The Church that Resolves Together Stays Together?

Why Your Way Isn’t Working

The Bible says in Luke 5:4-5, “When [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets’” (NIV).

Think about how hard it must have been for Simon Peter to admit failure to Jesus. He was a professional fisherman, and he was good at it. It was how he made his living. But sometimes even the pros fish all night and catch nothing.

These are good guys, and they’re doing their best. But sometimes our best is not good enough, and sometimes there are situations that are out of our control. You can’t control the economy. You can’t control the weather. You can’t control a lot of things in life that will affect your life. You may have tried so hard but it just doesn’t seem to make any difference and you don’t have much to show for it.

What do you need to do? First, you need to get Jesus in your boat. In other words, let him be the center of your job. Second, you admit that your way isn’t working. The Bible calls it confession, and it can be tough.

Why is it so hard for us to admit our way isn’t working?

Pride. You don’t want anybody to think you can’t handle it. You’re in charge. You’ve got it all together. You think you can handle everything by yourself, even if it means working 12 hours a day.

Stubbornness. You’re unwilling to change the way you’re doing things. Did you know the greatest enemy of tomorrow’s success is yesterday’s success?

Fear. You can’t admit you’ve fished all night and caught nothing. You’re afraid that people will think less of you. You’re afraid to get Jesus into your boat because he’ll steer it in a direction you don’t want to go.

You may be doing your best in your job but just don’t seem to have much to show for it. You need to let go of your pride, stubbornness, and fear so that Jesus can take your boat and fill it to overflowing.

Walking into the Deep

It’s been two years now that I can look back and never thought in all my wildest dreams; I will be where I am today. Since becoming Senior Pastor of my wonderful church, God has been really speaking to me and asking me to do things that, I thought, would be impossible. God and I have had many conversations over and over again and every time, He made many great points. I decided to do a LIFE Group campus in a near city where we hold our worship services. It took everything that was within me to have enough faith to step out and dive in to the deep.

I’m reminded in bible school where the anointed, educated theologian Dr. Jan Paron said something that I will never forget. I was sitting in “Leading a multi-diverse church” class and she said …”We need to take the gospel, outside of our four walls”. I have heard it many times, but this time, I light came on, I stepped into the clue bus, I had a revelation. Wow! That was powerful and deep. I literally vision my church family in our worship service and the four walls of the church building folding back to the ground as if God had a box cutter and cut the corners of our box/concrete building, and each wall just folded back like cardboard. I knew what God wanted me to do.

So here I go, some 17 weeks later, and we are up to 20 people who are in our first Life Group. I wish I could tell you that I showed up and everyone was their waiting to get feed, but that is not the case. At times it was a few, and I got disappointed, but God said do it, continue on, I will never leave you nor forsake you, I got your back, this is the process that you have to go through. He said your Sun Stand Still prayer will come to pass.

Because I obeyed, because I was humbled, because I was willing to listen and reposition myself to proceed and move within His purpose, Our church family has grown and I can see God’s hand in my life.

I don’t want to stand in the sidelines or at the bench watching everything happen, I want to be smack in the middle of the move of God.

If you are reading this, the prayers that you prayed, will come to pass, just hang in there, DON’T give up, He’s not through with YOU yet. The dreams that you once had, shall be revived and refreshed. The carreer you thought you lost, you’ll get back. Your finances might be low, but He is still Jehova Jireh “My Provider”. If you got bad news from the doctor, you shall be healed. The prayers that you’ve prayed, the answers on its way.

Don’t Miss Out on Opportunities to Build Relationships with Your Students

Five Myths about Young Adult Church Dropouts

The Barna Group team spent much of the last five years exploring the lives of young people who drop out of church. The research provides many insights into the spiritual journeys of teens and young adults. The findings are revealed extensively in a new book called, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church…and Rethinking Faith.

The research uncovered five myths and realities about today’s young dropouts.

Myth 1: Most people lose their faith when they leave high school.
Reality: There has been considerable attention paid to the so-called loss of faith that happens between high school and early adulthood. Some have estimated this dropout in alarming terms, estimating that a large majority of young Christians will lose their faith. The reality is more nuanced. In general, there are three distinct patterns of loss: prodigals, nomads, and exiles.

One out of nine young people who grow up with a Christian background lose their faith in Christianity—a group described by the research team as prodigals. In essence, prodigals say they have lost their faith after being a Christian at some time in their past.

More commonly, young Christians wander away from the institutional church—a pattern the researchers labeled nomads. Roughly four out of ten young Christians fall into this category. They still call themselves Christians but they are far less active in church than they were during high school. Nomads have become ‘lost’ to church participation.

Another two out of ten young Christians were categorized as exiles, those who feel lost between the “church culture” and the society they feel called to influence. The sentiments of exiles include feeling that “I want to find a way to follow Jesus that connects with the world I live in,” “I want to be a Christian without separating myself from the world around me” and “I feel stuck between the comfortable faith of my parents and the life I believe God wants from me.”

Overall, about three out of ten young people who grow up with a Christian background stay faithful to church and to faith throughout their transitions from the teen years through their twenties.

David Kinnaman, who directed the research, concluded: “The reality of the dropout problem is not about a huge exodus of young people from the Christian faith. In fact, it is about the various ways that young people become disconnected in their spiritual journey. Church leaders and parents cannot effectively help the next generation in their spiritual development without understanding these three primary patterns. The conclusion from the research is that most young people with a Christian background are dropping out of conventional church involvement, not losing their faith.”

Myth 2: Dropping out of church is just a natural part of young adults’ maturation.
Reality: First, this line of reasoning ignores that tens of millions of young Christians never lose their faith or drop out of church. Thus, leaving church or losing faith should not be a foregone conclusion.

Second, leaving church has not always been normative. Evidence exists that during the first half of the 1900s, young adults were not less churched than were older adults. In fact, Boomers appear to be the first American generation that dropped out of church participation in significant numbers when they became young adults. So, in one sense, the Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) were part of the evolution of the church dropout phenomenon during the rise of youth culture of the 1960s.

In addition to continuing the dropout pattern of previous generations, today’s teens and young adults (identified by Barna Group as Mosaics) are spiritually the most eclectic generation the nation has seen. They are also much less likely than prior generations to begin their religious explorations with Christianity. Moreover, their pervasive technology use is deepening the generation gap, allowing Mosaics (often called Millennials of Gen Y) to embrace new ways of learning about and connecting to the world.

Kinnaman commented on this myth: “The significant spiritual and technological changes over the last 50 years make the dropout problem more urgent. Young people are dropping out earlier, staying away longer, and if they come back are less likely to see the church as a long-term part of their life. Today’s young adults who drop out of faith are continuing something the Boomers began as a generation of spiritual free agents. Yet, today’s dropout phenomenon is a more intractable, complex problem.” [Note: See Myth 5 for more about how the dropout problem has changed.]

Myth 3: College experiences are the key factor that cause people to drop out.
Reality: College certainly plays a role in young Christians’ spiritual journeys, but it is not necessarily the ‘faith killer’ many assume. College experiences, particularly in public universities, can be neutral or even adversarial to faith. However, it is too simplistic to blame college for today’s young church dropouts. As evidence, many young Christians dissociate from their church upbringing well before they reach a college environment; in fact, many are emotionally disconnected from church before their 16th birthday.

“The problem arises from the inadequacy of preparing young Christians for life beyond youth group.” Kinnaman pointed to research findings showing that “only a small minority of young Christians has been taught to think about matters of faith, calling, and culture. Fewer than one out of five have any idea how the Bible ought to inform their scholastic and professional interests. And most lack adult mentors or meaningful friendships with older Christians who can guide them through the inevitable questions that arise during the course of their studies. In other words, the university setting does not usually cause the disconnect; it exposes the shallow-faith problem of many young disciples.”

Myth 4: This generation of young Christians is increasingly “biblically illiterate.”
Reality: The study examined beliefs across the firm’s 28-year history, looking for generational gaps in spiritual beliefs and knowledge. When comparing the faith of young practicing faith Christians (ages 18 to 29) to those of older practicing Christians (ages 30-plus), surprisingly few differences emerged between what the two groups believe. This means that within the Christian community, the theological differences between generations are not as pronounced as might be expected. Young Christians lack biblical knowledge on some matters, but not significantly more so than older Christians.

Instead, the research showed substantial differences among those outside of Christianity. That is, older non-Christians were more familiar than younger non-Christians with Bible stories and Christian theology, even if they did not personally embrace those beliefs.

The Barna president described this as “unexpected, because one often hears how theologically illiterate young Christians are these days. Instead, when it comes to questions of biblical literacy, the broader culture seems to be losing its collective understanding of Christian teachings. In other words, Christianity is no longer ‘autopilot’ for the nation’s youngest citizens.

“Many younger Christians are cognizant that their peers are increasingly unfriendly or indifferent toward Christian beliefs and commitment. As a consequence, young Christians recognize that the nature of sharing one’s faith is changing. For example, many young Christians believe they have to be more culturally engaged in order to communicate Christianity to their peers. For younger Christians, matters of orthodoxy are deeply interconnected with questions of how and why the Gospel advances among a post-Christian generation.”

Myth 5: Young people will come back to church like they always do.
Reality: Some faith leaders minimize the church dropout problem by assuming that young adults will come back to the church when they get older, especially when they have children. However, previous research conducted by Barna Group raises doubts about this conclusion.

Furthermore, the social changes since 1960 make this generation much less likely to follow the conventional path to having children: Mosaics (often called Millennials or Gen Y) are getting married roughly six years later than did the Boomers; they are having their first child much later in life; and they are eight times more likely than were the youth of the 1960s to come from homes where their own biological parents were never married.

The author of the new Barna book, You Lost Me, Kinnaman asked several questions in response to conventional wisdom: “If this generation is having children later in life, are church leaders simply content to wait longer? And if Mosaics return, will they do so with extra burdens—emotional, financial, spiritual, and relational—from their years apart from Christian community? More to the point, what if Mosaics turn out to be a generation in which most do not return?

“Churches, organizations and families owe this generation more. They should be treated as the intelligent, capable individuals they are—a generation with a God-given destiny. Renewed commitment is required to rethink and realign disciple-making in this new context. Mosaic believers need better, deeper relationships with other adult Christians. They require a more holistic understanding of their vocation and calling in life—how their faith influences what they do with their lives, from Monday through Saturday. And they also need help discerning Jesus’ leading in their life, including greater commitment to knowing and living the truth of Scripture.”

A Church without a building

Beginning Your Multicultural Ministry

Posted on November 9, 2011 by 2×2 ministries

Multicultural Ministry requires self-examination. It starts by understanding who you are and moves on to looking outward.

Start by defining your own congregation. What cultures are already present? What talents, resources and experiences can they bring to your outreach ministry?

When you’ve answered these questions, begin to look outside your church community.

Define Your Neighborhood

The word “multicultural” can mean many things.

• It can include subcultures of American Society — any number of ethnic groups and racial identities.
• It also includes social status — working class, students, divorced, public or private school youth, aged, homeless, wealthy, disabled, etc.
• It can include gender and sexual identity
• It can be generational: Boomers, Generation X, etc.
• It includes immigrants and natives.

All of these have their own “culture.”

Your congregation must define what it means in your community. 

Here are some questions to consider:

• What cultures are present in your neighborhood?
• Which live in closest proximity to your building.
• Which are well established? Which are newcomers?
• Which groups are transient? (Students, seasonal workers, snowbirds or summer residents)
• What are their needs?
• Is Christianity part of their culture or is the “Good News” brand new?
• What languages do they speak? Are they also proficient in English? Will you have to find leadership to facilitate communication?
• What are their cultural expectations? Dress, food, interaction.

Consider the Cultural Expectations of the Groups You Hope to Reach

The last item on the above list of questions may be the most important and hardest to implement if you want to create a “welcome space.”

Dress in some cultures is dictated. In America, we’ve adopted a “come as you are” dress code. If your congregation expects to welcome people from the community who come from a more formal culture, you may as a group have to consider “dress.”

For example:
One family made a project of welcoming foreign students into their home. They hosted several before they ran into difficulty with a male student from an Arab country. They just weren’t connecting. They voiced their concerns to a friend who had spent time in Arab countries. The friend pointed out that the problem was partly how the females in the family dressed. “Your spaghetti-strapped tank tops are fine in America,” she told her. “But to your guest, you are naked. He will not be comfortable in your home as long as you dress that way.”

Food can unite or divide. If your neighborhood hopes to minister to Asian communities, it may have to make sure rice is a staple at your pot luck dinners. Pork and bacon can also cause problems.

If your congregation is serious about multicultural ministry, you may have to change congregational customs. Dismissing children from worship may not be an attractive option to newcomers and will create a separation among your youngest members which could take time to overcome.

Allow people to choose their seating. Some cultures divide men and women. Many will want to observe from a distance as they become comfortable. Don’t rope off seats to force people to sit closely. Let them create their own space.

Plan on Evaluating Your Progress Often

There is a lot to consider. Take the time to think things through and reconsider frequently — weekly if necessary — as you learn about one another. Mixing cultures means being willing to adapt and correct the inevitable faux pas. When you make mistakes, correct them quickly. It can be humbling — but isn’t that part of being Christian!

Network to Find Help

In your Social Media Ministry, consider all these things and create content which addresses the concerns of the cultures in your community. Your congregational blog and web site should address the topics which arise from your answers to the above questions. Create content that the various cultural groups in your neighborhood will find and follow.

Look for help. Identify agencies which serve the groups in your communities. Study their web sites. Introduce yourself. Invite them to meet with your leaders. Link to their sites. They will probably be very happy to work with you.

Be hospitable. Offer space to operate a program — such as an after-school program or a well baby clinic.

Multicultural Outreach will soon give your congregation a plan. Follow it!

Kids are Copycats-Thoughts on parenting

Kids are copycats- Thoughts on parenting

Originally posted on Chapel Hill Internet Campus.

As a parent of a little one, I’ve noticed that my daughter LOVES to copy the behaviors of her mama and daddy. She imitates our adult actions by talking on toy phones, by playing dress up in big people clothes, and even literally walking in our shoes. Kids are copycats.

While this form of flattery is immensely heart-melting, this degree of direct imitation should also be sobering. It should remind us that our kids are watching. They’re like little sponges, and they’re watching. Their eyes are fixed and their ears are attentive. They absorb our words and soak up our mannerisms. Kids are copycats.

How will they respond to a frustrating situation? What will they hold in high regard and value? Where will they put their trust? They’ll do as their parents did.

Never forget, kids are copycats.

Talk it over:

• Have you ever caught one of your children mimicking your every move?
• What are some practical ways of modeling desired behaviors to our kids?

 

Have you been Called?

July 5, 2010 by The Gospel Writer

Do you ever think about this?  Does the thought ever cross your mind that God may have something bigger for you to do than what you may be doing right now?

• Is there a purpose? 
• Is there a plan?
• What I am here for?

I think most people (Christian and unbelievers alike) have asked themselves these questions.  Many adults that have degrees and careers still find themselves asking these questions. 

• We want to matter. 
• We want to belong.
•  We want to make an impact. 
• We want to leave a legacy. 
• We want the world to be a better place because we are in it. 

Sure, this is not lunch discussion material with classmates or work associates.  Most spouses do not even like to get this deep in their conversations.  These questions go to the core of who we are – the dreams that live within us.  We all want to know that we are not the byproduct of a cosmic mishap or just the next generation of the evolutionary process.  We want to know the answers to the questions and each of the questions seem to start with “Why”.

I want to take a brief look at the subject of the call of God in this message.  From reading the Bible, I believe that each of us were designed by God and purposed by God.  Our destinies are each different.  Our assignments are unique and our lives will go in a multitude of different directions.  God, however, has a plan for you.

We cannot be thorough or exhaustive on this subject, but we will be biblical on this subject.  Many men and women of God have tried to explain the plan and purpose of God to the body of Christ.  Saying that we know the plan and purpose of God for our lives is almost like saying that we have a map to the universe.  Our perception and plan will always be incomplete.  It does not mean that the portion that we know is incorrect; it simply means that there are many things as finite beings that we cannot know of the infinite God.

What is the will of God for your life?

Wow.  That is a big question isn’t it? 

I believe the will of God for our lives is the same.  God wants us to come to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, live a holy and righteous life and spend eternity with Him.

I believe the will of God in our lives in manifested uniquely.  Each of us is here for a reason.  There is only one you and one me.  I cannot fulfill the plan that God has for your life just as you cannot fulfill the plan that God has for my life. 

• Some say the key to finding your purpose is discovering that which unlocks your passion or unlocks your compassion.
• Some say that there is no way of knowing for sure that you must live the best you can and look for signs along with road.
• Some say you have no clear purpose and will only be judged by your intentions.

As I read the Bible I find men and women who received a specific call from God in their lives that clearly spelled out their purpose and destiny.

• Abraham
• Moses
• Samuel
• David
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Ezekiel
• John the Baptist
• Simon Peter, Andrew , James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot) & Judas Iscariot
• Paul

There were also those who did great things for the Lord that we can find no grandiose moment that put them on the right path.

• Caleb
• Deborah
• Esther
• Josiah
• Ezra
• Nehemiah
• Luke
• Mark
• Timothy
• Priscilla & Aquila
• Apollos

Sometimes the heavens open, the voice of the Lord is heard and people are even knocked to the ground.  Sometimes prayer and fasting takes places and words of prophecy are spoken concerning the plan and purpose of God.  Sometimes a divine desire is deposited within your spirit by the Holy Spirit.  Each one of us is communicated to in a different manner.  God will speak to you in a way that you will know it is Him.

I know without a doubt that your life should be part of fulfilling the great commission.  There is not a believer on the planet that is exempt from this call.  It is uniform in its delivery to the body of Christ even though our roll in fulfilling it will vary.

Let’s refresh ourselves with the call of God:

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” (Mark 16:15-18)

You may be working in any profession known to man but if you are a member of the body of Christ the Great Commission is the will of God for your life. 

• Being an intercessor does not exempt you from sharing your faith with the lost
• Being a music minister, praise team member or choir member does not exempt you from sharing your faith with the lost
• Donating to foreign and domestic mission efforts does not exempt you from sharing your faith with the lost.

Whether we like it or not – there are people in your sphere of influence that you are uniquely positioned to reach with the love, life and message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This, above all other things, is the will of God for your life.

Winning souls for Christ is at the heart of your divine purpose.

That purpose may be realized as a:

• Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor or Teacher
• Deacon, Elder, Bishop
• Coach or Teacher
• Professional Athlete
• Actor or Musician
• Accountant or Attorney
• Public or Civil Servant
• Sales Person
• Doctor, Dentist or Nurse
• Etc. 

You may work as a customer service representative in a call center.  You may be a construction worker.  You may be a police officer.  You may drive a truck from coast to coast.  God can and will use you where you are today.

Does this mean that you will remain where you are?  Only God knows this answer.

The key to fulfilling the call of God in your life is surrendering to His will.  Surrender may also be said like this:

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)

You will find that many times the things that God asks you to do involve surrender or involve the cross.  You don’t wake up one day and decide to be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher any more than you woke up one morning and decided to become a Christian.  God alone calls us and makes us into what He wants us to be.

You have been called.  You have been called to follow Jesus Christ.  If you have answered the call to follow Jesus Christ then you have also been called to share the love, life and message of Jesus Christ with others.  The manner in which God will have you do that is unknown to me.

The call of God will be manifested in your life as you obey Him.  Your study of the Word, your prayer life, your service to others and your willingness to surrender more of your life to Him will determine how quickly His will, plan and purpose develop in your life.

Many preachers have used this example but it bears repeating.  The children of Israel died in the wilderness and never inherited the Promised Land because they did not obey the Lord.  Scholars tell us that journey should have taken them less than one month and yet they spent 40 years circling Mt. Sinai.  Our willingness to surrender determines whether we are going to cross the Jordan and if we have to take another lap.

You have been called.  God has a plan for you and it is unique to you.

• John the Baptist had a 6 month ministry that began at age 30
• Jesus Christ had a 3 ½ year ministry that began at age 30
• Moses had a 40 year ministry that began at age 80
• Esther’s impact on society happened in one conversation with her husband the king.
• Ezra & Nehemiah oversaw building projects
• Ezekiel was charged with divine performance art
• Hosea was asked to marry a prostitute
• David was a songwriting warrior

Men and women of God throughout the scriptures came from all arenas of life:

• Peter was a fisherman
• Matthew was a tax collector
• Luke was a doctor
• Paul was a scholar
• Lydia was a fashion designer
• Joshua was an executive assistant
• Daniel was a genius
• Amos was a shepherd
• Nicodemus was in public office
• Priscilla & Aquila were tent makers
• Jesus was a carpenter

It does not matter what you are at this moment.  God wants to use you for His kingdom.  My question to you is, “are you willing?”

You may have a ministry that spans decades or a moment in time that changes the course of a life or nation.  Your life is important to God.  Please surrender your will to His so that He may use you to establish His kingdom in the earth today.