Fan or Follower?

I am currently reading a book entitled, “Not a Fan” written by Kyle Idleman. It’s riveting. The premise is that too often we are only fans of Jesus, when instead we are called to be a completely committed follower of Jesus. There is a big difference. A fan is “an enthusiastic admirer”. Idleman says it’s “the guy who goes to the football game with no shirt and a painted chest. He sits in the stands and cheers for his team, but he’s never in the game. He knows the stats of all the players but he doesn't know the players. He yells and cheers, but nothing is really required of him. There is no sacrifice he has to make. And if the team starts to let him down by having a few off seasons, you can expect him to jump off the fan wagon and start cheering for some other team.”

Jesus has a lot of fans today. Fans who cheer for him when things are going well, but walk away when it’s a difficult season. Fans who sit safely in the stands cheering, but they know nothing of the sacrifice and pain of the field. Fans of Jesus who know all about him, but they don’t know Him. Idleman says, “My concern is that many of our churches in America have gone from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums. The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them”.

Jesus was never interested in having fans. In fact, one of the most sobering passages of Scripture is Matthew 7.  Jesus tells of a day when everyone who has ever lived will stand before God. Many who call themselves Christians and identify themselves as followers will  stand and say to him, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then His response will be 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'  Ouch.

Things I Like About Being a Pastor

1. Seeing lives transformed. This is why I "signed up" for this job. The Holy Spirit still does miracles today when grace is experienced. This is the greatest joy in ministry.
2. Preaching. This can help to bring about transformed lives. God's Word promises it will not come back void. It is alive and powerful.
3. Worship.  It's awesome to lead a group of people in singing praises to our Creator.
4. Personal evangelism. To be able to walk alongside someone who has never experienced the Good News is exciting.
5. The people/members. It's a joy to enter into Kingdom work with fellow-laborers who are truly "on fire" for the Lord.
6. Ministering in the community. To me, church takes place Monday through Saturday. It's more important what we do outside of the church building.
7. Ministering to members. It's an honor to walk beside someone who is going through a difficult time. We've all been there.
8. Casting a vision. This one can be a little scary, but when a group of committed Jesus followers get it, look out world!!
9. Staff relationships. I am blessed and thankful to have Taric and Pam to work with, otherwise it would be very lonely.

Highlight from Convention (Pt 2)

The second highlight I experienced at MCUSA's Convention in Phoenix this year was being asked by Dustin Galyon of Hesston College to co-lead a workshop. It was entitled, "So Dude, You're a Mennonite". Neither Dustin nor I are from a Mennonite background yet we serve and worship in this context. We each shared our stories as to how we arrived here. The room was packed - mostly because Dustin has given this talk before and he is an energetic and passionate speaker. The youth love him!

We challenged the attendees not to get so caught up in the "Mennonite thing" (which can create obstacles and hurdles for people), but instead focus on what it means to follow Jesus and live as citizens of the heavenly kingdom. I challenged the group to elevate the conversation above denominations (because that tends to separate us and can lead to pride) - and to instead, focus on what we have in common; being eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I referenced Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11 which state that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, there is neither Mennonite or non-Mennonite" (OK, so I embellished the words of Paul a bit), "for you are all one in Christ Jesus". You don't have to be "Mennonite" to be a Christian (which means "little Christ"). We are called to imitate Christ.

You can listen to the entire workshop by clicking here

Highlights from Convention 2013 (Pt.1)

There were two highlights I experienced recently at MCUSA's Convention in Phoenix this year. In this blog, I will share the first one:

In the combined service on July 3^rd, Terry Shue and Nancy Kaufman invited all pastors and conference ministers to come forward to receive a blessing of affirmation. This was a nice surprise. We were each given a sticker with “I said YES” on it. People were encouraged to stop and ask us: Why we said yes and what keeps us saying yes.

Any pastor will tell you that you don't hear affirmation nearly as much as you hear criticism (and this eats you up inside). As I was standing up front, a fellow pastor leaned over said this was God’s answer to his morning prayer because he had been struggling with affirmation. He just wanted to know that he was doing a good job. He just "happened" to be reading Matthew 25:23 that morning that says “Well done, good and faithful servant..” With tears in his eyes, he said, “I guess this is God’s answer to my prayer”. 

As we walked back to our seats (after applause and thanks from the crowd), many people gave us high fives on the way back to our seats. 

Advice on Work, Career, and Success...

Speaking to a secular audience on MSNBC's Morning Joe show, Tim Keller offered the following advice on work, careers, and success:

When you make your work your identity … if you're successful it destroys you because it goes to your head. If you're not successful it destroys you because it goes to your heart—it destroys your self-worth. [Faith in Christ] gives you an identity that's not in work or accomplishment, and that gives you insulation against the weather changes. If you're successful, you stay humble. If you're not successful, you have some ballast …. Work is a great thing when it is a servant instead of a lord.

Looking Outside of Ourselves

Here is a question I was asked recently: "What is Bellwood doing to meet the needs of our community?" I had trouble answering this because I didn't exactly know. Another question was: "What are the needs of our community?" I am embarrassed to say, I didn't know the answer to this question either. Then, of course, not being able to answer either question made me question my leadership abilities and begin to get down in the dumps.

A few days later I came across an article entitled "Beyond Groundhog Day" by Brad Powell. Remember that movie with Bill Murray? Every day is exactly the same for him. Nothing changes. Same ole, same ole and then all of a sudden, one day his outlook changes and it's a new day. It feels like Groundhog Day many times in the church, but as the article said, "Our reality is defined by the Resurrection, not the tomb."

The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is present in us - in the church. I love what the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us". This verse gives me renewed hope. This verse excites me. What is it that we haven't even imagined that God might want to do through us?

Powell says, "The reason church starts to fail is because over time the church tends to turn inward - to focus on pleasing those on the inside. They stop reaching out to the lost. As a result a church becomes a comfortable museum of what God once did rather than an example of what God still does." He goes on to say that "we must get excited about people finding Christ than anything else. After all, God does. Luke 15:7 says, "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent."

What are some things we need to "imagine"? What are some things we need to "ask"? How can we better see this power at work and unleash it?

Another look at Romans 8:28

We are continuing to look at Romans 8:28 that says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them".

 God never wastes anything that happens to us in life. His goal is to use it all to make us into the image of His Son.

"The events of your life work together in God’s purpose for your life. They are not isolated acts but interdependent parts of the process to make you like Christ. Treating life as a series of disconnected episodes is a habit deeply rooted in many of us. We discern no pattern in the experiences and events coming from outside ourselves. We seem content to live life as a series of uncoordinated happenings. The dark riddle of life is illuminated in Jesus; the meaning, purpose, and goal of everything that happens to us, and the way to make it all count can be learned only from the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Living with this awareness is the key that unlocks the door to grasping the meaning of existence. All day and every day we are being reshaped into the image of Christ. Everything that happens to us is orchestrated to this end. Nothing exists outside of Him or is irrelevant, or without significance". (Colossians 1:16)

Brennan Manning, "Abba's Child" p. 109