Intentional Church Growth

Some thoughts from pastor Brandon Cox about the urgency to be intentional:

If we fail to intentionally be the church, we will unintentionally just do church.

If we fail to intentionally make disciples, we will unintentionally just make fans.

If we fail to intentionally be authentic, we will unintentionally just perform.

If we fail to intentionally embrace all people, we will unintentionally play favorites.

If we fail to intentionally be generous, we will unintentionally consume everything.

So what should we do? How do we stop our drift and shift out of autopilot? With focus, intention, and effort, we need to:

• Check our hearts and our motives.
• Remind ourselves of the mission often.
• Repeat the vision regularly.
• Keep Jesus at the center.
• Put people before the organization.
• Do it all with a sense of desperation.
  

What number are you?

I am at 16,516. This is how many days I have been alive (365 days x 45 years, including leap years and up to today). As I've reached beyond the mid-point, I'm starting to realize the importance of making each day count. I can never get it back.

In our readings for today, Moses writes a prayer at the end of his life. This is Psalm 90. The well-known verse is: "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." He describes the eternity of God to the brevity of human lifespan. Life is short! And Moses encourages the reader to make it worthwhile. He implies that wisdom is gained through living our lives through the lens of eternity. Every day we are faced with choices to make. Whether good or bad, right or wrong, hopefully we learn from them and gain wisdom.

Today is the day to examine our lifestyles and our motives. Are we truly using the gift of “time” that God has given us wisely, or are we wasting it looking for pleasure that will only last for a moment? Since we all return to dust, how will your life be different from anyone else? Moses gives us a healthy dose of realism. Our mortal life (this life) will not go on forever. There is an ending and we don't know when that is -so live and learn like every day is your last.

Follow the Cloud - not the Crowd

In the past few weeks, we have read about how the cloud would cover the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. When the cloud moved, it meant it was time for the people to move. God was on the move and the people were to follow. (Exodus 13, 14, 33, 40, and Numbers 9, 13, 14 )

The children of Israel were constantly given reminders to follow God, to obey his covenant - to follow the cloud. But sadly they looked away. They complained. They weren't happy. They longed to go back to what was familiar - even though it stole their life, freedom and identity. They wanted to follow the crowd and go back to their old way of slavery in Egypt.

We are faced with the same challenge today. We are constantly being bombarded with voices, noise, enticements, and advertisements to follow the crowd. When the Christian walk gets tough, we complain. When things don't go as we expect, we murmur. We may long to go back to a former life that really isn't "life" in the first place, but the God who still miraculously rescues people today calls us to follow Him.

Stay faithful. Don't look back. Keep walking in the word. One step at a time. We are called to be holy (set apart). Live differently than everyone else. Don't follow the crowd, follow the cloud.

Life in Community - Jean Vanier

Almost everyone finds their early days in a community ideal. It all seems perfect. They seem unable to see the drawbacks, they see only what is good. Everything is marvelous. They feel they are surrounded by saints, heroes, or at the least, most exceptional people who are everything they want to be themselves. And then comes the let-down.

During this time everything becomes dark; people no longer see anything but the faults of others and of the community. They feel they are surrounded by hypocrites. Life becomes intolerable. The greater their idealization of the community at the start, the greater the disenchantment. If people manage to get through this second period, they come to a third phase; that of realism and of true commitment.

They no longer see other members of the community as saints or devils, but as people; each with a mixture of good and bad, darkness and light, each growing and each with their own hope. The community is neither heaven nor hell, but planted firmly on earth, and they are ready to walk in it, and with it. They accept the community and the other members as they are; they are confident that together they can grow towards something more beautiful.

Jean Vanier is founder of L'Arche International.

Worth it

This past Sunday I referenced the story of the "Eight Cow Wife". It's a beautiful story about the power of transforming love. Johnny Lingo paid eight cows for Sarita and this showed her how much she was worth to him. She hadn't thought very highly of herself until that point.

I think it's the same for us. Oftentimes, we don't feel like we are worth anything. We tend to beat ourselves up with negative talk ("You're so stupid, you'll never amount to anything, you're such a loser", etc). Even the enemy will try to discourage us by reminding us how much we miss the mark - but the good news is that God doesn't see us that way.

When God looks at us, He sees his Son Christ Jesus living in us. Numerous times the Bible talks about how our identity and worth are found in Christ. We live in Him and He lives in us. And as far as paying a price: 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers. but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect".

God sees incredible worth in every person which is why He sent His Son to be the ultimate, perfect sacrifice and pay the ransom for our sins. Be reminded of that powerful truth the next time you are tempted to feel worthless or no good. God didn't die for junk!

Making the Connection

We have been reading this week about the building of the Tabernacle. God gave specific instructions on how this was to be built and what materials to use. It was a massive undertaking. The point of the Tabernacle was so God could "come down" and dwell (tabernacle) with His people. It was also a way for the people's sins to be forgiven through offering sacrifices. Only the priest was allowed to enter the holiest place once a year and offer these sacrifices for the people. There were all kinds of rituals they had to go through before they could enter.

There was alot of killing this, purifying that, sprinkling blood here, there and everywhere. Here's what it means for us:

According to Hebrews 9:11-14, when Christ came as a high priest...then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands) he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls...sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

I mean - thank God we do not have to go through all of these requirements just to have our sins cleared and to be redeemed anymore.

Hebrews 9:24-26 says, "For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands..., but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; ...But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Keep in mind, the Old Testament continues to point us to what Jesus ultimately fulfilled on our behalf.

Beyond Disneyland

Sometimes I think so much about "church stuff" that I neglect my calling as a Christian. I often think more about "how can I get more people in the seats" rather than "how can I share the gospel with people in the streets". Here's what I mean:

The predicament of the American church is that we live in a kind of Magic Kingdom. Like going to Disneyland, you buy your ticket, and once you are inside the gates, everything you experience is controlled. The rides, the food, the shows are all there to entertain and amuse you. All you have to do is be there and observe.

Yet just beyond the walls of Disneyland is Anaheim and the rest of Los Angeles. This is the real world with real problems: pollution and congestion, drugs and violence, islands of upscale neighborhoods surrounded by slums. Inside the Magic Kingdom, the outside world is almost inconceivable.

As Christians, we too are tempted to see our world that way. We can start thinking that our job is to invite a few fortunate others into the theme park, away from the troubles outside. But our job is not to increase the attendance at Disneyland; it's to tear down the walls and transform the world outside.

Excerpt from Richard Stearns, "Shedding Lethargy," Leadership Journal (Winter, 2012)