Politics in Church

  As a young Pastor, I can confidently say that one of the most divisive things within the church in America are Politics.

  No matter what, this topic ignites fight after fight within the church and causes people to choose sides, all the while wounding their brothers and sisters in the process.

  It, to me is sad that so often in the church we choose our Political Party over our brother and sister in Christ.  The reality is one day political parties will be destroyed and there will only be God and our brothers and sisters.  Why would we choose anything that has a time limit on it over eternal things?

  I know I have had my own political blogs, one not so well received discussion about Osama Bin Laden and others about Obama.  On neither of those topics though did I claim sides, nor political parties I simply expressed what I felt and asked for dialogue, as I am attempting here.

  My opinion on politics in church is that it is a destroyer of community and unity within the body.  If we are believers in Christ, and are made new by the Spirit, it doesn't matter what your political background or party is.  I find it a sad testament to the church itself when people will judge your salvation based on which candidate you vote for or which political party you belong to.  I know this happens, because my salvation was judged by someone I deemed a friend when I told them I voted for Obama in the Presidential election.  Some of you may not like that even today.

  Here again, it may seem I am taking a "political side" but I am not, because all of my other votes in that certain election were for all Republicans so as the power wouldn't fully rest with one party.  Let's not rest here, because it could deter from my point.

  My point is that politics in the church are dangerous.  Dangerous because we simply can't contain our zealot hearts from backing up our beliefs with arguments.  If we were a place where understanding and love flowed, people could open up about who they voted for or what their political bent is.  As the American church is today however, one wouldn't dare for fear of being "labeled" and out casted.

 Some of you may wonder why I am bringing this up during a "political lull" where little political things are being done and spouted and my answer is because it's low tension season which will SOON swing into high tension season...

  In my heart, I truly believe we as the Body of Christ need to remain united more than ever in this tumultuous time.  I fear our political party has become more god to us than God himself, partiotism has covered over our vigor for the church and our campaigns for certain candidates have over shadowed our evangelism for Christ.

  Sure we have a duty to lead this country for Jesus and we desire the most "Christ-like" candidate to take the Presidency but we must stop fooling ourselves: we no longer live in a Christian nation.  Christ does not reign in the hearts of many in office.  The nation we desire to have we will never have until Christ returns.  God will bless this nation through us, his church as we serve this world through our love of one another and the lost and we've been lacking hoping out candidate and the country will do what we are supposed to do.

  The world around us has changed and we've been stuck thinking its the same.  If we truly believe the Scriptures, everything will get worse before it gets better as it pertains to world leaders.  This doesn't mean we stop praying for our leaders, it doesn't mean we stop voting and trying to get the best person in there it simply means we need to change our hope from the leaders of this world onto Christ.  It also means we need to be more active in the healing of this world rather than hoping our vote is enough.

  Let's stop the fighting over which party we belong to and start fighting for the Lord to reign in our hearts and live his love out through us.

 I may be off on this subject, so I desire some feedback. What do you think about Politics and church?  Is it safe?  Why do we attack one another?  I will be doing a radio show on this topic in a couple of weeks and would love some feedback and maybe some callers on the subject!  Thanks friends!


Marv Nelson
ACAC Student Ministries Pastor

Exponential: Starting A Reproducing Missional Movement

A friend and I just read through Exponential by Dave and Jon Ferguson together. My friend admitted that Dave and Jon are his favorite Pastors in the United States and I admit I am a fan as well. This book hit me hard on a ton of levels and spoke deeply to convictions I was forming about church and growth.

The subtitle speaks for the content of the whole book because it really is a book about: "How you and your friends can start a Missional Church Movement." These brothers share their journey of the church and now movement that God has used them to catalyze and grow.

They candidly share their dreaming phase on up to the now very exponential movement that God blessed them to be a part of. Many things really struck me, challenged me and inspired me in this book. I hope to divulge as much as I can in the post so you too can be blessed by what I have learned through these guys!


The idea of the book is to be a leader who reproduces exponentially, not only yourself but also the church and movements you catalyze. They believe strongly in us young pastors asserting that we can do it. They begin by giving 5 reproducing principles:

1. Reproducing requires everyone to have an apprentice

• You can't be a one man show!  People can learn from you.

2. Reproducing is proactive, not reactive

• Don't be waiting to respond to something, go make something happen!

3. Reproducing is not about size; it’s about leader readiness

• Churches can get bogged down by playing the numbers game...don't!

4. Reproducing isn’t about our kingdom; it’s about God’s Kingdom

• When leaders you've produced leave to do something for God...don't hold them back, give them back to God!

5. Reproducing happens on the edge and at the center



They then go through how a guy named Troy McMahon stepped in as an apprentice and moved through the whole reproduction of a leader process: Individual-->Apprentice-->Leader-->Coach-->Director-->Campus Pastor/Church Planter-->Network Leader. They show how this is the best way to grow a person, use them fully and travel with them as they grow and gain more skills.



I was struck by their simple but effective formula. What is even cooler is that they began this formula from the onset, so now it is in their DNA and is a natural outflow of everything they do. If I were to plant a church, this would be a formula I too would infuse into the church I was planting. Too many times people go into church planting or into an already established church and think about “maintenance” rather than “reproduction”; which is odd because Jesus never said: “But you will receive power with the Holy Spirit comes on you to maintain my church and never grow.” He said: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8 ESV) That sounds like reproduction to me.



The next thing that struck me deeply was their HUGE emphasis on apprenticeship. They outline how Jesus had apprentices, so we too must have apprentices. My fear is (as it is with the Fergusons) that pastors in the US are afraid to have apprentices because they don’t want to be overshadowed or maybe they don’t want to be “found out”. It’s a sad reality but true.

Two quotes that hit me every time I read them are: “Being an apprentice of Jesus means learning to dream BIG” (Ferguson 2010, p. 46) and: “What is your God-sized dream?” (Ferguson 2010, p. 49) I know God is birthing in me a dream and I’ve written it down (which I did before but the book in the end challenges the reader to write it out)! This book forced me to continue thinking about the dream God has inside me and it continually encouraged me that through the power of God I can indeed achieve my dream.

Another thing that popped for me was the 2-2-2 principle that they laid out. It stems from 2 Timothy 2:2 and is core to reproducing. It is such a core because it lays down the relationships a leader must have: followers, an apprentice, peers and a coach. I love this biblical principle and even wrote a Youth Specialties article about the peer part here “Finding Your Jonathan”.

This principle is so true though! If one of those key relationships is not a part of a leaders life he/she won’t be able to reproduce! So many pastors are “do it yourselfers” and it just doesn’t work. It re-challenged me to find all of these relationships for myself. I am a Youth pastor on a team of 5 youth pastors in a large church…sometimes I feel like I don’t have much of a voice in things. I get discouraged because I desire to apply some of this amazing change to my church yet I can’t because of where I am. I’m young and low on the pole…but that doesn’t mean I can’t start making myself a better leader now so that if that ever changes I can be ready to be the head leader He desires me to be.

Whether you are a senior pastor, youth pastor or church plant dreamer this book and the tools it has can help you…right where you are. Even if you can’t immediately implement these tools in your context you can apply the leadership tools to your life!

Another great insight in the book is the idea of reproducing artists (Chapter 5). Artists are key to church growth and reproduction and sadly many churches have failed to love them and use them they way they should be loved and used. I really enjoyed the whole chapter and thought it’s a needed discussion. My favorite (and most controversial) part was the “Let Pagans Play” portion, which is about how we should let non Christians play in the worship band. It’s a challenging thought that goes against the grain of many mainstream churches yet it is a gesture to artists demonstrating how vital the church thinks they are! This chapter helped me see how I can love on and embrace artists where I am (as the Middle School Pastor). I can reach out to them now, seek them now and use them now!

More and more stuff popped in the book for me and inspired me (especially the multi-site stuff because I hope my church goes multi-site), but is far ahead from where I am. I know one day I will look back at those chapters and use them but today I am in a place where I can be excited and implement the stuff above TODAY.

Life has me in a new cross road where I am thinking holistically about the church rather than just in my own frame of Youth Ministry. Reading books like this encourage and inspire me to dream of a new and brighter future for the whole church. Generating young leaders who are thinking holistically and exponentially rather than stagnantly and stuck inside their own modes of thinking.


I hope to be used by God to be in or start a reproducing movement. There is a passion and a fire growing and the more books like this I read the more it burns!

Thanks Fergusons!

What did Christ Accomplish? (Pt. 2)

Yesterday was Good Friday, a day that is set aside to celebrate the death of Jesus Christ. It is called "good" because of His death.



A lot of people ask why is a dude's death something to celebrate and the answer is quite simple.
Christ died so we could live! His death was the atoning sacrifice for our sins. By his death He has also brought about our Justification and Sanctification!

We looked at the Atonement yesterday and today we will look at Justification.  Christ, by His death atoned for our sins but he also Justified us before the Father!

As in atonement, to understand what it is we must ask certain questions and seek the answers.

The First question is: "What does Justification mean?"

Justification is simply being made into right standing with God, being made righteous and law-abiding. Some would say another simple definition is: “just as if I never sinned”. 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. The law showed us just how sinful we are and how we could never meet a standard of being justified on our own the law was placed into motion to point us to Christ (Galatians 3:21-25), because we are all sinners and have fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23). Thus, God sent Christ into the world to die, so that we may be justified by Faith in him, his death and resurrection! (Galatians 3:1-14)




What is the basis on which God justifies the sinner?

John 3:16 tells us that because of God’s love, he sent his son. It is upon us to accept that He died and rose for us, in order for us to be justified (Romans 10:9-10) and then it is by that faith (Galatians 3:22-25) that we receive the once, for all death of Christ which imputes His righteousness into us and makes us Justified before the sight of God.

Again in Galatians 2:16, we see the clear-cut basis in which God justifies the sinner: “know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.”



Where in Scripture is Justification talked about?

Galatians 2:16 “know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.”

Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

Galatians 3:23-25 “Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ[a] that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”

Romans 4:5 “However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

These passages are some of the primary passages dealing with justification. Christ’s death was a once for all event, in which if a person puts their faith in his death and resurrection, they will receive justification and new life (regeneration). God’s wrath demands blood for sins, Christ offered his own and was our sacrifice so that we could be justified and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). He will justify wicked people (as we all are before coming to Christ—Romans 3) and bring them into right relationship with Himself through the blood of Christ, for this atones for our sin and imputes the righteousness of Christ into us. (Romans 3:21-24) . This imputation is an imputation of Christ’s Spirit, which when we believe through faith that He is Lord and He raised from the dead, we will receive. Romans 8:8-11 says: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”



What is the nature of the change brought about by justification?

When a person is justified, they become a new person. The old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is also known as regeneration. The person who is now justified will be now living in and by the Spirit (Romans 8, Galatians 2&3). The Spirit will guide and direct them. The faith they have will bring them justification and this justified person will begin to do works of faith through the power of the Spirit. James says: “…Faith without works is dead”. This doesn’t mean that we receive justification through works, so we can boast about our greatness (Ephesians 2:8-9), but it means that we will be so transformed we won’t be able to help ourselves from lovingly following Christ’s commands. They now stand righteous before Christ, they now can die to sin and live for righteousness (1 Peter 2:24).



Justification will then lead to a discussion about Regeneration...

When a person is justified, they become a new person. The old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is also known as regeneration. Both of these events: justification and regeneration happen instantly and simultaneously. They are not separate, but part of the same event of salvation. 1 Peter 3:18 says that Christ died for sin, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous. Regeneration happens, when we believe by faith that Christ died and rose again, because it is at this time the Spirit indwells us (Romans 8, Galatians 2&3). We know that this is the moment of regeneration as well as justification, for Jesus Himself says in John 3:3-6 that to be Born of the Spirit is to be born again.



Regeneration Defined

Regeneration is best defined by Scripture. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The old us, the sinful us was crucified with Christ, and we have been re-born! 1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”



Where does Scripture talk about Regeneration?

John 1:12-13 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.”

1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

1 John 2:29 “If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.”

Who performs the work of regeneration?

The Spirit performs regeneration. John 3 is very specific on this point, Spirit gives birth to Spirit. We can only be Born or God through the Spirit of Christ (John 1:12-13).

What attitudes must be present in the individual before regeneration can take place?

There must be an attitude of remorse for your sins, a realization that you are sinful and that you deserve death. The your attitude should shift to realizing that only through Christ can one be saved. It is the gift of God, you must realize that you yourself can not achieve it, or attain it outside of Christ.
What is the nature of the change brought about by regeneration?

Romans 8:5-10 says: “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man[e] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind[f] is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.” So, we are now controlled by the Spirit of God, rather than our sinfulness. 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Meaning that this change purifies us from all unrighteousness. 1 Peter 2:24 says: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” Meaning that we no longer have to live for our sinful nature but can now live for righteousness! Being made new allows us to live new lives, empowered by the Spirit of God, our Helper (John 12).

What did Christ Accomplish? (Pt. 1)

Today is Good Friday, a day that is set aside to celebrate the death of Jesus Christ. It is called "good" because of His death.




Some ask: "Why would you celebrate a day whe someone dies? Isn't that mean? Why does that make you want to celebrate?"



The answer is simple: Christ died so we could live! His death was the atoning sacrifice for our sins. By his death He has also brought about our Justification and Sanctification!
Well, that answer is simple, but let's unpack atonement. (In the following two posts in this series we will unpack Justification and Sanctification)
To unpack Atonement (as well as Justification and Sanctification) you have to start by asking questions and seeking the answers to those questions. 

First is: "What's atonement mean?"
Atonement is the act of forgiving a deserved punishment. Because we all have sinned, we deserve death (Romans 3:23; 6:23), However, our sins were atoned for, not by human effort, but by the wounds of Christ (1 Peter 2:24). The requirement for said atonement was blood of a pure sacrificial lamb or bull (Lev. 2) Which Christ became for us and he spilt his blood on our behalf. His righteousness, covered our unrighteousness, so we may be brought before God blameless and pure. (1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21)


Where did the plan of atonement originate?
The plan of atonement originated directly after the fall. In Genesis 3:15, God says to Satan: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” This is known as the first mention of the Gospel. God is talking about how Christ will come and be bruised, but will do far more damage to Satan than Satan will do to Him. God already had this sacrifice in mind in order to reduce Satan to nothing.



Why would God want to provide atonement for us?
We see the main attribute of God that pushed Him to provide the atonement in John 3:16 being Love. It says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son…” His reason for giving his son was His love. 1 John 4:8-10 also says this very thing: that is was God’s love that motivated him to sacrifice Christ on our behalf. In Leviticus 2, we see that because of God’s wrath and hatred towards sin, the sin must receive atonement. He gave the people of Israel a means of this atonement through the sacrifice of animals and using their blood to atone their sins. God’s wrath demanded payment for the sins committed, this then was the second impetus, which moved God to provide atonement. His wrath towards sin could be propitiated; this is why Christ is also called our propitiation. (1 John 2:2 ESV)


Why do we even need atonement?
Man is all together sinful. When Adam ate of the tree, he signed the death warrant of all humanity, damning us to a sinful nature from birth. (Gen. 3). Romans 3:23 states: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Psalm 14 and 53 also show the utter depravity of man, as cited from Romans 3. This sinful nature cuts us off from a perfect God, who is light and in him is no darkness, which is sin. (1 John 1:5-10). This cutting off created a void between us and God that needed to be filled, or bridged so we could again meet with our Lord. In all reality, in His perfection he could’ve walked away without caring, but in Lev. 2, he sets up a sacrificial system and a law system in which an can learn deeper how depraved they are, yet still have the atonement to bring them back to the Lord. To make an eternal atonement, Christ had to die. The perfect lamb, without blemish or spot had to suffer in order for us to live (Isaiah 53).
How could God justly put man’s sins upon an innocent victim?
This question almost assumes that Christ was forced into being the ultimate sacrifice, while in fact he was a willing vessel. Justly, for the sins to be forgiven through Christ death he had to have volunteered for this position. Had he not been willing, the atonement would never have happened. In Philippians 2:5-10, we see Christ’s humility in stepping down to this task and role. We also see in the Garden of Gethsemane, in Matthew 23, Christ wrestles with His calling, but undoubtedly bends to the will of the Father. Christ was willing to be the suffering servant that Isaiah 53 talked about. He was led before the shears and was silent, he did not speak out about them being wrong. The innocence of Christ was also key. Had he been blemished by sin, the atonement would have been meaningless, for a tainted sacrifice will not appease the wrath of God.


What qualified Christ for being such an offering?
Christ being both God and man as well as sinless qualified him as this offering. He is eternal, so His death would ring throughout eternity and his resurrected hands would be a constant reminder to God the Father of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. He was also Human, so he dealt with each and every temptation that we did, yet did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). He overcame by living life through the power of the Spirit (Matthew 3-4), which is also our example as how we should now live. He humbled Himself and was willing to be the offering which would appease the wrath of God as well as atone for our sins. (1 John 1:5-10; John 3:16, 1 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 2:24)


Could anyone other than Christ have made an acceptable offering?
No



How do we know that Jesus was an offering that was acceptable to God?


Scripture is full of assurance that this offering was acceptable. First is the very fact that God in Matthew 27:46-47 turned his back on Christ, symbolizing Christ’s receiving of the sins of the entire world. It was such a wretched sight that God the Father had to separate Himself from seeing it! Also, after the death of Christ, in Matthew 27, we see the curtain which blocked the view of the Holy of Holies from view torn in two. This represented now that all men due to the atoning sacrifice of Christ have full access to God. Christ during his life in John 14:6 also said: “I am the way, the truth and the life no one comes to the Father accept through me”. This would give the reader the idea that Christ was and is enough. Also, we see throughout the epistles constant reassurance that Christ’s atoning death was sufficient to cover over all the sins of the world. 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,” His righteous sacrifice was sufficient! 1 John 2:2 says: “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”



Is there any limitation concerning who may benefit from the atonement of Christ?
The answer to that truly lies in a persons view of Calvinism. The Scriptures say that it was for all the world 1 John 2:2; 1 Peter 3:18. However, there is a view that God chooses only certain people to receive this said blessing of atonement. I believe that it is for all the world as the Scriptures clearly state, yet people still choose wickedness over righteousness. We can see this perfectly within the picture of the two thieves crucified with Christ. The atonement as attainable for both, but only one chose to accept it. The other chose to spit on it. Christ’s atonement was once for all.


Can the atonement in any way be effective in human lives where the gospel is unknown?
Romans 1:18-20 says: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” The atonement can and is effective throughout the world, whether or not they’ve heard the message. However, to make things more clear to the world we live in, we as the followers of Christ are called to go and make disciples.


Christ is our atoning sacrifice...that is some encouraging stuff!  No wonder we celebrate his Death!  Tomorrow, we will unpack Justification and on Sunday we will unpack Sanctification...as well as the Ressurection!

A Multi-Site Road Trip!

After reading The Multi-Site Revolution (by the same authors) I was inspired to think outside of the box and wonder what it would be like to see my church go multi-site. In fact I wished it would happen! I didn't know what to expect with this next book in the series. I thought the book may be very similar, but I was dead wrong!




In A Multi-Site Road Trip Surratt, Ligon and Bird take the reader into the midst of their trips and make you feel just as a part of the experience as they do. I was so engaged with this book that I didn't put it down (unless of course I had to go to work).



Going from multi-site to multi-site was a great experience and I was able to see firsthand exactly what's going on in this realm of churchdom. The multi-site pastors were candid, honest and shared their failures as well as their successes. They were more than willing to share what worked for them and what doesn't, which helps a guy like me who is deeply interested in this movement because it helped me to dream big for my own situation.



Not only was this book honest, candid and informative, it was also quite humorous and fun. The authors would share little side treks to different restaurants in the towns they visited and would tell funny stories as they happened on the trip. I am a fan of people who don't take themselves too seriously and are willing to share silly stories about themselves. This piece added an element of welcome, by that I mean you felt like they were sharing with you, their friend what was going on. They didn't outright attempt to "teach" you anything but simply gave you the details of their trips, their experience and their overall thoughts on what it all meant.



Learning from the multi-site pastors is a great plus. They are not simply Theorists...they are Practitioners and have much to add to the realm of multi-site. Inside the book, some of these pastors handed over some great resources like: "What makes a great Campus Pastor"; "Organizational Charts" and much more! These tools are vital to anyone thinking multi-site and now they no longer have to work from scratch but can have a visible picture of one churches hard work!



Lastly, having one of the authors who is a pastor on staff in a multi-site church was a HUGE bonus. Geoff Surratt was open and candid about what he experienced, his feelings as the multi-site was in the beginning stages and where they are now as a church. This "insider" information was priceless as when he wrote, he wrote from the lens of someone who'd really been there.

If you are a church leader in a church that is pondering multi-site, you should have this book.  If you are a congregant wondering why in the world your church leadership is thinking about going multi-site, this book will help open your eyes as to the big "why".  It's not because it's the "hip" thing to do, it's because it has a proven track record and God is using it to expand His Kingdom!


I received this book free from Zondervan Publishers as part of their Blog Tour book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Why I'm Excited about the Church

In my last post "My Thoughts on the Future Church" I shared what worried me about the future church, namely the conclusions that are coming from the Emergent Church segment. 

  I also shared that this post would be about why I'm excited and the following post would be my thoughts on the future of the Church.  So, here goes!

Why I'm Excited



I grew up in a Western PA, evangelical church. I am a PK (Pastor's Kid) and have lived a gigantic portion of my life in church. I am also a Pastor myself, so my occupation is surrounded in the church (oddly enough I'm a pastor in the church I grew up in).



There has been a surge of frustration with the Western church for some time now and because of that frustration, people have been asking great questions in order to restructure some church methodology. The modern methodology doesn't work any longer within the emerging generation, nor will it work with the generation’s afterword. This has been studied and proven. I am excited about several questions that are being asked by today’s emerging leaders.



Here’s the first that excites me.



How do we evangelize?



Evangelism is key to the forward advance of the Gospel. If the Gospel is not being communicated, nor embraced by some, the growth of the church will cease and the reason Christ established the church will no longer exist. Christ gave a command, his last in fact, to:



"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)



We as His Body need to be going out and making disciples for Christ. In the modern era of the church street evangelism, tract evangelism and Televangelism were the hot items. Going to someone's home, knocking on the door and talking about Christ was common place. Walking in the mall, greeting someone face-to-face and handing them a tract as if it were a mall survey was normative. Today, those are seen as impersonal, (sometimes) judgmental and all around unattractive.



Many people today (mostly younger people) desire a relationship before a discussion about deep issues. Religion and belief systems are deep issues in the hearts of people. It is not a topic a stranger can speak into with any sort of effect. It would be akin to me coming up to someone and asking how their sex life is going...it's just creepy to talk to a stranger about such things.



Also, with tract evangelism I've seen how "tractees" (tract junkies) have ruined the meaning and power of this tool. I worked as a server at Chili's for several years and encountered several tracts both given to myself and given to my co-workers.


Here's out it went usually: these mid-upper class people would walk into the restaurant, and would complain about the wait being too long. They would sit down order drinks and ignore their server. When the drinks came, they would (not so) politely share how their drink is wrong for one reason or another, then after the corrections to their drinks were made, they'd order their food (with everything on the side) and again ignore the server (because after all they're only there to serve you). After several returns to the kitchen, the check would come and they would pay the bill and leave. Inside the bill holder was a tract and a less than 10% tip.


This is NOT healthy evangelism...and the server (sometimes myself) would be left to ponder why they never tried to strike up a conversation with me or get to know me. They just assumed I was an unsaved heathen and gave me a tract walking away satisfied that they had just done their "God duty" for the day.
The emerging church is begging the question: How can we EFFECTIVELY evangelize in this emerging generation and beyond? They MUST ask this (so must we) because what has been done (and worked I will admit) in the past no longer has grounds to be used. In fact in a Barna Group study done in 2005 the finding was that LESS THAN 1% of emerging gen. Christians came to faith by: Door-to-door evangelism, street evangelism, tract evangelism and televangelism COMBINED!


Many people have been thinking through evangelism for years and have been developing GREAT ways in which to witness in this emerging culture. I know what I am saying is NOT new by any means, but I am excited because having witnessed both types of training in evangelism, this new focus (namely relational evangelism) is exciting and is a working resource I can put into the hands of my Middle School students!



Another question that excites me in the emerging mind is:



How can the church think globally?


I know I am generalizing a bit, but generally speaking churches have a tough time thinking outside of their four walls. This of course is not a story of the whole, but of a fair few to be sure. We are not known as a people who serve the world out of love (which is pretty sad since 1 John 4:8 says that if we don’t know love, we don’t know God). The question of thinking globally has only in the recent century been attainable, but for the past decades, how active has the church been on the global scale? To be honest, I’m not sure but I don’t feel the church has been as active as it could be.

Let me first say that I am only now trying to think globally, asking myself: “What cause does God want me to back? How can I make a difference in this world outside of myself? What can I take on that is bigger than myself that God wants me to take a leap of faith in? So the criticism is for myself as well, because although I’ve done “some” I’ve not done enough either.



I’m excited because this new focus allows the world to see that Jesus is not a judgmental, selfish jerk (like so many of his followers are perceived as being/are?) but that Jesus and His people are people who actually care about things bigger than themselves and desire the world to be healed as Christ did.


Thinking globally fulfills the creed that Christ gave us in Matthew 28. He didn’t say to make disciples only where you live but throughout the world!


This also brings to mind the idea of social justice, which is my next excitement about the future of the church.

The question of Social Justice


This is an issue that has been a hot button topic for a long, long time. However, it is becoming a bit more of an idea that is in the forefront of people’s minds…that is making sure we are caring for people as a whole. Whether you look at it or not, we still live in a racist world, and no one can say otherwise. I am delighted to see that this is an issue that many emerging gen pastors, and congregants are willing to fight for, social justice is on their hearts and minds. I am NOT advocating a “social gospel” by any means, but God has created us all and no one is “more” or “less” for any reason!


Growing up in an inner-city church and now working there, I have been privileged to be forced to see the reality that social justice is highly important in our world! I have been privileged to have tons of good multi-ethnic relationships due to my church and as a result have had my eyes opened to the importance of social justice.


Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10); he didn’t come to seek and save just the rich, the whites, the famous or any other distinction. He is the atoning sacrifice not only for “certain people” but for the WHOLE world (1 John 2:2)!


Sadly, some groups of people have made it a point to remain homogenous and have not reached out to those different from them (even some have called for homogenous churches within the Emergent segment). This is not what heaven will look like, and if we are constantly surrounded by those who look, act, smell, dress and talk like us how can we ever grow as much as God intended?



There are several other things I am excited about but if I were to write those all out, this may become a mini-book. God is doing a new thing within the hearts of my generation as well as the generations to follow. Our job is to go to the Scripture and make sure the new things are truly from Him.


The next post will be on where I think the church is headed and what it will look like as whole in the future. It looks pretty exciting!

My Thoughts on the Future Church

I am both worried and excited about the future of the Church as a whole. In this post, I will share my reasons for why I'm worried.  In the 2nd post, I will give my reasons for why I'm excited and in the 3rd and final post I will give my own thoughts and opinions as to what the future of the church may look like.


Why I'm Worried

I'm worried for several reasons on several different levels. First, let me say that I've been trying to go deep into the Emergent ideals to see what they are really holding fast and true to and what they are deciding to drop as it pertains to the church.



They are asking the right questions, but in my young opinion, they are hitting a lot of the wrong conclusions. The Gospel should be contextualized, yes but not to the degree that we start choosing which Biblical ideals (otherwise known as Doctrines) should go due to them not easliy being contextualized. What I mean is that we should not shrink away from tough theological issues because they are difficult to contextualize. This mode of thinking makes one choose what in the Bible they want to follow and that which they don't.



In essence this mode of thinking does to the Bible the very same thing Benjamin Franklin did to his Bible and that is cut out all the parts that were offensive to him...literally. He ended up with a totally new Bible...one of his own making.


We are not God and in stripping the Bible of it's "harder to contextualize" portions by skirting them or shrinking away from them we are taking the position of God and deciding what God did or did not say (even though it's been written down for centuries).

That idea worries me.



Again, this section of the church is asking the RIGHT questions, but in my young opinion are coming up with some wrong conclusions.



I am also worried about the fear of exclusion that creeps into the ideals in the Emergent Village. Jesus says these words: "I am the way, the truth and the life and NO ONE comes to the Father but by ME" (John 14:6). Many in the Emergent Village are fearful to say "this person is in, this person is out" when it comes to Christianity. The reality we've been left by Jesus is that there are sinners and there are those redeemed graciously by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus (those who are Saved). It is an either or issue. Jesus didn't say if they have God in their hearts and worship Allah, all things are easy cheezy peezy and they are "in". He said He is the only way.


I'm not trying to get "fundamental" because although I have some fundamental doctrinal grounding, I am not what would be labeled "A Fundamentalist".



I am simply saying that there are closed fisted Doctrines (those that can't be open for debate because Scripture says this is the way it is for example: The Trinity) and Open handed doctrines (those that aren't so solid in the Bible like predestination or free will).



Many Pastors who are in the public eye have diverted from the Emergent Village and have become either "Emerging or Missional". Emerging was all encompassing at one point, then Emergent and Emerging split. Now, most Emerging pastors desire to be called "Missional" so they can even further separate from the "Emergent" name.



If I had to label myself, I would label myself an Emerging/Missional. But enough about that.




Let me re-say this, because it needs to be said: The Emergent section is asking great questions, just coming to some wrong conclusions. They also have some good conclusions on a bit of ideas, which I will get to later.



I am well aware that what I am saying has already been said. The worries I worry about have already seen much air-time and much debate. I am under no delusion that I am saying radically new thoughts that have never been said before because I have read and heard a great many of the same worries I have. I am simply setting the stage for my third post: Where I feel the future of the church is going. Even there, I will not be under the delusion of new thoughts.



My desire is to see the church be something that is both beloved and reviled. I desire the church to be loved by God and reviled by Satan...with many of the conclusions made by the one segment of the church (namely the Emergent section) I'm not sure the future of the church would fit this desire.



Another thing that worries me is the importance and definition of preaching that is now coming out of some circles.



When it comes to the new idea of preaching, it is a community preaching to one another, rather than one speaker preaching to the church. I think that for sure we all need to learn from each other, but this approach every week leaves so much room for wolves to enter to flock and rip them apart. One preacher who has been approved by the church, the elders, the board (and if he's in a denomination, by them as well) has gone through rigorous testing, much training and has proven to be a good lead pastor.



Without this process, any Joe smoe off the street can come in and add to the "sermon conversation". That worries me, because as a Pastor, I am largely responsible for the flock I lead...if I have a "sermon conversation" each week, I am not protecting my flock. God in His word calls me to such a high standard.



Also, preaching is not a job many desire because those who teach will be judged more harshly (James 3:1). Preaching is a high honor, and must be done by an elder of the church (1 Timothy 5:17). If we allow anyone in the congregation to preach in the conversation, we are not following the Biblical model of church, because we have no idea if they are fit to be an elder (1 Timothy 3) much less fit to add some meat to the sermon.



We shouldn't let just anyone run a Church, agreed? So why would we let just anyone teach the church? (Which is the most influential place of leading).



My last main worry is that of the place of Scripture. If we hold to a model that has been proposed by some, the Bible will essential be an "additional book" to the church Library rather than the source of our Faith.



I am all about the Spirit's leading and following the Spirit in ministry and seeking His guidance but we must make checks on what we feel is "His Leading". If it doesn't line up with Scripture, it wouldn't be from God. Yet some are saying that they will look at the Bible, but will mainly "Let the Spirit lead them".



How will they be able to check if what they are being "led" to do is right or wrong without checking the Bible or not? If God is saying to do such and such in our gut and in the Bible it says "such and such is a sin" why would God contradict himself?



The Bible was written By God for us! I'm not talking about the "regulative principle" per se, but our perceived leading of the Holy Spirit should indeed be regulated by what Scripture says about certain things.



For example, one hot button topic which is getting much air-time and has been sadly for several years is that of homosexuality. The Bible clearly says that this is a form of sexual sin, on par with looking at porn, lusting after another’s wife, adultery and bestiality...all of which are forms of sexual sin.



YET, some sections of the Christian faith are claiming it is simply an "alternative lifestyle" and you are not sinning if you are homosexual.



This is an idea that they felt "led to" yet the Bible says opposite to what they are saying. I'm not advocating that "God Hates Gays", in fact that also is a sin, because it is clear, in your face hate and hate is the antithesis of Christ's agenda (unless it's hating sin...not the person).



The Bible is not God, but it is the Word of God: "Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17).



We've been created by God to do good works (Ephesians 2:10) and the Word of God brings us along that path (2 Timothy 3:17).



I do have several other minor worries, but these are my main worries. As a young Pastor, I will see the future church one day and I hope we can get rid of these worries so that we can fulfill the mission we've been called to on this earth: namely to make disciples of all nations!



The next post will be what I'm EXCITED about for the future church, because there are a GREAT number of things to rejoice in!

Confessions: My Weaknesses

Recently I've been pretty challenged on my weaknesses. God has been doing some serious calling out in my life and so in an effort to do what He has asked me to do, I am going to share here my weaknesses and I hope to pray them out of myself.

As I've looked over this list of my weaknesses I've noticed that many of them effect the way I relate to others.

Reading through a new book called Relational Intelligence has only reinforced this fact to be true. The original exercise of writing down my weaknesses came from a challenge in that book to write down my relational "blind spots" which negatively effect the way I relate to others and cause others to have a negative perception of me as a person.

I am taking the challenge further and not only listing my blind spots, but personal weaknesses I want to work on. Here is my comprehensive list of weaknesses:

1. I Talk without listening

2. Dislike/become uncomfortable with personal feedback

3. Take control and have a hard time letting others lead

4. Tend to try and be the center of discussion

5. When not affirmed by others I feel as undervalued and as though I'm unappreciated

6. Have a strong urge to know what's going on even though it's not my business

7. Like to share information that others don't know about

8. Arrogantly boast about myself and care little about others

9. Pretend to listen while in reality I'm tuned out

10. Ignore others when it isn't convenient for me

11. Easily become down when things either fail or don't go as planned...then in turn take my frustration out on others.

12. Loathe when what I'm doing is interrupted by someone

13. Tend to be disorganized and scatterbrained, and then blame someone else for my failure

14. Have a hard time gauging my words/energy/enthusiasm in right portions at right times

15. Tend to be lazy when planning, making sure that what I'm planning will be easy for me to execute without much work.

These are the ones that came right to me as I attempted this exercise. I desire to work hard on these weaknesses and make them things that no longer hinder my leadership, person hood, or relationship with God and others.

What areas of your life is God calling out of you?

Mad Church Disease

I picked this book up, because several of the blogs I read/follow mentioned it and most said it is a must read for all in ministry.

I, being a pastor was intrigued by the title and concept, which is all about overcoming (or not even falling) into burn out within ministry. As Pastors (or lay people, or just as believers) we are all in a battle that Satan doesn’t want us to win. He takes us out when and where he can. A HUGE aspect of his schemes is for certain the burn out epidemic.

In this book, Anne Jackson authentically shares her journey of ministry woes, where she too fell prey to Mad Church Disease (AKA Burnout). I immediately connected with Anne in a way I’ve related to only a few people, because I too am a PK (Pastor’s Kid). I automatically felt like she knew what I’ve gone through, so what she was going to say was right on.

I wasn’t disappointed either. Very early, she shares how her father was treated by the board of one church, where they were constantly trying to fire him…which in the end, it worked. This happened to my dad as well. The church system we were in then was the old school way of doing things. The church would pay your salary not based off of a specific “salary”, but based off of performance (if we’re honest). If you were doing good, the offering went up. If they didn’t like you (for whatever reason) the offering went down. The church tried to starve out our family by not giving to the offering. It was a rough time.

All that to say: I connected with Anne and understood where she was coming from. This happens very little with authors, and myself but I really enjoyed that aspect of reading Mad Church Disease.

The book is very well written and gives great advice, wisdom and personal testament on how to AVOID and OVERCOME burnout. Her symptoms checks helped me see that although I didn’t think I was suffering from Mad Church Disease…I had a bit of a “cough”. This book is definitely a must read for ministers…whether or not you feel you are burned out. It gives great tactics in which to avoid burnout…which are massively important!

You will laugh, maybe cry a bit but you will definitely walk away with something to hold onto. God is a good God and desires us to lean on Him, not ourselves in this battle. This book is a GREAT reminder of that fact. Thanks Anne.

Biblical Healing (Pt. 5)

One thing I think the church should focus on more in the way of healing is the power of emotional healing.

I touched on this idea when I was talking about the importance of authenticity in our sharing of sins to the elders and other believers (In Biblical Healing (Pt. 4)), but I didn’t make a direct connect yet to emotional healing.

Emotional healing is an essential part of healing for the church because there are some really hurting people that don’t think about asking for healing, because they’re not “sick” in the sense we may think; yet they are emotionally sick. Part of the local churches focus should be on dialoguing about emotional health and getting people both saved and healed of their emotional sicknesses.


I have had many encounters with Christ as healer. I will begin with my own, personal touch with this type of healing, and then I will discuss what I’ve SEEN when it comes to healing.


About 2 years ago, I went through a class called Personal Spiritual Formation at Nyack College led by Ron Walborn. Upon entering the semester, I thought I was a pretty well put-together individual.

Sure, I had problems but I was OK. When I was in the middle of the semester, God exposed a TON of my emotional sicknesses. I realized that I was sick and I needed to grieve the pains of my past, confess my issues and ask my brothers and sisters to pray for healing over me.

Long story short, God DID heal my emotionally wounded heart! I was transformed by his touch, a new creation ready to help others who don’t realize the sickness of their own hearts.

I can’t describe in words what God did for me that semester, all I can describe is the fact that I knew I was healed, I was prayed over by Ron and others to receive what God had for me. Shortly after, I began to be hungry for His word, reading the Bible, reading commentaries for fun and delving into Inspirational books written by authors like Lucado, Kimball, Driscoll, Nouwen, Chesterton, Miller and many more! I also began to write again, something I hadn’t done in years. I even began writing a book! God healed me tremendously.


The healing that I have SEEN is also pretty incredible. The summer after my sophomore year in high school, I headed to the Amazon Jungle in Peru for a month. There are numerous things that happened there that I could share, but this one is probably the best. We were in a medium sized village, planning out next service, when the speaker for the night became very sick. Vince was his name and he was throwing up and having the runs all day long. He couldn’t stand much less speak. We tried to get him medicine and we tried to get him some thing good for his stomach to drink, but nothing seemed to work. No one knew what to do, we was shut up in his tent and just wanted to be left alone. Then, all the sudden it dawned on my friend Curt to pray for healing for Vince. We all said that it couldn’t hurt, so we gathered around Vince’s tent. We asked him if he would want us to pray for healing. He said, "yea sure, I guess". So we began to pray. After we were done praying, one of us asked Vince if he believed he was healed to step out of the tent. Vince didn’t say anything but we heard the zipper on the tent and out walked Vince 100% recovered! That night, he talked about his miraculous healing and that night, many others received the healing of God!


Another story of healing which I was a witness too is about my friend Ben Templin. Ben received an extraordinary physical healing. He for all his life had braces on his legs and needed to use crutches to get around everywhere. He’d been praying for healing and people prayed for healing over and over again for him, but God didn’t answer right away. One evening at a healing service, Ben was sitting on the floor, praying to God when he heard God say to his heart, get up and take off your braces, then walk. Ben at first said that he doubted what was being said to him, but instead of ignoring it, he decided to listen and if it was wrong, then oh well. Ben was amazed at what happened! He stood up on his own and walked un-assisted for the first time in his life! Not only that, but his feet had never had feeling and that night in the shower, he burnt his foot! He felt the heat of the water for the first time!

I know from all the Scriptures and from my own experience that healing is real and for today! God has a desire for us to position ourselves by faith to receive what he has for us. May God continue to heal all of us and allow us to be a healing catalyst to this hurting world!

Biblical Healing (Pt. 4)

Prayer is important, because we are getting God involved in the fight, we’re saying I can’t do it and when we get the elders to pray for us as well, we’re saying I need help even praying.


Confession is important because it exposes our sin and the objects of our sin so God can throw them away. Take for example Jesus at the Temple courts (Matt. 21:12-17). He just entered into Jerusalem and goes to the temple courts and sees people buying and selling offerings. Jesus is totally ticked; he begins to throw the tables saying that they have made God’s house a den of thieves. This is a scary part of scripture, because it changes our view of God and Jesus, we think he’s totally peeved at the people and wishes he could throw them, but chooses the tables instead.

However, Jesus rather throws the OBJECTS of their sin. I think he’s mad at the deceiver, he hates the sin, his anger is burning against the sin and he is displaying his utter hatred of the sin to the sinners by throwing the table.

I can hear him saying: “ This is NOT what God wants for his house and this is NOT what God wants for you! So let me just get this out of your way!”

When we confess to one another, we are exposing our sins and the objects of our sin: the computer, the TV, the phone whatever it may be, we’re exposing it so God can throw it away and say: “This is NOT what I want for your life!”

Guess what? We don’t have to deal with it alone anymore, we have a brother or a sister to fight along side of us and wrestle with the sin, and us because God put them in our lives to help us.

However this can only come if we decide to expose our sin. We can expose it to God, but we have no earthly accountability and eventually we’ll slip back into the unhealthy pattern. God desires to heal both body and soul!

I could continue to harp on this idea of confessing our sins to one another, not only in the context of healing, nor only to our elders, but as a continual practice with our brothers and sisters. It creates a transparent, authentic atmosphere where we can come to know others, ourselves and God better.

I think so much of this concept that I am currently writing a book on the topic, which is highlighted heavily in 1 John 1:5-2:14. It is a point of healing that I think the church as a whole overlooks, yet it is right in the middle of a passage we often use to teach about healing! When we confess our sins to one another, we not only receive fellowship (1 John 1:1-10) but healing (James 5)!

What does this all translate to for healing ministry in the local church? The local church should definitely hold to the scriptures that lay out how we should practice such healing.

However, there are still the miraculous healings of the unsaved that need to be addressed. The people Jesus healed were more often than not, un-believers with a “faith-inkling” that he could help.

They cried out for healing and received it. The church should be the catalyst for such healing! If the church isn’t willing to heal the ailing saved AND unsaved of the World, where will they get such healing?

The answer is they won’t.

Bailey talks about the two types of healing available to the world; the Children’s Bread (part of the atonement and a mercifully generous gift from God to His children) and the miraculous healings of the unsaved. I am totally on board this line of thinking. These should be the focal points of healing for the church. God has some amazing healing for us, both physically and emotionally. We need to seek God, position ourselves and get ready for His amazing healing.

Biblical Healing (Pt. 3)

This also is where I believe “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” comes in. A righteous man will always be seeking to position himself rightly with the Lord, which is why he is considered righteous! He will be praying for the Lord’s will to come about!

The example that the Scriptures gives of Elisha is due to his righteous plea, that God show himself to Israel and Elisha prays that God will do this in shutting off the rain. This is a righteous prayer, because Elisha was positioning himself to receive what God had for him; God desired to reveal himself, Elisha just prayed the how!


Let me also say that God can and will heal however, whenever he wants! James 5 is by no means a “box” for the healing of Christ! I have seen numerous healings and heard from friends of mine of healings that definitely happened outside of the elders praying for the infirm of their flock! I will get into that a little later.

First though, one cannot talk about James 5 and not mention the two other huge aspects, which bring about the healing God desires for us. The first is the anointing of oil by the elders and the second being the confession of sins.


The anointing oil goes back to the beginning of the Old Testament (OT). We see the idea first appears in Exodus, in which the priests are supposed to be bathed in this oil in order to set them a part for the ministry, which God has called them to. Exodus goes on to tell how the oil is made, what goes into it, the amounts etc. It is a part of the consecration process for Aaron and all the priests that follow him.

Here is the passage: “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels [c] of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin [d] of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. Then use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. "Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Say to the Israelites, 'this is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people'” (Exodus 30:22-33).

If we will be cut off from all people by putting this oil on anyone other than a priest, why would God ask the elders to anoint the sick with oil?

I believe that after the death of Christ, when the temple curtain ripped and tore down the middle, this is another thing that “changed”.

The oil as was stated before was a symbol of consecration. It was admittance that I need covering; it was the covering of God! As I study this concept, I see a great correlation to the anointing oil and the Holy Spirit, which was sent to us AFTER Christ’s death.

Christ mentions the coming of the Spirit several times (John 14,15 and 16) and the correlation of His coming to his own death.

I believe that the anointing oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit covering the person who has sought out prayer, consecrating them to the will of the Lord. Further positioning them for the will of God to come about in their lives.

Keith Bailey in his book Divine Healing: The Children’s Bread says it this way “The anointing oil symbolizes the direct and immediate work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit, not the oil gives life to the body” (pg. 135).

Also, the coming to the elders doesn’t say that the elders are more holy or that they are sages or healers, but when they pray and position themselves and the member before the Lord, the Lord is the receiver of the glory!

The second huge aspect about healing in James 5 is the confession of sins. If we are sick, we’re supposed to call the elders so they can also pray for us. However, we not only have to admit this sickness to God, and ourselves but to the elders of the church, so they too can pray on our behalf.

James 5:15 gives both hope as well as a shock. Here it says that the sick person will become well with the prayer of faith but it also says: “If he has sinned, he will be forgiven”. The shock here is that the scripture is saying that this malady may have been caused due to sin. Not saying that all illness is a result of sin, but saying for a fact that sin can and sometimes will cause you to become sick. (We also see this in Matt. 9:2 when Jesus heals a sick person, but doesn’t just say OK, now your body is better, he says now your sins are forgiven!)

This concept brings our health in a whole new perspective doesn’t it?

It to me says that God cares more about the healing of my soul than the healing of my body and in fact they may coincide with one another!

James 5:16 goes even deeper in the first portion: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed”. The therefore is saying: since you now know that sin can also cause sickness, and prayer can cause healing confess to each other as well as pray for each other so that you may be healed!

This is TRUE healing, both body and soul.

Biblical Healing (Pt. 2)

Another important aspect of healing is prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool that we as believers possess!

The scriptures are full of references on the power of prayer, the direction of prayer the purpose of prayer and the sheer connection to God that prayer brings. James is among the books of the Bible that describes prayer. James also connects the act of prayer to healing.

The Scripture says: “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:14-16).

These few verses are extremely important to understanding Christ as our Healer. They are also extremely important for us who lead Christ’s church in how we are to use healing in our churches.

The fact that Christ is a healer is indisputable, due to his many miraculous healing encounters.

The question for us today is how do we do “Even more than He did” (John 14:12)? I believe the answer lies here in James 5.

Erikson, an excellent theologian in his book Introducing Christian Doctrine describes prayer as this: “…prayer does not change what he has purposed to do. It is the means by which he accomplishes his end. It is vital then, that a prayer be uttered, for without it the desired result will not come to pass” (pg. 144).

Later he says, “…[prayer] is not a method of creating a positive mental attitude in ourselves so that we are able to do what we have asked to have done. Rather, prayer is in large part a matter of creating in ourselves a right attitude with respect to God’s will” (pg. 144).


So, when we are praying, we are not “tricking” God into doing what we want, we are simply positioning ourselves so we can receive fully what He wants.

The same is with the prayer of healing. When the elders (the Spiritual covering of a member) pray for a member, they are positioning themselves and the member to receive whatever God has for them. God’s answers may vary from “I will heal now” to “It is more merciful of me to allow him to die of this illness”. He also may say, “I will heal in my time” or “I will begin healing now and continue the healing”.

The reason James calls the members to their elders, is an act of submission, so they can better position themselves to receive whatever God would desire for them to receive.

This is an amazing part of God’s healing and is very similar to the types of healing that Christ did on Earth. Jesus was constantly quoted as saying: “Your faith has healed you” or similar statements.

If a member were to follow these verses, the elders would be right in saying: “Your faith has healed you” because they, in faith brought the matter before their elders, in such a way that they were positioning themselves to receive the healing God desired for them. Had they not had such faith, God may or may not have healed them, just as Jesus didn’t heal those in the crowd that did not seek him out.

Keith Bailey in his book Divine Healing: The Children’s Bread puts it this way: “No limitations were placed on His [Jesus’] healing ministry on earth. Unbelief was the only recorded hindrance to healing” (pg.101).


TO BE CONTINUED...

Biblical Healing (Pt. 1)

Healing has been a much-debated topic in the history of Christianity. Questions such as: is it for today? Come up often in the discussions of healing.

One such question, which was a debated topic, was whether or not healing was in the atonement of Christ. Was it part of his work on the cross as Matthew 8:17 seems to suggest, or is there a different meaning to all this?

Matthew 8:17 says: “This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah ‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.’” What this seems to be implying is that on the cross, at the time of the atonement, not only did Christ take up our sins but he also took up our sicknesses.

A.B. Simpson in his book The Gospel of Healing says: “…the only “surely” in this chapter is the promise of healing; the very strongest possible statement of complete redemption from pain and sickness by His life and death and the very words which Evangelist afterward quotes, under inspired guidance of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 8:17) as the explanation of His universal works of healing”

An early co-worker with Simpson, R. Kelso Carter says: “The clear meaning is, that Jesus did take upon Himself our diseases and our mental trouble, in precisely the same way that He “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (The Atonement for Sin and Sickness pg. 32).

Others during this time did not fully agree with these statements, saying that the cross did not, in the same manner take up our sickness as it did our sins. They argue that sin was defeated on the cross completely for those who believe, yet disease, and sickness still attack the believer.

Those opposed to the sickness bearing just as the sin bearing couldn’t see how the atonement eliminated sickness as it did sin. Keith Bailey in his book Divine Healing: The Children’s Bread digs deep into this ideology. He uses the same quotes as I do above. I believe he writes out a perfect description of what’s going on (taking both views into account). He says: “The Scriptures state that healing is in the atonement but they do not disclose how healing is in the atonement…Physical healing is not necessarily available to God’s people because the body is included in the atonement”.

He continues on the next page (pg. 57) “Ballard rightly concludes that while atonement is the proper procuring cause of physical healing as a redemptive benefit to believers, the availability of healing now is based on propositional statements in the Scriptures…No one would argue the fact that the translation of the believer is in the atonement, but that fact is not sufficient to claim that blessing anytime”. Bailey concludes his thoughts with this: “The promises and instructions as to how healing may be attained provide abundant proof that physical healing is available today for God’s people” (pg. 57).

So, how is healing in the atonement? I believe that through the work of these men as well as reading through Matt. 8:17 healing of sicknesses is in fact similar to that of the redemption from sin that the atonement brings.

When Christ died on the cross and took our sin, he also took our sickness, which can indeed be caused by personal sin (James 5:15).

Sickness is also the result of the fall, because Genesis clearly shows that God desired us to live forever without sickness.

Yet, when Adam and Eve sinned, the result was death; and sickness I believe came right along with it.

Even after accepting the atonement, the believer can still sin.

Similarly, the believer can still get sick. Healing is available to the believer as a part of the atonement, but it doesn’t always mean it will come any time as Bailey says.

Jesus View On Church (Pt. 5)

Paul does give a charge to both men as to what they are to focus on. This gives us the role of the lead pastor of a church. This is where we see leadership and authority in the Body. Paul outlines a lot of directives in 1 Timothy 4:1-16; 6:11-21 about what Timothy (and in my mind all lead pastors) should be about. Once such directive is for Timothy to: “Until I come, devote yourself to public reading of Scripture, to preaching and teaching…” (1 Timothy 4:11).


The Christian and Missionary Alliance fits more of the Presbyterian mode of governance, which is from what I can find the most Biblical way to govern the church of our Lord. Authority within the church body is given to the Senior (Lead) Pastor to preach the Word, teach the Word and lead the church with the Vision God has given him. He is the leader seeking out what God has for the congregation in which he leads. He is the upfront leader. Also, within the church the congregation brings forth names for the election of elder, deacon and overseer who have all the qualities laid down by 1 Timothy 3.


Within the C&MA, there is also higher oversight than simply within the church alone. This keeps the entire church body in check. The constituted authority laid down by the C&MA is thus: The National Office, District Office, and Local Church. The local church is overseen by the District Office in which it finds itself, the National Office then oversees the District Office. These are amazing checks and balances that allow the church as a whole to function better than if it were a single standing church. This ensures a flow of healthy living for all churches, pastors and leaders within the C&MA. Are there still issues? Yes! However, this system of governance allows for less.


In 1 Corinthians, Paul describes how the church is the Body of Christ and how just as in a normal human body, there are many parts that do different things, so it is with the Church.
Some have different gifts than others and it is this that allows the church to function best.


Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:27-31)

This to me is the relationship among the members of the church. We are all one Body, given to different gifts, but we all operate under the same Spirit, which is the Spirit of God. Even the Pastor is under this Spirit, so his leadership is headed by Christ, just as ours is. Christ is the head of our churches, not man. We have a governance to check and balance the men in control, but ultimately we are the Bride of Christ and his to lead, we as pastors are simply stewards. This is how members interact as a singular body, we recognize the headship of Jesus, realize we all have different parts to play, and then seek out what it is Christ has for us to play out. The leader gives the call to a vision, the elders, deacons and overseers lead the vision and the members seek out from Christ where their giftings fit into making the vision that has been set before them come alive!

Members are the engines to the car, while Christ is the driver. We are what God uses to get His will done on earth. The pastor is the head lights that God turns on to show the vision (which is the road), because Christ knows the road, we just need Him to turn on the headlights so we can see where God is taking us. We all have a part to play in this grand Body constructed by God, we just need to seek out what part we are to play.


The way the C&MA is governed is one of the main reasons I chose to work in the Alliance. We as a denomination have skillfully set up governance that allows Christ to be the Head, whilst others can find their place in the narrative of this life. Running the denomination with a missional focus and giving each individual district and church the freedom to do that best where they are is amazing! Most denominations make standards not only on what the mission is, but how to get it done, which causes problems for different areas of the country because modes are different everywhere. This I believe the C&MA has taken from Paul’s motto: “be all things to all people”, all the while continuing to maintain the great call of Matthew 28:18-19!

Jesus View On Church (Pt.4)

With the purpose and mission clearly stated as well as the relationship of the church to Christ, how then shall we govern ourselves?


Looking at the early church in the book of Acts, we see a group of people, dedicated to certain things. Acts 2:42-47 describes the early church succinctly: “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”.

They were concerned with what Christ was concerned with. They seemed to govern themselves as such: The apostles/disciples were the leaders of the church; they preached and taught the other believers. The rest of the early church pitched in where needed and as directed by the disciples. Soon the church grew very large and the disciples put in place deacons to serve the people, so they could continue preaching and teaching (Acts 6:1-17).

They not only were the teachers of the church, but they were also evangelists, telling the Gospel to all who would listen.

Soon the church was scattered and spread throughout different provinces and areas. Paul, once converted began preaching the Gospel all around Rome and Greece as well as Israel. This is where church governance changed, because there was no longer a small group of local church members, but this God ordained “Church” was all over, spread across countries. Each pocket needed to develop order and leadership.


Throughout church history, there have been numerous governing outlines. Erickson in Biblical Doctrine calls the forms: Episcopal, Presbyterian, Congregational and Nongovernmental. He goes on to describe each one in turn, but all are soundly rooted from the Scriptures. Some of the best Scriptures on church leadership and authority are found in Paul’s letters to his young pastors: Timothy and Titus. Before we delve into the different forms and describe which one best fits the Christian and Missionary Alliance, I think it would be right to see what Paul laid down for his young pastors in way of church governance.


In all three letters (2 to Timothy and 1 to Titus), Paul describes them as the leader and shepherd of the particular churches they are in. In today’s governance terms, Paul was calling these men the Senior Pastors of the church. He then instructed these men on how to choose among the congregation leaders who could help them lead their church. He lays down specific attributes these men must have in order to fill this type of church office. Paul however, never in these two books gives a description of what they would be doing within this area of leadership (the "what they do" is found within the books of Acts, which we will explore in a different post).

They are called by Paul overseers (also known as Bishops) and deacons; we’ve seen some roles filled out by the early church in Acts with those who would be considered overseers or deacons.

One role, which was laid down BY the Elders was the distribution of food to the widows, in which the Apostles elected members to handle this important work. Again, even the election of these men was a mystery. How were these men chosen or by whom? We know they had to have these qualities, so one would assume they were recommended from within the body. We in the American church have taken to this in a democratic fashion and have elections of officials; all who have been proven to have the qualities laid down in 1 Timothy and Titus.

Jesus View On Church (Pt.3)

As stated before, Christ is the head of the Church, as a husband is the head of his household. Ephesians 5:22-23 says: “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” (emphasis mine).

So then, what is the church’s relationship to Christ with Him as the head? The same as the wives is to the husband, for Ephesians 5:24 says: “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” This means that the church is constantly looking to Christ to guide them, lead them and transform them. Christ is the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4)!

Two great things mentioned already can assist in this: following the example of Christ while he was on earth and listening to the Spirit of God. The Church is the Bride of Christ! He has wooed us, called us and wed us as his own.

Revelation 9 speaks of the wedding of Christ to His bride and that bride is the church. We are to be in constant relationship with Him, hearing his voice, following His leading and going to the ends of the earth to proclaim Him among the nations. Christ has the authority of all Heaven and Earth, and in that authority gave the church a command: “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:18-19 emphasis mine).


In Millard J. Erickson’s Christian Doctrine, he gives 5 implications of the church. They are in my opinion great descriptors of the Church; it’s mission and purpose. I will summarize Erickson’s 5 implications.

“1. The church is not to be conceived of primarily as a sociological phenomenon, but as a divinely established institution; 2. The church exists because of its relationship to the Triune God; 3. The church is the continuation of the Lord’s presence and ministry in the world; 4. The church is to be a fellowship of regenerate believers who display the spiritual qualities of their Lord; 5. While the church is a divine creation, it is made up of imperfect humans”.

Erickson’s third implication is the one I continue to come back to again and again. We, the church are God’s continuing presence to this dark world, set on a Holy mission to bring others into the fold of God’s garment!


TO BE CONTINUED...

Jesus View On Church (Pt. 2)

What does this boil the churches mission and purpose down to? I believe that through the Scriptures that record the life of Jesus, as well as his instruction through Himself and the other authors of the Bible we can boil our mission and purpose down to this: Through the Power of the Holy Spirit; Be a unified Body of Believers Under one Head, Christ (1 Cor. 1:10-17; 3:1-9; 11:17-19; 12:12-13; 12:26 Ephesians 4:1-6; 11-16; Colossians 1:16-18; 2:9-10) who seek out and save the lost (Matthew 9:12; Luke 19:10), develop them into disciples who make disciples (Evangelize, Baptize and Teach) (Matthew 28:18-19), heal the sick and broken (James 5:13-20), aid the poor, feed the hungry (James 2:14-26), take care of widows and orphans (James 1), desire to serve rather than to be served (Mark 10:45 & Philippians 2:5-10), Love God with all your: Heart; Soul and Mind and Love your neighbor as Yourself (Luke 10:27).

These are all admonitions from Scripture and Christ Himself. They are NOT at all easy to carry out, that is why Christ sent us the Promised Holy Spirit! In and of ourselves, we would absolutely fail at this job.

We are imperfect people trying to lead imperfect people to Holiness.

For this very reason, Christ sent the Holy Spirit into our midst, so we could as he did live by the Spirit. It is my firm belief that Christ came as fully man and fully God, but did his miracles using the Holy Spirit, so we as His Body could use Him as an example as to how we can tap into the power that the Holy Spirit has for our lives. We, however don’t always choose to live through the power we have, we tend to live like the woman who only used her electricity so she could see to light her candles. She has the power, yet she doesn’t use it. This is good picture of the church. We have the Power of the Holy Spirit we just don’t use it.

TO BE CONTINUED