Undignified Worship

WISDOM

2012-02-08T14:42:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Psalm 2

The world is freaking out

The UN sits with their hands tied and their imaginations unraveled

Dictators and overseers prepare their thrones in darkness

Kings and Presidents unite to oppress the Remnant

They plot in vain

They strategize the defeat of the Lord’s anointed

Where is God?

He is found not on his feet but on his throne

He sits in the heavens - above the galaxies

What is he doing?

He is laughing

He mocks them in their attempt to challenge his chosen

His pities their authority and teases them with their very own titles

He terrifies them all with the declaration of his credentials

Therefore, O Kings, be wise and warned

Serve the Lord with fear and express great joy with rickety knees

Be careful, cautious, humble, and gracious

The lion is not ever to be teased

The roaring beast is a refuge to one and a nightmare for another

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

PRONOUNCEMENT

2012-02-02T16:29:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Psalm 19

Objects that have not been created by man have a way of silently announcing the existence of a brilliantly imanginative God

They have no mouth, they use no words, and no sound can be heard from them

Yet they have a voice

Their pronouncement can be heard in all the world

Their deffening and yet unspoken sound declares the glory of God

Then there is you

The Artist of artists created you in his image

You have what they don’t have

The ability to communicate with emotions and gestures

A glance, a frown, or a smile

With tears, and laughter

But most inportantly with your spoken words

Simple and pure

You have been created by God to make known the reality of God

As you do, you will not be alone

All creation with harmonize your melody

BRAIN CHECK

2012-01-27T20:41:00.000-08:00

“…and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,”

Ephesians 4:23

Symptom: Can’t tolerate others.

Diagnosis: Narrow Minded Mentality

Symptom: Can’t comprehend deeper truth.

Diagnosis: Darkened mentality

Symptom: Can’t bear important responsibility. Loves foolishness and a perpetual state of shallow thinking.

Diagnosis: Foolish mentality. It cannot bear any important responsibility. [Rom. 8:7]

There is an increasing appreciation within the Body of Christ for the cross of Christ and its functional operation within every area, especially the mind. When we give our lives to Christ we don’t just give our hearts to Jesus – but our minds too. It is very important that we understand that our head’s needs to get saved!!

In light of this statement checkout Ephesians 6:17, there you will find a piece of armor, the Helmet of Salvation. [Stop and take that in]

You have given your heart to Jesus, that's great, now check yo brain, is it saved? It needs to be.

[2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

(Romans 12:2 ESV)

Once your head receives Christ it’s time to begin bringing "every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10.5). Minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, night by night - be vigilant, alert, and watchful! It’s time to take your brain back from the enemy. It belongs to Christ.

Ding Dong Kim Jong-il is dead, the wicked old witch is dead!

2011-12-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

The munchkins rejoiced when the old wicked witch of the East died - you see, the cruel old witch conquered and tyrannically ruled the Munchkin County in the East, making the Munchkins slave for her night and day. She met her demise when Dorothy Gale's house crushed her to death. The problem was, there were other witches, and the problem is - there are other witches.

Unlike the munchkins, the nations are not rejoicing, but waiting. A window of opportunity has opened for Korea. Kim's death could provide an opportunity for change, or trigger instability and even chaos. His son, the "Great Successor" Kim Jong Un, now inherits a reclusive, unstable regime confronting political uncertainty, diplomatic isolation, economic malaise and food shortages.

Within minutes of the official announcement of Kim's death Dec. 19, Christians around the globe began posting prayer requests on Twitter and Facebook on behalf of the region. Tensions immediately began rising on Tuesday the 19^th when Kim Jong Un son test-fired a missile Dec. 19 over the East Sea.

Now is the time for divine intervention. The Church is being called to pray and seek the Father on behalf of this incredible nation. Let us join with the rest of the world in prayer and declaration on behalf of North and South Korea. Let us pray for peace and stability within North Korea and the region during the transition of political power to Kim Jong Un. Let us pray that the transition will result in greater freedoms for all North Korean citizens, and let us declare the prayer of Jesus that his Kingdom would come and that his will would be done in North and South Korea as it is in Heaven.

THE FEAR FACTOR

2011-12-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. [19] And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

(Matthew 1:18-25 ESV)

Basically this text says that Mary’s husband-to-be, Joseph, was so crippled by fear that he decided to divorce her quietly.

Did you read that correctly? Yep. Can you imagine what the nativity scene would look like if God had not intervened?

You best check yo-self here because if God has a plan for your life then you can bet a hefty Romney $10,000 wager that the Devil wants to sabotage that plan with a lethal dose of fear.

The primary operation of fear is to interfere with your role in God’s divine preparation. Don’t flip out, I will explain…

God has prepared for you a place and function that is undeniably important. You are called to collaborate with God – to work as a team – like Jesus did with his father - and fear comes to sabotage that.

Did you know that God has prepared for you a table? Yes, but, it’s in the presence of your enemies. We are to be so aware of the presence of God that we, like David in Psalms 23, know how to savor a filet mignon in the presence of our enemies.

Too many times we think that the presence of our enemies is an indicator that we are somehow outside of the will of God. We confuse the fear factor as being discernment. We get scared and we bail. Let me suggest that the presence of fear means that you are likewise in the presence of something much greater. Great opportunity means great risk – and if you don’t approach great risk with some reverential awe – you are a fool.

When God speaks don’t get hyper rational, be humbly obedient. When God speaks don’t cloud obedience with logical noise; often by the time we have added all our addendums to the bill, the bill is unrecognizable – it is no longer a piece of Holy Ghost legislation.

Are you afraid? Maybe God is trying to tell you something. :-)

Missional?

2011-12-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

As much as I love the missional revolution that has swept across the US, I am concerned that we have boiled down missions to doing kind things for others.

What is missional?

Jesus was missional.

Matthew 10:6-8 is missional,

Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

We cannot boil down missional to simply being like Jesus in his moral attributes - missional has to look like Jesus period - confronting sin, sickness, disease, injustice, and even death. If you have the assistance of the Holy Spirit, being missional can be the easiest thing in the world, but without the power of the Holy Spirit, being missional is frustrating and often fruitless.

So, dearly beloved, I urge you to be externally focused. Be kind, generous, and joyous. Enjoy Starbucks in moderation, be friendly to the Barista, and tip occasionally. Finally, lead others into an experience with Jesus that is so real the next logical step is to get saved.

You are Loved,

Darren

Evangelism Is Not Just Relationship

Definition of AWESOME

2011-11-17T09:00:00.001-08:00

Darrel E. Stott
at 16 years of age

Definition of AWESOME

1: expressive of awe <awesome tribute>

2
a : inspiring awe awesome task> b : terrific, extraordinary awesome time>

— awe·some·ly adverb

— awe·some·ness noun

The Covenant God

2011-11-06T05:53:00.001-08:00

Honoring and Recognizing the Covenant God
By John Scheda

Gen 14:1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). NKJ

Genesis 14 records how several kings banded their armies together to go against nearby cities including Sodom and Gomorrah. It so happened that Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family lived in Sodom and were taken captive along with all the people of the city, their food and supplies. One resident of Sodom managed to escape and brought the news to Abraham. When he heard of it he rounded up 318 of his trained servants to go hunt them down.

Gen 14:8 And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar — four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. 11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. 14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
NKJV

They recovered everything that was stolen, Lot, all his possessions and all the people from the city. While they were returning home, Melchizedek, King of Salem, met them with bread and wine and pronounced God’s blessing upon Abraham saying, “The God of heaven and earth has delivered the enemy into your hand.” Abraham gave a tenth part of the spoil as a tithe to Melchizedek being the priest of “The Most High God.”

Just then the king of Sodom showed up and told Abraham to keep all the supplies he had recovered for himself, just let the people return home. But Abraham refused to keep even one fragment of the spoils lest the king of Sodom would claim to have made Abraham rich. Abraham knew that it was God that had given them victory in battle and that his wealth and power were from God. He gave a tithe to Melchizedek the priest in honor of God. Abraham would not take even a sandal strap from the spoils of Sodom because he wanted to protect the reputation of being made rich and powerful by God alone. He would not allow an opportunity for anyone else to claim that they had made Abraham rich.

We also must never forget that it is God who gives us the power to get wealth as a confirmation of His covenant with us.

We give tithes of all our increase into His storehouse in honor of Him, and as a result we will be blessed along with Abraham. Deuteronomy 8:18 says God confirms the covenant that was made with our forefathers (Abraham) by giving us the ability to obtain wealth. When God gives us victory over our enemies and we recover what has been stolen from us it will be because we have honored God as our source of power not our own wisdom or might. We must also be careful not to take spoil for ourselves that would leave even a shadow of doubt as to who made us rich.

Abraham was in covenant with his nephew as part of his family. A covenant meant that if one of the two parties was ever in trouble the other would do all in his power to fight for and recover all that was lost. Of course this covenant included God as one of the partners and that is where the supernatural power factored in.

Abraham gave tithe to Melchizedek to recognize and honor God as covenant partner. He had the confidence to go after armies likely numbering in the thousands with only three hundred and eighteen men because he trusted in God who was the initiator of the covenant. The king of Sodom’s offer to keep all the spoil would have been appealing to someone who did not know the source of all the things we need for this life.

On the flip side of the coin, the book of Daniel records the story of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who would not honor God as the source of might, wisdom and the power to gain wealth. Nebuchadnezzar thought everything revolved around him. He had a golden statue of himself made and set up. He ordered all to fall down and worship before the statue every time they herd the sound of the musical instruments. If anyone refused to bow down and worship the image of Nebuchadnezzar they would be thrown into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

God gave Nebuchadnezzar opportunity to repent of his evil ways. The three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to the image or worship any other god than the God who made all things and put breath within them. As a result they were taken, bound and thrown into the furnace. The God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego delivered them from death and not even the smell of smoke was upon them. Only the ropes that bond them were burned off. Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed with the way their God delivered them from death that he made a decree stating that anyone who says anything amiss concerning the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would be cut in pieces and their houses be made a dung hill.

Though Nebuchadnezzar was greatly impressed with their God he evidently was not willing himself to bow down and make Him his God. He continued on in pride and arrogance believing all the wealth and provision of his kingdom was a result of his own wisdom and might. He saw himself as the provider of all things as if the people of his kingdom were eating out of his hand. He failed to give glory to the God of heaven and earth, so God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream.

Daniel’s interpretation of the dream was that Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would be taken from him and that his mentality would be reduced to that of a beast in the field. He would grow hair like eagle feathers and claws like a bird and would live off grass and vegetation. Seven years would pass before his reason and mentality would be restored. As Daniel completed the interpretation he gave the king some advice saying that if he would break free from his sinful way and begin to show mercy to the poor perhaps God would lengthen his days and continue to prosper his kingdom.

One year after Daniel interpreted his dream, Nebuchadnezzar was in his royal palace. He said to himself; “Is not this great kingdom of Babylon built by my own power and for the honor of my majesty?” No sooner than these words were out of his mouth a voice came from heaven declaring that the kingdom had departed from him. He was driven from among men and went into the fields to eat grass like an ox and his ability to reason was taken from him until seven years passed. “Is not this great kingdom of Babylon built by my own power and for the honor of my majesty?”

Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard way that his ability to reason, to be creative and prosperous is a gift from God. He learned the hard way not to steel the glory from his creator. In contrast to Abraham, Nebuchadnezzar could not honor and give glory to God. So God removed from him the very mentality and reason that made him different from all other creatures. The image and likeness of God was temporarily removed. God reduced him to the level of a cow grazing in the fields.

It would behoove us all to learn this lesson without having to go through a similar experience. Abraham gave a tenth part of all his increase to Melchizedek in honor of God. He knew without a doubt it was God given supernatural ability allowing 318 men to defeat armies. He knew also that it was by the power of God that they were able to recover all the spoil stolen from the city of Sodom. Abraham was very careful not to touch the glory while Nebuchadnezzar could not keep his hands off it.

In Roman 1, Paul describes people who failed to recognize and honor God with thankfulness.

Rom 1:21 for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools; 23 and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. NRSV

Those that Paul described, appear to have followed a similar path as Nebuchadnezzar. Their mentality diminished to the point that they lost sight of the one in whose image they were made. They exchanged the image of the immortal, eternal God for the mortal, corruptible image of self made man, or the beasts of the field.

We often overlook our natural talents and abilities as a gift of grace from God. He has given us our abilities, talents and the power to gain wealth. He has given us a mentality far greater than all other creatures and He has breathed life into us. Without Him we can do nothing. Tithing is honoring God for what He has given into our hands. It is recognizing and acknowledging the covenant we have with Him. Abraham gave tithes of all the spoils recovered in the battle yet in the end he kept nothing for himself. He knew the tithe was more about honoring God for the power to gain or recover wealth than for the wealth itself.

I believe the recovery of family and goods stolen by the enemy will result as we follow the example of Abraham in honoring God. As we remain in covenant with God as did Abraham our small bands of faithful warriors will be empowered to defeat armies of thousands. Though our battle today is not against flesh and blood the principal is the same. We rely on the promise of God to supernaturally cut off our enemies according to our covenant with Him. Giving God the tithe is our acknowledgment of covenant. We are partners with Him, and through that covenant relationship we are supernaturally empowered to defeat our enemies. If we fail to acknowledge God as covenant partner and take the glory for ourselves He has no responsibility to show Himself strong on our behalf.

John Scheda is an Elder at the Seattle Revival Center in Newcastle Washington. He has a love for God's word and shares his thoughts on his blog Johns Thoughts.

Darjeeling Wedding

2011-11-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

A Darjeeling Wedding

Is Boldness Progressive?

2011-11-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

From Lambs to Lions

[18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] 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, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

This text is referred to as the great commission of Jesus to the Church. It’s an assignment from Jesus that’s so massive in its scope that it must have completely overwhelmed the disciples when they first heard it, or maybe it motivated them, I don’t know. Here’s what I know: without the promise of Jesus, the commission is impossible and, furthermore, a recipe for burnout. The promise is this, “ALL AUTHORITY in heaven and on earth has been given to me…”, in light of this, go, make disciples of nations.

Empowered Authority Empowers the Commission

A commission is powerless if it is given from one who is powerless. If Jill Martin, the friendly cashier from the Renton Walmart called me and said, “Go and buy one thousand rolls of toilet paper and give them out to all your neighbors,” I would respond by laughing uncontrollably and then waiting for Jonathan Cotton to reveal himself as the caller. But, if I received a call from the White House, and then through a process of transferred calls I found myself on the phone with President Obama and he said, “Darren Stott, your country has need of you. Go and get the city of Newcastle prepared for a disaster. I have already called Mayor Dulcich, he is awaiting your visit.” I would be empowered from by a great authority to undertake a massive task.

Your authority to perform a task is empowered by the authority of the task giver. We, the Church, have been given the authority, and the opportunity, to accomplish the impossible for the purpose of fulfilling a great commission, given to us by a great authority, Jesus Christ.

With competence comes courage

Marketplace professionals always say to not prematurely judge a new job until you have been doing it for at least ninety days. Why is this? Any time you take on a new position, or a new assignment, there is an underlying sense of uneasiness because of the unknowns. Learning curves always present feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. But the professionals know that with experience comes competence, and with competence comes courage. For this reason, you fake courage your first ninety days, you ask lots of questions, you make lots of mistakes, and you seek the wisdom of those who are established and have a reputation for success. Before you know it you are a professional, an authority within your industry; not only have you sown your time, energy, and resources into understanding your market and product, but you are now the very person that is hiring, firing, and delegating responsibilities.

Now apply this to the great commission. At a glance the job description given by Jesus doesn’t look like a good fit for most of us, wouldn’t you agree? Surely Jesus is just giving this task to only the apostles in his day, or maybe he is also including the evangelists in our day, but he is certainly not assuming that we are all supposed to be included in this task, right?

For example, an imaginary man named Carl said to me the other day, “Pastor Darren, I love the article that you are writing on progressive boldness, but you must understand, I operate in the office of a teacher, so Matthew 28 doesn’t really apply to me.” My response to Carl is this, “Carl, the great commission was written to believers in every category and office. If your title is keeping you from obeying Jesus, you need a new title; for example, let’s begin with the title ‘Christian.’”

CONFRONTING FEAR WITH AN ANOINTING OF BOLDNESS

In Acts 3 Peter and John command a cripple to get up and walk, the dude who was crippled from birth is completely healed. In Acts 4 Peter and John get into big trouble. The captain of the temple, the Sadducees, the rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family and they threaten Peter and John. They say, “Peter and John, we forbid you from speaking any more in this name (referring to the name of Jesus),” and if you do, we are going to crush you.

The believers respond by getting together and crying out to God. What are they praying for?

²⁹And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, ³⁰while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." ³¹And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

The believers, in and of themselves, were fearful but they cried out to the Lord for boldness and the Lord honored their request immediately.

Fear is not God saying that you are out of your jurisdiction or gifting. Fear is an indicator of intimidation. What would it profit God to intimidate you? It would be against his character. Too many times we allow our feelings to dictate how we are going to live out our lives; therefore, when threatened by the enemy of our soul, we apologize and cower. I would challenge you to never, ever apologize to the enemy. Now is the time for you to confront your fears with an anointing of boldness – this doesn’t mean that you are not afraid. It means that you engage by faith despite your feelings and this is what activates boldness.

Boldness is progressive

Greg got this script thing from Rodney Howard Browne and they guarantee that, if you just “read the script, people will get saved.” After hearing Greg’s praise reports I wanted to give it a try. We went to a residential community to knock on doors. I admit that I was scared. I hadn’t yet really memorized the script; I wasn’t even familiar with it. But, I was with Greg, a professional evangelist, so I planned on hiding behind him and watch as the magic happened. God showed up in power, and I watched as Greg operated with jaw-dropping boldness. As God confirmed his word I found myself getting excited, really excited. That night I didn’t sleep well. I was no longer scared. I was chomping at the bit to go knock on more doors. Two days later I went out alone. I got out of my car and I didn’t feel nervous. That day, once again, I saw God show up and bring healing and salvation to some wonderful people. This is when I realized, boldness is progressive. We transform from lambs to lions when we engage our faith despite our feelings.

For example:

The problem: I can’t witness because I don’t feel the Holy Spirit right now!

The solution: By faith I believe the Holy Spirit is present despite how I feel, therefore I am empowered to engage.

When we take a risk for the sake of loving others with the love of Christ, the Holy Spirit shows up and reveals Jesus, and this reinforces and increases your boldness. If Jesus shows up when you take a risk, is it really a risk? Boldness will remain dormant in your life until you activate it with your faith.

LUNAHAU!!!

Good Morning Darjeeling!!!

2011-10-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Good morning Everest - 5:30AM

Looking down at Darjeeling from our hotel balcony.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Banana, Toast, Darjeeling Tea, Starbucks VIA Coffee

Breakfast - Corn Flakes, 2 Bananas, Boiled Milk, and Two Hard Boiled Eggs.

An alley in Darjeeling early in the morning.

Amazing Sunrise:

The streets of Darjeeling are empty at 5:30AM.

Jesus and Bahá'u'lláh are NOT Friends

2011-10-26T11:31:00.001-07:00

I had two trippy encounters yesterday.

I will tell you about one of them.

A small team of women from our church along with our associate pastor and myself went out into a local neighborhood down the street from our church to do some follow up ministry with a few new converts. To our disappointment most of the follow up wasn't able to happen because people weren't home, or they had company, etc. So, I took one of the gals with me and we decided to cold call evangelize and tell some people about the good news of Jesus Christ.

We came across Teresa. Teresa has been part of the Bahá'í Faith since she was fifteen. We inquired of Teresa as to what that meant, apparently they worship Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the faith, and the self-acclaimed reincarnation of Jesus Christ, and the brother of Kahlua, the Goddess of coffee liquor (I made that last part up).

After learning about the suffering of Balloon, we respectfully offered a free blessing. She shook my hand and thanked us for offering the prayer, but I insisted that we immediately pray together, and that it would be a nice "blessing" kind of a prayer.

I lied. Not intentionally of course, I just had no idea what was about to happen.

The problem is that she started manifesting demons the moment words started flying from my lips. She couldn't close her eyes, in fact something seemed to be ripping them open. Her eyeballs were protruding from her head as her jaw began to click.

TIP #1: Pray with your eyes open!

For this reason alone, always pray for people with your eyes open, you never know when something in someone might influence them to attack you. It's not that you need to be afraid, just ready to slam down some authority in Christ and command some creepy crawlies to cease and desist.

She began walking sideways, like a crab trying to creep off a dock, towards her door. I began declaring the love of the Father, and the presence of the Holy Spirit, it was a fight in the spirit, and I asked her quickly,

"You feel that don't you?"

She responded,

"YES!"

I quickly let her know what she was experiencing,

"That's Jesus! He loves you!"

She twitched, and jerked.

"You don't feel the presence of Ballallah do you?"

She responded,

"Yes we do!"

Yikes, wasn't ready for that. That explains the demonic manifestations.

"But not like this! It's not like this, is it?! This is pure, this is Jesus, he is Holy, and he loves you so much!!!"

She made it inside her door, she desperately tried to smile but it looked like her skin was being ripped off her face,

"Thank you so much! Have a good day."

She looked at something once she grabbed the door, and she whispered to it. Couldn't make out what it was. She slammed the door shut.

I felt the presence of God all over me. I was jacked up and ready to roll!! Theresa had an encounter with the legit God of the angel armies, an encounter she won't be able to deny. She now has doubt. She now knows that despite her doctrine there is a conflict between her faith and Jesus. She now knows that Jesus and Bahá'u'lláh are NOT Friends! God is not done with Theresa. He has a plan for her life, he loves her, and I plan on following up with Theresa as well.

I say this to encourage all you believers in Christ, the Holy Spirit is at work within you, and if you let him, he will jump out of you and reveal himself to others around you.

Lanahau!!

Money Problems?

2011-10-25T09:55:00.001-07:00

A lack of money is never, never, never the problem! A lack of money is the indicator that there is a problem.

If you are blaming the wrong problem you won't find the right solution. Blame is just an attempt to transfer your responsibility, shame, and fear to something or someone else. Blame might help you temporarily feel better about yourself but it's a band-aid on a gaping wound.

So I submit to you, your lack is not the root but the leaf. Your lack is not God teaching you about idols. Your lack is not the devil attacking you. Find the root and let the Truth (AKA Jesus), set you free!

Journey to Darjeeling

2011-10-24T22:31:00.001-07:00

Greg

Hotel Room in Delhi

Up the mountain we go. Three hours up. Rough, narrow, and dangerous roads.

and up................

A two lane road.

A truck about to scrape our vehicle as he passes.

To the left is a cliff, to the right is my window

Still driving along the cliff.

"Don't look down!"

Beautiful restaurant, halfway up the mountain. 1.5 hours into the journey

Huge Buddhist Temple
A favorite hangout for the Pitts, Richard Gere, Madonna, and others.

The Buddhist Temple (again).

Welcome to Darjeeling, a city on a hill.

Walking through Darjeeling, India

2011-10-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE AS A SLAVE TO FEAR AND DEATH!

2011-10-24T21:36:00.001-07:00

When contemplating life, death, and the afterlife do you find yourself getting lost in despair?

Until you know what's going to happen to you on the other side of death, until your related to Jesus, until you are sure that you are out from underneath the bondage of death, it is impossible to be free from the clench of its overwhelming despair.

However, you do not have to live as a slave to fear and death.

These things have been beaten, conquered, and defeated on your behalf so that if you choose this day to allow Christ to be your substitute and Savior you can exit out of a death mentality and enter into an everlasting life reality.

THE REVIVAL DYNAMIC

2011-08-16T16:04:00.001-07:00

If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Historically, there is a dynamic that exists within the church that disappears as fast as it appears; it has been known to result in regional repentance and the transformation of societies. I will refer to this as a revival dynamic, and will define it as an intensified moving of the Holy Spirit on a corporate level. During these unique moments normal Christianity seems to get redefined, and there is a return to Christological methods of ministry.

2 Chronicles 7:14 is a fascinating passage because it seems express God's heart for revival. In this text God communicates that he is looking for a humble, praying, desperately hungry, people that is quick to repent so that he can unleash forgiveness of sins on perhaps a city or national level and a sanctifying restorative move of God on a societal level – as if to hit a very small reset button hidden somewhere on the surface of our culture. You see revival as defined in 2 Chronicles 7:14 is not just a good meeting, it's a release from heaven that cannot be contained to a meeting or a church service. It's a release from heaven that not only brings about redemption for individuals, but healing and restoration for geographic locations. When this takes place on a corporate level you have a revival dynamic with enough momentum to make a redemptive imprint on generations and nations.

2 Chronicles begins, if my people, who are called by my name… Revival does not just happen! God does not randomly rip open the heavens and force his glory into earth's realm. When God's people come before him with a red hot, non-negotiable, non-compromising, pursuit of the person, presence, and power of God – the person, presence, and power of God shows up and everything changes.

We must have a biblical theology for revival and see that the power of God is never for shock-and-awe in and of itself. God is not Stephen Spielberg, he's not trying to sell tickets or fill seats. The power of God is always for a redemptive and restorative means and end. His love and concern is for his people and the land that they dwell.

This revival dynamic can actually propel the church into the orbit of relevance. By relevant I don't mean the ability to be culturally savvy. The nations are raging, kings are gathering, people are rioting, the earth is groaning, and nobody cares if your church is on Twitter or if you had a good service. This is a unique moment in history where hype is not relevant, but hope is. An intensified moving of the spirit of God that awakens communities to the desires of the Father and transforms culture is a plumb line for revival, and it is for this cause that we were born.

WE NEED HOPE, NOT HYPE

2011-07-28T16:03:00.001-07:00

The church desperately needs to be propelled into the orbit of relevance. By relevant I don't mean the ability to be culturally savvy. The nations are raging, kings are plotting in vain, people are rioting, and the earth is groaning – seriously, nobody cares if your church is on Twitter or if you had a good service.

This is a unique moment in history where hype is not relevant. Your popularity stats are not an asset to the Kingdom. It's time to unplug and recalibrate.

An intensified moving of the spirit of God that awakens communities to the desires of the Father and transforms culture is a plumb line for revival, it is for this cause that we were born. What is the world demanding of the church, "hope, not hype."

HOW TO TRANSITION WITH GRACE

2011-06-08T13:48:00.001-07:00

As a young boy, I would often use excessive force when a puzzle piece didn't fit; perhaps I believed that the puzzle maker made an incorrect cut. If I persisted the piece would bend and the puzzle would not be able to be completed, but, if I accepted that it wasn't the right fit, I could then move on and continue to find the correct pieces that could easily connect. It's really not a big deal if a piece doesn't fit, it just means that we explore other opportunities and trust that the Lord has just the right spot picked out for us.

Are you being placed into a position or location where you don't fit? Are you trying to squeeze into a spot that you were not created for? The best thing you can do is to pray, obey, and transition with grace. I believe there are some little pointers that will benefit you in your career, ministry, and volunteer opportunities.

How to Transition with Grace

#1 – Ask the questions…

Transitioning with grace doesn't mean that you drop the ball and run - abandoning your team without rhyme or reason. The best way to prepare for transition is to ask the questions, "What will be the ramifications of my transition? Will I make a task far more difficult for someone else? Who is that someone else?" Once you have answered these questions – proceed to step two.

#2 – Schedule the Meeting

Once you have scheduled your meeting consider how you will communicate clearly and with honor; nobody wants to hear, "This party sucks, I quit!" Honor is an important factor and a value of Heaven. Consider the need that your transition will create and communicate your heart, your flexibility, and a purposed timeline for transition.

#3 – Honor, Honor, and Honor.

As you transition back to green pastures, keep watch over the posture of your heart. Transition can be difficult for everybody, so guard your heart and let the words of your mouth and meditations of your heart be pleasing to the Lord. He will take notice and, I believe, bless you for the grace that you extend.

We are all cut to a specific and unique specification; this is important to remember when found in a spot that we were not built to fill. When this happens we end up in a battle where we have to manufacture energy in order to perform and, perhaps, attempt to "do ministry." You have been created by God to reflect his beauty and glory, and you can be certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6). In light of this truth, if you are available to be used by Jesus, to follow Jesus, and be a disciple of Jesus, he will connect you, install you, and flow through you as a vessel of his glorious light and power.

Africans BELIEVE that JESUS heals

2011-06-01T15:07:00.001-07:00

The African Christological image of Christ as Healer and Life Giver explains a lot. Stories, articles, books, and documentaries have been telling us for years of all that God has been doing amongst the African people. If the bulk of African-Christians Christology is centered on the suggestion that Jesus heals and restores individuals and communities, then this understanding sets the level of expectation (or faith) quite high. Consequently, the Holy Spirit moves, people are healed, lives are changed, and God is glorified. One missionary couple that our church supports rescues children from garbage dumps in Mozambique, the poorest country in the world. They started with 80 orphans and now care for over 2000 orphans. The power of God is not a luxury for them but a matter of survival. They have seen over a hundred people raised from dead since 1995.

My concern is not over the African Christology taking the doctrine of healing too far as much as it is the American Church explaining this doctrine away all together. Tennant's observation as to the absence of modern day divine healing in connection with the doctrine of Jesus Christ and his ministry as taught in volumes of systematic theology goes to show that too many times theology is approached from a place of experience rather than scripture. When limited experience becomes the foundation for your systematic theology, your Christology will be more manlike than Christ-like. Many times we pay too much attention to the warnings of possible excess from those who are satisfied with lack.

Tennant states that African Christianity is often criticized by Westerners for being "shallow" – that people are coming to Christ for the wrong motive. This accusation in and of itself is shallow, especially coming from a country where many churches seem to have replaced the anointing with gimmicks. Billy Graham once made an observation stating that if the Holy Spirit departed, most of our churches would continue, business as usual. Indeed, it is only a matter of time before Africa begins sending missionaries to the United States to teach us how to believe and walk in the reality of the supernatural.

Being a Pastor versus a CEO

2011-05-31T11:42:00.001-07:00

Machine builders are those people who treat others like sprockets; they tend to see others as a means of getting something done.

Jesus is not a machine builder, in fact he never had any intentions on building a machine or a powerful religious institution; he didn't recruit sprockets, instead he made disciples. Jesus knew the complexity and uniqueness of the human heart; he didn't choose his disciples in spite of their frailty, but rather that in his sufficiency he could be manifested his grace so that his power could be made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

What carpenter would choose imperfect lumber to show off the perfection of his craftsmanship? The answer is Jesus! A CEO would NEVER take such a risk.

The Mark of a Godly Man

2011-05-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Psalm 1:1-2

Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

According to this text the mark of the godly man is not that he prays day and night, and not that he witnesses on the street corner day and night, but that he meditates on the law day and night. The mark of a godly man is that he is someone who loves to have God tell him what to do - he loves to have God’s word examine his life.

Are you like this?

How involved do you want God to be in your life?

The answers to these questions will tell you something about state of your soul.

THE LIGHT OF THE KING’S FACE

2011-04-11T11:30:00.001-07:00

Personal transformation for the regeneration of communities and cities

We survived the Winter and the Spring has come. The blossoming plum trees at the church are glowing bright pink, the grass is growing and thickening, and the choir of frogs have reassembled in the pond just behind our house. The change of seasons has brought about a significant increase of rain, and not just any kind of rain, spring rain.

Did you know that the Bible talks about spring rain? It's true, Proverbs 16:15:

In the light of a king's face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.

The New King James version refers to this spring rain as the latter rain. This is the rain that falls in March or April, just before the harvest. That which brings the rain is the "cloud," and the cloud is very significant, as it would have symbolized the protection and prosperity of the Lord. The readers of Proverbs would have identified with the cloud being a protection from the scorching sun and the source of abundance and blessing - an appropriate type for the highest favor from God. So where does this blessing ultimately come from: the rain or the clouds?

Proverbs 16:15 says that all this blessing, all this life, all of this protection radiates through the light of the king's face. We find ourselves in time that history books will one day write of and that the Bible already has. In Matthew 24:6-7, Jesus says:

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places."

Darkness is the absence of light, the absence of hope, a loss of joy and the acceptance of defeat. The world is becoming all too familiar with darkness. It's almost like society has been tricked into thinking that it's always just supposed to be winter and never summer. Artificial light is being offered in all forms and types. Entertainment is an example of artificial light; it allows for people to escape reality without the hangover – but the light does not remain. Drugs, narcotics and supplements offer light in moderation – while residing in the blood stream one's perspective can change, but the circumstances remain and darkness eventually overwhelms them. Relationships can offer light – but when rocked by indifference and circumstance, the darkness waits. Did you know that there is no darkness in God? His face actually shines so bright that darkness cannot overcome it.

Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth and the life, and that, through him, we could have access to the Father, the King, the very one whose face shines like the sun. This access equals transformation. You cannot go face to face with the King and not be transformed. This personal transformation is for a reason. In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus said it like this,

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

The light that comes from the King's face brings about personal transformation for regional regeneration. Regeneration is the process of darkness feeling as the light of God's face takes the scene. Jesus says that revival starts with individuals (you), coming together (the town), and gives light to everyone in the house (community). The world is waiting for the revealing of such cities/centers of revival, transformation and restoration to be established. If we are not the light of the world, what hope does that leave the world? That leaves us with Lady Gaga and President Obama.

It sure has to start somewhere. It has to start sometime. It begins with communities who are so saturated in the light and life of the King. Why not now, why not you and I, why not us?

"The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace."'
"So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them."

Numbers 6:22-27

RELIGIOUS REST VS. THE KINGDOM OF REST PART 2

2011-03-28T13:55:00.001-07:00

[9:1] As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. [2] And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" [3] Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. [4] We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. [5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." [6] Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud [7] and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

(John 9:1-7 ESV)

Verse four tells us that Jesus knows what he's about to do. He says, "We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day," Jesus essentially says, "I am about to do some work!" This presents a problem – it is Sabbath – you D O N ' T work on Sabbath.

Jesus bends over and starts playing in the mud! He gets dirty.

This is a total chock to the religious people; it's so traumatic that the rest of the chapter is focused on the debate over the legitimacy of the miracle considering it was performed on the Sabbath.

So what happened here? Did Jesus break the law?

To answer this we have to listen to what Jesus says about his ministry and its purpose and place in relationship to the law,

[17] "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Matthew 5:17 ESV

So how does Jesus fulfill the law of Sabbath?

[23] One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. [24] And the Pharisees were saying to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" [25] And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: [26] how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?"

[27] And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. [28] So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."

Mark 2:23-28 ESV

FROM A DAY TO A PERSON

This is a radical text! Jesus proclaims that he is the lord of the Sabbath. With the coming of Jesus Christ - his person, work, and accomplishment – comes a new covenant revelation of Sabbath rest. Up to this point in time rest had become a religious duty when it was created and intended to be a gift from God. Jesus actually deconstructs and reconstructs our understanding of Sabbath by coming as the gift – he actually comes as the embodiment of rest. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and through his ministry transitions our understanding of Sabbath rest. True Sabbath rest is no longer a day, but a person.

In today's 1000MPH modern age it is presumptuous to think that resting one day a week will bring peace to your mind, will, and emotions. Psychologists tell us that it takes three days for the average person to be able to unwind enough to where they can actually enjoy a vacation. It takes on average twenty minutes for people to fall asleep – that is not taking into consideration the growing trend in sleep deprivation and insomnia. Modern America has been taken hostage by a compounding business that applies pressure through a flat hand of urgency. Turning off your cell phone on Sundays (although a brilliant idea) will not fix you.

Reflection:

Do you have an old covenant view of Sabbath rest?

Are you trying to find restoration for your soul in a day or a person?

When you reflect on Jesus, do you have feelings of anxiousness and inadequacies or do you have a sense of wellbeing and rest?

RELIGIOUS REST VS. THE KINGDOM OF REST PART 1

2011-03-14T07:24:00.001-07:00

DARREN STOTT

Resting without receiving rest is hard work

Before Jesus rest was not a luxury but a necessity, if you wanted to live!

In Exodus 20:8-11 God's pattern for rest becomes a law for mankind:

Exodus 20:8-11

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

In Numbers 15:32-40 God shows how serious he is about his law of rest:

[32] While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. [33] And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. [34] They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. [35] And the LORD said to Moses, "The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp." [36] And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Now you can probably see why the Israelites took Sabbath so seriously – it was a holy day to cease from all striving, self effort, and strain. God had made it clear that Sabbath equals rest. God established this law as a preventative measure to provide protection for his people. He knew that if there was not a healthy rhythm of work and rest built into the fabric of Israel's culture they would self destruct. Work without rest leads to a buildup of frustration; compounding works on top of self-righteousness that can eventually open the door to deception. This happens continually in the marketplace as well as in the church. Do we as a culture reward a work ethic but ignore an ethic of rest? I think we do. Man keeps coming up with new creative innovations devised to lengthen the day, the week, the year – we ask the question, "How can we live with less sleep so that we can accomplish more!"

So the Israelites get this rest thing down – they nail it! They become rest legalist. The misfortunate characteristic of their practice of Sabbath is that it begins to lack true authentic Psalms 23 rest - that special place where God restores the soul to a healthy state; so when Jesus shows up he logically confronts the heart of man and his understanding of Sabbath rest. I will talk about how Jesus does this in my next blog posting. But here is a teaser, Jesus is about to show up and launch a Sabbath revival – but before he can build a new theology for rest he has to deconstruct the old model. Sabbath rest had become work – it had lost its grace.

Reflection:

Has rest lost its grace in your life?

When you sleep does your mind really shut down, or is it filled with anxiety and worry as it preps for the challenges of tomorrow?

Are you practicing rest, or are you resting?

The Pasture

2011-02-28T16:56:00.001-08:00

DARREN STOTT

[9] I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be

saved and will go in and out and find pasture. [10] The

thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came

that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10:9-10 ESV

John 10:9-10 is all about three things: Location, location, location! Checkout what Jesus is saying; he claims to be the starting point (the door) by which we can enter a very special location; the pasture. This word "pasture" appears throughout scripture and always refers to the same location. So where is this place? It's a secret! Its locality is so well hidden that no man can find or enter into it, except by access through Jesus Christ. This location is also referred to in the twenty-third Psalm verses 2-3,

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

Psalm 23 gives us a glimpse of the pasture. It is a green meadow with a quiet still brook that flows through it. Jesus, our shepherd, is there, and he makes us lay down so that we can rest. It's while we rest that our mind is quieted, our will is permitted to relax, and our emotions take a deep breath for fresh air – it is in this very special place that our soul is restored. In Ezekiel 34:13-15 God invites his people to the pasture:

And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The pasture in Ezekiel 34 is a Kingdom of rest, and the fruit of the Kingdom is Romans 14:17 fruit; right standing with God, freedom from striving, and the absence of worry and fear. The hallmark of our salvation is our ability to enter into this location with the Father and trust him enough to allow him to make us lie down. The best part is, we don't ever have to leave the pasture – the pasture is where we were meant to reside – with our Father – his rod and staff by our side.

CRITICS, FANS, AND PLAYERS

2011-02-08T15:31:00.001-08:00

DARREN STOTT

CRITICS

Critics criticize. That's what they do. They point out issues and problems, and they do it from a platform; it could be a church stage, a radio show, a podcast, a newspaper column, or at a water cooler. They never criticize themselves – they find a target – they narrow in – and they blast away.

FANS

When you go to a football game it is exciting. You buy your ticket, you get your nachos and coke and you cheer and scream… it's a lot of fun and very entertaining. You are a fan! You don't get to catch a ball and run down the field, and you don't get to make a home run. You are a spectator and when the game is over, life goes on.

PLAYERS

Marshawn Lynch's 67-yard touchdown run was monstrous on many levels. First and foremost, it gave the Seattle Seahawks a nice cushion late in the fourth-quarter. It also helped to push the momentum in favor of the Seahawks until the final whistle. The run had everything from broken tackles, tough hard-nosed running, a trail of embarrassed defenders in its wake, it caused a small earthquake and it ended with a touchdown. Marshawn Lynch is not not a critic, or a fan; he's a player.

Players play ball. They are personally invested. If they win, it's because of their contribution to the team – if they lose, then they most certainly had a part to play in that as well. If a player drops a ball, it gives a critic fuel in their criticism, and it gives the fan something to cheer about or likewise criticize. Dropping the ball doesn't cost a critic or fan anything, but it could cost the player everything, including his career. Because of this risk most of us stay on the sidelines – cheering and (or) criticizing. Because of the investment required to do something great and significant most people will play it safe and settle for mediocre conversation that involves little to no action. The cost to make a difference is too high for many to pay.

Are you a fan, critic, or a player?

The Church = The Community of the Kingdom

2011-01-15T13:17:00.001-08:00

DARREN STOTT

Matthew 16:18 ESV

I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Jesus is communicating the will of the Father, he's prophesying, foretelling of something that is about to happen. This is what Jesus says,

"I am going to build my house!"

House? What is he talking about??

There is this word, Ekklesia, it is often times referred to an assembly, but it is really much more than that. Ek means "out," and kaleo means "to call," so Ekklesia literally means "those who are called out." Now, if you are called out of something, then you must likewise be called in to something, right? So, when Jesus says, "I am going to assemble an Ekklesia,"he is referring not to a location, but to a community of people.

Now the Ekklesia is not the Kingdom of God - but it is a community of the Kingdom, and this community has a task; to execute kingdom business.

We are going to see in just a minute that because of the responsibility of this community it is impossible for it to be static – but instead, radically dynamic.

Matthew 28:18-20

[18] And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] 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, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Apostolic Commission

"Pastoral churches change flocks, apostolic churches change cities!"
Kris Vallotton

The Matthew 28:18-20 mandate is most certainly by definition an apostolic mandate, and it commissions the church to make disciples of nations. When a general gives an order, his authority empowers those who are about to execute the task. Before an order is given, it's only a possibility, but after it is released, the possibility becomes a reality through the obedience of the generals subjects. A commission can only be given by one in authority; therefore when the disciples where commissioned by Jesus they were empowered with the authority and opportunity to execute this magnificent task. This text is a text of empowerment – for the church!

This text is a functional assignment given to the Ekklesia or the community of the Kingdom to GO and expand the rule of the King!

This is the functional assignment of the church!

DEFINING JUSTICE: GRACE, MERCY, AND THE MIRACULOUS

2011-01-10T07:20:00.001-08:00

DARREN STOTT

Matthew 6:9-10

⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:

      Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
       ¹⁰ Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done
      On earth as it is in heaven.

Now earth is flawed, sin jacked things up royally… lions still kill lambs, if you know what I mean. Why is Jesus praying this way? On earth as it is in heaven?? Is it a prayer request???

Matthew 6:9-10 is God's heart for his people and for the world. Jesus is saying, God's desire for you is to be light, salt, and agents of change who operate under a new covenant of grace, mercy, and the miraculous; thereabouts reflecting the culture and realities of heaven on earth.

You may say, "I'm cool with grace, and I'm cool with mercy, but why the miraculous?"

Isaiah 53:5 ESV

[5] But he was wounded for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his stripes we are healed.

The death of Jesus Christ is absolutely miraculous – if you believe in this historical event then you cannot deny the mind-blowing implications of his sacrifice. Jesus took upon himself man's rebellion against God – the very cause of brokenness and injustice – so that we could live life (in him) with John 10:10 fullness for the cause of justice.

DEFINIG JUSTICE

It's part of the Father's business. Sin, sickness, disease, heart break, and cancer are just a few things that are un-original. They are characters that were not part of God's original story. Man's choice to sin against God brought about these destructive elements, but for God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son to usher in a new covenant – the rules were about to change…

Matthew 10:5-8 ESV

[Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles]

[5] These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, [6] but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [7] And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' [8] Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons…

What?? The Apostles can't do that! Jesus can, because he is GOD, but the apostles, they are sinners themselves, how can they walk in the same authority as Jesus?

This is discipleship. Jesus is saying, go and do the stuff, and in doing so you are not suspending the natural order of things, you are restoring things to their natural order. When a miracle takes place, or when someone is delivered from demonic oppression – God is restoring a person to his/her original intended condition and purpose. This is the act of justice. It is the ordinary people of God confronting sin and the affects thereof, and demanding the intent of the Father which is the Kingdom of the King manifesting itself on earth as it is in Heaven for the purpose of restoration and relationship.

BEAT THE HOLIDAY BLUES

2010-12-03T21:16:00.001-08:00

DARREN STOTT

In Luke 1:46-55, we find a portion of Scripture that is known as "Mary's Magnificat," because it begins in the Latin Bible, in verse 47, with the words "Magnificat animum

mea Dominum", which means "My soul magnifies the Lord." In verse 51 Mary sings, "He has done mighty deeds with his arm." Mighty deeds: what mighty deeds? Mary is drawing our attention to the redemption of God's people in the Exodus. Do you remember the story of how Moses led God's people out of Egypt, out of slavery and out from under a false identity. Slavery was not what God wanted for his children; he wanted them back and for them to be free.

Do you remember the amazing works of God's power that were demonstrated in order to liberate the children of Israel? Blood, frogs, gnats, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the death of every first born, not to mention the supernatural provision of food and healing in the wilderness? Indeed, a supernatural display of divine love. This is what Mary is alluding to when she sings, "the Mighty One has done great deeds."

This same redemptive strong arm of God that delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt's clenched fists is now at work on the earth again - at work in Mary's womb – she is about to give birth to Yeshua: Jesus the Anointed One. Jesus will come like Moses to execute justice and to provide freedom from the grasp of sin, sickness, death and Hell. This is what we celebrate at Christmas time – the end of slavery, the era of works and the law. This is an exciting time of the year when we celebrate the shattering of the glass that separated heaven from earth and the amazing gift of adoption (that is available to all mankind) into the family of God through Jesus Christ.

Usually during the Christmas season, we are encouraged by pop-culture to go into our shell's and reflect on our needs, our wants and our desires; many get the Holliday Blues because they feel alone, needy and without certain essentials. I would exhort you to refuse to entertain holiday hopelessness this year but, rather, choose to shatter the silence of despair with praise that resembles Mary's. Try starting by reflecting on God's mighty deeds and ask "What has God done for me?" Write it out, sing it and, in doing so, your praise will shatter the silence of unbelief, the silence of separation from the love of God and the silence of isolation from others. God's strong, right arm is being flexed at Seattle Revival Center through the lives of ordinary men, women and children. Like Moses, and Jesus Christ, God wants to use you to set captives free. People should be able to look at our lives and see the mighty deeds of God at work through us. Our emotions, behavior and response to the Lord should inspire singing in others.

So yes, the heavens are open, but you may not see it if you can't look past the temporariness of life's current dilemmas to gaze on the eternal ramifications of God's mighty deeds.

300

2010-11-18T09:24:00.001-08:00

DARREN STOTT

This past Tuesday, November 16^th 2010, as our church's intercessors and pastors were praying for churches and pastors in our region I sensed that the Lord was beginning to appear to, and commission Gideons throughout this region, and perhaps abroad. I feel that we have been in a Judges 6:11 season, a time of divine disclosure (God revealing himself to key leaders),

Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

We have a lot of disenfranchised leaders who feel powerless, and are hiding their valuables while maintaining a defensive position. Leaders who are working hard; striving and beating out what is in their winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. It is like every time we start to reap a harvest the enemy comes and consumes it, just like the Midianites. Have you felt this?

God tells Gideon that he loves him, and that he is with him, and that now is the time to go from playing defense to playing offense. It's like God is saying, "Hey, here is the ball, go and score!"

I feel this is what God is going to do in this next season: That the King has been raising up nobody's; disenfranchised closet leaders, and changing their character, posture, and expectation. This next phase will be the fun part – a season of reckoning, retribution, and execution of justice by the might of God through "closet" commanders and generals with their small armies.

After the Lord established Gideon he had twenty two thousand people to work with – the Lord only needed 300! Three hundred soldiers divided into three brigades, consisting of one hundred in each platoon.

The 1990's gave birth to the mega church and success for church leaders was redefined. We were told that only General's with large armies could made an impact for the Kingdom.

As we prayed I sensed that the Lord was going to release Gideon's with small armies to sneak into the night, take the enemy by surprise, and acquire territory for the Kingdom. The ramifications of these victories will catastrophic for the enemy and radically significant for the Kingdom of God.

Hope this is a blessing to you!

ARE YOU TOO FAMILIAR WITH A GOD YOU DON’T KNOW?

2010-11-08T19:41:00.001-08:00

DARREN STOTT

[7] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

(Proverbs 1:7 ESV)

Timothy Treadwell

Timothy loved bears! Not just any bears, but grizzly bears. He loved them so much that he lived with them in the wild. He spent twelve summers with them, talking to them, feeding them, crying with them, but then came 2003, the thirteenth summer. Timothy and his girlfriend didn't return from their film-making, bear-loving expedition, because the bears that thought they understood so well got hungry and ate them.

So yes, Tim is known as a bear enthusiast, an environmentalist, an eco-warrior, and a documentary film maker – his problem was that he was also an amateur; an amateur who was too familiar with an animal he so greatly misunderstood.

His basic assumption was incorrect as he believed that bears are inherently good and misunderstood, when in actuality, bears are simply wild.

There is a similar deadly assumption within Western church culture – an unhealthy familiarity not with bears, but with God. Is it possible that maybe we have more respect and fear for bears than we do for the all knowing, all powerful, everywhere present God, who created the Heavens and the Earth by speaking them into being? Unfortunately, I think that many of us can drift into Timothy Treadwell like tendencies and treat God and his presence as ordinary or commonplace, which (BTW) is the definition of dishonor.

At the end of Leviticus chapter nine, Aaron and Moses come out of the tent of Meeting and they bless the people. As a result, the glory of God falls upon the people; a loud shout is lifted up as everybody falls down in worship. A fire comes down from Heaven and consumes the Alter. Chapter 10 continues with Aaron's sons, respected Priest, men of God walking into the Holy place with censers that contained fire not from the alter that God had lit but with fire from some other random location, indeed "strange fire." Scholars think there may have been the possibility that the two Priests had been inebriated with wine when they made this lethal mistake. Tripping into the holy place, they treated the presence of God as ordinary, they ignored the proper divine etiquette that was established by God through Moses, and as a result, God killed them both. BAM!

Priest in the Old Testament would wear garments that were hemmed with bells. If the bells went silent for an awkward amount of time, it was probable that it was due to the death of that priest. Therefore a rope would be tied to the priest leg so that if God executed him, he could be pulled out.

In the New Testament we have the story of
Ananias and Sapphira, two individuals who lie to the Holy Spirit. They fake an act of worship, in the giving their offering, and in doing so… die.

In C.S. Lewis's The Lion Witch and Wardrobe Mrs. Beaver tells Lucy,

'If there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than me or else just silly.'

'Then he isn't safe?' asked Lucy.

'Safe?' said Mr. Beaver. 'Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.'

Are you too familiar with a God you don't know?

Do you treat God as ordinary or commonplace?

Do you fear God?

What do you think it means to fear God?

ARE YOU A DOORMAT?

2010-10-19T08:44:00.001-07:00

Graciously exposing religion as an institutional doormat making machine.

DARREN STOTT

Doormat; n. thing

Do you know what a doormat is?

It is an intimate object; a noun: a coarse, woven, plaited, or felted fabric used especially as a floor covering or a support that is placed before or just inside a door for wiping dirt from the shoes. – According to Webster
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mat

A doormat doesn't belong in a living room where life happens, not in a dining room where there is conversation and dialogue, and not in a bedroom where there is rest. A door mat doesn't get to decide who is going to put their shoes on it and for how long. A doormat doesn't have choices. Do you know why? Because, IT'S JUST A DOORMAT!

What do you do with an old doormat?

As you know, in time, doormats become worn out and can be quite unsightly. So what do you do? You throw it away and buy a new one. You can actually buy a brand new personalized doormat at Walmart for fifteen dollars! Doormat's are easily replaceable.

Doormat; n. person

There is however another definition for a doormat and I'm not referring to a dispensable inanimate object that welcomes you to a home.

Webster tells us that a doormat can be a person, one who yield's to abuse without protest, or, one who is simply overlooked.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doormat

GOD doesn't make doormats - Machines make Doormats

Religion loves to pick favorites based off of external traits and merits; if you do the right things at the right time you can be promoted – you can be recognized – a colorful doormat.

If you become worn out and old you can be replaced with a new one. Religion, the institutional doormat making machine, doesn't see you as person, created in the image and likeness of God, but as a thing.

Religion doesn't want you to dream, to dialogue, or to disagree – religion says, "Empowering a doormat is silly, and dangerous."

Are you a doormat? Do people get to wipe their dirty feet on you? Take advantage of you? Ignore you? If you see yourself as a doormat, people will treat you like a doormat. You got to take off your name tag that says "Hi, my name is doormat, WELCOME!"

There are doormat theologies, doormat doctrines, doormat rules, and doormat churches – but nowhere in the Bible is GOD ever called "The magnificent God of doormats." This survival of the fittest method of Christianity rails against everything Jesus stood for.

Being a doormat doesn't make you humble – when someone praises you and you say, "I'm just a doormat," you are insulting the artist that created you.

Ephesians 2:10 says that we are his workmanship. This word workmanship is actually translated masterpiece, or poetry. We are God's magnificent art gallery, and when you insult the art, you insult the artist. You are a work of art, NOT a doormat!!!

MY CATALYST CONFERENCE CONSPIRACY THEORY

2010-10-14T09:22:00.001-07:00

DARREN STOTT

I found myself engaged in an interesting conversation regarding the "secular" speakers at Catalyst Conference (East Coast). Apparently there is a biased against the speakers who are connected to Christ via Kevin Bacon in six degrees or less. "My parents are Christians," and "I totally get you Jesus people, because I am kind of one myself," are ordinary phrases one hears at Catalyst Conference, the Nation's largest Christian leadership equipping and empowering gathering. Not all the secular speakers pretend to be connected however. There is the infamous Seth Godin, the bald American marketing god (lower case "g"), whose influence is freaky deeky. Seth doesn't pretend. He is a "you people" kind of guy who has the guts to teach the lessons of evolution in front of 13,000+, emerging, evangelical, influential church leaders (most of which have just gone through puberty in the last decade), expounding on lessons regarding our evolved lizard brain and our tendency to scream and hide when things get scary. So what is Catalyst Director Brad Lomenick thinking inviting so many pagans to Catalyst?

I think I know. I have a theory. This is my Catalyst Conference Conspiracy Theory.

Catalyst is a gathering of thirteen thousand emerging, cutting edge, Christian leaders and invited to the conference are today's most influential culture shapers, from societies seven influential sphere's. As the speakers take the stage they are physically surrounded by a score of standing, cheering, and applauding pastors.

Craig Groeschel quoted Andy Stanly at Catalyst and just about gave up the Catalyst subtle strategy that nobody knows about except Lomenick and myself,

HONOR MAKES A WAY FOR INFLUENCE.

Whereas everybody thought that Catalyst was bringing in these lefty antinomians to influence church leaders - they are wrong. I mean, how can they when they are clearly outnumbered and surrounded?

One cannot help but be impacted by walking into an arena full of leaders from various denominations including Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Non-Doms, all in one location, hands lifted, lungs bleeding, and tears flying like broken sprinklers, and not for a politician or a faith healer, but for the glory of God.

This is Seth Godin's second time being surrounded and immersed in a Spirit drenched room. His second time being honored with a standing ovation by believers in Christ. Lomenick appropriately welcomed Godin to the stage by identifying him as part of the Catalyst family.

Catalyst is spreading from the East coast to the West coast. Soon, societies most influential culture shapers will be invited to equip and empower an emerging generation of church leaders twice a year, on both sides of the United States. Two times a year church leaders will be impacted, and society will be influenced. Indeed a dual purpose strategy and it is my Catalyst conspiracy theory. Now you know, so please keep it on the DL.

THE SUPERMAN COMPLEX

2010-10-06T15:36:00.001-07:00

Darren Stott

Christopher Reeve was not the goofy and clumsy man like the character he played, Clark Kent, who wore Coke bottle glasses, and ran into walls and closed doors. Everything that Reeve did, he conquered, just like Super Man (the other character he played).

After learning to ride a horse for the film Anna Karenina, he took up horse riding and began training to be a competing athlete at Martha's Vineyard. Reeve took horse riding, like everything he did, very seriously and was recognized within the sport's community.

On May 27^th, 1995, everything would drastically change for America's Superman and actor Christopher Reeve. This particular day Christopher would participate in his last competitive horse jumping competition. The story goes that at the last second Reeve's horse was spooked and aborted the scheduled jump. Reeve held on to the bridle and bit with all his might as the reigns were ripped off the horse. The reigns began to twist around his hands, cuffing them together, as the horse stopped just short of the obstacle, violently ejecting Reeve from his horse, headfirst to the ground on the other side of the fence. The blow instantly shattered his first and second vertebrae upon impact. Paramedics reported that Reeve quit breathing for a whole three minutes before they could reach him. Reeve spent five days in a coma before regaining consciousness. This is when he learned that he had sustained a cervical spinal injury that paralyzed him from the neck down. He was told that he would never walk and possibly never move a body part ever again.

The Washington Post reports in an article entitled The Role He Can't Escape, May 3^rd, 1998:

Reeve considered suicide. He mouthed to Dana (his wife), "maybe we should let me go." She tearfully replied, "I am only going to say this once: I will support whatever you want to do, because this is your life, and your decision. But I want you to know that I'll be with you for the long haul, no matter what. You're still you. And I love you." Reeve never considered suicide as an option again.

How can Superman wrestle with suicide and hopelessness? Hero's don't get paralyzed, they don't doubt, they don't even have fears.

How can Christians wrestle with hopelessness, Christians don't have doubts, they don't have fears. They are happy all the time, they are more than conquerors.

Have you ever had to pretend to be a superman, or a superwoman: the S flashing on your chest, a cape whipping in the wind behind you, as the gravity of people's expectations leave you feeling secretly bed-ridden? Maybe you can relate to this hopelessness, this motionless, the inability to fly, incapable of fighting, weak, incapable of earning an income, and unable to offer a hug in response to love.

Dualistic Nature of the Superman Complex

The pressure to be an alien-like super-Christian, who's mystically perfect, infallible, and capable of saving everybody, all the time, is a manifestation of a superman complex, and it is very present, especially in the stream that I find myself a part of, the Charismatic stream. This complex materialized in two distinct ways.

Appearance
There can be a pressure to be bullet proof, to always have the right answer, and the ability to never get hurt or wounded. Being superman requires a super appearance.
Works
And there's also the Messiah aspect of being a hero; our obligation to right others wrongs, punish injustice, and preach the sin out of others. In a nut shell, we take on the occupation of being the Holy Spirit: I'm going to take away people's sorrow's, I'm going to empower people, I'm going to convict people of their sins, etc…

Where does this pressure to perform come from?

Pride

The root of a self image crisis is essentially, you guessed it, pride. It is not that we are deceived into believing that we are bullet proof, and indestructible, it's that we appear to be. Pride is extravagant self esteem, excessive self-regard, and showy appreciation for one's own abilities and achievements.

Egotism

Egotism is the fruit of pride. It is the gaudy satisfaction of being one's own functional savior. Textbook narcissistic egotism can be seen through self-glorification, or worship of one's self above God.

4 Reasons why a believer with a Superman complex is dangerous

Relationships become dispensable
People become projects
Money becomes the motivation
Ministry becomes the mission

So what should our response be?

So should we be paranoid, clam up, go introverted lest we be seen as an egotistic super-Christian? By no means!!! Nor, should we be ignorant. A super-man complex is preventable within the context of honest accountability. Super-people don't need accountability, real people do! If you don't have accountable relationships, you might think you're a super hero… you're not!

Our response should not be ignorance or paranoia, it should be a reminder of the importance of being alertly watchful especially to avoid danger; vigilant. Vigilant in restoring love and honor to our spouse's, and steadfast faithfulness within all our relationships.

You Are Invited

You are invited to take off the mask, cape, and utility belt; you are invited to be you. You were the reason why Jesus Christ died. He died for the present, imperfect you, not the future super you. Even if you think that people want for you to be super, they don't, nobody relates to super, everybody relates to that which is genuine. There is a war for your authenticity, because it will determine whether you are Christ-like, or religious.

How badly we want to hear these words,

You are still you and I love you!

What is this kind of acceptance worth? What would you give to hear these words of unconditional love?

Who Are You?

You have never had the weight of the world on your shoulders – Jesus has. You have never been sinless – Jesus has. You have never washed away anybody's sin with your own blood – Jesus has. You have never healed anyone with your power – Jesus has... Jesus does.

Indeed, Jesus is the true and perfect Super Man, so let him save you.

LOVE CULTURE

2010-09-16T10:05:00.001-07:00

You cannot apply agape principles to an organization, especially within the church, until you have a culture of love as the foundation of the organization. If love is not the primary foundation of your organization and you attempt to apply agape principles as secondary values, you may programmatically execute a love methodology but inevitably it will leak genuineness and appear more customer-service-based than Christ-like.

INVESTIGATE, EXECUTE, AND PRAISE GOD

2010-09-15T10:11:00.001-07:00

A Biblical Strategy for Decision Making

DARREN STOTT

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;

because you have rejected knowledge,

(Hosea 4:6)

Too many times we make quick spare-of-the-moment decisions before we have gathered all the facts. A poor investigation before a critical decision leaves us straining to whip our leg backwards in an attempt to kick our own butt's because of the ridiculous ramifications of our spontaneous decision making. For example, Carl quits his job because his boss punks him in front of everybody in the office. Carl has avenged himself. Now Carl is jobless in a poor economy, rent is due, and he is facing an eviction. Bad Carl, bad!!! Hosea 4:6 discloses a simple truth, your stupidity will kill you!

Hosea isn't referring to knowledge in general, but more specifically truth. John 8:31 says that the truth brings freedom, so when Hosea says that God's people have rejected knowledge or truth, in essence, God's people are choosing to reject freedom. When you reject truth, consciously or unconsciously, you choose to accept a lie or a false reality and this choice leads to bondage and destruction. There is an old saying, ignorance is bliss, this may be so, but the consequences of living in ignorance are anything but bliss. So, do yourself a favor and begin a thorough investigation.

Do yourself a favor and begin an investigation

Do you have a fact finder template? Maybe it's time to make one. At the top write, BEFORE I MAKE THIS DECISION I NEED TO KNOW THE FOLLOWING…

In light of who I am in Christ, is this decision consistent with my identity?
In light of where I am in my journey with Christ, will this decision sidetrack me?
What is my motivation for making this decision - is this in alignment with my will, or thy will?

Develop a prayer strategy

Before you execute your decision make sure that it is submitted and bathed in prayer. Once it has been completely soaked in prayer, if you have a peace about the decision, pull the trigger and don't look back.

WHAT IF I MAKE THE WRONG DECISION?

So you gathered the facts, you asked yourself the difficult questions, you drenched the decision in prayer and the whole thing turned into a train wreck leaving you flat on your rear end crying, "God, why me?" So, what should you do now? The reality is that we are bound to our finiteness and limited to here and now, God is not. God is sovereign, trustworthy, and always deserving of our praise. The end result whether you succeed or fail should always be the same for a believer, your final posture should always be praise. When you can praise God in the midst of defeat you are positioning yourself for favor. The Israelites had to wander in circles for forty years because they couldn't look past their present uncertainties to see a present, absolute, and unshakable God who was available to deliver them – they cursed God when they should have praised him.

If you keep your posture of praise despite the circumstances, your prayerful decision gone bad will be the platform God uses to glorify his name and reputation.

Works vs. Fruit

2010-09-09T09:23:00.001-07:00

DARREN STOTT

[16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, [21] envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

(Galatians 5:16-25 ESV)

This is such a fascinating text. Paul compares and contrast the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit. Rather than focusing on the these characteristic I would like for us to look at the wording here. What Paul does not say is, "The works of the spirit and the fruit of flesh…" rather he says the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. Why?

Works refers to that which you do; it requires energy and mental or physical exertion. It is a task, a duty, or a function. This is so interesting to me because Paul is exposing a truth here – sin, is some seriously hard work, and it will tax your spirit and your flesh.

Most people view sin as a fruit; something that is natural, grows easily, pleasant to eat, easy to digest, and is just sort of conveniently there, heck, at times even enjoyable, however there is an important detail that mustn't be ignored, this letter is written from Paul to the Galatian believers. Herein lies the revelation: For the believer, sin isn't natural, it's an imposter; a spirit-breaking, relationship-separating, spiritually taxing work that begins in the mind, hardens the heart, and manifests itself in the flesh... indeed work.

Paul explains in verse 16 that believers who walk by the Spirit will have an ability to resist the lusts of the flesh, for the Spirit of God within them will war against these soul-desires and furthermore the desires or lusts of the Holy Spirit will become the desires of the believer. Who does the Holy Spirit desire? JESUS CHRIST!

As we love, desire, and long for Jesus, and walk/live in the Spirit, this will result in the growth of the fruit of the Spirit. Keep in mind that the fruit of the spirit does not involve works, it's not something we can do. Fruit is something that grows slowly, invisibly, and mystically.

The common mistake for believers is that we often attempt to do the fruit of the Spirit instead of grow it. We overly desire other things rather than Jesus and it results in religious striving and performance.

Growing fruit takes seed which is from the Holy Spirit (hence the fruit of the Spirit), seasons of no growth and seasons of growth (i.e. Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer), and a cultivation or relationship with Jesus Christ. If you have the desire, the patience, and persistency to pursue Christ first you will surely grow good fruit.

BECAUSE OF LOVE part 3b

2010-09-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

The implications of John 3:16

7 PROPHETIC LOVE MOTIVATED PROMISES:

These prophecies are not mere prophetic predictions made by random men, they are deliberate and detailed revelations from God to man; they are in essence prophetic promises.

PROMISE 1: SALVATION WOULD BE AVAILABLE AND WOULD REACH THE FAR ENDS OF THE EARTH.
In Isaiah 49:6 God reveals his redemptive plan to provide a grace for salvation to the far ends of the earth. A Messiah would come and have a worldwide impact in that salvation would be brought to people throughout the world. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. His promise of salvation has been evangelized to people all over the world.

PROMISE 2: THE MESSIAH WOULD BE BORN IN BETHLEHEM
See Micah 5:1-2.
About 2700 years ago, the prophet Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, a small village near Jerusalem. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy about 2000 years ago. Although Jesus was raised in the town of Nazareth, he was born in Bethlehem.

PROMISE 3: THE MESSIAH WOULD BE A DESCENDANT OF KING DAVID
See Jeremiah 23:5.
There are many Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament that predicted the lineage of the Messiah. In Jeremiah 23:5, as well as in other prophecies, we are told that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David. David ruled over the land of Israel about 1000 years before Jesus was born. Jesus is recorded in the New Testament books of Matthew and Luke as being a descendant of King David.

PROMISE 4: THERE WOULD BE A SON CALLED GOD
See Isaiah 9:6-7.
Isaiah, who lived before the time of Jesus, gave a prophecy about a "son" who would be called "Mighty God." Jesus, the Son of God, is fully human and fully God. As such, he is both "son" and "Mighty God."

PROMISE 5: THE MESSIAH WOULD BE REJECTED
See Isaiah 53:1-3.
Although Jesus was accepted by some people as being the Messiah, he also was rejected by many people. In fact, the rejections led to him being executed, through crucifixion. Isaiah, in the 53rd chapter of the book of Old Testament book of Isaiah, foretold that the Messiah would be rejected. Despite what some modern scholars try to claim, the prophecies of Isaiah 53 have been widely regarded for many, many centuries by Christians and Judaists as being about a Messiah.

PROMISE 6: DANIEL PREDICTED WHEN AN ANOINTED ONE WOULD BE REJECTED
See Daniel 9:24-26.
The prophet Daniel provided a chronology of events that included the revelation that the Messiah would be rejected before the destruction of the second Temple in Jerusalem. The Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD, about 40 years after Jesus was crucified. The Temple has never been rebuilt.

PROMISE 7: ALL WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS WILL BE SAVED
See John 3:16.
There are, according to some scholars, nearly 2000 prophecies in the Bible. Some of those prophecies make is clear that no matter what happens to the world, or to you, salvation is real, and you can have it. Anyone can have salvation. Salvation is guaranteed for believers, and that means forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven. One of the Bible verses that promises this is found in John 3:16, which says:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)

BECAUSE OF LOVE part 3

2010-08-26T09:40:00.001-07:00

DARREN STOTT
The implications of John 3:16

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE REVEALED TO THE PROPHETS THE PROMISE OF A COMING HOPE!

Man’s sin had fractured the beauty, purity, and God’s original intention for creation. Sin had opened the doors to traumatic possibilities and realities that never should have been released. The result of man’s disobedience resulted in idolatry and perversion. Good things, created things, took precedent before God, the creator himself, resulting in dependencies, addictions, brokenness, and even more separation from God. However, God so loved the world that he continued to speak to his chosen people, the Israelites, through ordinary men and women who would later be recognized as the Old Testament Prophets. This divine communication with mankind was often downright scary, however, there was a pattern that was emerging, a solemn promise being disclosed. Through the intelligence being gathered by the prophets it started to become clear that God himself was about to intervene in man’s predicament.

DIVINE PROMISE’S: 2 SAMUEL 7:16
God had made a divine promise to David that his throne would endure forever. This was surely an outrageous promise, right? History proves that most dynasties throughout history, throughout the world, were lucky if they lasted more than a few generations and several prophecies throughout the Old Testament had predicted that the line of kings that began with King David (about 3000 years ago) would be everlasting or eternal. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this prophecy; he was a descendent of King David and he was able to accomplish this task through being fully human and being fully God. Through Jesus the throne of David exists today and will endure forever!

LOVE MOTIVATED PROPHETIC DISCLOSER
The promise of this coming redeemer is made so clear in the Old Testament that many details concerning his coming and mission are fully disclosed; such as the place of his birth, details of his life, his mission, his nature, his death, and his resurrection. These prophecies are referred to as “Messianic prophecies,” because they refer to the Messiah, which means “anointed one” or “chosen one.”

For God so loved the world that he gave more than three hundred of these Messianic Prophecies to mankind through his prophets thus I refer to these prophecies as divine love motivated prophetic disclosure.

To Be Continued...
NEXT: 7 PROPHETIC LOVE MOTIVATED PROMISES

BECAUSE OF LOVE part 2

2010-08-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

DARREN STOTT
The implications of John 3:16

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head,and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis 3:15 ESV

Today God walked into the garden and something was different. Have you ever walked into your home and felt that something was, well, a little off? Adam and Even were nowhere to be found but God knew they were within earshot. He speaks softly into the air, “Adam, Eve, where are you?”

Out from the bushes appears the couple. Heads hung low. Shame induced sweat mixed with salty tears drains from their faces. There nakedness is partially covered by a poor attempt to sow leaves together. They dare not look up into the eyes of their heart broken father who had provided for their every need. The unnatural, diseased, vile, combative force of sin had been freely released into to the Garden of Eden, Earth, and the bloodline of the human race through one simple act of disobedience.

However, within the saddest chapter of the Bible (Genesis 3), in the midst of darkness, shame, regret, and divorce, there is a glimpse of hope.

"I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis 3:15 ESV

Genesis 3:15 is the first promise of a Redeemer therefore beginning what Scholars refer to as the "Highway of the Seed," Abel, Seth, Noah Gen 6:8-10, Shem Gen 9:26,27, Abraham Gen 12:1-4, Isaac Gen 17:19-21 Jacob Gen 28:10-14, Judah Gen 49:10, David 2Sam 7:5-17 Immanuel-Christ Isa 7:9-14 Mt 1:1,20-23 1Jn 3:8 Jn 12:31.

Genesis 3:15 is a glimpse of John 3:16. It’s a proclamation to Satan himself that a battle may have been won, but, a war has begun and love will triumph. When God threatened Satan in the Garden, he made a promise to humanity, and that proclamation became a reality through the offspring of Adam and Eve as supremely governed by God himself.

What I find fascinating about The Bible is that throughout its stories and accounts God uses the obedience as well as the enormous mistakes of fallen man to accomplish his sovereign will.

Gen 3:15 – For God so loved the world, that after man sinned, he still loved mankind enough to reveal a glimpse of his plan to humanity; to redeem/rescue mankind from the consequences of rebellion and disobedience.

BECAUSE OF LOVE part 1

2010-08-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

DARREN STOTT
The implications of John 3:16

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1

What was God thinking when he decided to “create the heavens and the earth?” What was the thought process and motivation behind this decision? Do not consider for one moment that this was a flippant regrettable spare-of-the-moment act, as we know for certain that God in his sovereign omniscience knows the end from the beginning. God foreknew from the beginning Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey, Cain’s decision to brutally murder his brother, the sin that would lead to the great flood, as well as the Holocaust, Crusades, world wars, natural disasters, famine, disease, and poverty, and even then, in the beginning, GOD still chose to create the Heavens and the Earth. Didn’t he know what it was going to cost him and if so, why did he do it anyway?

From Genesis to Revelation we have a chronological, historical, poetic, action-packed, love story. It’s a story of creation, heartbreak, redemption, and restoration; and it’s all motivated by love. John 3:16 says it this way, “for God so loved the World that he gave.” In this one verse lies the answer to our questions.

WE EXIST BECAUSE OF LOVE

For God so loved the World… that he created the Heavens and the Earth, and this includes us. We exist because of love. The Psalmist discloses God the Father’s supreme love and knowledge of us saying that God knows everything about us – like when we wake up and go to bed, when we eat and how much, that our favorite TV show is Hell’s Kitchen, our conversations, our curse words, our curse thoughts, our laughter, our heart aches, the number of hairs on our head, absolutely everything about us (including the things we do not even know about ourselves), and even then, with all this accumulative and comprehensive knowledge concerning who we are, God still chooses to create us. He breaths us into being, knitting us in our mother’s womb and he does so because of his burning love for us.

We exist because of God’s infinite love!

BLESSING HONOR GLORY & POWER PART 3

2010-07-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

DARREN STOTT
An exposition of motivation, obedience, and the outcomes of true worship as experienced by John in Revelation 5:11-14.

DON’T CONCEPTUALIZE THE REALITY OF HEAVEN AWAY

I had this amazing conversation at Starbucks with Michael and Penny Proctor they are pastors at Elisha’s Request church. We chatted about my favorite topic, worship. Michael said something that I thought was fascinating. He said, and I paraphrase, “You know, we need to watch what we are singing when we worship. There are words in songs that I refuse to sing because they do not align with God’s will. When you sing, you are making a proclamation and so, if we sing as a church, ‘Lord heal our broken hearts’, we begin presuming that we must all have broken hearts that need healing… Heaven wants to invade earth and we need to sing and assume that reality.” If we worship with the assumption that Heaven desires to invade earth, this assumption will eradicate performance, de-activate striving and prime the atmosphere for the supernatural.

We cannot just sing words that we don’t understand to a God that we hardly know and expect for heaven to manifest itself in our midst. That is a gangly posture for a believer and does not resemble Christ one bit.

Rather than trying to come up with excuses for our lack of experience in Biblical revelatory blessing, honor, glory and power, maybe we should admit that we have a problem. We have a theology that is inconsistent with the lifestyle, practice, and teachings of Jesus Christ.

These attributes of God – blessing, honor, glory and power are shining from the God’s glorious throne to earth and are being reflected through the bride of Christ for the glorification and exaltation of the King of Kings and LORD of Lords.

BLESSING HONOR GLORY & POWER PART 2

2010-07-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

DARREN STOTT
An exposition of motivation, obedience, and the outcomes of true worship as experienced by John in Revelation 5:11-14.

BLESSING

The four attributes or traits being acknowledged within this text begin with “blessing.” Blessing is referring to the Greek word eulogeo which means to vocally express praise, so “to bless” means that one orally ascribes worth and value; ironically this is the definition of honor and our next declarative trait.

HONOR

You cannot bless anyone unless you first honor them. We cannot encounter true worship when honor is not motivating our blessing. The blessing is the act of obedience; honor is the attitude of the heart behind the act - therefore blessing without honor is hypocrisy. Jesus stated in John 4:23 that the father seeks worshipers who worship in spirit and truth. Praise without the right motivation is not true worship - it’s religious, and it’s a lie.

When David says in Psalm 134:1, “Come bless the Lord all ye servants of the Lord,” he is saying, “Come, you who truthfully have the admiration, respect, wonder, and awe for the LORD – let your honor be your motivation for your praise - join me is blessing him by orally expressing the appreciation that is in your soul.

GLORY

The following two traits that are proclaimed about the LORD are not only expressions of worthiness but acknowledgments of what the participants of praise are experiencing. The experience that flows from this place of praise is that of glory and might (power). In the midst of praise is the glory of the Lord and when we refuse to move on and choose to wait on the LORD, God in his grace discloses his sovereign might.

THE GLORY OF GOD REVEALS THE IDENTITY OF GOD

The LORD so longs to reveal his splendor to his bride. He wants for his girl to know him for whom he really is. The sad reality of the church is that we have become so consumed with what we think God is demanding of us that we forget what he desires most, relationship, with us. Many of us have forgotten who God is and some of us have even ascribed traits and attributes to the LORD, that are simply not true. The Book of Revelation reminds us that the identity of GOD is seen in the glory, and it is this reason that God the Father so longs to reveal it to us, but he is waiting, waiting for us to ask him, “Show us your glory!”

THE GLORY OF GOD INSPIRES PRAISE AND WORSHIP

When we get a glimpse of his glory – his brilliance and triumph – such an experience demands a response. This response to the glory of the LORD is as natural as a reflex – it is a spontaneous effect that can most certainly be expected – it is glory inspired praise and worship. A glimpse of his glory will result in praising God for whom he really is. The glory of God reveals the identity of God, and in this light we see ourselves for you we truly are – the natural response to such an experience is praise and worship.

MIGHT

The Greek word here is kratos and is referring to God’s dominion, power, and strength. His kingdom and authority at this point has been revealed before all people, places, and things – the outcome of this revelation of God’s supreme might as well as the other divine attributes listed above are what inspire this awesome never-ending worship environment.

God’s redemptive power has been demonstrated throughout all human history – from Genesis to Revelation – from creation, to today, and forevermore. His power in 2010 is not corked or confined. The Holy Spirit has been unleashed onto planet Earth and is using followers of Christ to demonstrate the reality his dominion, power, and strength.

BLESSING HONOR GLORY & POWER PART 1

2010-07-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

DARREN STOTT
An exposition of motivation, obedience, and the outcomes of true worship as experienced by John in Revelation 5:11-14.

[11] Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,

[12] saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

[13] And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

[14] And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Revelation 5:11-14 ESV

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

The imagery of worship in this text is truly fascinating – “myriads of myriads” upon innumerable amounts of creatures, elders, and angels - declaring, singing, and beholding their glorious King. Throughout Revelation John gives a detailed account of his surreal experiences.

You will notice that in this text John witnesses worship taking place not only in Heaven but also on earth. This worship is not only being executed by human beings but from every land dwelling creature and every creature in the sea! This testimony is actually claiming that all creation (including created matter i.e. dirt) is worshiping the LORD. This is not a new idea, similar scene’s are described throughout the Bible; from the Old Testament prophets, to the psalmist, and now at the very end of the Bible. John gets to participate in the unified exaltation of the King of the Angel Armies – this adoration is a collaboration of the Heavens and the Earth. In fact, it seems that the worship of Earth is mirroring that which is taking place in the throne room of Heaven! Look at how Revelation 5:11-12 (Heaven’s worship) mirrors Revelation 5:13-14 (Earth and Sea, as well as Heaven).

Now, I would encourage you not to read this text with your Sunday morning worship service in mind. This scene looks very different from any church you have ever been to. This isn’t cute and cuddly worship accompanied by serene acoustic guitars and an atmospheric keyboardist. The sound of this praise is unimaginable; it makes thunder and hurricanes blush in embarrassment. Scores of people, creatures, and objects that you didn’t even know had the ability to communicate, declare aloud, outnumbering the very stars in the sky, and they all join in with the earth below. Our physical bodies - ear drums, brains and our five senses, do not have the processing power to compute such a happening; this is why John had to be captured up in the spirit and why we must receive our glorified bodies before we enter into such a time and place.

THE PROBLEM WITH RELIGION IS THE MORAL NATURE AND CHARACTER OF GOD

2010-07-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

DARREN STOTT

APPEASE THE GOD, AND HE’LL LEAVE YOU ALONE

In Eastern countries that have strong Hindu influences, or have roots in an ancient animistic religions - individuals, families, and corporations will dedicated themselves, their children, and/or their business, to demons to receive supernatural blessing and protection, or to appease the god(s) so bringing forth a counterfeit reassurance or supernatural peace. The idea is to present an offering, carry out superstitious rituals and ceremonies, and then go on with life therefore living underneath the approval of a god or demon who soon will become famished and in need of additional proof of loyalty.

These same traits that exist in spirit religions such as Hinduism, animism, or witchcraft, can resemble the same pattern that we see in Christianity. This is obviously a dangerous condition for the church when our Christology resembles that of demonology. I will explain, it's not as mystical as it sounds: When we live our lives independent of Jesus, we end up doing the ceremonies (i.e. Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, etc.), rituals (such as worship, communion, and baptism), and we give of our contributions (tithes and offerings), and we also dedicate our children to God. After meeting up to our end of the deal we expect for God to be appeased, leave us alone, to go (do his God thing), and then allow for us to depart from his midst and do our thing, independent of him.

This only works if your version of Christianity is merely religious philosophy that helps you in making moral and ethical choices; in which case you should change the name of your religion from Christianity to moral deism.

To many times Christians take the saving grace of their salvation in vain. In time, the value of their redemption from sin depreciates like a new car right off the car lot. The bane of relationship breaks onto the scene. Where there was once faith, hope, and love – now there is simply just ceremonies, rituals, and the giving of gifts to a non-personal god - who, if appeased, might leave you alone.

THE PROBLEM WITH RELIGION IS THE MORAL NATURE AND CHARACTER OF GOD

Jesus was like the life guard of life guards – giving his life so that we could escape the danger of a thrashing ocean. His life was a model, an example to show us how to be such agents of deliverance. He commissioned his disciples, and his word continues to commission us today.

Isaiah 49 declares that the day will come when God redeems his people. This prophesy is fulfilled through Jesus, declares Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:1-2. But, how does he do this?

God has this curious desire to be in the midst of redemptive experiences – his sovereign will governs the process. In Genesis when God creates man, he takes his hands and begins playing in the dirt. God gets dirty thus man is created. In the same way, when he creates the woman, he goes to work, taking a rib from the man in order to create the woman.

When God decides to redeem humanity, he doesn’t accomplish the task from a distance, by way of some sort of virtual operating system. He sends his only begotten son, Jesus, Emmanuel (God in flesh), dispatching him from Heaven to Earth. God goes to play in the dirt: to be tempted, to know suffering, to be betrayed, and to give his very life in the most painful of ways, Roman crucifixion.

God doesn’t play it safe by keeping a distance, removing himself from our wretched, chaos-infected lives, no, he throws himself right smack dab into the mess!!! The explanation for God’s hands-on approach to divine intervention is that, he cares. He is so concerned about the details of our lives that he throws himself into our midst, into the very details of our lives; every temptation, every doubt, and every day. He knows what you and I are about – he knows our battles – and, he cares.

This is why God hates religion. Religion is that large veil – that huge and heavy curtain that separated sinful man from a holy God. When Jesus died, the temple curtain was torn in two by the hand of God, from the top to the bottom, symbolically representing that nothing could separate us from the love of God.

Our religious actions are merely attempts to rebuild this veil of separation. Appease God, and he will leave you alone! The only problem is, he doesn’t want to leave you alone. He wants to be with you, in your life, in the dirt, in our gritty details; this, is where he loves to be.

PLAGIARIZING THE DIVINE

2010-06-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

DARREN STOTT
...ideas and thoughts from my side project "Living Against Type."

Man cannot duplicate a move of God, because a move of God is identified by his signature. When man tries to duplicate a sovereign move of God what you get is a fleshly crime: plagiarizing the divine. How can we keep from committing such an atrocious crime against God? I will suggest a tactic; always ascribe glory where it is due.

God doesn’t particularly care to share his supreme glory with mortal man. God says in Isaiah 42:8,

“I am Jehovah, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.”

David refers to God as the King of Glory. That is pretty amazing! Scripture warns us that touching God’s glory will result in a serious burn. Glory thieves will always bare scars from such a burn. God will be glorified by humanity either in his justice, or in his mercy, but, he will most certainly be glorified. This is why praise, worship, and adoration are necessities and not luxuries. These are moments for us to ascribe glory to where it’s due. Throughout the Psalms, David would celebrate God as creator and master artist whose creation was set before all humanity like a gallery on display. When we worship God in his glory, our motives are kept in check. This edifying process allows for genuine humility and unique distinctiveness to be God’s signature in all that we do.

THE SIGNATURE OF GOD

2010-06-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

DARREN STOTT
...ideas and thoughts from my side project "Living Against Type."

God is original in all he does. God is not a Xerox machine, he doesn’t create copies. HE is the original author, artist, architect, and engineer of all things. His masterpieces are perfect. Every masterpiece bears the signature of its creator. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are the masterpiece of God. This shows that we bare the signature of our creator. Have you ever taken a moment to think about how multifaceted God really is? God is so infinite in his attributes and possibilities that he has creates all mankind in his image and yet not any two human being’s bare the same fingerprint or DNA. This distinctiveness and uniqueness is God’s signature.

Cancer is the best thing that happened to me

2010-06-21T09:21:00.001-07:00

The Trouble with Excellence

2010-06-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

by Caryn Rivadeneira

In an ever-growing list of words that annoy the living daylights out of me, excellence has clawed its way to the top. It’s everywhere, and I’m sick of it.

Funny, because I used to love this word—when written in perfect grade-school-teacher cursive atop a worksheet or when my piano teacher (rarely) scrawled it on top of a page of a songbook. It meant something then because it didn’t always happen—because it recognized something rare and wonderful: achieving excellence.

And yet now in leadership circles this word has become synonymous with how we are to always be, how everything should look or feel or be perceived. While I’m sick of hearing about it in secular leadership circles, I’m actually troubled by how often I’m seeing it pop up among church-folk.

More and more I hear how churches strive to do everything with excellence or how Christian organizations seek excellence in all their products or services. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I think we should go out of our way to offer shoddy products or services or that churches should always eek out the bare minimum.

And I am familiar with the verses like Colossians 3:23 that say, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” I get why people use this to justify excellence. But I think we’ve got it backward. Because our view of excellence is different from God’s—many times, at least.

I’m troubled by excellence in churches because—at least in my middle-America leafy suburb—excellence tends to mean we spend a lot of money on it. That we get only the best and the brightest to work on something. Or that we don’t do something until it can be done excellently.

And that’s the biggest problem. We live in a world—even in smack dab in leafy suburbs—of need. Of people who need help. Now. Who can’t wait for things to be done excellently; they just need things done.

Take my friend: She founded a huge social service agency in Chicago, and she started the whole thing by serving spaghetti out of a big pot from the side door of her church. I’ve never had her spaghetti. It might not even be good. The big pot was probably pretty plain. That side door entrance nothing special, I bet.

But my friend saw a need in her community—hungry people!—and she met it. She fed them. Not with excellence, as we understand it. But she certainly did it as if she was working for the Lord, rather than people.

I think, in fact, that this is how Jesus operated. I don’t picture him sitting around with his disciples talking about how they had to do everything excellently (and they didn’t tell us he did). It seems to me, he just wanted them to do something. While of course he was perfect so therefore did do everything “excellently,” I suppose, his contemporaries mostly found him shocking. His sort of excellence wouldn’t have been appreciated.

Jesus’ allowing Mary to sit and listen instead of rush and cook? Not excellence in rabbi-ness. Jesus’ allowing a woman of ill-repute to wash his feet with perfume at a dinner party? Not excellence in etiquette. Jesus’ stopping for a chat and a drink with the Samaritan woman at the well? Not excellence in just about every possible way for a good Jewish boy.

And yet, in each of these things, lives were changed and God was glorified.

It’s the same thing we as church leaders should be after: changed lives and a glorified God.

I’m not meaning to say that we shouldn’t give things our all, that we shouldn’t seek out the right people with the right gifts for projects or programs, or that we shouldn’t make quality a prerogative.

But I worry about where a constant quest for excellence takes us. It seems we become more driven to work as though we were working for people, than working for God. Especially when work stalls or fails to happen because we can’t do something excellently.

Am I wrong? What do you think?

Caryn Rivadeneira, managing editor of Gifted for Leadership, is author of Mama's Got a Fake I.D.: How to Reveal the Real You Behind All That Mom. She and her family live in the western suburbs of Chicago. Visit her at her blog or The Mommy Revolution blog.

Control Tweaks

2010-06-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

The right combination of structure and empowerment moved this church toward maturity.

Darrin Patrick from Leadership Journal

When we launched The Journey seven years ago, our first official edict was that you had to live within 10 minutes of the church to attend. It wasn't that we didn't care about those who lived farther away, but we were committed to an "organic" approach to mission and discipleship. Living in close proximity to one another would permit less structured, more spontaneous relationships. As people connected in coffee shops and homes, and as they read their Bibles, we believed they would grow.

But there was another reason for using an unstructured approach—our community struggled with authority. Some might refer to the artistic, bohemian young adults in urban St. Louis as "hippies." They were suspicious of structured organizations, finding them too controlling. They preferred a relationally-focused model, and that's what we created.

But as The Journey grew we faced a significant challenge. Most of our people, including those in leadership roles, were not mature believers. Biblical illiteracy was high, and while most leaders were engaged in discipleship relationships, it was unclear whether they were forming disciples of Jesus Christ or simply replicating themselves.

It dawned on us that everything could not remain organic. A more intentional, structured approach to discipleship was necessary.

Organic blend

In my research I found that churches often lean in one of two directions. Some believe that people should be "self-feeders." The church's responsibility is to create impressive worship services with practical teaching, and maybe connect members into relational groups. From there, however, the people are expected to do the rest. Their spiritual growth is in their own hands.

On the other side are churches who are "spoon-feeders." They place a high value on biblical teaching and exposition. The sermons are deep and these churches imply that if you just come and listen, you'll grow in your faith. "Maturity migration" happens when attenders at a "self-feeder" church desire more depth and make the shift to a "spoon-feeder" congregation.

There are problems on both extremes. We should not expect the church to do everything, but we cannot undervalue the role of the church either. Gospel preaching and Bible exposition are vital, but equipping believers to take responsibility for their own growth is also important.

We decided that The Journey should pursue a model somewhere in the middle—a "both/and" strategy for discipleship. We didn't want to get caught up into the "structure or no structure" debate. Instead we asked, "What kind of structure? Can we create structures that facilitate our mission and avoid ones that don't?"

We started to bolster our loose, organic model by launching a leadership training class and aligning our small groups around the same curriculum. Many of our structure-suspicious people did not react well. They accused us of "selling out" and abandoning the promise that "we weren't going to be like other churches." Some said the new initiatives were "too controlling."

Small group leaders were used to calling pastors at all hours of the day and night to discuss their groups and ask for advice—they clearly wanted training. But when we created a meeting where they could be trained, they didn't want it. Many preferred the loose, relational way it used to be.

The tension that arose illustrates the dilemma facing our generation. Young people, including many raised within the church, have low biblical literacy. They need training in the Bible and the basic truths of the Christian life. These have traditionally been taught through structured systems like catechisms and classes. But these same young people are turned off by institutions and leery of centralized control. This makes it increasingly difficult to gather them into these training structures.

Engineers versus artists

The shift was frustrating, but it was partly my own fault. I launched the church with too many pronouncements about how we were going to create disciples—I made too many organic promises. And the loose, relational approach we started with was also a reflection of my own personality.

I'm an entrepreneur by temperament. I resist structures and don't like formal classes. I was discipled on the fly—by reading my Bible and having conversations. I expected everyone to operate this way. Here's a Bible, find some friends, now just grow!

The truth is that many churches default to the personality of the lead pastor, and in the case of The Journey it proved to be destructive. At the beginning our church was very empowering, we were initiating lots of new ministries, and things were very exciting and fun. But some people who didn't share my personality were frustrated beyond belief. New ideas were everywhere, but there was very little follow through. There were many initiatives but no implementation. If we had continued down that path, we would have had a mutiny.

Among our leaders my organic approach was killing the engineers (those who liked structure), just as organizations with too much structure kill the artists. I wanted to empower others to do their work and meet occasionally to hear how it was going. Other leaders wanted formal reports and data on how a ministry was impacting the community. Our styles clashed but I eventually came to understand that we needed each other.

The right combination

We are now in a season at The Journey where my personality style has been diminished for the good of the church as we put necessary structures in place. These organizational elements have taken on increasing importance as we've moved into a multi-site model. Ironically, our more structured format means we are now attracting a different type of person to the church—people for whom organization isn't a buzz kill, but who may see our organic values as inefficient.

We still place a high value on relationships at The Journey—that has not changed. Our ministry calendar includes seasons of more intentional coordination and others of flexibility. We still encourage new initiatives to serve the needs of our community, but we're more mindful to focus our efforts and help these projects launch successfully. All of this is possible because we've sought the right combination of structure and empowerment for our context.

Congregations and leaders need to recognize their tendency to lean in one direction or the other—toward organic or structured discipleship. Once this bent is understood, we can bring in the necessary voices and perspectives to help move toward balance.

Darrin Patrick is lead pastor of The Journey in St. Louis, Missouri, and vice president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network.

Unique Success

2010-06-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Embracing identity opens the door to divine outcomes
Darren Stott

q. Do you know what happens when the church allows the world to be its model for success?

a. The methods and motives of the church begin to resemble the world as its model.

This explains why there are so many secular churches and so many de-churched spiritual people. Your methods and motives will always resemble your model, so be very careful who shapes your world view and definitions for success.

Worldly success is defined by sustainability, revenue, or growth; these “wins” become the desired outcome. Never mask your desired outcome with a spiritual term to appear spiritual. If your goal in your organization is numerical growth, then strategize to grow numerically. Do not brand your ideas with divine taglines so that spiritual people will accept them. Be genuine and authentic, and allow for God to flow through your uniqueness.

We have all been created in God’s image and likeness and yet we are all different and unique. If this is true, and science says it is, then why would we want to emulate somebody else in order to achieve the success they have already received? Uniqueness with excellence demands unique success. This is what will set you and your organization apart.

God has created you to do something only you can do. Your personality, temper, traits, and talents have cut you in the same way that a key is cut. There is a lock that you have been designed to open. What is hidden behind that door is your success. Do not attempt to copy other people’s key design/method in hopes to unlock what has already been unlocked... that is just silliness and not very exciting. Instead, flush your ideological worldly definitions of success and prepare to be surprised at what comes your way, as you are diligent, and obedient, to the perfect will of God for your life.

Powerful Atheist Comment

2010-06-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

Darren Stott

I got sucked into the tentacles of an atheist blog. I normally refuse to reply to blogs because the conversations tend to bear no fruit. Anyhow, I ended up writing a 5,000 word response to a blog that was addressing divine child abuse. There was a chart comparing victims of abuse and Christians and I took the bait.

Anyway, while cruising through the blog I found this amazing response from one of the atheist and I found it fascinating. It was a response to Christopher Hitchen's opinion regarding the immorality of substitutionary atonement:

Anonymous said...

I don't think this is what is meant by Jesus forgiving you for your sins. Yes yes you are quite right, but that's just smoke and mirrors. No Christian thinks of it that way. Christianity offers salvation from ones own remorse. The belief is what saves you from your guilt and worries of the world. No matter how logically correct we are as atheist and rationalist. We do not offer salvation from guilt. And that's why Christianity will not be eradicated by pure logic.

The Hansen Report: Comedy in the Pulpit

2010-06-10T10:06:00.001-07:00

Collin Hansen

I love to laugh. And when I laugh, you’ll hear me if you’re in the same zip code. I have a few all-time favorite comedy TV shows that I can watch over and over again. And I enjoy funny movies, so long as they forego the explicit sexual content.

So why do I often cringe when pastors crack jokes during their sermons on Sunday morning? Maybe the joke’s on me, because comedy has become many pastors’ best friend. Apparently, seminaries may want to consider adding a course in stand-up comedy to prepare their preachers. One church I know recently hosted “Church Joke Sunday.” In lieu of hearing a sermon, a dwindling number of people who actually understand denominational humor laughed about the differences between Methodists and Presbyterians. And during the recent Festival of Homiletics in Nashville, Susan Sparks coached pastors in clerical comedy.

“Close to 200 ministers crowded a classroom at First Baptist, with more hanging out in the hallway for her workshop on bringing humor into the pulpit,” Bob Smietana wrote for The Tennessean on May 20. “She says that humor can help preachers connect with their parishioners, defuse church conflict and deal with an often-stressful calling. To help get her message across, Sparks gave preachers a Ten Commandments of stand-up comedy.”

I don’t suppose there is any way to criticize this approach and come across as anything but dour. So be it. I can’t help but wonder about the health of American churches when comedy is considered a cure. Are we just bored with the gospel? Do we have nothing to offer the broader world except jokes that few outside the church would consider funny? Is anyone aware that the watching world laughs at us, not with us?

Let me be clear that I find no biblical prohibition against humor in the pulpit. I don’t even think we should make a rule against telling jokes. When I visited a pastor who has publicly argued against using humor in sermons, he joked around with his respectful, adoring congregation to great effect during an anxious time of transition. Other pastors whose sermons top the mp3 download charts wield humor as the medicine that makes their challenging preaching go down more smoothly. When listening to them, it sounds like someone is playing a laugh track. But you can’t fault these pastors for shying away from the Bible’s difficult doctrines. And for what it’s worth, I enjoy the inside jokes pastors share through the award-winning cartoons in Leadership.

I’m here, though, to defend the preachers who would flop as stand-up comedians if Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-34). We are to be pitied. All we have is the good news that Jesus came to save sinners, of whom we are foremost (1 Tim. 1:15). As ambassadors for Christ, we study all week and preach our hearts out on Sunday morning, imploring everyone to be reconciled with God (2 Cor. 5:20). We might not be the best preachers, but we have the best message. We want to grow as effective communicators. But we’re tempted to despair when congregations exhort us to include more funny stories and lighten the mood.

John McClure, the Charles G. Finney Professor of Homiletics at Vanderbilt Divinity School, told The Tennessean that pastors have been debating the merits of humor for centuries. Does it aid communication or steal attention from God? Both, I think we can say, depending on the situation. On balance, though, comedian preachers run the serious risk of flaunting their funny at the expense of glorifying the God of the gospel. “Getting people to laugh feels good, and preachers can get caught up in showing worshipers that they are funny and likable,” Smietana writes.

I’m also concerned, then, for the occasionally funny pastors who will someday realize they can’t make it on the stand-up circuit, either. We can understand why they take this quick path to a congregation’s good graces. Pastoring is hard work. Ministers looking for love and support need to discharge every available arrow in their quivers. But sooner or later, those arrows will run out. If you win the congregation with humor, you need to keep the congregation with humor. The vast majority of pastors, who lack an extraordinary gift for comedy, eventually exhaust their repository of funny things kids say. Rather than an aid, comedy becomes the pastor’s cruel taskmaster.

For the unfunny and kinda funny alike, the good news is that the gospel is enough. You can win your congregation with its beauty, which will never lose its luster. There is power in this preaching when it’s faithful to God’s Word and backed up by a life of integrity. Such preaching, in fact, will leave a lasting legacy that endures long after the jokes go stale.

Collin Hansen is a Christianity Today editor at large and co-author of A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and Stir.

Insincere Outburst Offend Me!

2010-06-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

Darren Stott

This morning my 13-month-old daughter and I watched an interview with Matt Lauer and President Obama on NBC’s Today Show. To my horror my daughter was exposed to the “A-S-S Word” and no I am not referring to its King-James-Shrek use, "donkey."

The setup was too easy. Matt baited the President (as journalist are taught to do) by informing the leader of the free world that America thinks his laid back, cool camel style of ruling isn’t necessarily refreshing when Pelicans are oil logged and unable to survive.

The President exploded,

I was down there a month ago, before most of these talking-heads were even paying attention to the Gulf. A month ago I was meeting with fishermen down there, standing in the rain talking about what a potential crisis this could be. And I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar. We talked to these folks because they potentially have the best answers so I know whose
a _ _ to kick.

His language did not offended me in fact I was tickled; I started cracking up and laughing with this weird contrived forced laugh. I mean, it wasn’t funny, and yet you would think I was watching Bill Cosby do stand up.

The President's word choice was a reflection of his leadership style. He emotionally reacted to people’s expectations instead of sticking to his values and convictions. President Obama’s language, though possibily offensive, would not have been an issue worth blogging about if it had been consistent with his behavior concerning this subject. For example, I would expect this response from Bobby Jindal, the Governor of Louisiana, as he spends each day screaming at reporters regarding the poor response to this crisis.

You cannot be an excellent leader if you are living in fear of those who you are leading.

As a leader, if you hope to profit from your decisions, you are setting yourself up for failure. The desired outcome must be fueled by integrity and consistency. If an interview with the press will help the Nation arrive at a desired destination then wisely schedule in “media time”; but if these interviews with the press are to merely satisfy the lusts of people’s expectations for "how a popular President should respond" then don’t waste your time Mr. President. This is not American Idol; they can't vote you off the island when you are in office. Insincere outburst of anger are far more offensive than slang terms for the buttocks.

Top 10 Worst College Degrees by Salary

2010-06-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

The Today Show recently ran a story on the top 10 worse college degrees by salary. I fall into #3. This made me chuckle a bit. Do you fall into the top ten???

Full report can be found here: www.MoneyWatch.com

College Degrees Starting Salary Mid-career median salary

Social Work                        $33,400                      $41,600

Elementary Education         $33,000                      $42,400

Theology                            $34,800    $51,500

Music                                 $34,000                      $52,000

Spanish                              $35,600                      $52,600

Horticulture                        $37,200                      $53,400

Education $36,200    $54,100

Hospitality/Tourism $37,000     $54,300

Fine Arts                           $35,800                       $56,300

Drama                                $35,600                      $56,600

Maybe Lord Farquaad was right

2010-06-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

Darren Stott

Shrek the green Disney-ogre-monster is apparently attempting to poison small children with the help of McDonalds. The Golden Arches have been exposed this week and are in trouble as twelve million of their two-dollar-Shrek cups have been recalled for containing a carcinogenic known as cadmium. Cadmium isn’t that big of a deal except for that it "could" cause some bone softening and severe kidney problems, but then again so could a Big Mac.

"A very small amount of cadmium can come to the surface of the glass, and in order to be as protective as possible of children, CPSC and McDonald's worked together on this recall," said CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson. He would not specify the amounts of cadmium that leached from the paint in tests, but said the amounts were "slightly above the protective level currently being developed by the agency."

McDonalds told reporters that this isn't really a big deal and that they're just asking for people to stop using the glasses “out of an abundance of caution.”
It’s generous of McDonalds to not expose the real culprit in this crime, “Shrek!” the green Scottish ogre that children around the world have fallen in love with. Maybe we were to quick to judge Lord Farquaad regarding the ogre. Maybe we disregarded Farquaad because he was short and therefore evil. Maybe we should rid the world of fairy tale creatures… or maybe it’s easier to just throw away the cups.

The saddest part of this story is that the people who should get this message regarding the danger of carcinogenic cups are the people who throw all their other cups away and replace them with McDonalds Shrek cups. It is these people who will one day get up out of bed and fall over because their bones turned to butter.

Ted Haggard makes it official: He's starting a new church

2010-06-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

MARK BARNA
THE GAZETTE

Ted Haggard is back in the pulpit.

Just three weeks after incorporating St. James Church for what he called accounting reasons, Haggard announced Wednesday he is turning St. James into an official church.

Haggard made the announcement at a news conference with his wife, Gayle, and three of his sons standing with him. Also there, to film the event, was a Los Angeles production crew making a documentary on the founding of St. James.

Haggard encouraged people to come Sunday to his home, 1865 Old Ranch Road, for a meeting to talk about church plans.

The first worship service is scheduled for June 20, with the likely site being the Haggards’ barn next to their home. He expects only a couple dozen to attend.

“Everyone is welcome: Democrat, Republican, gay, straight, bi, addicts, tall, short,” Haggard said. “Jesus’ arms are open to all of us.”

Interest in Haggard’s ministry plans has been high since he and his family returned to Colorado Springs in June 2008.

The Haggards had been living for months in other states due to an agreement he reached with board members at New Life Church at the time of Haggard’s sex scandal in November 2006.

Haggard agreed to resign as senior pastor of the church he founded 25 years ago, leave Colorado Springs, and not start a church in the Pikes Peak region. New Life gave him a severance package that included more than $300,000 in salary and benefits.

Brady Boyd, senior pastor of New Life since August 2007, lifted the bans against Haggard, allowing him to return to Colorado Springs and start a church if he chose.

Haggard hinted at his ministry plans in November 2009, when he held two prayer meetings at his home that he also referred to as church gatherings.

Because of the crush of people attending, more than 100 for each meeting, Haggard realized he would need to rent space to accommodate everyone. But he wasn’t ready to do that yet. So he suspended gatherings and focused again on his and Gayle’s weekly paid talks at various evangelical churches in America that the couple had been giving since early 2009.

In May, he incorporated the name St. James “to keep the accounting in order” for the paid talks, he said, but then decided to turn St. James into a bona fide church about two weeks ago.

Immediate plans for St. James are to hold one or two focus meetings and locate a worship site, Haggard said. As for the services, Haggard said there would be music and singing, and sermons would be informal.
“We’ll talk about how to love,” he said.

Haggard acknowledged that many people don’t think he’s qualified to start a new church. But he said his fall has taught him deep compassion for other people. “I may be qualified to help other people go through the most difficult times in our lives,” he said.

Haggard also announced that he’s being filmed by Long Pond Media for a documentary. The crew has been filming since his first prayer gathering. No broadcast operation has yet been lined up to air it.

Long Pond Media producer Jonathan Karsh said he’s interested in the project because he’s impressed by the Haggards’ “resilience” in the face of criticism since the scandal.

Overseeing publicity of the St. James launch is the Los Angeles-based Prenner Group, which has handled publicity for the reality shows “The Girls Next Door,” featuring Playboy models, and “Kendra,” about a former Playboy model.
Prenner Group president Amy Prenner said she views the St. James launch as a positive outcome for the Haggard story.
--
For more on the Haggards’ St. James launch, go to Barna’s blog, The Pulpit, at gazette.com/pulpitblog.

What: St. James Church launch party and vision meeting

Where: 1865 Old Ranch Road, the Haggard's home

When: 10 a.m. on Sunday

THE JEREMIAH 3:15 ANOINTING

2010-06-02T09:33:00.001-07:00

Darren Stott

During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah that his people had committed adultery; they “cheated” on him. God had offered protection and mercy to the people of Israel and yet they chose to deny him and give themselves up to immoral acts: to worship other Gods “in plain sight”. So, God calls Jeremiah the Prophet, much like a grieving husband calls a best friend in the midst of a marital crisis, and says, “Jeremiah, tell my girl (Israel) to come home, return to me, I will not frown on her, I will not be angry, I will forgive her.” God goes as far as to call himself the husband of an unfaithful bride, Israel. So this is the setup for the verse I want to look at. Jeremiah 3:15 is what the Lord communicates through his prophet to the people of Israel, if they will choose to return.
Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.

In modern-day 2010 we have this word “Pastor”; it is a word derived from Latin and it means "shepherd". With this in mind, re-read Jeremiah 3:1:, if you choose to repent of your ways, and return to me, I will give you pastors who are after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.
I believe that we are about to enter into a Jeremiah 3:15 anointing. God is raising up, and about to release, shepherds who are after the heart of God and who are leading in the spirit of knowledge and understanding.

Going back as far as 312 A.D., when the Roman model of government was integrated into the fabric of the church, the “universal” church has dominantly been led in what I will call One Fold Ministry under the authority of a pastor, priest, or bishop. The problem is that this Roman style of church government is not what was established in Ephesians 4. In my opinion this is why one-fold churches are the norm: we have apostolic churches, prophetic churches, evangelistic churches, pastoral or community churches, and of course we have our Bible, or teaching, churches. Those who are a part of any one of these churches will argue that their method of ministry is “the way” ministry should be done: they have somehow discovered the silver bullet to fulfill the great commission. I blame the identity crisis and the fragmentation of the church on One Fold Ministry. We have forced Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Teachers to be Pastors, as if that was the only governmental role within the church that had any authority. Because of this identity crisis, most people have no expectations or definitions of what a Pastor is. Furthermore, since God has been restoring five-fold ministry within the church, pastors have been getting a bad reputation. I’ve heard it said recently that it is the Pastor’s fault that the gifts of the apostolic and prophetic have not been nurtured in the church.

There is a messy, Holy-Spirit sanctioned unraveling in the Bride of Christ right now. The offices of five-fold ministry are being restored, church government structures are being reorganized, and people who were once titled as “Pastors” are being freed to oversee within the church according to their calling. This is creating empty seats for true shepherds to come forth.
I believe that as revival sweeps across the USA, repentance will be a signature mark and a trigger effect resulting in America returning to Jesus, much like Israel returned to the Lord. If this takes place a Jeremiah 3:15 anointing will be released and an army of Davidic, God chasing shepherds will rise up within the church to operate and function in the spirit of knowledge and understanding.

Francis Chan Gives Up

2010-05-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

“I cannot make someone fall in love with Jesus.”

A Leadership interview with Francis Chan

In your new book you write, "I cannot convince people to be obsessed with Jesus, and that's why you need the Holy Spirit." When did you come to that realization?

Once you pastor for a while, it dawns on you that nailing a sermon doesn't mean lives will change. Or you'll meet a person who's surrendered everything to Christ, and you'll realize that your sermon wasn't even good and nothing you did caused him to become a believer.

There was a guy who had been in our church for 15 years. One day he told me my preaching hadn't changed him. He said I spoke too much about the "narrow road" and how everyone needs to be radical for Christ. But he said there's also a "middle road" where people like him can do a lot of good things. I was floored by that. He's sat under my teaching for 15 years and he still believes there isn't only a wide easy road and a narrow difficult road, but also a middle road? I've been told many times that my teaching is really helpful, that I make things simple for people to understand. And then you hear something like that.

That's when I remember, I cannot make someone fall in love with Jesus.

So what's the point of all the work, sermon prep, and programs if the outcome is out of our hands?

Some of our toil is wasted, because we're toiling believing that these things change people.

I believe a lot more of our work needs to be put into prayer, study of the Word, and trusting God. I could spend an extra ten hours on every sermon, trying to get every word just right, but my time would be much better spent out sharing the gospel with people and praying.

Now, I do study hard, because the Scripture tells me to and because I want to be accurate in my teaching. We should work hard "as unto the Lord," but we have to let our theology guide what we work hard at. And you have to be led by the Spirit on how much time to spend crafting a sermon and how much time to spend praying for a movement of the Spirit.

How can we know if our ministry is being empowered by the Spirit?

Churches that are built through our effort rather than the Spirit's will quickly collapse when we stop pushing and prodding people along.

Now we should push, prod, and persuade men, but I've learned to spend a lot more time praying and asking the Spirit to move and begging God to send forth laborers.

The more you look at Scripture, the more you realize that nothing happens unless God is behind it. Jesus is building his church. I just want to be a part of that. I'll keep doing my work, but the fruit is up to him. We can only pray, "Please, please, please let us see your Spirit at work. May it be like a mighty wind that moves us."

I equate it to surfing. Sometimes I'm out in the ocean and there are no sets coming in. I really don't want to paddle in, so I'll pray, "God, give me one nice set, one good wave to take me back to shore." I pray because I can't make a wave and I can't ask my friends to go further out and splash to create a wave. We're powerless. That's what I feel like in church. We think we can make waves, but in reality we're totally dependent on the Spirit.

KEEP READING @ Christianity Today

Art: On Behalf of the Church to the World

2010-05-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

David Taylor

Since encouraging all of us to encourage artists in our communities, David Taylor has edited a new book entitled For The Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts and begun work on a Ph.D. at Duke. We caught up with David recently and asked him a few questions about the practice of art in the church.

What’s your vision for art in the church?

The contemporary church’s response to art tends to fall into two general patterns: pragmatism and traditionalism. That is, we employ the arts either because “it works” or because “it’s what we’ve always done.” Both approaches betray, I believe, a small view, not just of the arts but of our Triune God. What results often is anemic art—shallow, imitative, predictable art. It is art that’s incapable of surprising (or unsettling) us with grace.

Along with the authors of For the Beauty of the Church, we want to offer the church a different kind of vision: a theologically informed, biblically deepened, liturgically sensitive, artistically robust and missionally shrewd vision for the arts. It’s an expansive and holistic vision.

You've always had a passion for the arts. How does your experience as both a pastor and an artist shape that?

As a college student I was passionate about the arts and mad at the church. I especially felt that pastors didn’t get it. If I were honest, I’d say that I felt that they didn’t want to get it. Pastors, truth be told, often misunderstand the nature and vocation of the artist. Partly it’s not their fault. Neither their seminaries nor their upbringing have offered them resources to make sense of art. Artists do need advocates. But they need the right kind (not angry, impetuous kind like I was in college).

During seminary I became a pastor at Hope Chapel in Austin, TX. Growing up I never wanted to be a pastor. Mostly I was neutral about the profession. A part of me thought it was less (I’m embarrassed to say this) cool than being an academic or diplomat or, as the case happened to be during my childhood, a professional soccer player. But very soon into my pastoral work, around the late ‘90s, I discovered both how difficult and how honorable the calling of a pastor is. I saw firsthand how artists misunderstood their pastors, how quickly they were to judge or to become frustrated. So I became an apologist on behalf of pastors.

With this book, I consider myself an apologist for the church. Many pastors and artists are finding it difficult to stick with the church. Some are leaving altogether. Others are taking an indefinite break. Still others are “re-inventing” the church. I had a conversion along the way and I now find myself wanting to encourage both traditional and non-traditional churches, both conservative and progressive, both artsy and woefully non-artsy. I believe the church is the redemptive society through which God seeks to bring about the healing of the world. I believe artists play a crucial role in the church. I believe they play a crucial role on behalf of the church to the world. I’m not giving up on the church easily.

How can the church discern between what is great art and what is merely mediocre? Is there a place for a worship/arts pastor to say, “Sorry, this is crap, we’re not including it”?

There are six common dangers associated with our practice of art in the church, and one of them is bad art. As pastors and artists we should expect “no’s.” Being told no—not now, not this, not here, not yet—is fundamental to our spiritual formation. But there are good ways of saying no and bad ways. The best advice I can give to pastors and artists is to meet each other half way, with both sympathy and understanding, and to be willing to offer the church the best work of your hands, even if it means waiting a long time.

How can the church help to nurture artists in their communities/congregations?

Josh Banner—he wrote a chapter in the book—says it best, I believe. He says pastors need to think of themselves as farmers. As pastor-farmers our job is to nurture the artists under our care, calling out their best growth. There are four ways we as pastors can nurture artists. One, offer them opportunities for spiritual formation. If our hearts are in healthy shape, artists will have a greater chance of flourishing. Two, encourage them to pursue deep, thoroughgoing friendship with others. Three, challenge them to keep honing their craft. And four, marshal the members of your congregation to engage in creative patronage and to come alongside artists to help them with the business side of their calling.

Bold Forgiveness

2010-05-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

Letting go of anger leads to healing and restoration

Sherryl Stone

The last place we expect to get hurt is within the family of God. We assume church people are safe people. But, hurt comes with church leadership. When it happens, the wounds it brings can quickly become a breeding ground for bitterness.

Bitterness can become a gnarly vine that chokes our souls. It poisons our hearts and actions. Scripture says we and others will pay a great price if it is left unchecked (Hebrews 12:15).

What's a Christian to do? When we are wronged, justice demands that someone pay for the wrong. We know that the Lord wants us to forgive. But how can we handle the tension between justice and forgiveness?

I came face-to face with this dilemma when my husband and I planted a church. We relocated to another state with two preschoolers and another on the way. Our church and our daughter were born six weeks apart. After a few months we found out that a couple from our previous church was moving to our area and wanted to help us in our new church. We were ecstatic. After a year of serving together in our fledgling church, our baby was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The pressures of church and our daughter's life-threatening illness seemed too much to bear. My husband and I were in the hospital with our daughter after her brain surgery when we got a call from this couple. They informed us that they were leaving our church. We were blind-sided. My husband asked them if we had offended them in any way. After assuring him they were not offended, they gave some flimsy excuse about their decision.

I began to pray about how to handle this hurt. As I read the Bible it became clear that I couldn't be right with God and refuse to forgive. In Matthew 6:12-14 Jesus says that there is a correlation between our forgiveness of others and our sins being forgiven. Like most things in the Christian life, God wants us to pass along to others what he has given to us. Matthew 18:21-35 explains that refusing to forgive someone who has offended us is a direct affront to God's grace. Since we have been forgiven for "all" our sins, we can't justify not forgiving the "few" offenses from others.

I was still hurt, but I knew that clinging to it was not worth the price of unforgiveness and the resulting bitterness. Forgiveness must begin in the heart and work its way out into our emotions and actions. It satisfies our sense of justice when we remember that Jesus has already paid for that sin on the cross. In choosing to forgive we get a taste of what our sins cost a holy, loving God. We release our right to require others pay for their offenses.

My path to forgiveness began with prayer for myself and my offender. Every thought of her prompted me to pray, although it was hard. I focused my Bible reading and worship on Christ's death on the cross. Mentally I pictured the offense nailed there.

The next step came by surprise. A few months later I saw my offender in a store, although she didn't see me. I felt like hiding in another part of the store until she left, but the Lord convicted me to initiate a conversation with her. As our conversation ended, the Lord impressed me to hug her. After an inward struggle I chose to obey and silently breathed a prayer for her as we embraced. The hug became a redeeming action that resulted in a supernatural freedom to love this woman unconditionally. Love triumphed.

Sherryl is actively involved in ministry at Ginger Creek Community Church in Aurora, Illinois, where her husband is senior pastor. She holds a bachelor's degree in Bible from Mississippi College and a master's degree in religious education from Southwestern Seminary in Texas.

Tim Keller on Justification and Justice

2010-05-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

Addressing doctrinal divisions on day one of the Q conference.

by Skye Jethani

The Q gathering kicked off in Chicago today. 600 Christian leaders in the church, business, social sector, education, government, and the arts assembled at the Civic Opera House to hear some very stimulating talks and engage in more conversations themselves. One of the highlights from day one was Tim Keller.

Keller used his 18 minutes (all Q talks are 18, 9, or 3 minutes...there’s a predominately displayed countdown clock the audience can see to hold the speaker accountable...clearly not invented by a preacher) to talk about the polarization in the church between the “justification people” and the “justice people.”

As Keller describes them, the justification people are all about justification by faith alone. Only after being justified can a person live as he/she ought to live. While Keller was in full agreement with this doctrine, he said the unfortunate implication for many of the justification people is the belief that “we are mainly here to do evangelism” and they view “justice as a distraction.”

The justice people, on the other hand, tend to downplay or completely ignore the doctrine of justification by faith. Instead they can focus on language about “defeating the powers” or seeking the renewal of communities. Also good ideas, but not if justification is lost in the mix.

Keller believes this rift between justification and justice is completely unbiblical. “Justice and justification,” he said, “are joined at the hip. They are a seamless cloth.” He spent much of his time arguing from scripture that the doctrine of “justification by faith leads inevitably to justice.” Citing passages like Isaiah 58, Mark 12:38-40, Matthew 25, and others, Keller said that if we truly believe that we are saved by grace alone we will care about the poor.

The doctrine of justification by faith emphasizes that “God’s justice matters,” he said. We are perpetrators of wrong. We are sinners. We are poor in spirit. But God has had mercy on us. If we understand our spiritual poverty than we cannot ignore the material poor who are presented to us. If our belief in justification does not manifest itself in care for the poor, then our faith is dead as the Epistle of James says.

This is what Keller calls the “both/and” gospel...it’s about justification and justice, not justification or justice. And when we get this right, not only do we see justification lead to more justice, but doing more justice leads more of the lost toward Christ and justification through faith.

Skye Jethani is managing editor of Leadership journal and the author of The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity.

Undignified Worship

WISDOM

PRONOUNCEMENT

BRAIN CHECK

Ding Dong Kim Jong-il is dead, the wicked old witch is dead!

THE FEAR FACTOR

Missional?

Definition of AWESOME

Definition of AWESOME

The Covenant God

We also must never forget that it is God who gives us the power to get wealth as a confirmation of His covenant with us.

Darjeeling Wedding

Is Boldness Progressive?

Good Morning Darjeeling!!!

Jesus and Bahá'u'lláh are NOT Friends

Money Problems?

Journey to Darjeeling

Walking through Darjeeling, India

YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE AS A SLAVE TO FEAR AND DEATH!

THE REVIVAL DYNAMIC

WE NEED HOPE, NOT HYPE

HOW TO TRANSITION WITH GRACE

Africans BELIEVE that JESUS heals

Being a Pastor versus a CEO

The Mark of a Godly Man

THE LIGHT OF THE KING’S FACE

RELIGIOUS REST VS. THE KINGDOM OF REST PART 2

FROM A DAY TO A PERSON

RELIGIOUS REST VS. THE KINGDOM OF REST PART 1

The Pasture

CRITICS, FANS, AND PLAYERS

DARREN STOTT

CRITICS

FANS

PLAYERS

The Church = The Community of the Kingdom

Matthew 16:18 ESV

Matthew 28:18-20

Apostolic Commission

"Pastoral churches change flocks, apostolic churches change cities!"Kris Vallotton

DEFINING JUSTICE: GRACE, MERCY, AND THE MIRACULOUS

BEAT THE HOLIDAY BLUES

300

ARE YOU TOO FAMILIAR WITH A GOD YOU DON’T KNOW?

ARE YOU A DOORMAT?

MY CATALYST CONFERENCE CONSPIRACY THEORY

HONOR MAKES A WAY FOR INFLUENCE.

THE SUPERMAN COMPLEX

LOVE CULTURE

INVESTIGATE, EXECUTE, AND PRAISE GOD

Works vs. Fruit

BECAUSE OF LOVE part 3b

BECAUSE OF LOVE part 3

BECAUSE OF LOVE part 2

BECAUSE OF LOVE part 1

BLESSING HONOR GLORY & POWER PART 3

BLESSING HONOR GLORY & POWER PART 2

BLESSING HONOR GLORY & POWER PART 1

THE PROBLEM WITH RELIGION IS THE MORAL NATURE AND CHARACTER OF GOD

PLAGIARIZING THE DIVINE

THE SIGNATURE OF GOD

Cancer is the best thing that happened to me

The Trouble with Excellence

Control Tweaks

Unique Success

Powerful Atheist Comment

The Hansen Report: Comedy in the Pulpit

Insincere Outburst Offend Me!

You cannot be an excellent leader if you are living in fear of those who you are leading.

Top 10 Worst College Degrees by Salary

Maybe Lord Farquaad was right

Ted Haggard makes it official: He's starting a new church

THE JEREMIAH 3:15 ANOINTING

Francis Chan Gives Up

Art: On Behalf of the Church to the World

Bold Forgiveness

Tim Keller on Justification and Justice

"Pastoral churches change flocks, apostolic churches change cities!"
Kris Vallotton