From Hitler

From Hitler

From Hitler's Wolves to Christ's Lambs

They walked to the gallows together, pastor and penitent. Each step up took them closer to the fall—the abbreviated, fatal fall to come. As the criminal stood above the trapdoor that, moments later, would open to rope him into eternity, an officer asked him if he had any final words. "I place all my confidence in the Lamb who made atonement for my sins," he said. "May God have mercy on my soul."

Then, turning toward the man who had been the shepherd of his soul during his incarceration—the man who had been his confessor, his preacher, and the one from whose hand he had received the body and blood of Jesus in the Lord's Supper, he said, "I'll see you again." Then noosed, hooded in black, and legs tied, he dropped out of this world into another.

Different Kingdom: Connections and Calling

Different Kingdom: Connections and Calling: This is a really tough one. I think it lies at the heart both of our own personal growth and the functioning of an effective, growing church...

What Makes a Full Atonement Full?

What Makes a Full Atonement Full?

I can illustrate the relationship between the theories with a cake. Christus Victor is the cake itself—the thing that Jesus was doing on the cross. Penal substitution supplies the ingredients, the flour and sugar. And moral influence and example are the frosting, the lingering sweetness of our great salvation. The cross assures us that we are loved, and it motivates us to love others as God has loved us.

Christus Victor explains why Jesus died, penal substitution explains how his death worked, and the double-sided moral influence and example theories explain what we should do in response.

WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN ABOUT JESUS, PRAYER, MISSION, AND LOVING PEOPLE Judah Smith »

View the What I Wish I Had Known about ______ series

Judah Smith talks about timing his prayers, saving the world, and what he wishes he had known about Jesus, prayer, mission, and loving people. Pastor Judah is the exclusive live speaker at theResurgence Conference broadcast location in Bellevue, WA.

WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN ABOUT JESUS

I wish I had known that Jesus is first, and Jesus is enough.

When I was a youth pastor, I remember talking with a lot of young men about issues they were going through. My stock answers to their problems were prayer, Bible reading, and sheer grit: “You’re struggling with purity issues? How much are you praying every day? Ok, pray twice that much, read your Bible—three times in the Old and two in the New—and I’ll see you next week.”

My intentions were good, but my advice missed the point. I thought that if I focused on righteousness and behavior, people would grow closer to Jesus. In reality, it’s when people grow closer to Jesus that true change happens.

We don’t expect good things because we are good—but because Jesus is good

Matthew 11:29–30 says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” As I’ve come to know who Jesus is and what he has done for me, my focus has shifted from my sin to his grace and from my works to his perfect, finished work. Now I understand: Jesus is enough.

WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN ABOUT PRAYER

I wish I would have known that prayer is about intimacy, not about impressing God.

I remember asking a new believer years ago how much he prayed every day. He looked at me blankly. “I don’t know—I’ve never timed it. Do you time your prayers?” It was an honest question, and I was embarrassed to realize I did time my prayers, and that that number was actually pretty important to me. For me, my prayer time represented my spirituality and therefore my right to expect good things from God.  

It’s when people grow closer to Jesus that true change happens

But I was wrong. We don’t expect good things because we are good. What a depressing, dead-end way to live! We expect good things from God because Jesus is good, and he is our righteousness.

One of my dad’s favorite passages was Matthew 7:11, and the longer I pastor (and the longer I parent my three kids) the more profound it becomes: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN ABOUT MISSION

I wish I had known that our mission as individuals and as a church isn’t complicated: it’s simply to show people who Jesus is. I love the simple way Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus (John 1:45–46). To paraphrase: “Hey Nathanael, we found the Messiah. Come and see for yourself!”

Our “mission” doesn’t have to be a ten-letter acronym, a three-part alliterated statement, or a doctrinal thesis. We just show people Jesus. It’s a privilege, it’s fun, and it’s way less pressure than carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders.

When Jesus looked at people, he didn’t see them through the filter of their sin

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not criticizing detailed mission statements or well-thought-out strategy. I believe God gives each church and ministry a specific calling and he reveals to us in detail what he wants us to accomplish.

But the bottom line is that our mission is more about Jesus than about us. I’m not smart enough to figure out how to save the world, my country, or even my city. The very idea is exhausting. But I can show people who Jesus is: one day at a time and one person at a time.

WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN ABOUT LOVING PEOPLE

I wish I had known that it’s okay to love people even though they are still sinning. That sounds like a no-brainer, so let me explain.

I know I’m supposed to love everyone. I’m a Christian, and besides that I’m a pastor, so it’s pretty much in my job description. But in the past, especially when it came to people with blatant problems such as addictions or sexual sins, I felt like the relationships had to be filtered by their sin. I couldn’t enjoy their friendship or celebrate their successes without qualifying everything with, “Hey, that’s great and all, but you know, God wants you to change in this area.”

Our mission isn’t complicated: it’s simply to show people who Jesus is

But Jesus was actually famous for enjoying the company of sinners. Just look at the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Jesus clearly cared more about this man’s salvation than about his sin. He wanted his heart first, not his behavior.

When Jesus looked at people, he didn’t see them through the filter of their sin. He saw them through the filter of his grace. He knew he was the answer for their sin, and that freed him to love them right where they were. Sooner or later their behavior would catch up to the relationship.

I know we need to help each other grow in Christ, and I know there are times to confront sin. But that is not our first priority. We are called to love like Jesus: an ongoing, unconditional, extravagant, and even scandalous love toward those who deserve it least.

David Vigil: The Decapitated Church

David Vigil: The Decapitated Church

"Christians are being attacked just because of their faith", says Archbishop of Canterbury | World | News | Daily Express

"Christians are being attacked just because of their faith", says Archbishop of Canterbury | World | News | Daily Express

10 Diseases That Make Churches Unhealthy

10 Diseases That Make Churches Unhealthy

Person of Interest’s interest in the person

Person of Interest’s interest in the person

Different Kingdom: Connections and Continuity

Different Kingdom: Connections and Continuity: I still can't stop thinking about connections. And I have recently had a number of significant conversations with people about this; so ...

LEADING VOLUNTEERS, PART 1: WHY AND WHO

Brandon Andersen » Scripture Church Leadership Wisdom Coaching

Why are we recruiting volunteers in the first place? Who are these people we’re recruiting? In this first of a two-part series, Mars Hill Deacon Brandon Andersen will cover some of practical tools to help organize and lead volunteers with a mind toward ministering to the volunteers themselves.

The most common mistake in leading volunteers is over-prioritizing a ministry objective and under-prioritizing the development of the volunteers themselves. A volunteer ministry is just as much about ministering to the actual volunteers as it is being in what they are doing. Balancing the two is the key to a healthy, fruitful volunteer ministry. I have been leading and utilizing hundreds of volunteers for many years and learned a lot of tough lessons along the way.

THE WHY

“Why are we doing this in the first place?”

Before you and your ministry team set out to do something, it’s a good rule of thumb to pin down why you’re doing it in the first place.

IT HAS TO BE FOR JESUS

Jesus needs to be the motivation for your team, and vision is the instrument to lead them there. A lot of what volunteers do is not glamorous, so if they don’t understand the importance and impact, their motivation will drift. Always begin with vision that what they are doing is to serve God out of gratitude and to serve his people. This needs to be established before you move to expectation and imperative.

IT’S ALSO FOR THE VOLUNTEERS

When recruiting, if you feel like you are twisting someone’s arm into volunteering, then you have the wrong view of serving. You are inviting them to be sanctified as they learn to serve like Jesus and participate in the work he is doing (Rom. 12:1–2). If you truly believe that it is for their good, your “recruiting” will turn into “inviting” and you will yield a better response.

THE WHO

Who will lead and who is being impacted?

GET THE RIGHT LEADER

You could have the best system in the world and the wrong leader and it will fail. Or you could have a horrible system and the right leader, and it will succeed. I am in no way advocating bad systems. I would however advocate for simple systems that allow right leader to get in place quickly, and enough flexibility to utilize their unique gifts.

MAKE GOOD, STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS

Invest in a few key people well, rather than many people poorly. In my experience, you can only invest well into about a half a dozen people at a time before you efforts become diluted. If you try to be everything to everyone, you will exhaust yourself and/or no one will be led well. Focus on the development of a few key leaders and teach them how to lead well through your example, so they can turn around and the same.

DON’T FORCE IT

Don’t try to make the wrong leader into the right leader by doubling your effort.

If you have leaders on your team who are OK with being unreliable, mediocre, and passing the blame, address this immediately and make adjustments as necessary. You will exhaust yourself trying to be someone else’s motivation. If they are not motivated enough by Jesus, then you probably need to remove them from leadership (Col. 3:23–24). I have spent months trying to make the wrong leader work, and when I replaced the leader, things turned around almost overnight.

This said, don’t give up on the removed leader: either place them under an inspired leader, or find a different role that more adequately suits their gifts.

DON’T RUN FROM PEOPLE’S LIVES

People are messy and amazing—usually at the same time. Don’t be afraid to get in the trenches and walk with them through their struggles (Prov. 27:23). It is ministry, after all. Remember, part of your ministry is to the volunteers themselves (Rom. 12:9–15).

DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT YOUR TEAM

If a volunteer skips a week of volunteering, don’t just assume it’s because they are lazy, but make sure you know the whole story (Prov. 25:8). It is more about their hearts than your objective. I would suggest the following dialogue:

Leader: “Hey, I noticed you missed last week, is everything alright?”

Volunteer: “Yeah, why?”

Leader: “Oh, since you missed last week, I figured something was wrong.”

It is kind of sneaky, but it also shows you care and communicates importance.

LEAD WITH STORIES OF WHO IS BEING CHANGED

The church has a lot of moving parts, all serving different purposes that impact countless lives. Not everyone gets to see the harvest, and some roles are simply farming. Volunteers need to hear stories about the fruits of their labor to reinforce importance of their role.

In the next post, Brandon will address the methods of what and how.

Convicted Anti-Christian Domestic Terrorist Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

Convicted Anti-Christian Domestic Terrorist Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

Recovering From Church Burns: Advice for the Wounded

Recovering From Church Burns: Advice for the Wounded

If you've been burned by a pastor, you need a pastor. 

 

"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'” (1 Pet. 5:1-5, ESV).

Different Kingdom: Dealing with Disconnection

Different Kingdom: Dealing with Disconnection: I have said that I think God is doing something in terms of realigning parts of his Body in the UK for his purposes in our generation. I don...

Christian Piatt: Five Things that are Holding Christianity Back | Red Letter Christians

Christian Piatt: Five Things that are Holding Christianity Back | Red Letter Christians

I’m often asked about what trends I see within Christianity, both good and bad. So in my ongoing effort to help name trends and offer an alternative way of thinking about our faith, here are the five biggest things I’ve seen that tend to keep us from doing our best work as the living, breathing body of Christ in the world today.

Church Buildings - Many of our church buildings were established in a time when Christianity was booming numerically in the United States. We could hardly keep up with the growth, happening all around us. Understandably, churches popped up where the people were too, drawing many away from their old downtown churches to a more convenient suburban community. But as our numbers have dwindled – combined with the fact the we’re a much more mobile society now that ever before – many churches are becoming monuments to what has long since passed. They have become an albatross rather than an asset.

In some cases, these financial burdens are being turned back into the soil as they are sold off, repurposed or given away to those who can do something relevant and exciting with them. For example, our new church start in southern Colorado benefitted from the gift of an old church building that hadn’t been occupied by one of our denomination’s congregations in more than fifteen years. In Amarillo, a church finally closed its doors and sold off their property, only to have it reinvested by their region into what is now called Chalice Abbey. With it, they are doing all kinds of nontraditional – and yet creatively sustainable – kinds of work within the community.

- See more at: http://www.redletterchristians.org/five-things-holding-christianity-back/#sthash.naqfqIJf.dpuf