Weekly Wrap Up!

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book of the week

Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Ps Tullian Tchividjian is a fantastic book centered on the sufficiency of God’s grace in every aspect of life. For a performance oriented person like me, I found the writers biblical reflections liberating and overwhelming. Here’s a great quote from pg36, “Let me urge you to get unusually quiet and to simply ask yourself: Where exactly am I experiencing agitation, impatience, unease and anxiety? Whatever indications of restlessness you did discover, at whatever level, I believe the reason for its being there is this: we’re trying to find our rest in something smaller than Jesus.”

quote of the week

“Expecting life to be fair because you’re a good person is like expecting a bull not to charge you because you’re a vegan.” (Twitter via @BradBennett)

news of the week

Elephant Room Round 2 took place Thursday January 25 hosted by Ps James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel. This is a must see event as it gathers high profile leaders across the Body of Christ from opposite ends of the spectrum and throws them into the theological and ministerial octagon and the fireworks begin. For more info check out www.theelephantroom.com

moment of the week

Vision Night at Activate Church was the best we had in light years. Nearly 150 people turned up and the night had everything, inspiration, fun, food, humour, energy, momentum, Jesus, honour and of course… vision.

Grace!

Rethinking Christian Progress!

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The one thing the bible promises us regarding life in this world is that it will be hard and filled with trials, temptations and tribulations. Nowhere does the bible promise that we’ll have our best life now (as popularized by Joel Osteen). in 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul tells Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

This morning I tweeted an important phrase from pastor Tullian Tchividjian’s book Jesus + Nothing = Everything and it is the idea of an “over-realized eschatology”. I want to use this term to say, too many Christians live with an “over-realized eschatology” expecting  now on earth what God has promised only later for eternity. This causes us to live with unrealistic expectations for what we will and won’t face in this world.

In light of this how do we approach growth and progress in our faith?

The Gospel didn’t just ignite my faith but it’s the fuel that keeps it going and growing me everyday. The Gospel has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). Progress begins with understanding that in Christ, we’ve already been qualified, delivered, transferred, redeemed and forgiven. Working out your salvation with fear and trembling is focusing on working out what Christ has already given to us and worked into us by his will and for his pleasure.

Our natural instinct as believers is to almost exclusively measure Christian growth around behavioural improvement but the greater issue is what is behind the good or bad fruit of our behaviour? Bad behaviour happens when we fail to believe that everything we need, in Christ, we already have. On the other hand, good behaviour happens when we daily rest in and receive the finished work of Jesus in deeper and deeper ways, destroying any need to secure for ourselves anything beyond what Christ has already secured for us.

The hard work of growth we are called to is to believe again and again the gospel of God’s free justifying grace everyday and resting in what Christ has finished on our behalf. I think real spiritual progress happens when our natural understanding of progress is rooted out and it’s not about first behaving better but believing more fully what Jesus has already accomplished.

Gerhard Forde, in his work, Justification by Faith, once said, “It’s not our movement toward the goal but the movement of the goal on us” that helps us progress in the Christian life. Pastor Tullian (Pg173) says, “Sanctification involves God’s daily attack on our unbelief – our self-centered refusal to believe that God’s approval of us in Christ is full and final.”

When we stop narcissistically focusing on our need to get better, that is what it means to get better. The more we focus on our need to get better, the more neurotic and self-absorbed and worse we actually get. I have to admit that I’ve been too pre-occupied with myself for most of my life and my pre-occupation with my performance over Christ’s performance makes me increasingly self-centered and distant from God and others.

Christian progress is forgetting about yourself! So, aim for progress but remember what it isn’t, your personal improvement and moral progress. Progress is washing your hands of you and resting in Christ’s finished work for you, which will inevitably produce personal improvement and spiritual growth.

Grace! 

Jesus didn’t die for Gold Dust!

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Colossians 2:18-19 “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions (or about things he has seen), puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”

I personally think it is a joke that there is a brand of Christianity that is totally consumed with gold dust appearing on people’s palms and claiming it to be a manifestation of God’s presence. I wonder where people are really at when they get so excited about a feather falling from the ceiling and start declaring it’s the off cut of an angel’s wing. I hear reports of diamonds appearing in auditoriums and gold teeth appearing in people’s mouths and wonder incredulously at what Jesus thinks about all of this.

I’m not denying that this phenomena isn’t potentially supernatural (I personally have never witnessed it and yet I’ve been in some pretty crazy church services) but I have to ask, so what? I had a Christian tell me recently that they asked the pastor of a church they were visiting if such “miracles” (I use this very loosely) happened in his church and after the pastors response didn’t meet the individuals expectations, they declared, “Well I’m out of here and I’m going to a church where this stuff is happening.”

It’s this type of vain and wasteful pursuit that the Apostle Paul is writing about in the book of Colossians. The bible points us to what the BIG Idea of the church, ministry and life is all about – Jesus. The hero of the bible is Jesus. The emphasis of the bible is Jesus and anything ( and I mean anything) that takes us away from the preeminence of Jesus and the centrepiece of our faith, being the gospel, is completely and utterly pointless.

When Jesus’ flesh was hanging off his back, and nails were hammered into his hands and feet, a crown of thorns pierced his head and a spear was thrust into his side, I don’t think he had gold dust, feathers and diamonds in mind. The bible records that he felt utterly forsaken, as he took on the sins of you and I, even though he did nothing to deserve death and we did nothing to deserve his grace and eternal life. Jesus died for souls, not supernatural phenomena.

If you are a phenomena chaser, stop it, repent and reconnect back to the Head. If you ever hear of such phenomena happening, don’t get carried away but be humbled by Jesus tortured body on the cross and remember that his death and resurrection is ‘cosmically’ more important than chasing the latest miracle.

(By the way, if a diamond does appear in front of you the next time you’re in church, take it to the jewellers and cash it and go feed the poor.)

Grace! 

What is Mission?

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Apart from being totally overwhelmed at the birth of my first child, Chelsea (now 8yrs old) I was taken back by the thought of the Son of God being born exactly like my baby 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ was sent by the Father as a missionary to humanity. Jesus incarnated himself (literally became ‘meat’) and contextualized his entire life with the culture of his day. There is no religion that gives any revelation of God like the bible gives of Jesus. Jesus is the only God that identifies with his creation to the point of death. Jesus’ mission was a covenant of grace, forgiveness, atonement and eternal life for those who would believe.

Just as Jesus was sent to us, Christ has now sent us (Church) into the world on mission to preach the gospel and make disciples of Jesus (Matt 28:18-20, Mark 16:15). The Gospel cannot be heard if Christians don’t go and preach it in word and deed (Rom 10:14-15). We have been sent out with a message of truth, faith, love, repentance and forgiveness of sins.

The power of the Gospel is the same today as it was 2,000 years ago (Rom 1:16), so why aren’t we seeing the same results, particularly in western countries, as in the book of Acts? I love the church but I want to share with you a few reasons why:

  • Some of the church is too slow to go to the culture and preach the gospel
  • Some of the church is too self-focused rather than others focused
  • Some of the church is apathetic about the reality of hell (Shows up in our preaching and apathy)
  • Some of the church doesn’t take the bible seriously enough
  • Some of the church has drifted away from passionate love for Jesus

We must know, understand and pursue the mission of Jesus.  For more insight on mission read John 1:1-18 and Mark Driscoll’s book titled, “The Radical Reformission”.

Grace!

Casting a Compelling Vision!

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One of the key roles and responsibilities of pastors and leaders is vision casting. The senior leader is the chief advocate and example of the vision to the congregation or organization. Since planting Activate I’ve learnt many things about vision while sitting in the hot seat and learning what works and what doesn’t work. I’m so passionate about the topic that I have written a book on Vision (2nd edition being released in 2013) and while writing the book, discovered that there are literally a plethora of ideas about vision and some of them helpful.

At the risk of being just another voice crying in the wilderness, here are some of my tips to casting a compelling vision:

Know what vision is: Many of the terms we use to talk about vision are confusing – mission, purpose, goals, dreams, vision, the list goes on. Really simply I define vision as a clear and compelling God-given picture of the future.

The Ripple Effect: Too many of us leaders are so enthusiastic about our vision that we fail to do the work to get our closest team members seeing and owning what is beating in our hearts. Begin gathering the people closest to you around the vision and then move outwards in concentric circles to the wider fringes of the congregation or group of people. Generally the wider the audience, the more public the vision casting.

If it’s fuzzy in the pulpit, it will be confusing in the congregation: If you aren’t clear, don’t expect anyone else to be. Clarity is one of the key functions of leadership. Fuzzy vision generally results in hostile takeovers and directionless anarchy.

Use media well: We are living in a visual generation and thus you must be able to tell the story of your vision through pictures.

Tell the story: We all love stories. Tell the story of where you came from, the journey along the way and where you are heading. Don’t just be clinical about it but take people with you. I remember a disaster vision session whereby I enthusiastically casted my vision for global domination, only to leave everyone in the dust of my grandiose plans. There were pockets of excitement but overall, it left a bad taste in people’s mouths because I hadn’t given context and taken people on the journey.

Toxic culture will stop a great vision: No matter how great your vision is, if your culture is not healthy, your vision won’t get off the runway. Create a healthy culture in partnership with a clear and dynamic vision and you will get lift-off.

Grace.

Sharpen the Point of Your Ministry!

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1 Timothy 4:6-16 should be required reading for every believer serious about growing in the ministry God has called them to. The reason I think this, is because the text outlines so many practical and core fundamentals to ministry effectiveness.

I want to outline 4 core fundamentals that when clarified and focused upon will help sharpen the point of your ministry. Every ministry has a point. Another way of saying it is, God has called you to ministry for a purpose. There is a BIG IDEA behind the what of your ministry. Paul exhorts us in verse 16, “Keep a close watch on yourself…” 

Theology – Paul said in verse 6, “…being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.” Theology is God-Talk. The way we think and talk about God becomes the doctrine that shapes our philosophy and practice of ministry. A.W.Tozer once said, “The essence of idolatry is entertainment of thoughts about God that are wrong.” I’m embarrassed by the little emphasis put on doctrine in the training of leaders. Our emphasis has become practical leadership techniques and it is insufficient. Grow in your theology because your ministry will rise and fall on it. Read books voraciously, ask questions, listen intently and take notes. Wrestle with the hard texts of Scripture and let the conviction of the Spirit linger deep in your heart rather than moving on to something more palatable to your taste. Your words and practice’s will betray your doctrine.

Calling – The BIG Idea of the Church is the Great Commission and God’s glory and each ministry in some way is tied to this mission. What specifically has God called you to do? Clarifying this will be the intersection of what God has revealed to you through  His Word, your past experiences, your strengths and weaknesses, what you are passionate about and your values. Calling is a journey but an important process in sharpening your ministry point.

Skill-Set – Paul said, “Do not neglect the gift you have…” What is the unique skill set that God has given to you? 1 Corinthians 12 provides a systematic list of spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes freely. Your gifts, talents and skills will be the medium through which your ministry will be outworked. Discover, develop and deploy your skills.

Personality – Paul said, “Let no one despise you for your youth… Keep a close watch on yourself…” Are you an extrovert or an introvert? Your answer to that question has more to do with what deplete’s and replenishe’s your energy than any specific personality type or activity. Stats tells us that Introverts make up 25% of the population and Extroverts make up 75% of the population. Introverts engage more so in their internal world, have deep conversations with people and replenish with silence and solitude. Extroverts love to engage with the external world, they like having chit-chat conversations with people, they generally like more chaos and they get recharged by time with people. Leading in a way that doesn’t reflect who you are is going to be detrimental to your ministry. The issue isn’t about either personality being good or bad but simply, who you are, particularly, in light of your circumstances.

Focus on these 4 core fundamentals and you will sharpen the point of your ministry.

Grace!

I’m not who I used to be…

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2 Corinthians 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold the new has come.”

I have been a Christian for nearly 30 years. At 4 years of age I can remember confessing my sin and believing in Jesus Christ, as I was led to God through the influence of my parents and other older believers. I’m so grateful to God for his sovereign grace at work in my life and it has been an amazing adventure of discovery and growth, albeit painful at times.

Truth is, I cannot believe how far God has brought me in my own spiritual journey. Even as a Christian and pastor, just a few years ago, there were things I wrestled with in my heart, which manifested in my marriage and relationships with others. Now by God’s grace those same struggles are no longer on the dashboard of my life. Granted, there are other challenges that I must run to the Gospel with but God’s empowering grace has rescued me already. I think this is how it should be, if we are working out what God has already worked into our hearts. It does seem, though, that the closer you get to God, the more aware of our sinfulness we become. 

Sanctification is a key theological term which describes the process of a believer becoming more and more like Jesus. Regeneration is the initial act that gives birth to our spirit and begins the sanctification process, whereby the indwelling Holy Spirit transforms us to reflect the character of Christ. This is both a joyful privilege and painful process.

When Jesus saves us, he transforms what we find joy in. Our flesh finds joy in self but our regenerated spirit finds joy in Christ and others. Our flesh finds joy in lust but our regenerated spirit finds joy in purity. Our flesh finds joy in revenge but our regenerated spirit finds joy in forgiveness.

The cross where Jesus died to atone for our sin, is the place of the great exchange – our sin for God’s righteousness. The process of sanctification is the process of dying to self and coming alive to Christ. It’s the process of finding joy in a cross -centered life, rather than finding joy in a self-serving life.

As a Christ-follower, you should be changing. You cannot taste of the eternal gift and not be changed by it. Jesus does something in you by the work of the Holy Spirit and you too will wake up one day and say, “I’m not who I used to be…”

Grace!

Recommended Reading: Church Planter

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I’ve just finished reading a fantastic book titled ‘Church Planter’ written by Darrin Patrick who pastors ‘The Journey’ in St Louis, Missouri and is a part of the rapidly expanding Acts 29 Network.

The book focuses on the Man, the Message and the Mission of the Church Planter. From the outset it is challenging as it addresses the issue of ‘men only elders’ in the context of the New Testament teaching on the subject (1 Tim 3:1-11 and Titus 1:5-7). This is quite controversial in light of the current liberal trend of interpreting the bible, particularly in western churches. The issue is rooted in how you read the bible, rather than in what is the popular cultural opinion of the day.

The first section is on the Man – The chapters in this part of the book focus on the type of man required to plant and lead a church. Because I have planted a church and continue to pastor the same church, I could identify with both the challenges and requirements of a church planter. At the core a church planter needs to be rescued by Jesus Christ, called by the Holy Spirit, qualified in character, dependent on God, skilled in preaching, pastoring and leading, with a Shepherds heart and determined to never quit.

The second section is on the Message – The preaching of the Gospel in our current culture has been so diluted that much of the original message has been lost to accommodate itching ears, lusting after a self-serving gospel (2 Tim 4:3). Darrin calls us back to the historical, salvation-accomplishing, Christ-centered, Sin-exposing and idol-shattering message of the Gospel.

The third section is on the Mission – As the church is God’s missionary to the world, we need to be on mission contextualizing the gospel in such a way that people can get a living, breathing, authentic encounter with Jesus that will transform their lives. Darrin shares from Mark Driscoll, “Contextualization is not making the gospel relevant, but showing the relevance of the gospel.” (Pg192)

The book summarizes by focusing on Jesus being the Man, the Message and the Mission. Darrin shares,

  1. “Jesus is the Man. The ability for us to change into the men God has called us to be is dependent upon our surrender to the Man who has perfect character. All of what we hope for in the men who lead our churches is found in the perfect life of our Lord.
  2. Jesus is the Message. The power for others to change is rooted in the gospel, which both rescues the sinner and grows the saint. All that we need to know, experience, and proclaim is found in the person and work of Christ.’
  3. Jesus is the Mission. The hope we have for this world to change is rooted in the resurrection, which both empowers the church to live and proclaim the gospel but also previews the to the world how God makes all things new. Our only hope for a broken, jacked up world is restoration, and our only hope for restoration is found in the One who forever conquered the radical effects of sin through his resurrection.” (Pg236)

This is a Christ-exalting, Gospel proclaiming tour de force on the Church Planter and I would encourage any pastor, leader, church planter and potential church planter to read voraciously with an open heart and mind to be shaped by a biblical reflection on one of the most important needs of our time, Church Planting.

Grace!

What Makes Ministry Effective?

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My observation of the current climate of ministry, particularly, in the western world is that it is saturated by trends and techniques rather than by the power of the Gospel. In light of this, what makes ministry effective?

Does the right program make ministry effective? If you run the right seeker sensitive service, evangelistic program, recovery program and community social program, will you get the results you are looking for? I’m not against programs at all. I think they can be very helpful and in many cases are needed to compliment the mission of the local church but I don’t think they help ministry be most effective.

Does eye-catching and compelling marketing make ministry effective? Well, I think good marketing helps but plenty of churches and ministries have great marketing that no-one is really paying attention to. At Activate we have a marketing director and take this area of our church seriously with the resources God has entrusted us with but when I started the church with 13 people and no budget in our lounge room, we needed something more than slick marketing.

Does ministry credentials make ministry effective? Do I really have to answer this question? Give me a break.

Does being connected to influential people make ministry effective? Well, as they say, it’s not what you know but who you know. How does this line of reasoning work for a pastor in a 3rd world country who is isolated and neither connected to people of influence or even basic technology? There are many stories of incredible ministry happening in isolated regions where God breaks out in a powerful way, without the latest and greatest rock star preacher traveling through.

Does theological knowledge make ministry effective? Now, personally, this is something very close to my heart because I do believe to my core that our theology (the way we think and talk about God) affects everything we do, however, I know plenty of people who have high IQ’s with more theological degrees than a thermometer and couldn’t share their faith with a stranger while stuck with them in a wet paper bag.

Does a ‘spirit of excellence’ make ministry effective? Presenting things well is a great and important goal to have but you can have the form (external presentation) without the power and nothing change. So what?

So, what makes ministry effective? Consider Jesus disciples. They spent approximately 3 years with Jesus, learning, observing and practicing ministry with the master in the closest possible way and yet Jesus still told them to wait in Jerusalem until they had received the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 follows this up by saying, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” 

Unfortunately, we often mistakenly think that having power in our ministry means we ought to see results like Billy Graham or Smith Wiggles-worth but it is not so. The local church pastor who has a gift-mix of leadership, teaching and wisdom needs the demonstration of the power of the Gospel in their ministry just as much as the healing evangelist in the revival tent.

The Apostle Paul said, “The kingdom of God does not consist of talk but of power… Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power… I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you, except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (Holy Bible, ESV)

What makes ministry effective is the power of the Spirit working through the power of the Gospel in our lives. Martyn Lloyd Jones says it like this in his Tour De Force on ‘Preaching and Preachers’, “The addition of the power of the Holy Ghost, (to God’s Word) is what ultimately makes preaching effective. This is what produces converts and creates churches, and builds up churches – power, Holy Ghost, and much assurance.”

Grace!

Providence of God in the life of the Leader!

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In April 2012, Activate Church will be 6 years old. This is a great achievement and testimony to Gods grace when you consider that stats suggest up to 80% of church plants don’t survive past 2 years. As I look back over the journey of Activate I am struck by the power of Gods providence and sovereignty in my life and the life of the church.

In 2009 and 2010 I went through a ‘dark night of the soul’ where I asked a lot of deep questions about God, faith, myself, the world and people. One of the greatest theological insights that marked my life was the sovereignty of God over the affairs of men. As I read and reflected on the richness of the Scriptures and helpful books (see picture) I came to be in awe of God’s providential plan and purpose for planet earth, let alone for my life.

Providence says, that God is the power guiding and sustaining human destiny and is actively involved in moving creation to his eternal goal. History is being moved toward a pre-determined end. Jesus is the guarantor that God’s providential goal is salvation of his people, not destruction.

Providence is God guiding and sustaining human destiny!

Providence doesn’t mean we resign from life and sit on the sidelines but it does mean we have God’s grace to endure and overcome difficulties, as we understand that the big picture of our lives is on God’s hands. Unfortunately, We often only see God’s providence in hindsight through the rear-view mirror of life.

When I went through my dark night of the soul, God’s providence was at work teaching me that He isn’t just trying to do stuff through me but in me. One of the instruments God allows to sanctify us is suffering. While not all suffering is God’s will for us, he does use it to produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness in our lives and become more like him. If Jesus, as our Lord and saviour, learned obedience through what he suffered, how much more will we, considering the biblical truth that no servant is greater than his master?

One of the greatest examples of providence in the bible is God’s grace at work in Joseph’s life

Joseph was called to lead but arrogant in his approach. He, like many leaders, faced a season of suffering. He was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused of sexual crimes and forgotten about. Yet, through it all, God’s providence was at work and it resulted in God’s calling on Joseph coming to pass, with Joseph being appointed to Prime Minister of Egypt and his brothers turning up for food. Joseph responded with God’s providence at the forefront of his mind and heart. Genesis 50:20-21 reads,

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So fear not, I will provide for you and your little ones.” (ESV)

As Joseph had experienced God’s providence, he extended grace and providence to his brothers in need. God’s providence in the leaders life is not just about them but for those they lead. Don’t misperceive God in your suffering as a leader, particularly in difficult seasons. Continue to trust in God’s sovereignty that what the devil means for evil, God will turn into good.

Where is the providence of God in your leadership journey?

Grace!