Being The Church

The Road to Emmaus versus the Road to Damascus

2011-05-19T18:54:00.001-05:00

The following is the text from The Underground sermon preached on May 15, 2011. Normally these messages are recorded, but we had technical difficulties.

The Road to Emmaus versus the Road to Damascus

Prologue, part 1

[ Introduction ]
Grace and peace to you! Good evening church! Welcome to our friends listeningto the podcast online.

What a journey we have beenon. This is our second to last gathering studying the book of Luke. Next week(don’t miss next week) we will conclude, and then we have some stuff plannedfor June 5^th and for the Summer.

As we begin, let’s praytogether.

[ Prayer ]
Gracious God, we ask that you give eachus ears to hear your voice, eyes to see your path, a mind to understand yourwill, a heart to know you, and a desire to act in obedience to your truth. InChrist’s holy name, Amen.

[ Scripture ]

Tonight’s message is from Luke 24:13-49.I’ll be reading and pausing to dive into what this is telling us at TheUnderground tonight. When we start we must remember that Jesus was recentlycrucified, and it is the third day since that happening. Some women who werehis disciples took the initiative to go and prepare his body properly, only tofind that the guarded tomb where he had been laid to rest was empty. They ranto tell the eleven Apostles, who weren’t quite sure what to think of this.Remember, there are only eleven at this point because Judas has slipped out. Wefind out in other books of the Bible that he hanged himself… but the author ofLuke-Acts puts it a little more diplomatically and says he fell headlong into afield.

Chapter 24, starting in verse 13.

¹³That same daytwo of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles fromJerusalem. ¹⁴As they walked along they were talking abouteverything that had happened. ¹⁵As they talked and discussedthese things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. ¹⁶ButGod kept them from recognizing him.
¹⁷He asked them,“What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They stopped short, sadnesswritten across their faces. ¹⁸Then one of them, Cleopas,replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about allthe things that have happened there the last few days.”¹⁹“What things?”Jesus asked.
“The things that happened toJesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerfulmiracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. ²⁰Butour leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemnedto death, and they crucified him. ²¹We had hoped he was theMessiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.²²“Then somewomen from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, andthey came back with an amazing report. ²³They said his bodywas missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! ²⁴Someof our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as thewomen had said.”
²⁵Then Jesus saidto them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that theprophets wrote in the Scriptures. ²⁶Wasn’t it clearlypredicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things beforeentering his glory?” ²⁷Then Jesus took them through thewritings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures thethings concerning himself.
²⁸By this timethey were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if hewere going on, ²⁹but they begged him, “Stay the night with us,since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. ³⁰Asthey sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it andgave it to them. ³¹Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and theyrecognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!
³²They said toeach other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the roadand explained the Scriptures to us?” ³³And within the hourthey were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciplesand the others who had gathered with them, ³⁴who said, “TheLord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.”

This brings us to our firstpoint tonight, and for your notes: Sometimeswe have to look back to see where God has brought us.

This is what I mean: how many ofyou have heard of the Apostle Paul? He was also called Saul in the Bible. Paulsays that he persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. Welearn in the book of Acts that Paul was going from town to town and havingJesus followers. Then something happened. We are told that on the road toDamascus, Paul was blinded and met Jesus. Jesus reached into Paul’s life andsaid, “Why do you persecute me?” And from that moment on, Paul dedicated hislife to Jesus. When Paul talks about this story in Galatians, he just says, “Hewho had set me apart before I was born called me by his grace was pleased toreveal his son to me.”

This is called a radicalconversion. When we talk about testimonies in church, this is what most peopleexpect. They expect something like Paul, who was doing something 100% wrong,and then did a 180 and started doing it right. We love this type of story. Weeat it up. We love hearing from the former drug addicts and drug dealers andprostitutes and murderers. We want to hear how God spoke to them in a dream orin a vision or in a comic book or a burning bush, and how he reached into theirlives and slapped the needle out of their hands and they gave their lives toGod as an angel massaged their scalp with olive oil and poured them a bowl ofcereal and now they’re pastors and missionaries and motivational speakers andpoliticians. We love hearing those stories. We want them. We hear them and weare inspired. We look around at all of the pain and hurt and terribleness andwe remember these testimonies, which are good and right, and we are remindedthat God does that sort of thing.

But there’s a problem with thistoo. It’s a danger that we fall into. It’s that we only want to hear thisstuff. And because we only hear those sort of testimonies, we start to thinkthat our testimony doesn’t matter if we haven’t turned from something terrible.At one of the recent meetings we had with students and parents, one personsaid, “I want to hear testimonies of all the terrible stuff!”

I caution you that the danger infocusing on the road to Damascus is that we miss what God has done in our liveson the road to Emmaus. On the road to Emmaus, which was a town near Jerusalem,some people who had been Jesus’ disciples were walking home. They were walkinghome and Jesus himself started walking with them. That’s what’s happening withmany of you and is happening in our church and the church in the whole world.We are walking with Jesus, and we’re crying out, “Why aren’t you doinganything? What’s going on? I don’t see you! I don’t feel you!” But he is rightthere with us, and he is teaching us all about who he is.

And then it happens. It.Happens. There is a moment when Jesusdoes something, and we recognize him, and it’s like everything clicks. We lookback at the whole time he has been walking with us and how he explainedeverything and how he brought us to a place and a state of mind and a state ofbeing where we could really understand him, but it takes looking back andtestifying to that place where we came from.

That is the road to Emmaus. It’snot a blinding light. It’s not a slap in the face. You walk with Jesus and he teaches you aboutwho he is and he helps you understand the things he is doing and then bringsyou to a place where you are capable of understanding. And your testimony isthat as you walked with Jesus, he changed you. He made you a stronger disciple.He changed the way you approach life. He changed the way you look at yourculture.

Let me testify to you aboutculture. My ministry background was in Christian summer camps. Every summer Iwould lead five-day camps for elementary students, junior high, and highschool. And I would lead the counselors and staff. My job was to build and lead, by the power of the Holy Spirit workingthrough me, a high impact five-day experience so that at the end of the weekkids would be able to honestly say, “I met with God this week and he changed meand this is my testimony.” Do you know what I’m saying here? Camp is great.Kids who don’t know Jesus are getting saved. Kids who know God are filled withthe Holy Spirit. Lives are changed in a moment.

Student ministry in a church isdifferent from that. It’s not five days and total immersion in a spiritualculture. God had to change me and my default approach to ministry when hebrought me to this role as your youth pastor. My default was to give a testimony and tell an inspirational story andthen invite people to the altar. My defaultwas not to look at Scripture and preach the truth of what God was saying thereso that others could know God better through his word. That was the job of theyouth pastor.

And then I became the youthpastor. And I had to let God reach into my life and change me in a moment so that through preachingthe Holy word of God those who came to the Underground to hear his word wouldbe changed, over time, in a less dramatic but still very powerful way.

Let me testify to you that thework that God has done in your hearts over the last several years has been likea garden. The default in our cultureis a grocery store mentality. We say, “I need a tomato.” So we go to Wal-martand buy a tomato and we have a tomato. We eat the tomato and the tomato isgone.

God is doing something differenthere. It’s like the garden. The garden that God is growing in you is like this.This is a metaphor, not prophecy, but it’s going to speak to many of you quiteclearly. It’s as if God looked at your life and said, “You’re going to need atomato.” And you said, “But I don’t want a tomato, and even if I did I wouldjust go get one at the store.”

And then God said, “Take theseseeds.” The way many of us look at God is like a grocery store or a vendingmachine. We say, “God we’re hungry!” so we expect that the thing he gives us isgoing to feed us right away. But if we eat those seeds just as they are, wearen’t full. We look at what God is doing and we’re disappointed because itwasn’t what we expected.

What God does instead is plantsthese seeds. And they start to grow. And they grow. And they grow. The cellsmultiple. Suddenly the black dirt of an empty garden is full of plants. Thereis growth everywhere. Okay, that’s good. We’ve got all this interesting stuffto look at. People notice a difference in the garden of our life. They say,“My, isn’t it wonderful how you’re growing!”

And it is. But there’s no fruit. Andthere are some weeds.

And we hate weeding. Weeding iswork. We don’t want to do the hard work of looking at the flaws in our garden.We want to point out how great it is that plants are growing. We don’t want tolook at the sin. We don’t want to get rid of our filthy language. We don’t wantto live in purity. We don’t want to stop the things we like doing just so thatsome stupid garden can grow. And we get mad at the preacher for always tellingus that there are weeds, and all we want is for the preacher to say, “Wow, yeahthere’s a weed, but look at how your plants are growing!” People don’t wantconviction, they want compliments. Compliments make for a very hard landing.

But when we don’t get rid ofthose weeds, the weeds choke out and kill the thing that God is trying to growin our garden.

So we weed. The preacher waters.God makes the growth. God grows you. And then, that tomato that God said youwere going to need, it shows up. It’s growing. You have actual fruit growing. It’s there, and praise God! Because you justgot assigned something that required a tomato.

And you get your tomato. And there it is. And now you realize that there are alot of people who need this tomato. You’ve got a whole garden full of them. Andyou know how to grow them and take care of them. And not only are you able touse the gift that God gave to you to help others, but you are now able to showthem how to do the same.

That’s called maturity anddiscipleship.

You, my brothers and sisters,are disciples of Jesus. He is growing you. I don’t ignore the weeds in yourlife, because you shouldn’t ignore them. I love you too much to ignore them.

Now to verse 35:

³⁵Then the twofrom Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they werewalking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking thebread. ³⁶And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himselfwas suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. ³⁷Butthe whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
³⁸“Why are youfrightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? ³⁹Lookat my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me andmake sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you seethat I do.” ⁴⁰As he spoke, he showed them his hands and hisfeet.
⁴¹Still theystood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Doyou have anything here to eat?” ⁴²They gave him a piece ofbroiled fish, ⁴³and he ate it as they watched.
⁴⁴Then he said,“When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in thelaw of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵Thenhe opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶And hesaid, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die andrise from the dead on the third day. ⁴⁷It was also writtenthat this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all thenations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all whorepent.’ ⁴⁸You are witnesses of all these things.
⁴⁹“And now I willsend the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the cityuntil the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

Jesus meets with his disciples. He eatswith them. Eating is very important to Jesus and so eating together should bevery important to us. That’s not the real point here, but it is important forus to recognize. The discussions that happen over meals can be verypowerful. Every time the Undergroundleaders get together, we eat first. We eat and we pray and we laugh and we seekGod together. Last August, I ended up with a cupcake smashed in my face. It washilarious. Frosting up my nose. And that night we prayed and asked God what hewanted to do through us for the next year. Meals are the time whenrelationships build. This summer, we’re going to have opportunities to eattogether.

When Jesus met with his disciples onthe road to Emmaus, and then again with his apostles, he took the time toexplain to them how all of the Scripture proclaimed him and pointed to him.

[ Altar Call ]

Tonight here’s how this is going togo—we’re going to worship, proclaiming God’s truth. Some of us need to repentfor the sin of dishonoring the work God is doing in us by envying another’stestimony. What I mean by that is that you have failed to recognize andproclaim what God has done in your life, or you thought that your testimony isn’tas good as someone else’s because it wasn’t as dramatic. That’s a lie fromSatan, and he wants you to believe it so that you don’t tell what God is doingin your life. As you pray, reject Satan, ask God for forgiveness, and then livein God’s forgiveness.

Amen!

Todd Bentley is not on God's side

2011-05-19T18:12:00.000-05:00

The following was written by Pastor Tim Snell from Christ's Church of the Valley in Appleton, Wisconsin. He writes regarding Todd Bentley. I agree with Reverend Snell on this matter.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 7:15

One of the most consistent warnings God’s people are given throughout scripture is to be aware of false teachers and false prophets. These people not only introduce teachings into the church which are incompatible with Biblical Christianity, they also operate under demonic spirits that are to have no part in our lives today.

Certainly all of us can point to examples we have personally experienced. However, I want to highlight one … because we have one such teacher coming to our Valley…and we in the body need to be warned.

Here is the scoop. Starting the first full week of June, Todd Bentley is coming to town. Todd is well known for several things which should cause flags to go up … and then cause us to ultimately run away. First of all, Todd is known for his healing revivals during which he claims God tells him to punch people in the face and kick them as a part of healing them! Yikes! Beloved in Christ, this is not from the Lord! God simply does not tell people to do this. However, even more troubling is Bentley’s character and morality. Just about 2 or 3 years back Todd was leading one of the biggest “revivals” in our nation down in Florida. During the time he was leading this revival, he was sleeping with one of this ministry associates. Ultimately then, rather than repenting, he divorced his wife and married the gal he was having the affair with. Of course, he claimed that God was “restoring him” even as he married this other gal.

Church of God, be warned! Todd Bentley is operating under a spirit other than God’s Holy Spirit. Do NOT go to hear him. Do not be taken in by those who say that this is all okay. Opening yourself up to this man is to open yourself up to something quite dangerous spiritually.

CCV, I want all of us to follow hard after the Lord. I also want us to have a discerning heart and mind about what often happens under the banner of “Christianity.” Not everything “Christian” is of Christ. By staying vigilant in prayer and by keeping our feet planted on the Word of God, we can avoid the spiritual dangers the scripture warns us about.

What Bible should I give to my son or daughter?

2011-05-01T16:59:00.000-05:00

This is a quick series on "What version...?" recommendations. It's not an in-depth study or anything like that. Very informal.

I recommend the New Living Translation for students and new believers who are unfamiliar with the Bible. If one is extremely unfamiliar with the Bible and would not call themselves "a good reader," then start off with The Message Re-Mix (a paraphrase). From there advance to NLT and then once proficient add NASB or ESV into the mix.

A great Christmas/Easter/Birthday/Graduation/Confirmation gift is a NLT Life Application Study Bible.

What version of the Bible should I use for preaching?

2011-04-25T16:59:00.002-05:00

This is a quick series on "What version...?" recommendations. It's not an in-depth study or anything like that. Very informal.

When preaching, I generally use the New Living Translation, unless I have found that a different or literal version better illustrates or speaks to a key point based on which word is chosen. I may find that the idea in the NLT is accurate, but may feel compelled that the precise word is lacking and so go to the ESV or even NIV.

I remember one pastor preached a message and based a key point of the sermon on a word that was only in the NLT translation. He told everyone to underline that word in their Bibles. He didn't realize that it wasn't in everyone's Bible, because he had only used the NLT to study.

The NLT is great for preaching from, because it was designed to be easily understood language. As a listener who is not familiar with scripture, it is far easier to understand what is being said when it is being read from the NLT than from the ESV or even New King James.

Paschal Homily

2011-04-23T23:00:00.002-05:00

This is the Paschal Homily from St. John Chrysostom, followed by "Christ is Risen" by Matt Maher. Christ is risen, indeed!

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival.

If anyone is a grateful servant, let them, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord.

If anyone has wearied themselves in fasting, let them now receive recompense.

If anyone has labored from the first hour, let them today receive the just reward.

If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let them feast.

If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let them have no misgivings; for they shall suffer no loss.

If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let them draw near without hesitation.

If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let them not fear on account of tardiness.

For the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first; He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first.

He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one He gives, and to the other He is gracious.

He both honors the work and praises the intention.

Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward.

O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy!

O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day!

You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today!

The table is rich-laden: feast royally, all of you!

The calf is fatted: let no one go forth hungry!

Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness.

Let no one lament their poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one mourn their transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave.

Let no one fear death, for the Saviour's death has set us free.

He that was taken by death has annihilated it!

He descended into Hades and took Hades captive!

He embittered it when it tasted His flesh! And anticipating this, Isaiahexclaimed: "Hades was embittered when it encountered Thee in the lower regions".

It was embittered, for it was abolished!

It was embittered, for it was mocked!

It was embittered, for it was purged!

It was embittered, for it was despoiled!

It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!

It took a body and came upon God!

It took earth and encountered Ηeaven!

It took what it saw, but crumbled before what can not seen!

O death, where is thy sting?

O Hades, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!

Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!

Christ is risen, and life reigns!

Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!

For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the first-fruits of them that have slept.

To Him be glory and might unto the ages of ages.

Amen.

Beautiful Painting

2011-04-23T14:42:00.000-05:00

This painting was a gift to my wife and I from a student at our church whom we love very much. Thanks!

What version of the Bible should I study from?

2011-04-18T16:58:00.000-05:00

This is a quick series on "What version...?" recommendations. It's not an in-depth study or anything like that. Very informal.

So, you're a preacher just getting started in the world of exegesis and hermeneutics and you're wanting to eschew prooftexting and eisegesis. Wonderful. You wonder "What version of the Bible should I study from?"

The answer is: multiple Bibles. I recommend using a good literal translation (NASB, ESV) or an interlinear (Greek/Hebrew + English) in order to be able to look up the words and their possible definitions (using Strong's Concordance). You see, in the interlinear Bible, you will see numbers above each Hebrew or Greek word. This number corresponds to a number in Strong's Concordance. Look up that number in Strong's and you'll have a list of other occurrences of that exact word.

Then you can look that word up (helpfully, by number) in a lexicon. The lexicon is like a dictionary of possible definitions and uses of the original word.

From their, you are able to assemble your notes and thoughts on what the original text meant.

In addition to the literal translation, I recommend using a version of the Bible that is in language you can understand easily, such as the New Living Translation, New International Version, or even the Message (a paraphrase). Use these in combination with the NASB or ESV.

Matt Maher's Grey Shirts

2011-04-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

I recently mused about Matt Maher's grey shirts on Twitter:

@Adam Posegate Wondering if @mattmahermusic just has one grey shirt he washes over and over again, or many. Either way, I am intrigued.

It's primarily because the only time I saw him live, and in the only videos I saw of him, he was wearing grey shirts.

And all the videos here...http://www.mattmahermusic.com/journey/

So, despite Mr. Maher's assurances, I feel this was a fair question.

@adamposegate I don't currently own a gray shirt. But I have many shades of black #isitthehair?

Though, it might be the hair. Thanks, Matt! You're a good sport, and I also want to thank you for your worship leading and writing. Praying for you.

My Rough Conclusions on Rob Bell's "Love Wins"

2011-04-04T10:45:00.002-05:00

“And God let heretics vex His Church so as to arouse the mind by conflict, and to lead it to search God's Word.” – Abraham Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit

Having read Rob Bell’s previous works, “Velvet Elvis,” “Jesus Wants to Save Christians,” his many Nooma short-films, and even my familiarity with his preaching, I looked forward to what would be revealed about his doctrine and theology in his new book, “Love Wins.” The phrase, “Love Wins,” is years-old and apparently on bumper stickers adorning vehicles all over the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area, where Bell is the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church. With all of that being noted, this will not be a dissection and exegesis of the book. Read the book, or don’t, but as with any teaching, discern it carefully. I hold the strong belief that if you are going to judge the book, then you should first read it. This mitigates the need for backpedaling, apologies, blog updates, flux capacitors, forget-me-now amnesia pills, the proverbial eating of proverbial birds, and the subtle proverbial sweeping of things under proverbial rugs (that being said, I will update this as is necessary). It is okay to be informed. This is a brief version of my review and conclusions.

Rob Bell has been accused of being a universalist, anathema to orthodoxy. I would say that this teaching is as close to Universalism as possible without actually crossing that line. He is teaching something else, kind of. These teachings stop short of Universalism, in that not everyone will be “in heaven.” Specifically, that it is possible that some will not be “in heaven” as Bell describes it, and they will be “in hell” as he describes it. This teaching is more similar to some doctrine of Evangelical Purgatory (and no, I don’t mean a grey waiting room where the televangelist shows are being broadcast 24/7).

The interpretations posited in “Love Wins” are overreaching and unnecessarily broad. The correct view that the Kingdom of Heaven/God is for the Here and Now incorrectly and unnecessarily eclipses the view that it is also eternal, in the Here and After. This prejudice informs Bell’s good (and Godly) desire and hope for all to be called home to Jesus. Sadly, it is just not the case that all will be called home.

In the book, Bell proposes that there is no point at which God will close or lock the metaphorical door to heaven, or God’s Kingdom. This either conveniently ignores the parable of the narrow door (Luke 13:23-30), or looses it to mean something else. Something limited. Something that limits Jesus’ words. A door that is locked… for now. This is not what Jesus teaches. Let me say that again: Rob Bell is teaching a conclusion that Jesus does not.

Bell is preaching an anthropocentric Christology (gracious, but humanist), even while attempting to guard against it (incompletely). The God that Bell preaches in Love Wins has been anthropomorphized so greatly that Bell is accurate when he states, “We shape our God, and then our God shapes us.” He has formed his God in his own image. He has caused his understanding of God to bend down to humanity and then given him superpowers. He has elevated humanity and humanism and the things it means to be human to celestial and righteous levels, but God would say, “No. You may reject the things of humanity and be more Godly. The story I am telling about you is one that rejects your heart and human nature and instead seeks my heart and I reveal my nature in you.”

His eschatological doctrine is incomplete and incongruent. His logic does not follow, and it’s sad to say. I simply cannot draw the same conclusions. In none of the approximately 253 questions Bell asks, not one is, “How could I be wrong about this?” The answer is “yes.” (that’s an in-joke for those who have read the book.)

And yet, the questions Bell raises about the afterlife and the rigmarole that has everyone up in arms across the planet are a distraction from something far more simple to identify. Don't miss this. In this same book, Bell seems to be positing Christology that undermines the actual work of the death and resurrection and the very person of Jesus. Worse than toxic, this is tragic. Our faith lives in the person of Jesus and his real sacrifice.

This is not weak tea.

This is not living water.

It is a bitter kool-aid.

The ingredients were all there,

but then human hopes and rationalization crept in

to help fix God.

The Source - Session #2

2011-03-28T16:50:00.001-05:00

Spiritual Leadership Principles - Chet Caudhill

Hebrews 12:1 is a reference to Hebrews 11

Abel - Worship

1. Leaders don't offer God their leftovers. They realize He deserves our very best in everything we endeavor.

Enoch - intimacy

2. If you desire to lead others in spiritual growth, you must be growing yourself.

Noah - Righteousness

3. Leaders must stand for what's right in spite of what others do or don't do. Leadership necessitates a willingness to stand up for what you believe in.

4. Leaders must be confident in their leadership abilities and decisions. Obedience is the key.

Isaac - Romance

5. Leaders turn to God for direction and guidance.

Jacob - Persisitence

6. Leaders must have a "never-say-die" attitude

Joseph - Dreamer

7. Leaders dream, communicate the dream, unwilling to give up.

Moses - Deliverer

8. Leaders have the courage to say "yes" in spite of the risks.

The greatest enemy to faith is FEAR!

1 John 4 - love.

From Chaperon to Shepherd - notes

2011-03-28T16:49:00.003-05:00

Jeremy Chapman from Germantown

Relational Discipleship

Shepherding is all about relationship

Chaperones versus Shepherds

Chaperons

Respond to needs
Doing it because they get something out of it (it feels good)
Monitors
Control
Operates via rules
Responds to situations
Watchers of others
Hired hand
Clueless at ministry

Shepherds

Doing it because of the call
Inspires
Leads
Engages via relationship
Proactive
Investors in others
Has a sense of ownership
Understands the power of every minute

Passages mentioning shepherding

Psalm 23

John 10, 21

Acts 20:28

1. Awakened - Become aware of those who have sheperded

2. Realize your impact.

A shepherd

Is patient with sheep
Loves his sheep (love is feeling with actions)
Knows his sheep. Who are you praying for? (should be praying for your leaders)
Values his sheep.

Never underestimate the average.
Some people are labeled "Extra Grace Required"
Sheep are sheared, not scalped
They are sacrificed, not slaughtered

Observes his sheep
Feeds his sheep

Hungry sheep are unhappy, noisy

Knows the best fields to graze in during the right season
Knows the condition of the flock
Is an abundance creator

There are servant leaders & shepherd leaders
Vision leaks from holey vessels, so we have to keep bringing that back up. It's not a one and done sort of deal.

Always speeks well of his sheep
Pursues his sheep
Rests with his sheep (but does not rest during adversity)
Is the authoritative guide

Jeremiah 3:15

Questions:

What's the next level for you?

What models/mentors are you looking to?

Have faith to follow, and lead by example. (Are you smoking what you're rolling?)

The Source Youth Leaders Conference 2011 - Session #1

2011-03-28T12:18:00.000-05:00

Chet Caudhill - National Speed the Light Director

Imagine...

- Quote from J. Robert Oppenheimer regarding the creativity and imagination of children.

There are children playing in the streets who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago.
Quoted at Vision '65 "New Challenges for Human Communications", 21-23 October 1965 and published in v 65: New Challenges for human communications, Volume 4, International Center for the Typographic Arts, Southern Illinois University (1965), p. 221

Risk involves failure.

What happens if we influence a generation to not believe?

Obstacles

- Discouragement from Others

- Disappointment - what you do to yourself

- Exhaustion

- Inadequacy

Briefly mentioned Ephesians 3:13-21

Give, Give, Give it All - A Message on Stewardship

2011-01-11T08:53:00.001-06:00

This message was preached on January 9, 2011, at The Underground. It is posted here because the recording equipment failed.

Give, Give, Give it All

What We're Made For, part 8

Text: Luke 21:1-4

Topic: We are made to give

Tonight we are going to discuss giving. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Oh great, another sermon about tithing and giving more money to the church. Wake me when the music starts.” I know that’s how I get when I hear someone is going to preach about giving-- and I’m a pastor! Pastors rely the people in their congregation being committed and obedient givers in order to get paid. In order to buy groceries. In order to put gas in their cars. But there is something that is so much more important than a pastor making you feel bad for not giving an offering. Giving and stewardship are important parts of our discipleship, and we should never ignore it or tune it out. In fact, even if you’ve heard a sermon on the same subject, or even the same passage of scripture more times than you can count, when you approach the message with a heart that anticipates God speaking to you, then he will. I promise you that. When you say, “God, open my heart and my mind to understanding you in a new way today,” and you believe that he will, then he will. Be ready to take plenty of notes, because I’m going to be jumping all over the place tonight.

How many of you know that I have a full-time job somewhere other than CCV? Monday through Friday, I go in to work at a company in Neenah, from 8 AM to 4:30 PM. I work really close to home, so nearly every day I come home for lunch to see my family. I’m considered “part-time staff” here at CCV. Does that mean I’m a part-time pastor? No. There’s no such thing. Though nothing is impossible for God, I can tell you that for a human being, it is not possible to be a part-time pastor. You might get paid a part-time wage, and you might not get to give all of the hours to your ministry as you want, but there’s no “off switch” on a minister. You can ask any of the people who know me well-- I don’t have an off switch, period. The same thing goes for being a disciple of Jesus. There’s no off switch. You either are, or you aren’t. There’s no in between.

So, tonight, as we study four verses in scripture, we are going to dedicate our hearts and time to learning how to become even more the disciples of Jesus that he has called us to be. While you look up Luke 21:1-4, join me in prayer.

Holy God, open our hearts and minds to hear and understand your word for us tonight. Open our hearts and fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we have the strength to change into who you want us to be. In the saving name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.

Please stand as we read the word of God tonight. Luke 21:1-4 [ volunteer reader ]

1 Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Lk 21:1–4). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

You may be seated.

There it is. Throw your hands up if you’ve heard this before? Straight forward, just like so many of the passages we read or have been told about time and time again. Just like a few months ago when we studied Zaccheus. Something that anyone who grew up in the church remembers learning at least a dozen times in Sunday School. But if you’ve been a part of The Underground for any length of time, you already know that we don’t stop at the obvious. We don’t hit the skip button just because we’ve heard it before. What do we do here? We look at it. We take it apart. We study it from different directions, and we put it back together again. Why do we do that with scripture? Because that’s what God does in each one of us who become his disciple.

Let’s look at this. Firstly, where is Jesus? Jerusalem. He’s in the Temple. The Temple is the structure and location where followers of YHWH meet and pray and worship and sing and learn and sacrifice. What we call “churches” today are modeled after the Temple (to varying degrees). It really is very wrong to call a building “the church.” A church is not a location. That’s wrong. In your notes, write “CHURCH ≠ BUILDING”. The word that we call “church” is the Greek word “ekklesia,” and it does mean “church” but not as a building.

In the NT, ‘church’ always denotes a group of people, either all the Christians in a city (Acts 14:23; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1) or those gathered for worship in a particular house (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19) or all Christians in all the churches, the whole church (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22). It never signifies a building or a ‘denomination.’

Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). Harper's Bible dictionary (1st ed.) (168). San Francisco: Harper & Row.

It means the assembly, or the “gathering.” It is the people who are assembled. It is the people, who are gathered together in the name of God to worship him and be in community with him. You can’t go to church, because we are the church. We can church together, as a verb. But we can not go to church. Not like you can go to a school or a bus station or a movie. Going to a movie theater doesn’t make you a movie theater, but meeting with other disciples does make you the church. So, a challenge for us as disciples of God, who now know this, is to change our vocabulary. The challenge is to work hard to make sure that we change how we talk about the things of God so that it changes the way we and other disciples think and act about the things of God.

That’s one reason you won’t hear me call this gathering or ministry a “youth group.” What we call things makes a difference in how we act toward those things. When we call this a gathering, it changes how we approach it. When we talk about student or youth ministry, it changes how we approach it. It reminds us that it is more than a time to teach you how to be good kids and keep you out of trouble and to keep you out of your parents’ hair for a few hours every week. It reminds us as leaders that we are equipping you for ministry.

Hopefully it reminds you as the students that it is not even close to some sort of club that you belong, but that it is a ministry where God is equipping you, healing you, and molding you into his ministers. That this is your ministry, and whether you feel ownership or not is all in whether or not you are being a steward of this ministry. A question to ask yourself is, “Am I being a steward of this ministry?”

Before you answer that, let’s go a bit further into this passage. Jesus was at the Temple. He watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Something interesting to note here is that there aren’t ushers passing baskets. The worshipers are bringing their money and their flour and their various offering up to the collection box. They are moving from where they are, and others are witnessing what they are doing. They are getting up, moving their butts, and making a physical effort. Here at The Underground we do the same thing. We don’t pass an offering plate or a bucket. What do we do here? We have a box in the back called the Joy Box. It’s where we get up and bring our offerings and pledges for ministry.

Verse 2, “Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.” If you remember back a couple of years ago, Josh Hudson preached from Luke 7:17 about Jesus Breaking Down Barriers. If you need a refresher, you can check it out on ccvappleton.com, and go to the Student Ministries “teachings” section. In that sermon, Josh taught us about how widows were a lower class in society. A widow didn’t have the same status as a married woman. A widow didn’t measure up. A widow didn’t get the same respect as others.

But Jesus spoke up and said, “This poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

What others think of you doesn’t matter at all compared to what God thinks of you. Others may think that you’re just a kid, or just a girl, or just a freshman, or just a middle schooler, or just a high schooler, or just whatever they may think, but to God, you are his disciple. They may think you are the very least, the bottom rung of society, but God says that the least shall be first. Paul tells us that the young must lead by example. God will exalt the lowly and humble the proud.

At first I felt kind of silly preaching a message about giving to you at The Underground. After all, you seem to be very generous with your money. A few years ago we would try and try and try to collect $35 per month in an offering-- right here at this student ministry. $35 would cover our commitment to a young child in South America. We seemed to never raise enough. We had to add to it from other areas. Then, a couple of years ago, you responded to the challenge to support Jacqueline Dusenge. Her parents were killed in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. She needed the money to complete high school-- about $1000 per year just for tuition. That first year we raised just over $1000. The last year over $3000 was pledged.

This is great-- in fact, we’ve raised more than the pledge amount as a community. As a tribe, we are generous. But when I checked things out really closely, I saw some things that truly need addressing. There are some of you who have completed your pledge and then some-- months ahead of schedule. Some have nearly doubled the pledged amount. Some have nearly tripled that amount. It’s remarkable! But then there are others who haven’t followed through. I’m not talking about the one-time visitors who pledged-- I’m talking about some of you who are members of this church, or your families are. At some point there has been a distraction from this commitment, and I challenge you tonight to use the next three months to complete this goal. Refocus yourself on the promise you made.

I say refocus yourself on the promise that you made, because I remember back to that night. I remember the prayers that were being prayed and the things that God was saying to us. We, as his disciples, are called to obedience and to remember that we don’t have anything that God didn’t first give to us. You say, “Things got tight, and I couldn’t do it!” I want to remind you that you were never the one who was going to do it. It is God who is working through you and your financial giving-- through your money-- to build your faith and to build his Kingdom.

If you look at what Jesus is saying here in Luke, he’s comparing the poor widow giving two little coins to the rich people who are out of their extra. Look at it this way: imagine that you need $100 per week in order to live, but you make $200. So, you live off of the $100, give the church $50, and save the other $50. That’s called giving out of your surplus.

Now, let’s say that you need $100 per week in order to live, but you make $50 per week. That means you still need another $50 in order to live. If God said, “Give that $50 you have to the church,” and you do, then you have zero of the money you need. That is obedience, and that is discipleship, and that is faith-building. In that example, just as in the passage we read tonight, the disciple is relying completely on God to provide. God is our provision-- not just our extra. God is not an add-on, even though many so-called “Christians” treat him like one. When God says, “I want you to pledge $300 to Jacqueline,” and you say, “I don’t have a job, so I don’t have any money, so I’m not going to do that, because it doesn’t make any sense,” then you are a thief. It’s not that you’re stealing from God. No. It’s that when you don’t trust God to do what he says he will do, you are robbing yourself of the opportunity to see God move! You are robbing yourself of faith. You are robbing yourself of testimony. You’re not stealing money from God--you are robbing God of your committed discipleship.

But I know someone who God said, “Pledge $300 to Jacqueline.” And that person, who you all know said, “I don’t have a job. I don’t have any money. But I believe that God is going to do this, and I can’t wait to see how!” And he did it. He pledged $300 in money he never knew if he would have. And he got a job. And in the last year, every time he brought his money into that pledge envelope, it has been a a reminder, “God is doing this. God is the provider.”

So, back to my question from earlier, “Am I being a steward of this ministry?” There are a few things to look at here: opportunity, initiative, and follow-through.

First, opportunity. What are your opportunities to be stewards of this ministry? What are your opportunities to be obedient to God, and to see God move? When I talk about opportunities, I mean a variety of things. I mean when there’s an event coming up, like a Christmas party, or Winter Retreat, or a weekly link meeting, or Youth Gathering, or anything like there, you have an opportunity. There are some of you who are leaders, even though you don’t try to be. People follow you. You have influence. Your attitude affects the attitudes of others. And you have opportunities. When there’s an opportunity, you can either say, “I don’t know if I’m going, are you going?” And then you plant that seed into someone’s mind that, “Oh, they don’t want to go, so maybe I don’t want to go,” and then it goes on and on like that, and you talk each other out of doing something. Don’t act like you’ve never heard of that, because I know it happens. And it’s stupid. You let someone else make up your mind. When you let someone else influence you, and you don’t turn to God for direction, you rob yourself. That’s bad stewardship. Instead of letting someone else making the decision for you, you must say, “I’m going to this, and I’ll see you there!” And when you are doing that in obedience to God, then even if you’re the only one to show up, then you did it in obedience. I’d rather be the only one in Heaven than let my friends talk me into Hell

Second, let’s talk about initiative. Initiative is that obedient response to God’s prompting. When God puts something on your heart, it means taking the initiative to make that happen. It means that if God is calling you to minister in a certain way, that you do what it takes to do that. If God is calling you to lead worship, it means taking the initiative to be discipled and learn how to do that. I means saying, “Yes, I will learn how to play guitar, or piano, or drums, or bass.” If God is calling you to reach people in your school for Jesus, it means starting a link so that you can work with others to do that. If you need to talk to me about something, then it means doing that and reminding me over and over again so that it happens. Let me tell you what initiative is not. Initiative is not when you say, “God gave me this great idea and you should do it.” That happens all the time. I can’t tell you how many times someone has said, “Oh you should do such and such!” But when I say, “That’s a great idea. Let me know what you need to do that,” they just clam up. Initiative is not great ideas for other people.

And finally follow-through. Okay, you’ve made the choice, “Yes I will do this.” And you’ve told someone, “God told me to do this.” But those two things don’t add up to much without the follow through of actually doing it. If God tells you to share your faith and testify to his greatness (which he does, by the way), and you say, “Okay God, I know you’re telling me to do this!” And then you talk to people and say, “God told me to do this, and so I’m going to do this,” but then you don’t do that-- then you’re not being a good steward of what God gave to you to do. If you’re waiting on an invitation to do God’s work, then you must open your eyes. Opportunities are everywhere. Where there isn’t opportunity, there is initiative. And when you take that initiative, and you follow through, that’s where real stewardship comes into play-- and I’m not just talking money.

A little over two years ago, God revealed to me that I needed to say “Yes” more. People would come to me with an idea for me to do, and I’d say, “I don’t have time. So, the answer is no.” I stopped doing that. I started saying, “That’s a great idea, you should do it.” I started saying Yes. Then what happened? Not a lot. Because there wasn’t follow through. Follow through is so important! If you say, “God wants me to star a link and we’re going to reach the lost,” but you never even start a link, then why even say yes? Opportunity, initiative, and follow-through go hand in hand... in hand.

In Matthew 21, Jesus talks about two sons. The father told two sons to go out into the field to work. The older son said, “No, I won’t go.” But he later changed his mind and went anyway. The younger son said, “Yes sir, I will,” but he didn’t go. It is the disciple who follows through that is obeying God.

The first challenge for us tonight is to give our money. Money is easy to give, compared to our time and reputations. So start with easy stuff. If you don’t tithe, start tithing. If you’re bad with money, learn how to be good with money. I can even recommend some good books. Money is easy. The real challenges are what come next, when we commit to giving ourselves to God’s plan no matter what it means happens to us or our reputations.

The second challenge for you tonight is to start finally taking advantage of the opportunities you’re given, even when they’re not your idea. It means making a change in your life and committing to being committed. It means showing up, excited and anticipating that God is going to move. There are many of you here tonight who must repent of this sin. It is sin to lead others away from God. Because you are a leader (whether or not you want to be, some of you just are), you have made choices and had attitudes which have led others away from God. You must confess your sin and repent. Let God start changing you and change our tribe.

The third challenge is to take the initiative to take ownership and stewardship of the ideas and calling that God places in you. If there is something that you’re supposed to do, but you need help, and you never ask for help, there is no one to be mad at but yourself. Some people may be prophets, but that doesn’t make them mind readers. Ask God how to implement the ideas he gives you. Ask God to lead you to the right people to help you.

The fourth challenge is really the most difficult. After you’ve repented, and committed to taking advantage of opportunities and taking initiative, you must follow-through. You must seek out and submit to discipleship and see God work and testify to his glory. You must do those things God has asked of you, and not just talk about how cool it would have been. If it is important to God, make it important to you, and then see God use you.

Stop Keeping Secrets!

2011-01-03T16:49:00.002-06:00

"Stop keeping secrets from our world."

Tell your world from Dan Herod on Vimeo.

Dan Herod - How to Make Your Campus Club Great

2010-12-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

How to make your campus club great! from Dan Herod on Vimeo.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you have a campus club going?

Dan Herod - Six Steps to Start Your Campus Club (video)

2010-12-02T19:16:00.000-06:00

Dan Herod is a friend and former classmate of mine (NCU). He is now the Wisconsin-Northern Michigan District Youth Alive director. We invited him to preach at The Underground a few months ago, and he really blessed us with the Word and his testimony.

Six Steps To Start Your Campus Club from Dan Herod on Vimeo.

Open.LifeChurch.TV

2010-11-30T22:16:00.000-06:00

Brothers and Sisters,

I strongly encourage you to investigate and consider using the free resource at Open.LifeChurch.tv. What a blessing it is for LifeChurch.tv to share these freely (you do have to agree to a license agreement, but it's still free). Beyond the surface of the free videos and background images, there are also entire message series, outlines, supporting materials, and small group discussion questions.

Why Products Suck (And How To Make Them Suck Less)

2010-11-12T17:00:00.000-06:00

Your product is that which you are intending to produce. Take a look at this article and let's discuss.

Why Products Suck (And How To Make Them Suck Less)

9 Tips for Public Appearances

2010-11-03T12:48:00.003-05:00

Preparation is key, whether or not you end up using your material. At the invitation of an area DJ, I was invited to be interviewed on Q90 FM (90.1 FM in the Fox Cities/Green Bay area). The DJ, Dave Fiorazo, has recently joined our tribe at Christ's Church of the Valley, and he wants to do whatever he can to promote what our ministry is doing. And it's great.

The interview coincided with the Q's semi-annual fundraising "Q Drive." They use this opportunity to solicit call-in pledges to raise the money required to operate the radio station for six-months at a time. Because of this, even though I was on the show for one hour, I really wasn't able to say very much-- but I was ready to do so. My communications coordinator put together some questions and answers and printed it out so that I could coherently discuss what it is that we do when we do. While I couldn't get through all of them, I was prepared (and am now prepared for future opportunities) to share about what God is doing through our ministry.

For you, questions to have ready to go at any time (some of these can be on your website, but others should be more current):

What are you called?
Where do you meet?
When do you meet?
What are your emphases? (discipleship, fun, outreach, games, safety and security, worship, playing, etc.)
What does a usual meeting look like (lay out the event schedule)?
What have you been preaching/teaching on recently?
What is your website?

Tips

1. When time is limited, or you don't want to disrupt the momentum of what God is already doing (as it was for me in this instance), drop the website URL as frequently as possible.

2. Don't be obnoxious. Humility goes a long way (this is a lesson I have to re-learn time and time again).

3. Be yourself. Unless you are obnoxious. In that case, really go for it. When you find yourself in a situation from which there is no escape, the only option is to go even deeper.

4. Be helpful! Support whatever effort you are contributing to. If it's a fundraiser for a radio station (hypothetically), don't go asking for money for your own organization.

5. Prepare! Even if you're great at winging it, don't let all your time expire without doing what you came there to do.

6. Tell everyone you can think of about the opportunity, and recruit those closest to you to do the same thing. Ideally you don't want to be self-promoting... so get other people to do the promotion on your behalf.

7. Glorify God in your actions, speech, and relationships with others.

8. Be gracious and thankful (don't just act gracious and thankful). These can be wonderful opportunities, so avoid any sense of entitlement.

9. Follow up with a thank you to the host and those who invited you. Be classy and include a nice 8x10 autographed picture. Just kidding.

What tips do you have?

Resurgence article: Showing gratitude to your volunteers

2010-07-14T16:46:00.000-05:00

I think this article from The Resurgence does a nice job of highlighting the necessity of thanking our leaders and showing gratitude. I am notoriously bad at this, personally.

http://www.theresurgence.com/in_the_wake_of_leadership

Back to Go->

2010-06-19T01:16:00.000-05:00

Last night (already) and a portion of this morning, I preached at Go-> youth in De Pere, part of CrossPoint Church. After worship and a message, we took to the sidewalks of Main Avenue to share Jesus' love with passersby. Thank you for inviting me to preach God's Word-- great to see AJ, AdriElle, Lindsay, Wesley, Jerry, and Chrysta! Great to meet the rest of you, too-- Josh, Lizzy, and Kirk.

Logos 4 Bible Software

2010-06-18T16:49:00.000-05:00

As a gift for my licensing, my congregation purchased Logos 4 Bible Software. Thank you, Christ's Church of the Valley! I'll be sure to update (at some point) this blog with a review.

There's No Such Thing as Part-Time

2010-04-22T12:44:00.004-05:00

"Raise your hand if you're a part-time youth pastor or youth leader," said Kirby St. John. "You guys are my heroes."

What!? This was a little stunning to hear, and it was the first time I had heard it. Here's why he said it. As a part-time youth pastor, putting in time at another full-time job, we are putting in about 50-60 hours a week-- not with our families. That's on the verge of, if not firmly entrenched in, workaholicism (don't even get me started on how stupid of a word that is). We was admiring our dedication to God's call.

It was good to hear from someone who is in full-time ministry for so many reasons. The first? Self-loathing. If you are a part-time youth pastor or youth leader, you may have struggled with this as well. I've asked myself, "If I'm called to be a pastor, why don't I just quit my full-time job in faith that God will have a full-time pastor job for me?" The answer of self-loathing comes back as, "Because I must not have enough faith."

That's wrong for so many reasons, but I'll touch on one: Paul, the Apostle and evangelist, worked a full-time job making tents (the type you see setup at a farmers market). But, as far as we know, he didn't have his wife and kids suffering from his absenteeism. Those kinds of hours require some deliberate family maintenance. I came home from my 40-hour tent making job, only to immediately head to my home office to study and write a sermon. In the in between time, my 3-year-old welcomed me in, and asked, "Are you going to stay in my house now? Going to stay?" As opposed to go to the office. Or church. Or youth gathering. Or a meeting. "Yes, I'm going to stay... it's my house too," I replied. He repeated his question a few more times, just to make sure I understood. I understand all too well.

The second? Recognition of effort. Part-time pay and hours does not mean part-time ministry. Ministry is full-time. Whether you have a set number of office hours, or expectations of hours "put in" to your ministry job, there are countless other tasks and responsibilities of student ministry that add up. Putting in 10 hours each work could mean: 2 hours for youth gathering, 1 hour for worship team practice, 1 hour for setup/tear down, 4 hours for study/sermon prep, and a monthly meeting with leaders. What we don't add is the time spent thinking about our next fundraiser for missions.Praying for kids. Praying for the leaders. Praying for God to lead us and tell us what to do next. Replying to parents emails about great ideas (they are great). Carefully thinking about how to reply to those parents. Preparing for camp. Preparing for retreat.Planning group events. Keeping in touch with kids who have been AWOL for a few weeks. Some of that is just part of life. But so much more is either self-imposed or God-imposed. What gets cut out must be those things that God doesn't prioritize.

This could easily become a rant about how much a part-time youth pastor must do, but that's not the point here, because any leader in a church must only do what God has called them to do, and what God is telling them to do right now. The point is, my own self-loathing and embarrassment that I wasn't full-time was annihilated by an encouraging word from a respected leader. Someone who didn't follow that statement up with, "but have you thought of doing XYZ? It would be great!" There was no catch. Just encouragement. Just a word from God through his obedient vessel.

Free video loop at TWOTP - Solitary Place

2010-04-16T16:49:00.000-05:00

The Work of the People: Loops: A Solitary Place Loop

"I can't worship on Sunday mornings like I do [at youth gathering]! My mom is there!"

2010-03-30T17:04:00.004-05:00

This statement is simultaneously hilarious, sad, and true. Over the last three years, my heart has been blessed by the progress made and depth of worship attained by the students at our youth gathering. The truth is, if there was some sort of meeting scheduled on Thursday night that had some sort of time machine (with or without flux capacitor, I don't want to get technical), that would take our students now back to then(three years ago), we would have quite the discussion afterward. Granted, most of that discussion would be regarding how cool it was to time travel, and wondering why we didn't make bets on how great the Yankees would do in the World Series in 2009 (world champs), but eventually we would be able to really talk about the differences we noticed.

So what changed? Hearts changed. We elevated the Word of God, and more deliberately preached from scripture about what it means to worship. I remember it well-- we preached a series on "Resisting The Devil," which included a message on the occult and a message on what it means to worship. The frustrated worship leader had left for another congregation where he felt he be utilized more to God's purpose. We practiced worshiping scripturally. We exercised those muscles that caused us to kneel, lay prostrate, and raise our hands. That month of May, three years ago, saw the first sparks of real Spirit-breathed life in worship from the community of believers who were gathered.

What else happened? There were some kids who attended so intermittently that when they showed up a few weeks later, they were stunned. They were behind the curve, and they didn't understand what was happening. Some of them immediately responded to the new, Spiritual and expressive dynamic, but some bucked against that. They essentially said, "I don't know what's happening, and I don't want to know." Three years later, and these students still have a chip on their shoulder around their peers. It was a chip that was there before this watershed experience, but that has persisted, despite the attempts to reach out to them.

And now, so many years later, the younger kids (6th, 7th, 8th) are able to look at the examples of appropriate and passionate worship that the older students are living; examples that those older kids didn't have. We're building on foundations, and it's exciting! What example are the older students setting at your student ministry? Are they bringing the younger ones up along side them? Are they belittling their efforts? Have they forgotten where they came from (Deut 5:15)?

Before
Now
Like pulling teeth to explain that worship is not just singing songs-- it's about attitude Able to ignore outside distractions and focus on Jesus
Just singing songs, goofing around Giving themselves to God in worship
No physical posture of worship Laying prostrate, raising hands, kneeling
No response to God's revelation Immediate and obedient responses to God's revelation and prompting
"Worship" meant "Christian Songs" Worship means the heart and attitude we have when we approach God. Just because it's "Christian-themed" doesn't mean it's worship
Only worship when feeling like it We worship because God commands it, and his revelation to us requires nothing less
Leaving the same as arrived Allowing God to transform through worship. Leaving better than arrived.
Only singing songs that are good, or make me feel good, or that I like Slowly incorporating hymns of our Christian heritage and songs that come from scripture and doctrine-- not just "feel good" songs that you might hear on pop radio.

But Sunday mornings, it's a different story. The students sit in the front rows of the congregation, but they don't "enter in" to worship like I know they do. They are oppressed by fear. I challenged them about this, and the response that came back to me was, "I can't worship on Sunday mornings like I do [at youth gathering]! My mom is there!" I don't believe that they're afraid of their parents watching them worship-- I think it's more about the car ride home and the conversations that they are trying to avoid. They seem to want to worship God, but don't want to deal with the embarrassment of being noticed by their parents doing it!

This is the desire to remain anonymous; to avoid attention from parents. If only we could help them realize that most of their parents will be thrilled by seeing such dedication and passion. God would be pleased with their sacrifice and praise. And the example that they set in what they teach, the way they live, their love, their faith, and their purity will free others to worship God as freely (1 Tim 4:12).

Free Video: Robbie Seay Band - TWOTP

2010-03-26T16:47:00.000-05:00

Free video from Robbie Seay Band at The Work of the People.

Awaken!

A Word About Worship - Recap

2010-03-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Jen P. shared her perspective on worship, and asked us what that might look like in this 5-part series.

A Word About Worship Part Five

2010-03-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

I think we don’t give God authority over minds in a church setting when we get prideful of our role in a church service. For example, I can’t help but notice that many ‘worship bands’ act with an air of entitlement and ego in their attitude rather than acting with the knowledge that they are serving the church body with their gifts and praising the Almighty. We don’t give God authority over our time when we are too busy to notice a brother/sister in need…or maybe we just don’t care. Too often, myself included in this mind you, we see people hungry, hurt, or on the fringes and don’t reach out. We don’t meet the need. Are we missing opportunities to authentically worship the God we serve when we do this? We don’t give God authority over our lives when we follow our own path and completely ignore God’s calling. We cannot worship Him with our lives without giving authority to Him.
Worship is singing songs of praise, yes, but it should also be in every part of our life. Worship is giving authority over to God in every way we can. Micah 6:8 (NLT) “…the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Let your life be worship!

A Word About Worship Part Four

2010-03-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

There is an interesting phrase that keeps standing out in my mind when thinking about bowing down; we are to place God in a position of authority over. It’s a key part of worship. What does that look like? How are we, the Church, doing it right? How are we doing it wrong? How are we placing God in a position of authority over our own lives?
I think we, the Church, get it right in a number of ways actually. We can show God that He is above our authority in our finances by giving a tithe and offering to do the work of the Kingdom. We can show God that he is in a position of authority over our conduct when we abide by His standards of living rather than cultural standards. We can show that He has authority of our time by committing ourselves to the study of His Word and seeking Him daily in prayer. We submit to His will for our lives as act of worship.
How we worship God wrong in the Church is a much more uncomfortable thing to write about. It forces me to examine myself in this, too. Yikes.

On Their Own

2010-03-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

The question may come to a youth pastor or leader, the shepherd, of "when to let go?" When has discipleship set in? When are the training wheels off? If it is a matter of sooner or later, I would say later, not sooner.

At The Underground, we have been focusing on discipleship for several years. When I say, "focusing on discipleship," I mean that as opposed to focusing on "filling time" or "entertaining" or "preaching moral theism." With momentum and enthusiasm springing up from an energizing retreat (not to mention Spring Fever), students at The Underground plan to meet at the mall and evangelize Jesus Christ, and invite other teens to The Underground. This is not an article on evangelism or "how-to." It's about the discipleship of the students in your ministry.

Yes First

When God begins having ideas in your students, it's important that your first reaction is "Yes." A 'yes' goes a long way. It's an open door. It says, "I trust that God is working in you, I want to know more, and I want to help you be successful." And if you're not sure if it's saying those things, then say those things. It builds trust, whether or not the student ever completes the project or plan in question. It tells them that you are not a closed door. Before I continue, let me add that I am not a superhero when it comes to having a "Yes First" mindset. It's something I'm working on personally (and dramatically), because I saw firsthand how disheartening it can be to approach ideas with questions first. We should still ask the questions, "How do you see this working? When do you want to do it? Where will it be? How does this fit in with the ministry focus? Etc?" but let those come after you validate the person and their willingness to approach.

Sometimes it will be a "No" first. Hopefully those are the minority of your responses to serious inquiries. Some ideas are just undoable right now (ie. a lock-in when you have no space to do such a thing). Some ideas are just bad (ie. let's duct-tape the pastor to his desk, water balloon fight in the sanctuary). But most come from a sincere desire to be obedient to the passion God has given, be a contribution to the ministry, and to make it even better. Being able to facilitate that passion, obedience, and contribution is really important.

Not a Free For All

Being of the "Yes First" mentality does not mean that it is a hands-off free-for-all. Pastoring is shepherding. A shepherd leads the way to water and pasture safely; safe from assault (spiritual, physical, emotional). So, pastor, do that. Being hands-off and allowing a free for all does not build the credibility of the ministry. It has the potential to diminish it.

I once worked with a leader that was led by the Holy Spirit to begin a girls meeting to study the Bible and pray for each other. I'm not a girl, so I didn't go. I stayed engaged with the leader-- I kept current on her approach and how things were progressing. I answered questions that came up (this was rare). That leader moved geographically, and a new, younger, less experienced, but just as enthusiastic leader to her place. I hadn't worked with that leader very closely, but I knew she had shadowed the previous leader for a time. I had subconsciously transferred the previous leader's credibility to the new one, even though she had never proven herself. I snapped out of this when I received a call from a parent who asked some very good and pointed questions. "Does this Bible study report to you as its spiritual head?" The answer was, "Yes, and even more so after this call." Without that confidence of spiritual leadership, that parent's daughter would not have been allowed to participate. I am even more engaged in developing this new leader now. Not only will that will help that leader build credibility with the community, but it will also help the leader to be built up well by the shepherd (in this case, me).

Let God, but Don't Let Go

As their pastor, it's important that I stay connected, while not telling them what to do. I should provide guidelines (ie. 1. Stay out in the open, 2. Stay in groups of two or more, younger kids with older kids, and 3. If people litter your fliers, clean them up), and I should provide support (prayer, words of encouragement, providing fliers), but I should not send them off on their own with no form of spiritual guidance or headship.

They are going out as representatives of 1. their families, 2. our student ministry, 3. our fellowship, and 4. Jesus Christ. How they behave will reflect on each of those communities, positively, negatively, or neutrally. It is important that they understand what that means without laying down the law so heavily that it smashes any sort of heart ninja living inside them that is prompting them to do this. Essentially, the shepherd must have a light touch. Know when to micro manage, and know when to just back off, Jack.

This is one of those situations that falls neatly into "risk management." I'm looking forward to following up with the students who do this. I want to know what was discouraging, and minimize those things (while still addressing them). I want to know what was encouraging, and I want to magnify those victories. As their shepherd, I must be willing and able to meet their needs as the Holy Spirit equips me to do so. The first time there is serious engagement by the students to do ministry (outreach, evangelism, fundraising, etc.) is not the time to disengage your shepherding guidance. Be right there with them. It is better to be a co-worker than a boss, and it is best to work with them as long as possible.

A Word About Worship Part Three

2010-03-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

“Thou shalt worship the Lord they God…” Matthew 4:10 (KJV). The word used for ‘worship’ in this piece of scripture is Greek; proskyneo. Proskyneo means to pay homage, show reverence, and (similarly to the Old Testament Hebrew word ‘saha’) to kneel down. This word is the most common word for worship in the New Testament. We also see it used again and again in John 4:23 (KJV) when Jesus is speaking with a Samaritan Woman. “But the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” The Father is clearly looking for us to pay Him homage, show reverence, and bow down.

A Word About Worship Part Two

2010-03-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

Throughout the Old Testament we can see that the most common word used for worship is ‘saha.’ This word is most commonly translated as ‘to bow down or bend down.’ Likewise Deuteronomy 26: 10 says (KJV), “…and worship before the LORD thy God.” This same word is used in 1 Chronicles 16:29, “Worship (saha) the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” We are also told in Exodus 34:14 it says (KJV) “For thou shalt worship (saha) no other god.”

The idea of bowing down before God, and only Him, is clearly important. Taking the meaning of the word ‘saha’ as to bow or bend down we can dissect the origin and intent of bowing in historical and cultural context. We know that bowing is a sign of respect and reverence. It is a physical representation of placing oneself beneath someone else, or in this case, the Lord. Ergo, He is in the exalted position and we acknowledge God’s position of authority over us.

Continued...

Free Video Loop at The Work of the People

2010-03-19T16:59:00.000-05:00

The Work of the People: Loops: Doves Loop

A Word About Worship Part One

2010-03-19T06:00:00.003-05:00

As Christians we so often associate the word ‘worship’ with music only, but worship is much broader than just music. Let’s take a look at what the Word says about worship. There is a common concept about the word ‘worship’ in both the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and that concept is the physical bowing or bending down. How does this concept of bowing down relate to how we as Christians should worship God?

Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Recap

2010-03-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

Retreats, camps, meetings, lock-ins, advances... Call them what you want, but these times are highly important for community development.

This series outlines just some of the importance of retreats for student ministry.

Retreats - Coming Home

2010-03-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Coming home

Here are a few things to avoid when coming home from the retreat or camp. The first is with parents. Give the parents a heads up on what to expect when kids come home. Teenagers are already moody. When kids are picked up or dropped off back home, well-meaning and loving parents are going to want to re-connect with their kids. That is great! However, these kids may have pushed themselves to the limits of what their bodies will handle when it comes to sleep. Staying up late and waking up early combined with caffeine and emotional experiences at the altar can yield really cranky teenagers. Really cranky teenagers and a will-intentioned parent can end up in a car ride filled with fights.

The best advice I can give is to proactively cut this off. Welcome them home, pray for them, and be warned that they may have a lot of energy to burn at the onset. They're going to be excited to see you too, and may just start talking. Parents should welcome, but not expect, immediate conversations about how great things were. Don't dive right into all the things that the student needs to get accomplished when they get home. Give them a chance for a nap if they want it.

After a week of camp, it's really easy for a student to rationalize (even some adult leaders will do this--guilty as charged) not going attending church on the subsequent Sunday. "I was just at church for a week-- that's like ten weeks of regular church!" Challenge them to not skip. Show up and lead by examples of their faith and commitment. Along with that, talk deliberately to a few students to see who are willing to share their testimony from camp. Even better-- record it, and make a montage of testimony clips-- and share these with the larger congregation.

Despite the concept of "church night" being a dying concept, most youth gatherings meet on Wednesday nights. Ours does not. We meet on Sundays. If you do meet on Sundays, and you are coming off of a weekend retreat, do not cancel your gathering. Make it known that you are going to gather-- it is on, and it is time! This gives the immediate opportunity for them to continue the worship and depth that they had while they were at camp, and to bring that energy and enthusiasm for God back. This is a living testimony to those who did not or could not attend. Furthermore, it shows that "camp experiences" -- those things that are done when away -- aren't limited to those places. God is not bound by geography.

Conclusion

Retreats, lock-ins, camps, and conferences can be an experience, with students and leaders immersed in a culture of spiritual development and movements of God. While they can be physically exhausting, they are simultaneously restorative as an experience. While not revolving a student ministry around camps and retreats, these are excellent support to what you're already doing.

Retreat Tips

2010-03-17T06:00:00.003-05:00

Retreat Tips

Don't avoid retreats. It's very easy for a pastor or a church to become self-involved. It is important to look up and out to meet with other believers and fellowship, worship God together, and pray for each other. When at the retreat, contrive ways for your tribe to mix it up and mingle with other tribes in attendance. Challenge them to sit in different spots for each chapel service. Challenge them to sit with other groups during at least one meal. Challenge the older students to "adopt" a younger student for the event, having them look out for the younger ones and encourage them.

Update Twitter/Facebook with blurbs and pictures of what's going on so that parents at home have some connection. Use this ability to solicit prayers so that the greater congregation has a connection to the students.

As the leader, take advantage of the time with other leaders. Ask about their gatherings. Talk about books you are reading or podcasts you listen to. Talk about fundraisers, outreaches, gathering formats. What are your students studying? You might learn a great idea of how to accomplish something that has been a challenge for you. It's really easy to start spouting off all of your great ideas. Instead, really work on your listening. Let God pour into you through others.

As the leader, set the example for your tribe. When something needs to be done (chairs moved, garbage picked up, etc.), be one of the first people to jump up and do it. If you bring other leaders from your tribe, require them to do that same. These are the examples of being servants that build credibility. If there are option breakout sessions, make them required for your leaders and students. If there are no breakout sessions scheduled, have your leaders put together something for a daily meeting with your students.

Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Testimonies

2010-03-16T06:00:00.002-05:00

Testimonies

This is key. Do not forget this part. Once back at your usual gathering, take the time for the students to share their testimonies with the tribe. This time of sharing is scriptural (Revelation 12:11) and helpful. Those who attended can share what they learned and what God is doing in them with everyone, including those who could not attend for one reason or another. This can help solidify the experience as well. As weeks go on, perhaps invite others to share again, now they have had time to implement what they have learned and committed to.

Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Opportunities

2010-03-15T06:00:00.002-05:00

Opportunities

There are several opportunities to "bring something back" to your gathering. The first is to implement good and scriptural techniques that would help your tribe engage more deeply with God. At worst, there are new discussion points as you may have to scramble to perform damage control due to an over-zealous but under-informed/-educated/-prepared preacher poor self-restraint and lack of a governor between brain and mouth. In any case, when retreats hand out lemons as part of the registration fee, do not neglect the opportunity to make lemonade.

Continued...

They Need Good Pastors and Good Churches Everywhere – Kevin DeYoung

2010-03-12T08:25:00.002-06:00

This article is pointed-- at some of us! Thanks to Pr. V for passing this on to us.

From Kevin DeYoung's response to an article by Bill Steeger. Here is the portion of the article that DeYoung quotes.

It’s amazing how many young pastors feel that they are distinctly called to reach the upwardly-mobile, young, culture-shaping professionals and artists. Can we just be honest? Young, upper-middle-class urban professionals have become the new “Saddleback Sam”.

Seriously, this is literally the only group I see proposals for. I have yet to assess a church planter who wants to move to a declining, smaller city and reach out to blue collar factory workers, mechanics, or construction crews. Not one with an evangelsitic strategy to go after the 50-something administrative assistant who’s been working at the same low-paying insurance firm for three decades now.

Why is that? I can’t offer a definitive answer. It could be that God is legitimately calling an entire generation of young pastors to turn their focus to a small segment of the population that happens to look very much like they do.

Perhaps for Steeger and his crew, the issue is a matter of call. Is there a call or is there an attraction? In my flesh, I'd rather be in sunny Mexico or Hawaii, but in my spirit, which is empowered by and follows the Holy Spirit, I am called to Wisconsin. Maybe Acts 29 is attracting people who want to be like the other people in Acts 29 (Driscoll, etc.). We emulate those we admire, and until we start elevating the work (in our hearts and minds) of those who minister in small fellowships/tribes and low-populated backwoods areas in comparison to the megachurches, this will keep happening.

Don't get me wrong-- I'm not coming down on Acts 29. In fact, in the case of Acts 29, I'm just speculating. But with Bible college, I have some experience.

At Bible college, how often was some church building verge-of megachurch Preacher was invited to speak at chapel? Hundreds. These are how we measure success. These are the ministries and efforts that are propped up and highlighted in our formative ministry educations, and therefore, these are who we emulate.

Key quotes:

"As I like to remind idealistic twentysomethings, community is a wonderful ideal until you have it. It's easy for Christianity to be nothing but cultural wallpaper in the Bible belt. Sins go under cover for years and sometimes generations. The gospel can devolve into family values, moralism, or Republicanism."

"Preaching the gospel week after week is heroic."

"Be willing to suffer, but don't feel guilty for pleasure."

Put your thoughts in the comments section.

Read the complete article here:

They Need Good Pastors and Good Churches Everywhere – Kevin DeYoung

The Importance of Retreats - A New/Different Voice

2010-03-12T06:00:00.002-06:00

A New/Different Voice

It doesn't matter if you are one of the best preachers around, there is a good chance that at some point your students will desire (either consciously or sub-consciously) a break from your teaching. And that's okay. A retreat is a perfect opportunity for that (unless you're the preacher there too). At some conferences the attendees are exposed to a dozen or more speakers. Some there are just one or two. Either way, that exposure is good.

Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Shared Tribe Experiences

2010-03-11T06:00:00.001-06:00

Shared Tribe Experiences

The community that is built in 48 hours of immersion as a community at a retreat is worth more than 12 weeks of 2-hour meetings. The depth of community that happens as students worship together for hours and hours over the course of a weekend is unobtainable through the normal youth gathering structure, and it is not to be ignored.

New Friends

The friendships that are formed not just within the tribe but with other students from the area are great to see. It's a subtle encouragement that says, This is not limited to you. God is moving all over the place! You are not alone.

Witness

At retreats and camps, students are able to witness several things.

Other people worshiping God
Other ways people worship
God moving in others
God moving in their friends

Continued...

Luke 12:1 - Prepared to Be Crushed?

2010-03-10T17:34:00.001-06:00

Are we prepared to be crushed?

The Importance of Retreats - Road Trip

2010-03-10T06:00:00.003-06:00

Road Trip

A weekend retreat or a week-long camp are a different type of experience. They may travel together, yielding great road trip stories. I was at a retreat this weekend. One carload told me how their GPS navigation setup had failed them in the backwoods, with them turning onto a snowmobile trail, and ending up with the nose of their car vertically in the air and puppy-chow spilled everywhere as they hoped they wouldn't tip over. Nice.

In the comments section, tell us about your tribe's hilarious road trip stories!

Continued...

The Importance of Retreats

2010-03-09T06:00:00.001-06:00

Retreats, camps, lock-ins, and conferences are a staple of student ministry. While many of my articles up until this point have been toppling sacred cows (games, music, etc.), this is one with which I agree. The benefits are myriad.

Depending on your geography, it's possible that the students in your tribe only meet once or twice a week for a couple of hours. Your kids may be congregating and converging from many different schools, and the only shared experiences they have involve circling their chairs, playing an ice breaker, singing songs, sitting quietly and listening to a sermon, and praying. Those are good, but they are incomplete. It's a 90 minute or 2-hour stint, and then nothing for another 7 days.

Continued...

Liar! Liar! The current missiological debate on contextualization rages on…

2010-03-05T17:01:00.000-06:00

Liar! Liar! The current missiological debate on contextualization rages on…

This article has numerous resources for educating yourself and your congregation on the C5 method of contextualization and missions.

Free video loop at Midnight Oil Productions

2010-03-03T07:42:00.000-06:00

The Monthly Worship Media Freebie | Midnight Oil Productions

Download a free Good Friday loop at Midnight Oil Productions.

Music at Youth Gathering - part 5

2010-03-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

Purpose of Songs

Every song that was ever written served a purpose. It is just as important when selecting a song for a gathering that we do it with purpose. We should take into account the purpose the writer had when writing the song. There is the occasional and controversial trend of worship bands leading a secular song. While this can be effective as part of an overall theme, care should be taken considering such a course of action. For example, a sermon or series on lust should probably not be branded with "I Want Your Sex" as sung by the same people who are anointed to lead us in engaging our maker. Does that mean the song itself should be outlawed? Not necessarily. Why are you using the song? Why that song? Is there an alternative that is as effective in communicating the theme without relying on shock value? If not, find someone else who knows more about music.

We should also take into account what purpose the song will serve during our own gathering.

Call to worship. A call to worship is a song which invites the congregation to begin worship. They declare what our intention is and what we're about to do, while simultaneously doing it. "We're going to sing a song to you, God." In some fellowships, it's the first song played which lets everyone know it's time to grab your coffee and sit down (don't even get me started). Examples: We've Come to Declare; Come, Now is the Time to Worship; How Great is Our God; Mighty to Stand.

Vertical worship. Vertical worship are songs sung to God, not just about God. These songs are most appropriate for a worship gathering. These songs use phrases such as "You are" (upward). Examples include: Here I Am to Worship; Blessed Be Your Name; Draw Me Close; Better is One Day; Lift It.

Declaration/Anthem. Declaration or Anthemic songs are songs sung about God. These can be very emotionally inspirational and uniting of the community. They can be a great way to conclude a gathering. These songs will often say what we believe or what we will do. These songs use phrases such as "God is", "He is", "we will", or some call to action like, "Tell the world that...". Examples include: Our God is a Great God; How Great is Our God; Ancient of Days; Awesome God; Tell the World; Mighty to Stand.

Didactic/Teaching. These songs teach something about doctrine or theology. They are different from declaration or anthems in that they are designed to be informative. A lot of children's songs are of this type, but also so many hymns. Examples: Jesus Loves Me.

Prayer/Offering. These are prayers that are sung. These are great as special music, times of contemplation, or as a way to conclude a gathering. Examples: You Said; Lift It.

Music at Youth Gathering - part 4

2010-02-26T06:00:00.002-06:00

IOUD

I really appreciate the philosophy of music at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, MI. Much of my notes below are adapted from their perspective.

Inward. Inward songs are focused on us and our relationship to God. These songs have a lot of "I" in them. "I want to know You, I want to hear Your voice," etc. The lyrics lend themselves to intimate time with God and what.

Outward. Outward songs are focused on telling each other and the world about what we believe and what we will do. These songs have a lot of "we" in them. "We want to see Jesus lifted high," for example.

Upward. Upward songs are directed to God. There are a lot of "You" (big Y) in these songs.

Downward. Downward songs have lyrics that seem to be from the perspective of God to us. There are a lot of "you" (little y) in these songs. These are probably best done as special or supporting music, rather than a congregational song.

Now, get ready to have your brain wrinkled: some songs can be multiple combinations of the above mentioned types. For example, the song "You Said" both quotes God, "Ask and I'll give the nations to you," and has us, his people, responding to God, "That's the cry of my heart!"

Continued

Music at Youth Gathering - part 3

2010-02-25T06:00:00.004-06:00

Purposeful Types of Worship Songs

There are many types of worship songs, and this list is not all inclusive. This is designed to get your mind thinking about the purpose behind song selections. This is not meant to limit God or the Holy Spirit.

Personal and Corporate

Michael Clary's blog talks about two types: personal and corporate. Essentially, personal tend to be the "Jesus is my boyfriend" type of songs-- very intimate and ... personal. As the author of that blog points out, "These may be great to listen to in the car or in one's own time with God, but are not appropriate for the gathered body." Corporate are the songs that are designed to sing corporately (duh). I shouldn't have to explain these further, and you can check out the resource article if you want more context.

Continued

Music at Youth Gathering - part 2

2010-02-24T06:00:00.005-06:00

Sacred versus Christian

I have been trying to deliberately stop using the phrase "Christian Music." That's really a marketing term, anyway. Let's talk about sacred versus secular. Sacred is the term that I have used to replace "Christian" when it comes to music. I ask myself, "Is this music set apart to worship and lead into worship as engaging God and glorifying Him?" Secular has a negative connotation about it, but it shouldn't. To me, secular is just a broad term to describe music that was not written for the purpose of leading worship. A lot of Christians have sung the song "Jesus Take the Wheel." We could say that this is a "Christian" song, because it talks about Jesus. But would we say that his is a sacred song that we should sing as part of our glorification and honoring God during our gatherings? In most cases, the answer is no.

I listen to so-called "Christian radio" that plays CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). These are positive songs that sing about God, but are not sung to God. They're declarative in purpose, but fall short when it comes to directing focus on who God is.

Continued

Music at Youth Gathering - part 1

2010-02-23T06:00:00.006-06:00

Stop the Music

As with all other aspects of a youth gathering, the music should serve a purpose. Music, however, is only a part of the overall gathering, and only a part of worship. Worship is the attitude with which one engages God. This series will not be a discussion about music style, so you won't find a rant about the Led Zepplin meets leprauchan style of "We Will Dance" (at least not in this series). Style is cultural. Worship is not.

It is important to worship with purpose. The music is not there merely to fill time or entertain. In fact, if the music at your youth gathering is there only to fill time or entertain, then stop the music. Don't let your musical worship time be merely a "song service." A song service is more performance oriented; singing songs without the expressed purpose of worship. It's easy to fall into the trap of wanting to bait students with popular songs. Don't get caught in that mindset! Even though a song is played on CCM radio doesn't mean it's a worship song.

First and foremost, make sure that the songs that are sung are theocentric (God-focused). Not all Christian or Gospel songs are designed for bringing focus to God. Some Christian artists just have good positive music, but the lyrical content is so watered down that the songs are not catalysts to engaging our creator.

Continued...

Big find in Jerusalem

2010-02-22T16:51:00.000-06:00

Archeologists have discovered a wall in Jerusalem that supports the Bible's historical accuracy as it pertains to Kings David and Solomon. According to the article posted on MSNBC, a key point of dispute is whether Jerusalem could have had the infrastructure and resources necessary to build these fortifications. It turns out, they did. Thank you, science, for supporting the claims of scripture.

The Importance of Biblical Literacy

2010-02-19T06:00:00.005-06:00

Biblical literacy to the modern Church is extremely important. As Bible-believing followers of Christ we have an obligation to know the Word upon which our faith is based. First we must define biblical literacy. Biblical literacy is being literate of the Bible, which not only is being able to read the Word at face value, but also being able to determine historical and cultural contexts and inter-contextual connections.

Nothing irritates me more than hearing some Christian thump someone on the head with their dazzling lack of Biblical knowledge in a heated argument. I hate to say it but many times this comes about from new Christians trying to hold fast to their new found faith. The idea is good; the execution of that idea is bad. Or, it commonly comes flying out of the mouth of pompous Christians trying to prove some sort of political or moral point based on a single piece of scripture taken entirely out of context.

I have bore witness to the most ridiculous arguments in the past between two such Christians. The idea of Christians quarreling like that is a completely separate rant. This argument was over whether or not the consumption of any alcohol was sin. One person was throwing out the idea that the body is the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19-20) and we shouldn’t desecrate it with sin water. The other person’s argument was simply stating that Jesus made wine as his first miracle at a wedding (John 2:1-11) so it clearly wasn’t wrong. Both foundations of each individual’s arguments are true, so how can both arguments be right? Can both be wrong?

Questions Lead to Questions
Questions like these lead to further questions. In the original language of the New Testament, Greek, how was the word ‘wine’ used? What is Paul’s original context for saying that the body is the Temple of God? All of these questions can be answered with solid knowledge of biblical literacy.

In an effort to further illustrate this idea of the importance of biblical literacy, here’s an interesting thought; the prophecy of Emmanuel was fulfilled for the first time long before the birth of Christ. It is important here to note that the literal interpretation of Emmanuel is ‘God with us.’ The characteristics of the child Emmanuel are described in Isaiah 9:6-7. Traditional Christian beliefs hold that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of these descriptions. This is true, of course, so don’t get upset with me, but the first fulfillment happened before Jesus’ birth.

Matthew is the New Testament connection that claims Jesus is the fulfillment, or rather a re-fulfillment of the Emmanuel prophecy. Matthew’s gospel is written for a Jewish audience, knowing this he makes every effort to make sure that the reader has an assurance that Jesus of Nazareth is a sign that ‘God is with us’ (or Emmanuel) and the Messiah. He lets readers know this in Matthew 1:23 and he also quotes the famed passage of Isaiah 7:14 to really drive the point home.

A traditional Jewish audience would view that the prophecy of Emmanuel written in Isaiah would have already been fulfilled. Jewish readers understand the passages in Isaiah literally. The prophecy is therefore, referring to a child born during the reign of king Ahaz. King Ahaz was the initial receiver of the prophecy and does not consider the verses to be connected with the forthcoming Messiah. They would interpret the verse as referring to a son of Isaiah, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, who is called Emmanuel in Isaiah 8. With the birth of Maher-shalal-hash-baz comes the destruction of Damascus and Samaria, as Isaiah 7 predicts would accompany the birth of Emmanuel.

In this briefest of examples I hope that you will be able to see the importance of knowing the historical and cultural contexts of scripture as well as scriptural connections. It is importance for us not only to know scripture, but also to know its purpose, its authors, its cultures, and its contexts.

Having a grasp of biblical literacy on the topic of Emmanuel not only clues us in as to what the Word is saying, but also alludes to an aspect of the nature of prophecy, in that; a prophecy can be interpreted to be fulfilled more than once. Prophecy is, indeed, a delicate complexity. The Church often uses the prophetic to predict God’s impending doom or set forth a pre-determined course of action for something (or if you have or will ever attend a Bible college you will probably either be dumped or asked out based on a prophecy or leading). These are both true aspects of prophecy; however, it is not the whole of prophecy. A prophecy can still be a true prophecy even if it doesn’t ever occur. We learn this from the story of Jonah. Jonah once released from the whale makes his way to Nineveh and prophecies the city’s impending doom because of how they have been. We see that the city, to the odd discouragement of Jonah, repents and is saved. The gloomy prophecy is not fulfilled. Does that make it less from the Lord? Prophecy, in some cases, can serve as a warning and save people, thus preventing the actual fulfillment.

Let Your Faith Increase
It can be concluded that from a solid biblical literary standpoint that the prophetic doesn’t necessarily have to occur or merely be fulfilled once to be a true prophecy. The stipulation for prophecy is that it is from God. We also see in scripture that people can affect the outcome of prophecy in some instances. That, my friends, is mind-boggling.

Biblical literacy is an exceedingly important foundation of a Bible-believing faith. The next time you decide to sit down and let the Bible answer some questions of faith and life pick up a corresponding commentary and concordance and really have at it. Get lost in the scriptures and let them show you things you have never even thought of before. Let your faith increase!

Free video loop at Igniter Media

2010-02-18T13:45:00.001-06:00

:: GALAXY CIRCLES :: Igniter Media Group ::

These video backs are a great way to add tasteful visualization behind song lyrics if you're using Pro Presenter, Media Shout, or Sunday Plus (or others?).

Discipleship / Study Tools - YouVersion.com

2010-02-16T06:00:00.002-06:00

YouVersion.com is a an online Holy Bible from LifeChurch.tv. Actually, let me be more specific. It is, in fact, 17 online Holy Bibles. And that's just the English version.

Platform

You can get to YouVersion.com from your web-enabled laptop, PC, Mac, or smartphone. It's a website. There are also mobile apps for various smartphones if you so desire.

Key Features

The reading plans are helpful. There are 31 different plans available. I completed the Gospels in 30 Days plan. It was simple. 89 chapters, a planned 3 chapters a day, and it was over. I managed to complete the plan in 15 days by reading an average of 6 chapters a day. It does let you read ahead. Now I'm working my way through the Psalms. There is also an accountability feature for the reading plans. With this, you can have another member of YouVersion keep you accountable for your reading. I haven't tried this.

From what I can tell, YouVersion does not allow you to create your own reading plan. For example, I would love to go through the Gospels chronologically. This reading plan doesn't exist. It seems that you have to have some pull with the developers to get that going.

You can select from any number of versions, and there is a "Parallel" feature so you can read two versions side by side for comparison. It is helpful for comparing The Message to the NASB, for example. There are no Strong's numbering, so it is not possible to look up the original language and meaning.

Users can "tag" one or more verses and take notes on them. These can be in a private online "journal" or be "community contributions." I haven't found the "contributions" all that helpful, and I turned them off from my display. The contributions I am looking for are from Matthew Henry, Wesley, and their contemporaries. For those, I'm still required to use BibleStudyTools.com.

Overall thoughts

I really like YouVersion, but primarily for the reading plan. Overall I find it very buggy. It logs me out unexpectedly, so it doesn't always save my progress. I stopped using the journal feature because after I would enter something, I would find it hadn't saved because it somehow logged me out.

YouVersion also looks very good-- which will go a long way with getting your smartphone toting students (and leaders) to use it. It's really simple to use.

I think that this would be best for having a searchable and user-friendly Bible on a smartphone, or for a reading plan. The ability to quickly scroll through scripture is fantastic, and something that is missing from other online Bibles. YouVersion has no Strong's numbering, so word studies are out entirely. Beyond that, stick with Google Docs or a notepad for your journaling.

For serious study, find your way to www.BibleStudyTools.com-- it doesn't claim all of the features of YouVersion (not they always work with YouVersion anyway), but it is far more robust. I'm hoping that YouVersion will catch on and add Strong's numbering so that I can really help students learn to look up the original language and understand that intent. In the meantime, maybe its simplicity will increase Bible literacy.

If you don't have a notebook, get one

2010-02-15T06:00:00.001-06:00

If you don't have a paper notebook, get one. The benefit of seeing your thoughts written out serve to reinforce those ideas in your memory, as well as give you a place to reference your ideas in the future. Write down your thoughts on ministry, events, and prayers. Write down whatever is on your mind. In the future you can transfer these to a computer note taker so that you can search, or just leave them alone.

Notebook tips:

Use a small notebook so that it's portable.
Always have a pen with you too. You can't write without a utensil.
Date your entries.
Re-read your entries.
Don't lose it

Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary - Series

2010-02-12T06:00:00.005-06:00

Adam Posegate shared a four-part series on Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary, and the importance of what it is we speak into the lives of those we shepherd.

Part 1: What is Normal?
Part 2: Does our "Normal" Honor God?
Part 3: A Different Type of Relationship
Part 4: Conclusion

Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary - Part 4

2010-02-12T06:00:00.002-06:00

Conclusion

This culture starts with our vocabulary. We must adopt a spiritual vocabulary. We must be in prayer and moving in the Spirit. When we tell someone of a challenge in our lives, we most not omit that we have prayed and what God is telling us and what we learned from scripture as we studied. We must not just give the summary of conclusion, but we must share what God has done in us and to us and for us, because that is our testimony (Acts 4:33, 2 Timothy 1:8).

For me, this started when I was outside of church gatherings. It was with family members. It was with people at work. It meant honoring God in how I talked about my life and the things in my life to others. And this was hard. Strangely, it was just as hard to begin that sort of conversation with those in the church. This is because up until that point, even though we had Christ in common, our conversation topics had focused on music or television or other things. God, as a topic of conversation, was relegated to leadership meetings and prayers, when we really "got down to business."

Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary - Part 3

2010-02-11T06:00:00.002-06:00

A different type of relationship

The relationship we develop with our students must be a spiritual relationship. We reap what we sow. If 100% of our conversations with a person are about sports, then that person will only feel comfortable discussing sports with us. If 100% of our conversations are about fashion, then our discussions will never go beyond the superficial.

The different kind of relationship I am talking about doesn't mean to omit sports, or politics, or news, or the world from conversations. It means that our vocabulary must reflect a new cultural mind set of the Kingdom of God.

It means praying for someone immediately, with your hand on their shoulder, instead of saying, "I'll pray for you," and walking away to remember or forget.

It means talking openly about the good things that Jesus has done in our lives (that's our testimony, friends), instead of commenting on how lucky we are.

It means going beyond saying, "I am blessed," to saying how good God really is.

It means cultivating a culture in your gatherings that is one of love; using the word "love."

It means seeing opportunities to speak truth into peoples' lives and making the most of those opportunities, no matter how small.

It means directing conversations back to things that are God-honoring, and explaining why we do that.

It means we stop talking about "going to church" and we start talking about "being the church."

It means continuing to discuss sin honestly, but also elevating the discussion of God's glory and salvation.

It means making the culture of our gatherings and our relationships founded on scripture and Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit so that we are creating a blatantly different "normal." And it means teaching those things to our leaders. And it means teaching those things to our students so that we have a new culture (which is really an old culture). This culture is spiritual and it is Kingdom-focused.

To be continued...

Free ebook at TheResurgence.com - Grow

2010-02-10T16:49:00.001-06:00

This is an FYI:

Over at TheResurgence.com, you can pick up a free PDF copy of "Grow." I haven't read it, so I have no recommendation on it. As always, read with spiritual discernment.

Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary - Part 2

2010-02-10T06:00:00.002-06:00

Is our culture E!, People, and gossip?

If a significant (read: great amount of) of our conversations revolve "entertainment news" or celebrities or even the personal and dating lives of those around us, there's a chance that our "normal" is gossip. Does our "normal" honor God? Are we praying for others as we consider them, or are we talking about everything they do wrong?

Is our culture political, CNN, and Fox News?

If most of our time is spent preaching and teaching moral theism and cultural values, instead of equipping students to be disciples and learn these things from scripture on their own, we may be missing the mark. Getting conservative Christians riled up about politically conservative values is lazy when only done for the sake of preaching to the choir. Rev. Tim Snell once said, "You shouldn't talk about those in elected office in ways that you wouldn't let your own children speak to you." He's right. We cannot make our gatherings a political safe haven for either the left or the right. Chances are, 90% of our students don't really care about politics anyway. We must create a spiritual safe haven and sanctuary-- sacred space that is set apart for worshiping God and learning how to be his disciples.

Is our culture ESPN and SportsCenter?

I once served with a small group leader who would almost exclusively talk sports with his group of guys. Sometimes, to seem relevant, he would also entertain conversation about video games. When I would fill in for him to cover the supporting spiritual materials for that evening's gathering, the kids would comment how they never go over "that stuff." This leader would say that he was doing this under the umbrella of "building relationships." Their normal was sports. In 10 years, sports won't give our students the tools for discipleship that they can only get from scripture. We must love our

students enough to build a different type of relationship.

To be continued...

Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary - Part 1

2010-02-09T06:00:00.001-06:00

Let's talk about talking. Let's talk about your vocabulary. What is "normal" and what is "weird"?

What is normal?

Normal, right now, is to avoid talking about the spiritual, the Holy, and the Godly. It is one that seeks to avoid offense. This "normal" is our culture, and it's missing the mark. We must not be offended on account of Jesus (Luke 7:23). We must boldly and in the power of the Holy Spirit (and not our own power) testify to God's greatness. Our testimony is our story. It is what we relate about who God is to us. If we are ashamed or afraid to tell what God has done, and we use whispers to relay this information, we are not living in God's fullness and freedom. Let me be clear that I am talking to Americans who have freedom of speech, but who fail to take advantage of that.

"Normal" is the language of our culture. So, we must ask ourselves, what is our culture?

To be continued...

Church Relevance article re: Francis Chan

2010-02-06T06:00:00.001-06:00

Church Relevance is a resource I use frequently. Check out Kent's notes from a session led by Francis Chan (Crazy Love).

I love the point made to not get distracted by the details (while I say still pay attention to those details). Do not let them distract you from your mission.

What mission has God called your ministry to perform? I'm guessing, as you pray, it has something to do with "making disciples of all nations."

Book Review: My Father, Maker of the Trees, by Eric Irivuzumugabe

2010-02-04T06:00:00.003-06:00

Eric is a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. He is a Tutsi, and most of his family, along with over a million others, were murdered in the genocide over the course of 100 days. He has written a book about his experience, but that is not what makes Eric special. What the book conveys is the work of God in him and through him. He is a living example of Christian forgiveness, and he preaches forgiveness and reconciliation and peace.

It is of course moving and emotional. I couldn't make it through the prologue where he listed off the names of his family who had been killed without breaking down. That is not the point. The power of his message is not in his victimhood, but in the proclamation of Christ's love towards those who perpetrated these heinous acts.

Eric documents his journey of living Jesus' command to love one's enemies. He will be blessed for that, and so will those who take this message to heart.

Purchase My Father, Maker of the Trees at Barnes & Noble.

Eric (center) after speaking at The Underground youth gathering in Appleton, Wisconsin.

On Games

2010-02-02T06:00:00.006-06:00

"We must make our youth group 'fun' so that kids want to be there! Then, while they're a captive audience, we preach and worship, and then they've experienced God without even realizing it!"

While that may be an over-simplification, if you really think about it, this is not far from the truth of many youth groups. Also, side note: if you know me, you know that "youth group" is practically a dirty word (youth group is who they are, vaguely by age, and not what they do). Say, for example, that your youth gathering is once a week for two hours. That's 2 out of 168 hours (24 hours x 7 days) in the week. For 166 other hours, your students are not at your youth gathering, and they are doing whatever in the world they want during those hours -- we have no direct influence. We need to take full advantage of the time we do have. As their shepherds, we must equip them to be disciples during those other 166 hours (yes, I'm including sleep time, because it's too hard to determine how many hours of sleep a teenager actually gets).

"If we don't have games, kids won't come."
Kids will come to youth gathering for a variety of reasons. They might want to know more about Jesus. They like the music. Their parents force them to. Maybe they even like the games. I am of the viewpoint that "recruiting" doesn't happen because of the games we play, but because of the relationships the have already developed or are developing. I posit that this is the number one "recruiting" method. We must equip our students to develop godly relationships with others, inviting them to youth gathering as prompted by the Holy Spirit. It's not about numbers. 10 students who are learning discipleship will be more effective in the Kingdom than 1,000 students who are merely being entertained.

What I am NOT saying
What I am not saying is that there should be no games, and that there should be no fun. On the contrary, there should be games. There should be fun. These are cultural languages that can speak to a higher truth. Games can support our efforts in ministry. The games should be engaging, and they should have a purpose. Everything you do in ministry should have a purpose. Start with the purpose (right, Rev. Warren?), and then act. The question is what is the purpose of the ministry?

Is the purpose entertainment?

Is the purpose discipleship?

Is entertainment the bait to trick kids into being discipled?

Then, after you have determined what the purpose of your ministry is, ask yourself these two questions:

1. Is this a stupid purpose?
2. Is this scriptural?

If it is stupid and unscriptural (entertainment as bait), then you have a bad purpose.
If it is stupid (foolish) by human standards, but scriptural and God-breathed, then you must do it.
If it is not stupid (foolish), and it is scriptural, then you have a sturdy foundation for proceeding.

What I am saying
"Is there even a good reason to play games?" Absolutely! There are many good reasons (even at your weekly youth gathering), but don't start with an idea and then look for a reason to do it. Start with your reason, and then look for a way to accomplish your goal.

For example, "We have a lot of kids who bring friends and guests, and not everyone knows each others' name. What can we do?" How about an icebreaker game that gets people to interact with everyone. Make a bingo chart with 24 personal items they must ask of the people in the room, then get signatures. That's just an example, but it gets people asking questions and learning about each other.

When God moves in one's life, it is not because they were able to pop the most balloons while blindfolded and dizzy (I don't know if this game actually exists, but it should!). It is because the Holy Spirit is invited to do something real in a person's life. There must be a deliberate approach to student ministry that does not include entertainment as bait. Discipleship must be direct, deliberate, and unapologetic. We are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, who was crucified, died, and resurrected in atonement for the sins of every person. We are preaching a life lived for God and his purpose.

Whatever you choose to do, do it in obedience to God and in the power of his Holy Spirit.

Pacifism according to David

2010-02-01T16:53:00.005-06:00

If you read Psalm 18, David is recounting and rejoicing over the victory that God gave him over King Saul. Here we have a Biblical example of pacifism.

He did not go looking for the fight.

He did not incite the war.

But once embattled, he did what was required. He ground his enemies into dust. He cut them down so they would not rise again. He fought for his own life.

How do we reconcile this psalm with Christ's commands to love your enemies, pray for their well-being, and turning the other cheek? There is no greater love than laying down one's life for a brother (or sister). Where does one draw the line? Is there a line? What does scripture tell us?

Book Review: The Year of Living Like Jesus, by Edward Dobson

2010-02-01T06:00:00.005-06:00

Before reading Dr. Dobson's book, The Year of Living Like Jesus, I brought to the table a number of prejudices including, but not limited to, my fandom of Dr. Dobson and my expectations of what someone living like Jesus would do and act and look like. I looked forward to a step-by-step how-to process that one could patent and license to churches all across North America along with clever t-shirts for the franchise such as "Served Over 1 Billion." A list of laws on how to be more like the man who fulfilled all laws from a trusted evangelical source.

The welcome slap in the face to bring me out of my fanboy hysteria was when the subtitle finally sank in: My Journey of Discovering What Jesus Would Really Do. This is not a how-to book. This is not some instructional manual tailoring a Jesus wardrobe. This is not a devotional on how being a sacrificial giver will come back to you in a specified outline of prosperity. The guide for how to properly kill a bull for evening meal is nowhere to be found.

Instead what I read was an appropriately candid autobiography detailing the author's frustration at just how difficult this task really was. It was a story of his journey to learn more about what Jesus would have done, and his deliberate discipline to execute those tasks. And when he fell short, then he conveyed his feelings and responses to his own shortcomings. This was not a mere task of living the Bible literally. This was an attempt to keep pace with his rabbi so that he would be covered in his dust, not left in it.

The disjointed connections of the first and second halves of the book are only a momentary distraction as the content of the second half becomes less broken and more flowing. The difference is not bad, just noticeable and admitted. The break in the month of July was a good joke, and I liked that it went by quickly.

The book really shines as Dobson relates his past life experiences to what he is going through at this time. The honest emotional struggles to even accomplish the physical tasks as he is reined in by ALS give an immediacy and tension to something as simple as camping and fasting. The fond and poignant reflections of his own journey that brought him to this place at this time are welcome context for someone unfamiliar with who this smiling, bearded, and bespectacled really is underneath the tasseled undershirt.

All of this is to say that this was a good book. It was insightful to the frustrations that come about when trying to mold ourselves to our own interpretation of someone else, while being cognizant of others' interpretations of that same person. Perhaps, more than anything, all of the frustration adds up to an appreciation of God's grace that he made us to be his disciples, and that we don't do that in our own power. We do that in his.

Purchase The Year of Living Like Jesus at Barnes & Noble.

A Challenge to Students Called to Ministry (especially college students)

2010-01-27T23:32:00.002-06:00

It was my second semester at North Central University, and I was a junior. I had transferred in from Winona State University, leaving a year after the startling conviction from God that I had chosen a school based on mathematics and not obedience. I found myself lacking direction, even then. I had no mentor. I had not allowed anyone who was older to speak truth into my life, nor developed relationships with godly men who could offer advice.

I was in a class taught by a large and thick-necked man named Garth Heckman (on the interwebs at http://harmonybwb.com/). And he was big. And if he wasn't so smiley and nice and kind, it would have scared the Garth Heck right out of me, man. At one point during a class discussion, he responded to one of my questions with, "What youth ministry are you involved with?"

At that point, I wasn't involved anywhere. "Um... nowhere."

"You want to be a youth pastor, and you're not involved anywhere?" he asked, incredulously. The look on his face was all I needed to know. I was not on the right track. I immediately offered myself at a church in the area.

Later, I had built some relationships with the youth leadership at a mega-church in Minneapolis. They would have "found something" for me to do, and that would have been great. They were exactly what I was looking for-- a spirit-filled church that did everything with excellence. But as I prayed and discussed it with my fiancee, God revealed to me that he didn't want me to be shoehorned into an existing ministry. His church had needs (and still does), and those need to be filled.

Get involved now. Don't wait for "someday."

The point of this is to say: if God has called you into ministry, then do not wait to find some place to be involved. Start serving somewhere right now. Don't necessarily bother looking for a great church that could find a place for you. Find a church that has a need that you can fill (no matter what your planned focus/emphasis), and meet that need.

"I haven't found the 'right' church, yet."

Prayerfully get involved in a church that has a need, and meet that need. As you develop relationships and credibility your example will influence that church body. You may be surprised to find after some time that will "become" the "right" church. I know that's a lot of quotes, but I'm serious. For many of us, the only thing holding us back from doing the right thing right now is the fear/hope that something better will happen if we wait a little longer. If you're planning on being in the kitchen, you'd better grab a knife and start prepping.

Open Letter: Extreme Snow Days 2010 Recap

2010-01-25T06:00:00.002-06:00

Grace and peace to you!

The weekend of January 22-24, 2010, I traveled with my wife, two sons, two students, and two youth leaders to Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch in Stewartville, Minnesota. We descended upon the ranch for Extreme Snow Days 2010 Jr./Sr. High Retreat.

The message I brought, and the challenge I presented, was that of discipleship. Preaching primarily from the book of Luke, we discussed what it means to follow Christ. It's more than saying a prayer and then getting a ticket to Heaven. When you commit to being a disciple, it means that you are disciplining (not punishing) yourself so that you can be like that person.

In this case, we are trying to be more like Jesus. In order to be more like Jesus we must learn from scripture about who Jesus is and the things that are important to him. That first requires opening the Bible and reading about him. We learn that Jesus prayed, fasted, feasted, partied, and took care of those who needed help (among many other things).

Here are some of the practical tools I mentioned on Sunday morning, for reference:

YouVersion.com - an online Bible with Bible reading plans. I completed the Gospels in 30 days plan. Tell me about your plans and completions.

Advent Conspiracy and Living Water International.

Start a home church / small group. Eat pizza, read and study the Bible, and pray for each other.

Ironwood Springs Youth - a Facebook group. Join this you will receive occasional messages from Sam to encourage and challenge you.

If you are in charge of student ministry at any church, make sure that discipleship is a priority. "If all you do is hang out and play games, then you don't have a student ministry. You have a youth group." - Eric Robbins. Join the Disciples Tribe group on Facebook and get support. Talk to others about what you are trying to accomplish in your ministry and get support.

Be more than a youth group. Stop "going to church" and start "being the church."

I look forward to hearing what how you do that.

In Christ,
Adam Posegate

Worship, Church, and Spiritual Discipline

2010-01-12T23:28:00.001-06:00

Worship, much like church, is a lifestyle, not a designated time. Church is not the place that we gather. We do not go to church. We are the church. The church assembles, dissembles, and lives as individuals in a lifestyle of being the church. That is church. So too is worship.

Worship happens at all times. It is not just the singing part of the gathering, but it is that too. It is not just the hearing of the sermon, but it is that too. It is not just the bringing of the tithe and offering, but it is that too. It is the attitude with which one approaches life. Holy worship is the state of heart that says, "I put God and the work of his ministry as my primary goal. I do this not for my sake, but for his." That is worship. It is honoring the things that God honors, loving the things that God loves, and responding in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Singing songs is not where worship begins. Singing songs is not where worship ends. I tell you truthfully that if you are down on your knees, weeping before the presence of God while singing the emotional and power-chord driven songs of contemporary worship, but you do not tithe, bring your offering, study scripture to learn more about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, or make time for fasting and prayer, then your heart is not for worship. In such a case, your heart is for music and song. Your heart is for emotional connection. It is not a complete picture of worship.

That being said, I don't want to sound much harsher than I feel. Sanctification and discipleship are processes that are never completed this side of eternity. These disciplines may be worn by the disciple (Christ-follower, Christian, Jesus Freak, Believer), and will be put on over time. These disciplines will outlive changes in worship music style. These disciplines will outlive powerpoint. These disciplines will outlive inter-denominational conflict, church-splits, and hurt feelings. These disciplines will result in a fuller understanding of who God is, and what he wants from us.

From singing, to fasting, to praying, to studying scripture, as you wear these disciplines, you will witness lives changed. You will witness the needs of the poor being met. You will witness the hungry be fed. You will witness the sick be healed. You will witness the lost turning to Jesus. And this will happen in your own life. And your testimony will move others. And you will witness these things in the lives of people who said that they were Christians. And you will witness these things in the lives of people who were never told of Christ before. And you will see the wolf lie down with the lamb. And you will see shalom. Amen.

About Jennifer Posegate

1999-01-01T06:00:00.004-06:00

Jennifer Posegate is a 2007 graduate of North Central University with a degree in Youth Developmental Studies with concentrations in Youth Ministry and Psychology. She has worked in a number of library settings that have given her the opportunity to teach information literacy and research techniques. She is passionate about following Christ and learning about what it means and how it applies to everyday life. She has been married to her husband Michael for nearly two years.

About Adam Posegate

1999-01-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

Adam Posegate has been a speaker and pastor to youth and children all over the state of Wisconsin. He has a degree in Youth Ministry from North Central University in Minneapolis, MN. Since completing his degree, he has served as Youth and Children’s Pastor at River Falls Assembly of God and Children’s Pastor at Green Bay First Assembly of God. He currently resides in Neenah, WI and serves as Director of Student Ministries at Christ's Church of the Valley, as well as doing special event speaking all over the area.

Adam’s teaching style is sincere, energetic and humorous. He likes to combine the Bible’s message of love and hope with vivid storytelling in order to relate to students and help them understand the importance of knowing Jesus and sharing his love with the world.

Adam is in love with his wife of five years, Lisa, and has two young sons that mean the world to him, Harmon and Oliver.

Before	Now
Like pulling teeth to explain that worship is not just singing songs-- it's about attitude	Able to ignore outside distractions and focus on Jesus
Just singing songs, goofing around	Giving themselves to God in worship
No physical posture of worship	Laying prostrate, raising hands, kneeling
No response to God's revelation	Immediate and obedient responses to God's revelation and prompting
"Worship" meant "Christian Songs"	Worship means the heart and attitude we have when we approach God. Just because it's "Christian-themed" doesn't mean it's worship
Only worship when feeling like it	We worship because God commands it, and his revelation to us requires nothing less
Leaving the same as arrived	Allowing God to transform through worship. Leaving better than arrived.
Only singing songs that are good, or make me feel good, or that I like	Slowly incorporating hymns of our Christian heritage and songs that come from scripture and doctrine-- not just "feel good" songs that you might hear on pop radio.