BLeach

Missionaries Like Jesus

We're driving to Philadelphia today to spend the weekend with several members of our team. Most of them are moving to Philly from various parts of the country. We're all missionaries. And our task has me thinking more and more about Jesus, who happened to be the greatest missionary of all time.

Jesus moved into a very different, sinful culture. Heaven to earth--that's a big move! There has never been a missionary who experienced a bigger cultural transition than Jesus.

Second, Jesus immersed himself in that culture. Jesus didn't learn about sinners from a distance. He shared life with them. He ate with them. He learned their language by attending their parties. He befriended real people.

Third, Jesus was able to truly befriend people without ever sinning a single time. He never condoned sin or participated in it. He didn't lose his flavor or blend in. He taught the Scripture and modeled the Kingdom of God in a radically counter-cultural way.

And then, before he finished his missionary assignment, he sent his disciples to do the same type of missionary work. As the father has sent me, even so I am sending you (John 20.21). 

I feel honored to move to Philadelphia to be a missionary like Jesus!

What about you? In the context God has called you to, are you a resident or a missionary?

Missional Relocation

In the first century AD, just a few years after the ascension of Jesus, a group of early Christians experienced relocation.  It wasn't their choice.  Persecution prompted them to move from their homes in Jerusalem.  A group of these dislocated disciples found their way to the Greek speaking city of Antioch, where they seized the opportunity to plant a history-changing church.

In the twenty-first century AD, a group of visionary Christians experienced relocation.  It wasn't their choice.  Job loss, associated with a difficult recession, prompted them to move from their homes to new cities.  A group of these dislocated disciples turned suffering into opportunity.  Convinced that God is not handcuffed by economic trouble, they looked for His activity in their new zip codes, and changed history once again.

This is not the first time suffering produced relocation.  If you're in the midst of an unexpected transition, be encouraged.  God does some of His best work when circumstance pushes us out of our comfort zones.

Fathers and Teachers

This weekend I'll be wrapping up our Abba series.  I've enjoyed communicating the heart of God as Father, and including reflections on my own recent journey into fatherhood.

This weekend we'll dig into a statement Paul made as he addressed his spiritual sons and daughters in Corinth. 

For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (1 Cor 4.15)

Simply put- when your faith is reproduced in someone else, and they are reborn into the family of God, you become a spiritual parent.  It doesn't matter how old you are.  If you have a son, you're a dad.  If you have a daughter, you're a mom.

This prompts Paul to point out a crisis in the church.  There were too many absentee spiritual fathers.  Lots of teachers, but not so many fathers.  And here's how I might describe the difference. 

Teachers inform.
Fathers impart.

Teachers study, prepare to communicate truth, and fill hearts and minds with biblical, relevant content.  Fathers also teach.  But they take it a step further.  They actually reproduce themselves in disciples and pass on their own spiritual DNA.

Look at what Paul says next.  I urge you, then, be imitators of me.  The word is "mimic."  And he says the same thing six times in his letters (1 Cor 4.16; 1 Cor 11.1; Phil 3.17; Phil 4.9; 2 Thess 3.7; 2 Tim 3.10).

Fathers don't teach for 45 minutes during a sermon.  Fathers teach all of the time.

You can pack an auditorium and teach hundreds of people at the same time.  But you can't father all of them.  Not in an auditorium.  You can only father a few.  Mothering requires life on life investment.

And this is why teachers outnumber fathers in the church.  It's a messy, full-time, frustrating job to be a parent. 

It's also most rewarding to see your faith passed on to someone else.

So here's to spiritual fathers and mothers.  We need you.

Simplify

Spent some time this morning talking with one of our interns about the spiritual discipline of simplicity.  To me, simplifying life is to center yourself on Jesus command to seek first the Kingdom of God.  When we do, everything else finds its place in proper order.

Simplicity is a discipline I've often misunderstood, probably because I confused it with asceticism.  Asceticism effectively renounces all possessions, which is an extreme position that makes it difficult to share life with real people.  Simplicity on the other hand puts possessions in their proper perspective.

Richard Foster's thoughts on simplicity in The Celebration of Discipline really inspire me.  He offers ten principles to help Jesus-followers grow in this spiritual discipline.

1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. (Do you really need that 4th pair of sneakers)?
2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. (This one might put Starbucks out of business).
3. Develop a habit of giving things away. (Combine simplicity with generosity).
4. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetery. (A fancy way of saying, "don't worship technology).
5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them. (Why not visit the library more)?
6. Develop a deeper appreciation for creation. (Walk, run, slow down, and spend less money).
7. Look with healthy skepticism at all "buy now, play later" schemes. (Debt works against the true enjoyment of life).
8. Obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech. (Matthew 5.37).
9. Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others. (The most difficult one for me to apply).
10. Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the Kingdom of God. (Isn't shun a fun word?)

How do you practice simplicity?

God as Artist

I've been captured by a thought Johannes shared in his message Saturday night.

Two things determine the value of a painting.

• The Artist: A painting by Davinci is valuable because of Davinci.
• The Buyer: Ultimately a painting is only worth what someone will actually pay for it.

People are God's Masterpiece.  Just look here--or here.  And because of God people are worth something.

Are you ready?  This might make you shout!

God is both artist and buyer!

• God is the artist--He created you as a masterpiece.
• God's masterpiece's have been stolen--Smuggled away by an enemy and disfigured by sin.
• So God became the buyer--He came to earth to purchase his own paintings.

Think about your spouse; your neighbor; your boss.  He's worth something.  She's worth something.

One more thought.  If God is an artist, and every person is His masterpiece, then the local church is an art gallery. 

Pastor--Think about this when you're preaching this weekend.  Look into the faces of God's people.  Do you see their value to God?

Small group leader--Think about this as you prepare your home and your heart.  Look at each person in your living room.  Do you see their value to God?

Nursery volunteer--Think about this as you hold that baby on Sunday morning.  Look into her eyes.  Do you see her value to God?

Follower of Jesus--Think about this as you move around your community today.  You're surrounded by priceless works of art.  And God wants them back

Your Kingdom Come

This weekend our church had some great opportunities to serve our community. On Friday night we projected the Wings game on the side of our building. And on Saturday we staffed the Chamber of Commerce booth with volunteers for the Berkley ArtBash.

Yesterday during our leadership team meeting we did some follow up by walking through downtown Berkley.  I asked our leaders to worship, note any businesses that stood out, and ask God to share His desires for our community.  I felt like some great insights surfaced.

• 12 Mile is lined with signs declaring, "Berkley is Unique." One unique characteristic is that there are only a handful of chain restaurants/businesses in downtown Berkley. We're not looking for a pre-packaged, conference-inspired move of God. Hungry for God to do something unique!
• Most of the businesses on our street are service or product oriented operations that cater to consumers. We can't be just another consumer-driven organization. We've got to develop missional disciples.
• Felt the pressure of so many businesses trying to make their voice heard and compete for dollars in a tough economy. Praying our church is not just another competing voice. Desperate for God's voice to be heard.
• I really believe God wants our community to experience the untainted influence of His Church.
• At one point I passed a business that closed. Now their windows are covered and it's impossible to see what's happening inside the building. It reminded me of all the closed families, secret sins, unknown needs and hidden pain that quietly exists in our community. My sense is that God wants to reign in those places.

Our team spent some time talking about what it means for God to reign in our community. What would it look like for the Kingdom of God to really grow in influence? In downtown Berkley we've got a Dairy Queen, Burger King, and a street called Royal. And then there's Church of the King!

As followers of Jesus we've got an opportunity to establish the Kingdom of God in our cities!

Let Jesus reign!

The World Clock

I came across the world clock a few weeks ago as I was preparing for one of my weekend messages.  It's pretty sobering to see. 

The two lines that impacted me the most were the lines counting births and deaths.  On the one hand, the number of people coming into the world represent an unprecedented opportunity that the Church has to reach more people than in all of church history combined.  On the other hand, the number of people leaving the world represent an increasing urgency that we must feel to prioritize the mission of Jesus.  I know it's easy to feel pretty detached from numbers adding up on a website.  But what if we had the ability to see each face (as Jesus does)?  How might that move us to invest in the only thing that is eternal.

People.

By the way, 680 people entered eternity in the time it took me to write this post.

The Joy of Sacrifice

Yesterday we continued with the Harvestcry series by making our annual financial commitments to missions.  Our church now has over fifty missionaries and ministries around the world that we support.

When I was single it was never my goal to lead our church in the amount I gave to missions.  I don't even have that information.  But it was always my goal to lead the way in sacrifice.  Now it's exciting to share that same goal with Leah.  Some of our most stretching and faith building conversations have been focused on these moments as we talk about what God is leading us to sacrifice for missions.

This weekend we really felt him stretching us, and stepped out of our comfort zones with our commitment.  Can't wait to see how God is going to provide to make it possible!

I prayed for years for a wife who would be full of faith and vision, and God answered it.  When we shared with each other what we felt God was calling us to do, her number was $100.00 a month more than mine. 

We went with hers!

My Revamped Thursday

One of the things that happened more naturally in my schedule during the first year of our church was community interaction.  No office + no people = plenty of time to spend in the community!

As a church grows so do leadership and administrative demands.  And when I recently evaluated my ministry schedule I discovered that I'm spending too much time working behind my desk on our own organizational needs.

From a theological standpoint, I think Jesus' story of the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep in search of the one that was lost has incredible implications for a pastor's weekly schedule.  Is there a healthy balance in the way we divide our time between the ninety-nine and the one?

In an effort to go back to my church planting roots, I've revamped Thursdays by devoting a chunk of the day to community driven projects.  Here are a few of the ways I'm beginning to spend that time:

• Greater involvement with the Berkley Chamber of Commerce
• Prayer over community issues and needs (one of our volunteers emails me news stories every week detailing various tragedies in our city)
• Strategic work on our evangelism and public relations system
• Personal relationship building with community leaders, business owners, and neighbors
• Personal follow up on recent guests (phone calls, notes, visits)
• Planning for upcoming outreaches (Easter, neighborhood pastors, special events, etc)
• Writing (blog, emails, messages) to encourage our church leaders to prioritize community service

Thursdays used to be my least defined day of the week.  I would usually knock out tasks before my Sabbath on Friday.  But this new focus is adding fresh purpose and energy to what is effectively the last day of my work week.

A Voice for the Voiceless

I feel a little added responsibility as I lead our church through the Harvest Cry series.  I'm hoping to lend my voice to people all over the world who may not have a voice of their own.  I'm preaching with them in mind...people we might be able to touch as we recommit ourselves to the mission of God.

To keep my ear in tune, I'm praying through a small prayer guide produced by YWAM that contains "30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless."

Yesterday in my message I read Prema's story, an eleven year old girl who was sold by her family into child prostitution.  Today was day 2 in the prayer guide.  I read the story of Zorah, a sixteen year old girl in Mozambique who was infected with AIDS after her new husband married her believing that if he slept with a virgin he'd be cured of the disease.

The story ended with three prayer points:

• That God would intervene against this epidemic
• That He would raise up medical researchers and doctors to discover solutions to HIV
• That God would release Bible teachers to confront the causes of AIDS to see personal and social transformation

These are voices from the harvest.  Can you hear them?