As you go, make disciples

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“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Jesus, Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

“Many people believe that mission and ministry are carried out by a select few professional clergy or an elite number of mission agencies… But here’s the reality: God’s mission was given to every member of His church. We are called to be everyday missionaries.” – Dustin Willis & Aaron Coe, Life On Mission: Joining the Everyday Mission of God

Christ’s command in Matthew 28:18-20 is called the Great Commission. This commission contains a single imperative verb with three subordinate participles. The imperative verb is “make disciples.” The three participles that explain how to make disciples are “going, baptizing and teaching.” It is this first participle, “going,” that I want us to consider.

In the Greek, the word that the ESV translates as “go,” might literally be translated, “being already on the go,” or “as you are going.” The idea seems to be that since we are already going somewhere, we should start making disciples as we go.

Yet, it must also include the emphasis that Jesus added, namely, “making disciples of all nations.” The Greek word translated “nations,” is ethnos. It is where we get the word, “ethnic.” So, our going and making disciples must include an emphasis on every “ethnic,” which includes every race, color, language and culture in the world.

So, we are commanded by Jesus to make disciples as we go, with an emphasis on going to all nations.

As you go

What does it look like to make disciples as you go? It means that we are to become disciple makers as a way of life. Whether we are going to work, to school, to shop or to play, we are to be making disciples. This changes the way we look at our lives. We become aware that every relationship is a potential opportunity to talk to them about Jesus and invite them to respond to Him by becoming one of His disciples.

We have been authorized by Christ’s “authority” to represent Him to the world. We are His “ambassadors” (2 Cor. 5:20), making disciples for Him everywhere we go. The calling to make disciples as we go, is a calling to be “everyday missionaries.”

This is consistent with Christ’s command to be His witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Our going to make disciples begins right where we are, right in our own “Jerusalem.” But it doesn’t stop there..

Going to all nations

… Our going must include the emphasis of making disciples of all nations. We start at home, but we move out from there to all the world. What does this look like?

For some of us, we will feel the call to go and live in another part of the world in order to make disciples there. Be careful not to think that this call will only affect someone else. Put your “Yes” on the table. Tell the Lord that you are willing to go wherever He sends you. Be like the prophet Isaiah and say, “Here I am Lord, send me!” (Isa. 6:8).

For others, the Lord might call you to go on a short term mission trip. Our church is currently working  with ministry partners in Guatemala, Indonesia and Uganda. Many of you can answer the call to join us on one of these trips. Getting out of the USA and seeing what God is doing in the rest of the world is life-changing.

All of us, should be aware of the nations that are living here with us. People from around the world have come to our country. Look for them as you go. Remember the Lord’s command to go towards them in your disciple-making. As you go towards those who are from “Samaria” and the “ends of the earth,” you will find that the Lord will give you a special love for them and a great desire to see them become disciples of Jesus. And all of us should be praying and giving sacrificially, so that the nations are reached with the gospel.

Are you making disciples of Jesus as you go?

Life on life discipleship

Posted by & filed under Discipleship, Religion, Weblogs.

“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” – Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 11:1

“Only a disciple can make a disciple.” – A. W. Tozer

When I was a freshman in college, a staff member with Campus Crusade for Christ named Tom, challenged me to start meeting  with him for discipleship. He said he wanted to work with me personally to help me grow as a Christ follower. At first I felt special that this 25 year old, married guy, that I really looked up to,  would want to spend time investing in an 18 year old single guy. But I soon felt otherwise. He was a constant challenge to me, to be more disciplined and to move out of my comfort zone. He didn’t let up.

He asked if I had signed up to go on the Campus Crusade Fall Retreat. I told him I didn’t plan on it. He pressed, insisting that if I really wanted to grow, I would be there. So, I went.  The first night at the retreat they taught us how to do a “quiet time” with God, finding a quiet place to read the Bible, pray and journal. Tom asked if we could do ours together the next morning before breakfast. I hadn’t even planned on getting up that early. I usually didn’t even eat breakfast, preferring to sleep in. But I reluctantly agreed.

The next morning as the sun came up, Tom and I went for a walk in the woods, carrying Bibles and notebooks in hand. We sat down under a tree and opened the Scriptures. He shared with me how he was reading through the book of Acts and perhaps we could do that together. We read together, prayed together and journaled. It was life changing. I really sensed the Lord speaking to me through His Word in a fresh new way. Tom encouraged me to make having a daily quiet time a part of my morning routine.

After the retreat, I started meeting with Tom weekly. He came to our campus on Wednesdays. He would spend an hour with myself and two other freshmen guys going through discipleship lessons, like “How to be sure you’re a Christian,” and “How to experience God’s love and forgiveness.” Then, he would have individual appointments with each of us, showing us how to study the Bible, how to pray, how to share the gospel and other Christian disciplines. He insisted that these individual times were done in a public place, like the campus sandwich shop, or next to the fountain at center campus, where other students would hang out on pretty days.

“Look and listen to those around us, Gary.” He would say. “Ask the Lord to show you who He wants us to talk to about Him.”

I didn’t like this advice. I enjoyed being with Tom studying the Bible, but I really didn’t want to start talking to people around us that I didn’t know. That just wasn’t cool.

But he would insist. “Let’s talk to that guy sitting over on the bench by himself. I’ll do the talking and you do the praying.”

So, there we’d go. I would die a little inside the first few times we did this. It was so out of my comfort zone. But Tom was really good at striking up a conversation with others. He was a self-acknowledged introvert, but he had decided that Christ’s command to be a witness overruled his own hesitancy.

“Hey, my name is Tom and this is my friend Gary. We’ve been talking about spiritual things and we noticed you sitting over here alone and wondered if you’d be interested in joining our discussion.”

“Hmm… sure I guess so.” The guy would usually say.

And that’s how it would go, week after week. At first, Tom did the talking and I did the watching and praying. But then after a few weeks, he changed his approach.

“You know Gary, you’ve been watching me share the gospel with people for several weeks now. I think you’re ready to do the sharing and let me do the praying. What do you think?”

“Ah… I don’t know. I don’t feel as confident as you. I’m not sure I’m ready.” I mumbled in response.

I had been a Christian for over 10 years, but I had never learned to share the gospel. I knew the gospel, but I didn’t know how to talk about it with others. I think this long period of silence had created a real fear and barrier in my heart. It took a lot of courage to finally say, “Yes,” to Tom’s challenge.

Over the next two years, Tom and I continued to meet weekly, studying the Bible, sharing the gospel, and praying together. He was my Paul and I was his Timothy. He challenged me to start my own Bible study of three guys and to start discipling them, just as he had discipled me. I did. He challenged me to start leading worship at the weekly Crusade worship gathering. I did. He challenged me to start having breakfast at his house every Saturday morning to study the Bible and memorize Scripture. I did. He challenged me to go on a Summer Project with Campus Crusade, spending my Summer break sharing the gospel. I did.

Then, one day, Tom told me that he was leaving. He had been accepted at a seminary in Dallas. He would be leaving to prepare for the next phase in the calling God had on his life. He had always loved studying the Greek language of the New Testament on his own and he really wanted to learn it from the experts. He had inspired a similar love for the original languages of the Bible in me.  So, I understood. But I also was greatly grieved. I loved this man. And I would miss him dearly.

The last time he met with me and his other guys, we stood on the roof of my 13-story dorm together. We goofed off and laughed (Tom did a great Bob Dylan impression) and told each other how much those two years together had meant. I had grown more in two years being discipled “life on life” by Tom, than I had in the previous 10 years of my Christian life attending church.

“I think you’re going to be a very influential pastor or evangelist some day.” Tom told me with a serious tone to his voice.

“But you know I just changed my major to music. I’m spending the Summer playing in a Christian band with Crusade. I don’t see myself as a preacher.” I responded with a smile and a shake of my head.

“You’re a good musician, Gary. But you’re a better communicator. We’ll see what God does in the future with you, but I see a preacher in you.” He  said while putting his hand on my shoulder.

I’ve never seen Tom again since that day in 1978. Yet, 13 years later, in 1991, I quit my corporate job and started seminary. Before that year was out, the Lord had called me to plant a church in Wilson, North Carolina.

And so, another 25 years later, I’ve been preaching the gospel every Sunday at Wilson Community Church. It’s amazing what can happen when one disciple of Jesus takes seriously Christ’s command to make disciples.

Life on life discipleship changed my life. I wonder, will you let someone disciple you to disciple others, and let it change yours?

 

Thankful to God for 25 years!

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized.

Happy 25th Anniversary WCC!

Over 25 years ago, on Sunday, November 17, 1991, we held an organizational meeting in our home to discuss the idea of planting a church. We invited around 40 people to attend. Fifteen people came. At the end of the meeting, I handed out index cards asking those present to express their commitment to be a part of a church plant. Ten people committed to help. We agreed to name the church, Wilson Community Church.

On Sunday, December 8, 1991, we held the first small group meeting in our home. We invited the fifteen from the first meeting to attend, plus all those we had invited before. Five people came. Counting Robin and I, that made seven people.  But we weren’t discouraged. We kept meeting weekly and the Lord kept adding to our number.

By mid January 1992, our first small group had grown to three groups. We averaged around 26 adults in weekly attendance between the three groups. So, we decided to launch a Sunday morning worship service. We thought renting a school would make for a good location. After visiting several schools around Wilson, we felt that Forest Hills Middle School had the best visibility and the most functional auditorium for our needs.

I still remember going to FHMS to ask the principal about renting the auditorium. My friend, Larry Etheridge, who is now with the Lord, went with me. We had all three of our small groups praying that week for a successful meeting. But the principal was not encouraging. He first told us that school policy wouldn’t allow him to rent to a church. So, I asked if he could show us the policy. He pulled the policy manual down off of his shelf and turned to the page about renting to outside groups. I noticed him raise an eyebrow as he started to read aloud. It turned out that the school actually had a policy on how to rent the auditorium, cafeteria, and other parts of the school to outside groups, including churches!

“Well…” He said. “It really doesn’t matter what the policy is. You still have to have a member of the school staff open and close the building every Sunday. And I don’t think any of our staff will want to do that.”

“What about the custodians?” I asked.

“Hah! I have a hard enough time getting them to open the building on nights and weekends for school events. I’m sure they won’t help.”

“May I ask them personally?” I questioned.

“Not today. They’re busy today. If you’ll come back tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM, we actually have a meeting with all the custodians, so they’ll all be here.”

“OK. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” I said.

That evening, we had all of our people praying for the meeting with the custodians. I couldn’t sleep.

At 7:30 AM the next morning, I went into the office at FHMS to meet with the custodians. The principal started leading me to the room where all the custodians were gathered.

“May I meet with them alone?” I asked the principal.

“Sure, if you want.” He replied, with a shrug of his shoulders.

When I entered the room with the custodians there were three of them present. As they looked up, I closed the door behind me and sat in a circle with them. I told them about our church and about our desire to meet at FHMS on Sundays. I also told them that the principal had told me that they wouldn’t help me, but that we had a whole church of people praying and I knew that they would help.

So, I pulled out a calendar and passed it to the first custodian and said, “If you can help, please write your name on the Sundays that you’re willing to open and close for us.”

One of the custodians said that he couldn’t help, but the other two, and I still remember their names, Mr. Barnes and Mr. McGhee, took the calendar, and between the two of them, covered every Sunday for the next three months. I hugged them and thanked them. And then, went back to the principal and showed him the calendar.

“Hmm… well, I guess you’ll be wanting to rent then.”

“Yes sir. We will.” I replied.

We launched our first public worship service in the FHMS auditorium on January 26, 1992 . We had 66 people attend our first service. Little did we know that day that we would be renting FHMS for the next 15 years.

After 19 years of doing portable church, 15 at FHMS and 4 years at Community Christian School, we purchased the former Regal Cinema in September 2010. We remodeled much of the building, turned one of the six theaters into our worship space and started meeting for worship there on May 1, 2011.

Looking back on 25 years of ministry, there’s so much to remember and be thankful for. But I mostly remember the little things, the days of small beginnings, and how God has faithfully built His church as we were faithful to be His church.

4 Steps to Living Debt Free

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. 4 Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.” (2 Kings 4:1-7 ESV).

According to the 2016 American Household Credit Card Debt Study, the average U.S. household owes…

– Credit cards: $16,061
– Mortgages: $172,806
– Auto loans: $28,535
– Student loans: $49,042

Americans are enslaved by debt. And the side effects are devastating. Clinical depression, anxiety, addictions, divorce, homelessness… these are among the terrible side effects of financial indebtedness. We’re like the widow who cried out to the prophet Elijah, worried that the creditors were going to come take away her children. We are in desperate condition when it comes to debt.

The truth is, our financial condition says a lot about our spiritual condition. I think that’s why the Bible has so much to say about money and about living debt free. We know that Christ came to set us free from our sin debt. So, why would we want to live with worldly debt? Yet, many of us are in bondage because of indebtedness.

How can we get free from this slavery to debt? How can we live in financial freedom? The four biblical principles found in the story of the widow and Elijah reveal how to live debt free. When we place our trust in God’s Word and in His provision, we can live in financial freedom.

4 Steps to Living Debt Free

  1. Recognize your debt problem. Debt is gambling with your future. The widow’s husband died and left her penniless and poor. He was a preacher’s kid, but he obviously wasn’t following godly wisdom with his money. But the widow recognized the problem. She knew that things had to change or her sons would be taken as slaves. The first step to getting debt free, is admitting that you have a problem. Facing the fact of your debt addiction is half the battle.
  2. Seek wise financial counsel. Most of us have trouble admitting when we have a problem, but we have even more trouble asking for help. Americans don’t like revealing their finances to someone else. We say it’s because we’re private about our finances. But I suspect it’s because we’re secretive. We don’t want anyone to know how foolish we’ve been and how far we are in the hole financially. The widow was both humble enough and wise enough to ask for help. Find a godly and mature believer who will counsel you with your finances. Ask for help.
  3. Follow their godly advice. When you go to the doctor they diagnose your problem and give you a prescription. But then, it’s up to you to take the medicine as prescribed in order to get better. You have to actually follow the doctor’s instructions. The widow did exactly what the prophet Elisha told her. She faithfully worked the plan that he gave her, depending on the Lord to bless her as she was obedient to His word. This is where the work takes place. And it’s also where the Lord begins to bless as you obey.
  4. Live beneath your means to stay debt free. Don’t make the mistake of going back into debt after getting out. Just as dieters are tempted to overeat after they’ve denied themselves and lost weight, so the one who has been keeping a tight budget to get out of debt will be tempted to splurge after they get free. Remember, it was the habit of living beyond your means that got you into trouble in the first place. Don’t go back into debt! Keep on living on less than you make. When the widow went back to the prophet to report her progress, he told her to sell the oil, pay off her debts and live off the rest. That’s good and godly advice. Now that you’re debt free…

– Pay God first (tithes and offerings).
– Pay yourself second (savings).
– Live off the rest.

God doesn’t want you to be a slave to the lender. He wants you to be free to serve Him. God wants you to live financially free, so that you can follow Him with all of your heart.

Replace yourself

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2 NKJV).

“In a healthy organization, if you replace yourself, you’re always going to have a place.” – Andy Stanley

“So,” You ask. “What’s up with the new website?”

Great question. Let me explain. I’ve always enjoyed teaching others how to study God’s Word and how to teach and preach it. But about ten years ago I started to really get serious about developing a teaching team at our church. I was approaching 50 years of age and I wanted to pass on what I’d learned to younger men. I also wanted to develop a stable of preachers that could share the pulpit with me and to move our church away from the possibility of being personality driven (When you’re the church planter, this is always a risk).

In short, I started to work on replacing myself.

Now, before you begin asking whether I’m dying, leaving or retiring. The answer is “No.” Only the Father knows the day of my death and I’m still full of spiritual fire and vision for leading our church.

No, the reason I’m working on replacing myself is because that’s part of what it means to make disciples. Certainly, I feel called to share the gospel, lead people to faith in Jesus, and to teach the Word to them in order to equip them to maturity. But I also have a special sense of calling to raise up “faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

In the last five years or so, the Lord has given me not only a great teaching team, but He has given me opportunity to train pastors and teachers internationally in countries like Guatemala and Uganda. In addition, the Lord has given our church a heart to plant churches in our “Judea,” which is Eastern NC. So in 2015, we launched a new church in Rocky Mount, NC. Having two locations with two pulpits to fill has made the need for replacing myself doubly important.

It was these new opportunities in both our Judea and in the world that got me talking to our Executive Pastor, Jonathan Minter, about how we could put my daily Bible devotions, blog posts and sermons online. I wanted a site that was searchable by Scripture, topic and date. A place where a Bible student, teacher or pastor might find help and encouragement in their studies and preparations to teach and preach.

So, here it is! It is still a work in progress. We still only have sermons back to 2012 (we plan to have them all the way back to 1992 eventually). We’re also working on including sermon transcripts of the sermons for those who might prefer reading the sermons over listening or watching them, or even reading along while listening.

I want to give thanks to our Heavenly Father for His grace towards me in not only saving me, but also giving me this wonderful desire to teach His Word to others. I also want to thank Pastor Jonathan Minter for his excellent and hard work in building this site. He is also a gift of God to me.

May the Lord bless those who find this site useful. May they be equipped and encouraged in its use. May God get all the glory for it!

And may this article encourage you to consider how you are working to replace yourself!

An equipping and sending church culture

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12 NKJV).

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you'” (John 20:21 ESV).

When we first planted Wilson Community Church twenty-five years ago, we were so small that it was hard to see anyone leave. It always seemed that the people that we sent out were our best people. They were the ones that were serving, giving, and helping grow the church. It was especially hard to see them go. In those early years, I used to pray, “God, I’m glad that you’re calling people out of our church to the mission field and to other ministries, but could you please send someone here to stay and help us?”

It took a while for me to recognize that God was using our church in just the way He intended: as an equipping and sending church. Once I gained the peace of this understanding, it brought me great joy. And besides, as our church grew I noticed that God was sending us great people too, people that had obviously been raised up at other equipping and sending churches.

One of those people that God sent us recently was a talented young man named Devin Gallagher. Devin joined the team to help plant our Rocky Mount campus with his mentor, Pastor Jonathan Combs. Devin and Pastor Jonathan had met at a previous church and had always wanted to work together again. So when the opportunity came up. Devin jumped on board.

Devin has served as lay staff, been a vital member of our worship team at both campuses, and has been key in establishing the worship ministry at our Rocky Mount campus. The Wilson campus probably knows him best as the “rapper” and lead guitarist in our annual Rockin’ Christmas outreach.

This coming Sunday will be Devin’s last leading worship for us. We have been encouraging him to continue his education and he has been accepted to The College At Southeastern. He will be moving to campus and begin classes later this month. We are thankful for his ministry with us and hope that we have helped equip him to take the next steps in his calling. We’ll miss him, but we joyfully send Devin on to answer God’s call on his life!

The truth is, this equipping and sending occurs every week. For we gather weekly for worship and small groups to get equipped and then we scatter afterwards, being sent back out to the mission field of our community. This is the biblical rhythm of a gospel centered church. This is the culture that Christ has given our church, so much so, that we decided to put a sign over the door that says, “Now entering the mission field.”

 

Leaving 2016

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12 ESV).

We’ve all heard the cliche, “Out with the old, and in with the new.” Yet, people are not computers with hard drives that can be erased and new software installed. We remember. Even though the calendar may have changed to a new year, many of us remain stuck in the past. The dearer the loss, the deeper the engrained sorrow. The greater the pain, the more lingering its intense memory.

Some were married or had a child in 2016. Some got that promotion at work or were finally able to buy their first home. The year 2016 was a milestone year of happiness and achievement for them. Strangely, they will have no problem leaving 2016 behind and embracing 2017 with hopeful expectancy.

Yet, for those who lost a loved one this past year, those whose troubled marriage ended in divorce, those who lost a job, or heard the doctor say the word, “Cancer.” For them, 2016 is a year to run from, a year to forget. However, the harder they try to erase or medicate, the more they remember. They are stuck in the muck of past memory. And it keeps them from moving forward.

How can we leave the past, live in the present, and not worry about the future?

God told the prophet Isaiah how the Israelites should leave Egypt, which was a place of pain and slavery, and trust Him with the future. We can learn from God’s instruction on how to leave our hurtful past behind and trust Him with our future. Notice His three instructions:

  1. Leave yesterday in God’s care. God told them, “You shall not go in flight.” He didn’t want them running away from their past. Instead, He comforted them by saying, “The God of Israel will be your rear guard.” In other words, God said, “I’ve got your back.” When you look at your past, look at it through the lens of God’s grace and forgiveness. View it through the promise of God in Romans 8:28. Give God your past!  How?
  1. Trust tomorrow to God’s provision. Isaiah told them, “The Lord will go before you.” God told them, “I’m leading the way. I’m taking point. Follow Me.” Don’t let yesterday ruin your tomorrow. Just because there was pain and suffering in your rear view mirror, doesn’t mean that there’s more pain coming around the next turn. Trust God with your tomorrow. He’s already out there paving the way.
  1. Focus on living for today in God’s power. The Lord told them, “You shall not go out in haste.” Don’t be in such a hurry to leave yesterday behind and dive into tomorrow. Live in the now. Be fully present. Give God your past and future. Live for today praying, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). And daily denying yourself, taking up your cross and following Him (Luke 9:23).

God has our backs, He is running point on our future, so we can focus on living today in His power. That’s how to leave 2016 and get on with living for today.

 

Giving good gifts at Christmas

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11 (ESV)

How do you celebrate Christmas? Decorations, lights, a tree, special foods and candies… I’m sure all of these play a part. But for most of us the climax of the Christmas celebration is the time of exchanging gifts. Yet for many, this time causes anxiety. We hope we got them a gift that they like. We want to give good gifts.

Perhaps we should look at the very first Christmas, Christ’s birthday, to see what kind of gift God gave in Christ and consider how it affects the kind of gifts we give. When God gave us Christ…

  • It was a relational gift. The angel told the shepherds that Jesus had been born “unto you.” God didn’t send money or a card. He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus. The Father gave the Son to us, so that we might become His children too. Christ is a relational gift to us.
  • It was a sacrificial gift. The angel said that the baby was born to be “Savior.” God sent His Son to die in our place. Kings are born in palaces, but lambs are born in a manger. This baby was born to be the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.
  • It was an incarnational gift. The angel announced that the one being born was “Christ the Lord.” The title, “Christ,” means “Anointed One.” It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew title, “Messiah.” Jesus was born as a fulfillment to over 300 Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah who would come in the lineage of David to lead God’s people. The title, “Lord,” is to say that He is God. He is both God and man. Jesus is God in the flesh.

When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are adopted into God’s family and become children of God. As children of God, we can let Christ empower us to give as He did.

We can give relationally. Spend time with others, especially those who are lonely. Show them love and make them feel like family. Give the gift of your self.

We can give sacrificially.  Cut back on spending on yourself and your own family to make margin for giving to others. Give to your church, especially to ministries that will carry the “good news” of Jesus to others. Give to a hurting family in your neighborhood or church that is out of work and won’t have Christmas without help.  Cook a meal. Bake a cake. Make a craft. Give sacrificially.

We can give incarnationally. Give people far from God the gift of the gospel. Tell them about what Jesus has done for you. Live before them in such a way that they see how Jesus lives in you. We can give good gifts this Christmas that point to Jesus.

 

Questions about Rockin’ Christmas?

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19-22 ESV).

Why do we do Rockin’ Christmas?

The apostle Paul’s passion for sharing the gospel made him willing to become “a servant to all,” even becoming “all things to all people,” so that they might believe and be saved. We share Paul’s passion.

If we travel to Guatemala, we try to speak Spanish, eat tortilla and drink café con leche. If we journey to Indonesia, we say “Apa khabar?” (How are you?), and eat nasi goreng (fried rice with other stuff). In other words, we attempt to speak their language, eat their food, and learn their culture, in order to share the gospel with them.

But that passion isn’t limited to our international efforts. We use that same missional thinking at home too. That’s the reason for our Rockin’ Christmas program. Whether they’re Christ followers or not, everyone in America tends to celebrate Christmas, at least the cultural version of it. So, we’re playing a mixture of secular Christmas classics along with some sacred stuff too. We do this in order to reach people who celebrate Christmas, but don’t go to church.

How can you as a believer make the best use of Rockin’ Christmas?

  1. Pray that people who are far from God will attend. Pray for our workers’ health and rehearsals.
  2. Personally give an invite card to those who may not have heard the gospel. Offer to give them a ride or meet them there for a coffee in our coffee shop.
  3. Distribute invite cards throughout your neighborhood and at stores where you shop (ask permission).
  4. When you arrive, don’t take the best parking spots. Leave the ones near the front for guests.
  5. During the response time, complete a connection card yourself. When everyone  fills out a card, it makes it more comfortable for our guests to fill them out too.
  6. Don’t forget to bring your tithes and offerings, especially your Christmas Missions Offering. After all, it is Christ’s birthday that we’re celebrating!

I hope that helps answer a few of your Rockin’ Christmas questions…

What? You have another question?

Well, yes. Bubba Ray, Butch and Delmar will definitely be there.

Hope to see you there too!

Say “Bah humbug!” to spending that doesn’t satisfy!

Posted by & filed under Religion, Uncategorized, Weblogs.

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:1-2 ESV).

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world” (C.S. Lewis).

I don’t mean to sound like a “Scrooge,” but I say, “Bah, humbug!” to overspending this Christmas.

Have you noticed that the more you spend, the less you are actually satisfied? There seems to be a crazy countering equation at work here. Once basic needs are met, spending on ourselves has ever diminishing results. Like a drug addict, our self consumption requires more and more spending to get the same effect.

How do we break this addiction? Simple. Or should I say, “Simplify.” Start simplifying your life. Live beneath your means. Don’t go into debt. Give your presence this Christmas, instead of more presents. Be with friends and family. Sing Christmas carols. Eat good food and tell the story of Immanuel, God with us.

So, what do you do with the money you don’t spend? Invest it in the Kingdom. That’s the only way to experience real satisfaction. Stop being a consumer, a taker, and start being a giver. Stop buying worldly things that will never satisfy, and start investing in eternal things.

Start a new family tradition this Christmas. Spend less and give more. Satisfaction guaranteed.

 

 

This is from an earlier post that first appeared 12/9/11.