We don't go to church - We ARE the church

The church is not a building; it is the family of God on his mission.

 

“We’ll see you at church on Sunday...are you bringing your friend from
work?” hollered Shari as she walked across the parking lot.

“What do you mean?” Mark playfully responded.

“You are going to church next week aren’t you?”

“I’m planning on seeing you this weekend, but I am not going to church. In
fact I am never going to church again!”

Shari looked puzzled.

“If you mean, am I going to the building where the church gathers together
this Sunday, I am hoping to.”

“You know what I mean...are you messing with me?” Shari shot back.

Mark opened up his car door and grabbed a napkin out of the glove box. "Let
me show you something Shari. It may seem obvious, and I’ve only got a
minute before I have to go, but this is kind of a big deal really."

Mark started out by drawing a simple picture of a building with a cross on
top.

“This is what most of us growing up have come to refer to as the church. A
building. The place where Christians go, usually on Sunday, to worship and
listen to the preacher.”

Mark added arrows pointing toward the building as he talked, indicating
people heading to the building together on Sunday.

“But the Bible never ever describes the church as a building. It always refers
to the church as a people–God’s people, in Christ–who are now sent by the
Holy Spirit out into all of life to be the body of Jesus."

Mark added another simple drawing to the right of the first one that showed
a group of people with arrows indicating outward movement.

“I think this is a better picture of the church; a people who are sent by
God...who are outward focused. Certainly not a building, or contained within
four walls for an hour or two each week.”

Shari ran her hand through her hair and responded, “We don’t go to
church...we are the church. I like it. But maybe that’s just semantics.”

“Maybe, but I think it is more important than that. It might just be the
beginning of straightening out our thinking about who we really are as
Christians. Does going to that building on Sunday–or any other day–make us
a Christian or a child of God? No, it doesn’t. I am not sure when in history
we started referring to a building as “the church”, but it’s pretty bad theology
and has only added to the pattern of doing our religious activities and living
out our faith apart from the culture. We live separate from those in our city
or neighborhood who need to hear and see the Gospel in action so they can
believe. So they can experience Jesus.”

“I can see that.” Shari said, “And I don’t want my kids growing up thinking
that the church is just a place we go on weekends or during the week for
Awana meetings. I want them to see themselves the way Jesus does. They
are the church. Everyday, wherever they are.”

“Cool. I am working hard to change my thinking on this...I think it matters.
Anyway, I still plan to see you on Sunday when the church gathers together.
And I hope my friend will be there to meet you. See you then Shari!”

3 Questions:
1. What is God saying to you right now in light of this?
2. What will you do about it? When?
3. Who else do you need to share this with?

Written by Seth McBee. 

For more napkin theology from Seth, click here.

Your Physical Health IS a Spiritual Matter

 

As pastors, we tend to like to focus on “spiritual” things. But God is the Creator of our physical bodies, and it’s in our physical bodies that we live our spiritual lives out before others.

Pastors have a tendency to let our physical health go unchecked, and we have plenty of excuses, such as our busy schedules, our calendar being heavy with meal-centered meetings and our need to be behind a desk a lot to feed people spiritually.

For every excuse we can come up with to ignore our physical health, there are other pressing reasons to consider it.

• Our longevity in ministry can be cut short by poor health.
• Our sharpness of mind is affected by what we eat and our activity level.
• We challenge others to live healthy lives, so we should set the example.
• Our physical energy level rises to the demands of ministry if we’re in shape.
• Our bodies are temples too, created by the Master Craftsmen and placed under our stewardship.

The Bible is full of health rules and guidelines. I want to remind leaders of just six principles from God’s word about building a healthy body.

When you feel bad physically, it affects everything else. Shakespeare said it’s hard to be a philosopher with a toothache. I’d say it’s hard to be spiritually alert when you’re physically dull, when you’re tired, fatigued, out of shape.

1. Maintain your ideal weight.

Scientists know that you have an ideal weight based on your bone structure and your height.

1 Thessalonians 4:4 says, “Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable.” I realize there are many medical and glandular reasons for being overweight and having weight problems, but the fact is for many of us, we simply eat too much.

You cannot eat everything you want to eat and still maintain your weight. Ecclesiastes 6:7 says, “All the labor of man is for the mouth and yet the appetite is never filled.”

2. Balance your diet.

You need to focus on controlling both the quality and the quantity of what you eat.

Do you eat a balanced diet? A hamburger in both hands? I was on a seafood diet—If I see it, I get to eat it. 

1 Corinthians 6:12-13 says, “Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will eventually destroy them both.”

The point that Paul’s making is that eating is not an end in itself. We eat to live, we don’t live to eat. It’s a means, not an end in itself. And if we get those reversed, food becomes our master.

3. Commit yourself to a regular exercise program.

Most of us are convinced, but not committed. You know that exercise would be good for you, but committing to it seems hard.

1 Timothy 4:8 says, “Physical exercise has some value.” In Paul’s day, people were very active. If Paul wrote that verse today, he’d probably change it to say that it has great value.

In the New Testament times, people walked everywhere, engaged in a lot more manual labor and ate natural foods. Today, we drive everywhere, live sedentary lives and eat processed junk foods.

How do you know when you’re out of shape?

• You know you’re out of shape when you feel like the morning after and you didn’t go anywhere the night before.
• You know your body’s in trouble when your knees buckle and your belt won’t.
• You know you’re in trouble when you see your friends running and you hope they twist an ankle.
• You know you’re in trouble when you breathe harder walking up a set of stairs than you do when you hold your sweetheart’s hand.

The key is training, not straining. If you want to get in shape fast, exercise longer, not harder. Commit yourself to a regular exercise program. The fact is, your body was not designed for inactivity. You were made to be active. Even a daily walk will make a difference.

4. Get enough sleep and rest.

Psalm 127:2 says, “In vain you rise up early and stay up late.” The Living Bible says, “God wants His loved ones to get their rest.”

Rest is so important that God put it in the Ten Commandments. He said every seventh day, you should rest. Jesus, in Mark 6:30-32, insisted that His disciples take a vacation. 

Make sure you’re budgeting your time wisely. Make sure you get enough rest and sleep.

5. Reduce or avoid drinking alcohol.

Ephesians 5:18 says, “Don’t get drunk with wine, which will ruin you. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

Health conscious consumers are sobering up America. There’s been a dramatic change in America’s drinking habits. A growing number of Americans are beginning to view alcohol as unhealthy or downright dangerous.

It’s not surprising industry-wide sales are dropping. These are not religious people. These are just people who are concerned about their health. And for some surprising statistics about alcohol, see this infographic.

6. Live in harmony With God.

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A heart at peace is life to the body.” Our emotions have a tremendous effect on our physical health just like our physical health has a tremendous effect on our emotions.

You cannot fill your life with guilt and worry and bitterness and anger and fear and expect to be in optimum health. A heart at peace gives life to the body. If you feel bad, it affects every area of your life.

It’s a part of stewardship. Your body is a gift from God. What are you going to do with it?

By: Rick Warren

Dr. Rick Warren is passionate about attacking what he calls the five “Global Goliaths” – spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease, and illiteracy/poor education. His goal is a second Reformation by restoring responsibility in people, credibility in churches, and civility in culture. He is a pastor, global strategist, theologian, and philanthropist. He’s been often named "America's most influential spiritual leader" and “America’s Pastor.

Pray for Your Pastor

 

Recently, I came across a list from R.W. Glenn, a pastor in Minnesota, informing his congregation on how they could pray regularly for him. As I read them, my soul certainly resonated that I too need these prayers on a daily basis! As I am away on Sabbatical I hope my church family is praying for me. So for those who may be inclined to pray (or those who already are, but would like more clarity on how to specifically pray), here they are:

1. That the gospel would be the focal point of my life and identity – not manhood, not being a husband, not being a father, not being a pastor, but who I am in Christ.

2. That I would not fear man by desiring the admiration of people; that the Lord’s “Well done” would be ever before my eyes.

3. That the Lord would not allow me to go long between repentances; that I would keep short accounts with Him and be sensitive to and ruthless with my sin.

4. That I would continue to grow in the character qualities of a man of God (1 Tim. 3:1-7; 2 Tim. 2:22-26; Titus 1:5-9).

5. That I would have a consistent, powerful, diligent life of private prayer; that I would grow in my dependence on the Holy Spirit.

6. That the Lord would give me great diligence in study and sermon preparation, making the most of my time.

7. That my preaching and teaching ministry would be empowered by the Holy Spirit; that the Lord would affect real change in our lives through it; and that by it we would be more endeared to Christ.

8. That I would boldly and faithfully and humbly and joyfully and intentionally share the gospel with the     non-Christians in my social orbit.

9. That I would see Jesus as supremely valuable, my greatest treasure, and as my dear friend.

To those nine, I would add one more that immediately came to mind:

10. That I would love my wife and family and give myself to their discipleship with same energy, thoughtfulness and devotion that I do for the church in my responsibilities as a pastor.

To those who pray regularly for me and the other pastors, thank you so much. If we could see all that God does in response to the prayers of His people, we would surely have fresh encouragement for what a precious gift it is!

 

Enjoying the Big Game

As I am away on my Sabbatical I took time on Sunday to worship the Lord and spend time in His Word.  God is so good!

As the Super Bowl began it was a awesome time as Sharron prepared a large plate of hot wings and made my favorite cheese dip with chips.  As I set back to watch the big game I was surprised  by  the game but laughed at several of the commericals. 

Here is my favorite commerical from this year:




I want to thank all who are remembering us in prayer as we are enjoying a time of rest and refreshment.  I can tell the adrinealine is slowly slipping away and the stress is reduced each day.

7 suggestions NOT to do when your church is in decline

A always like to read from one of my mentors about church health and church development.  Here is a post from Ron Edmondson  that has helped me several times to keep focused on the main thing!

 

Part of my ministry involves working with other churches. Sometimes when I hear from a church they have been plateaued or in a season of decline for several years. They are often looking for answers of how they can turnaround.

I love helping churches, but there truly are no standard answers. It’s unique for every church and every situation. I do know, however, that if a local church never adds new people…eventually it will cease to exist. That makes sense, doesn’t it?

The hardest lesson a church needs to learn in a period of decline, however, is not what they should do…but what they shouldn’t. I’ve seen churches make, what appears to me, to be an abundance of wrong decisions towards growing again. The purpose of this post is to help churches who may find themselves in a declining period avoid mistakes I’ve seen some churches make.

Here are 7 suggestions NOT to do when in decline:

Blame others – It’s easy to blame the decline on a former pastor…or on the deacons…or one the seniors…or even on the culture. But, the reality is, when you are in decline, this matters less than what you are going to do about it. And, as long as you are blaming someone or something you won’t address the real issues.

Make excuses – There are a multiple reasons we could probably discover…many of them true…of why a church begins to decline. You should know them, but at some point, excuses only cloud our ability to move forward. We tend to live in them rather than move past them.

Pretend – I’ve seen so many churches pretend there isn’t a problem…when everyone knows there is one. (Or many.) If you want to grow again, you’ll have to admit there is a problem that needs addressing. (And, this is the subject of another post…but…in full disclosure…just so you know…that may involve implementing some change. No…that’s not full disclosure. It WILL involve some change.)

Lower expectations – It seems natural when the church is in decline to expect less, but that never works. You are trying to attract new people. You need more excellence, not more mediocrity to do that. You may need to lower some of the programs you offer, but never lower expectations of the ones you do.

Cut expenses – This one has dual meanings, of course, because reducing expenses may be exactly what you need to do. The point here is to make sure you lower the right expenses. Don’t cut the things that got you where you are or will get you where you need to go. Don’t cut promotional or community investment dollars, for example, just because they are intangibles or an easy decisions to make. The fact here is that many times the expenses you may need to cut are difficult decisions…unpopular decisions. So we often avoid them and cut the things that we should be doing to spur growth.

Overreact – Too much change during a period of decline can be deadly. Too little change can be equally damaging. Panic of leadership almost always leads to panic in people trying to follow. Strive not to react too strongly either way. Don’t change everything and don’t clamp down and refuse to change anything. Renew the vision God called you to…set good, clear goals and objectives to chart a course forward, and then trust that God will see you through this period.

Give up – There may be a time to quit. The fact is the church, as in the Body of Christ, is here to stay. Jesus promised that. That promise isn’t made to every local church. Local churches close every year. But, before you give up, or before you resolve that church growth is for other churches…but not this one…make sure you haven’t given up too soon. In my experience, we often quit just before the breakthrough. Do all you know to do, then stay close to the heart of God, waiting for Him to bring the increase again or lead you in making harder decisions.

Reflection from Part 1 of the Ascent Series

 

Part 1: The Lord is Your Keeper

Today, Pastor Jordan Unfired launches the new teaching series as our Pastor is away on Sabbatical. Three times a year, Israelites from all over Israel journeyed to Jerusalem to observe the so-called pilgrimage feasts: Passover in the spring, Pentecost in early summer, and Tabernacles in the fall. At these feasts, all Israel gathered to worship the Lord together as his united people. Worshippers traveled together in groups for safety. As they drew near to Jerusalem, they sang songs together in anticipation of the celebration that was to take place. This collection of songs, known as the Songs of Ascent, we know as Psalms 120-134.

Today, we will look at Psalm 121, a psalm about the journey itself. In it, the traveler looks to the Lord for safety and protection as he makes his way to Jerusalem. As the psalm develops, the journey to Jerusalem becomes a metaphor for the journey of life. From this psalm, we learn to look to the Lord as our only source of help.

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.                                                                                            Psalm 121:1-8

 

 

 

 

We will never find ourselves in a place   

that God is not there.

 

                                   We will never find ourselves in a time                                     

that God cannot hear.

 

 

We will never find ourselves in a fog   

that God cannot clear.

 

 

Preparing for worship on February 2 2014

Tomorrow, Pastor Jordan will begin a new teaching series as Pastor Rick is away on Sabbatical.

Here is a preview of this series:

Everyone, no matter what direction the traveler was coming from, had to “go up” or “ascend” to Jerusalem to worship because Jerusalem was situated in the mountains. There were three major festivals of worship that took place throughout the year, and pilgrims from all over would travel to Jerusalem to participate in these festivals and worship God. Many scholars believe that over time the worshipers composed songs to sing on their way to Jerusalem to worship. I imagine that these songs were meant to prepare the pilgrims for the larger gathering of worship that was to take place once they reached Jerusalem. As one author wrote in his book on the psalms, “As they passed through the length and breadth of the land, they awakened the echoes of praise on the way to Jerusalem.”

As the pilgrims ascended the rocky path to Jerusalem they sang lyrics such as:

• “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” ~ Psalm 121:1-2
• “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’ Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem.” ~ Psalm 123:1-2
• “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forever more.” ~ Psalm 125:1-2
• “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” ~ Psalm 133:1

I imagine that such songs stirred the hearts and spirits of the worshipers as they prepared themselves for their time in Jerusalem worshiping with the rest of the gathered children of God. These songs put them in the right frame of mind to participate in the worship festivities.

I believe it is just as important for us today to prepare ourselves for the gathering of God’s children on Sunday. Whether it be a time of silence and prayer, or reading through some scriptures, or possibly listening to a Christian radio station on the way to the church building, I believe all of those can be ways we can get ourselves in the right frame of mind and heart to worship God together on Sunday mornings.

This may force some of us to wake up earlier than usual. Many of us are frantically rushing out of our front doors just to make it to the building on time, or just to make it five minutes late. Maybe we can all learn a lesson from the pilgrims in the Old Testament. Our preparation for worship can be just as important as our corporate gathering for worship. As we ascend to our place of worship, may we awaken the echoes of praise on the way to North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene!

Each Saturday I try to post the songs for worship the following day at NRN. This Sunday is Youth Sunday and Pastor Jordan and the youth of our church lead us in worship. The music may be a little louder and faster pace; but the praise is to God and our prayer is that He receives the Glory due HIS NAME!