry.  As a church family made up of people from many different denominational backgrounds it is important that we all fully understand and embrace this biblical concept.  This model is based upon what the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus:

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ” (Ephesians 4:11–13, ESV)

We talk about equipping people for ministry a lot as a church staff because it is the driving motivation behind everything we do.   My heart for each of you is to grow in depth and love for Christ (Eph. 2:19).  Our part in growing in Christ is to actively engage in the ministry he has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10). 

By actively engaging the gifts God has given to each of us we grow both individually and as a church body.  While there is nothing we can do to gain more of God’s love or favor, there is a need for us to grow up (Col. 1:28).  The goal of participating in ministry is that we would be people who look more and more like Jesus.  Serving in ministry both inside and outside the local church is the practical way that we love others.

When we are focused on investing our lives in loving others we have little time to be overwhelmed or discouraged by our personal circumstance or failed expectations of others.  When we engage our lives in loving others in ministry we grow, looking more and more like Jesus.

Thankful For You

Trinity Church family I am thankful for you.  The growth that I see in you becoming the church is encouraging to me.  Groups are being intentional about loving people inside and outside of the body of Christ.  Individuals are growing in their faith and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ.  I want you to know that I thank God for you.

Paul wrote in his first letter to the Thessalonians, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ” (1 Thes. 1:2–3, ESV)

As we prepare this week for a Celebration Sunday and our first ONE Conference next Saturday, I am reminded of just how grateful I am for people who have chosen to partner together in ministry.  We currently have more than 280 people serving in ministry in various capacities as a church family.  We have more than 45 adults who have committed to being part of the launch team for our Ashkum campus.  Each and every Sunday we have more than 50 people serving in some type of ministry at our Watseka campus.  (It takes a lot of people and effort for the church to assemble in corporate worship.) 

I want you to know that our staff and elder teams are praying for you.  As part of the body we call Trinity Church I want you to know that I am thankful for you and will be praying 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 for you this week; “remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ”

One Church Meeting in 2 Locations

This past Sunday we announced the location of our first multi-site campus.  The Ashkum Grade School will be the other facility where our church meets together beginning this Easter.  It is still a need in prayer as we work through signing an official agreement, but it looks like this will be a great opportunity for our church family to be a blessing to the people of Western Iroquois County.

If you missed last week’s message, I encourage you to watch it.   As God’s people placed on this earth to represent Jesus to all people, the church is truly the hope of the world.  The church is always people, never a building or facility.   That means that it isn’t where we meet that makes us one church, but instead joining in the mission of Jesus.  This understanding makes the multi-site vision much easier to understand and fully embrace with excitement. 

I ask for your partnership in praying our way through the battle that lies ahead.  We cannot expect to launch a new thing without pushback from the forces of darkness in accordance with Ephesians 6:12.  But our encouragement is that the Light wins!  Join me in praying Psalm 85:6, 7 asking that God will revitalize his church in rural America.  My prayer is for God to do a new thing in rural communities as he breathes life into his church once again.