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Spiritual Streakers

Yesterday I continued our Pneuma series by talking about the Holy Spirit's activity in our lives after salvation.  Everyone who experiences regeneration is like Lazarus.  When he emerged from his grave he still had his grave clothes on.  Full of life, yet dressed like a dead man.

Have you ever met someone who obviously experienced regeneration?  There's life there that wasn't present before.  There's desire for God where none existed before.  But they still have issues.  That's the dynamic I'm referencing.

The Holy Spirit regenerates a heart in a moment.  Then He goes to work on the rest of a man.

To paint the picture I brought up the armor of God.  These are the clothes we put on after undressing from our grave clothes. 

• Helmet of salvation
• Belt of truth
• Breastplate of righteousness
• Sandals of peace
• Sword of the Spirit--which is the Word of God
• Shield of faith

But what do you get if experience salvation but fail to pursue righteousness, or explore truth, or digest Scripture, or walk in relational peace, or take steps of faith?

Spiritual streakers--Christians running around with nothing more than a helmet on.

Pneuma

I'm looking forward to launching a new series of messages at Church of the King this weekend.  Pneuma is the Greek word meaning "spirit."  We'll be continuing our summer focus on the character of God by shifting to the person of The Holy Spirit.

There are five things the Holy Spirit is always doing.  We'll explore each of them over the next five weeks and discover His activity in our own lives.

• The Convicting Work of the Spirit
• The Regenerating Work of the Spirit
• The Indwelling Work of the Spirit
• The Maturing Work of the Spirit
• The Empowering Work of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a person who thinks, feels, wills, and acts.  Can't wait to get to know Him better!

Leave Something Under the Pulpit

I spend Tuesday and Wednesday mornings preparing my message for Sunday.  These are some of my favorite moments of the week.

Tim Dilena challenged me with something a few years ago that still guides my preparation process.  You should always have more under the pulpit than on it.  In other words, if you're studying well, you should be producing more content than you could possibly share in one sermon. 

There's no way I'll be able to say everything this weekend that the Holy Spirit is sharing with me this week.  But that's a good thing.  It brings a depth to our preaching.  And it leaves plenty of left-overs for my own personal growth!

A Word to Pastors: Joyfully Prepare to do it Again

I had several conversations after my message yesterday that reminded me of the burdens people carry into our "family gatherings" each weekend.  Maybe it was the topic that inspired more of them to surface (God as Father), but I was reminded of how necessary it is for me to decrease so that Jesus can increase.  So many people need deep healing.

The local church is a hospital for broken people, and every Sunday a unique mixture of them file in.  Seekers.  Mourners.  Doubters.  Others.  Some are expecting an encounter with God.  Some don't have the faith to expect anymore.  Some are afraid to expect because hope has been overloaded by disappointment.  Not everyone wants the same thing.  But everyone needs it--a transformational encounter with the God of all comfort.

Pastors, I don't you think you should feel pressured by this thought.  After all, it's not in your power to heal anyone.  But you should be carrying a burden.

This morning I resonated with something Wayne Cordeiro wrote in his book, Leading on Empty.  Pastoring is like giving birth on Sunday, only to find out on Monday morning that you're pregnant again.

Pastor, I'm praying for you today.  May you carry the burden well.  Feel it deeply enough that your preaching is infused with compassion.  But share it with God so that you can do it again next week--with joy.

Abba

I've had the past three weekends off from preaching.  Enjoyed the break, especially the opportunity to spend more time with Leah and Gabby.

This morning I'm studying for a new series this weekend exploring the picture of God as Father.  A few weeks ago I started studying Jesus' interaction with the Father from his baptism to Gethsemane.  From start to finish, his entire ministry flowed out of an intimate relationship with the God He called Abba.

I love these study days--the insights, the growing burden, the vision for impacted lives, the joy of God's Word which is always alive!  And of course, this series gives me a great opportunity to reflect on this new season of my life.  I've learned so much about God since becoming a father.

Encore

We kicked off a new series yesterday called Encore.  Over the next three weeks I'll be re-preaching three messages that God has used to form our church over the past eight years. 

Not sure who first said this, but most of us are educated beyond the level of our obedience.  We're like the guy James writes about who sees himself in the mirror only to walk away and forget what he looks like.  And if we're not careful we can get irresponsible with revelation.  God speaks to us, we say "Amen," and then forget to apply anything.

This dynamic is why one pastor decided to preach the same sermon every week.  After several weeks of repetition, someone asked, "Pastor, when are you going to preach a new sermon?"  His response: "As soon as you all start doing this one!"

In this series I hope to revisit some DNA messages that reflect our values and that God has used to form us as a church family.  Can't wait to see them take root the second time around!

And thanks to Elevation Church for letting us borrow your graphics.  We appreciate the generosity!

Stick to your Notes

On Sunday, while preaching about the importance of mutual submission in relationships, a metaphor popped into my mind.  So I went with it...

My wedding was a crucifixion!

As soon as I said it I realized the analogy has its limitations:)  So I quickly added, "Except it was happier, and less bloody!"

Fortunately, our church shared a good laugh and my understanding wife has a terrific sense of humor.

Here was my point. Some men want their wives to submit, but they don't want to die.

Marriage will beat the selfishness out of you. The day you get married is the day you die to yourself and choose to live for someone else. It's a beautiful exchange that ultimately leads to surprising satisfaction.

Submission is actually freeing. To submit to God, a spouse, the scriptures, or a small group is to be freed from the awful burden of always needing things to go your way. Seriously, I'm convinced self-absorbed people are the most miserable people on the planet! If your happiness is tied to getting your own way, you're bound for a life of constant disappointment. Some people are still angry today because thirteen years ago one thing didn't go their way.

Imagine being freed from that burden by finding joy in yielding to others.

Help Me Catch Some Foxes

 

Had a great time this morning preparing for my message this Sunday.  We're getting into chapter 2 of Song of Songs, where the poet compares the marriage relationship to a vineyard.  Like a vineyard, a marriage also takes care, cultivation, pruning, watering, investing, and careful attention to detail if it's going to blossom.  So the Song gives this advice:

Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards.

These little foxes would sneak their way into the vineyard undetected where they'd gnaw on roots, eat fruit, and create destruction. 

So here's my question as I prepare for Sunday. 

What foxes have you had to catch while cultivating your marriage?

Leave me a comment and I may even quote you on Sunday!

Boy Meets Girl

This weekend we kick off a brand new, eight week series.  This one will be a book study of The Song of Solomon.  I've wanted to preach from this book for quite some time, and now that I'm married I feel like it's fair game!

Sex is something that most of us are thinking about.  And the Bible devotes an entire book to give us a healthy theology of sexuality.  The series is going to relate to those who are married and single. 

Looking forward to kicking it off in a unique way this Sunday.  If you're in the Detroit area, come out and join us for Easter!

Missing the End of Your Sermon Is Not the End of the World

On Sunday we had to evacuate the auditorium mid-message.  I was approaching the end of my sermon and moving in for the kill when the custodians at the school accidentally triggered the fire alarm.  I realized it was probably a false alarm, but what are you going to do?  So I had everyone evacuate.

It only took a few minutes to receive confirmation that there was no fire, so we were able to cram most people into Common Grounds.  And that's where we ended up celebrating communion...family style!  It really ended up being a lot of fun.  And after drinking the cup we moved straight to coffee:)

When the alarm first sounded I was frustrated because I was so excited about bringing the message into a response.  Then I heard God speak to me through the blaring siren.  And his words put a smile on my face.

Don't take yourself so seriously.

There's probably a better chance that people will remember the message now anyway!

Check out the podcast if you'd like to hear a message with an abrupt ending!