Legacy

When you begin a ministry in a new place one of the things you need to recognize is that one day you will leave there.  You may be called elsewhere, be fired, retire, or die, but if the Lord tarries you will one day leave that church, and you will leave a legacy.  People will remember certain things about your ministry in that church.  The person who follows you will either build upon that legacy or have to tear it down in order to build something positive.  The earlier in your ministry in that place you recognize this the more likely it will be that your legacy will be a positive one.  You cannot control what you will encounter when you begin a new ministry, but you can control how you respond to that and the legacy you will leave behind when you leave.  Don't leave a mess for others to clean up.  Make sure your legacy is a positive one upon which the next leader can build.

Glorify God

The very purpose for which you and I exist is to give glory to God, that's what it's all about.  Jesus is called the Lord of glory. We are to give Him glory. He deserves it. And it is the mark of a committed Christian; it is the mark of a really genuine disciple that he gives God glory. His life reflects the attributes of God. God is praised by the way he lives.

Vision

The cause of poor giving to a church is a lack of vision.  If the only thing a church is going to do with its finances is pay the utilities and salaries, that is all the money that will come in.  People give to vision; they give to ministry; they give much less to maintenance activities.  In a lifetime of attending smaller churches I've seen it happen numerous times that a church that struggles to pay its bills each month suddenly raises a large sum of money within days or weeks to fund a major project.  That alone proves the church is not without resources.  The problem is that we've not challenged the people to part with those resources for something more exciting than an electric bill.

Rejection

Rejection can be extremely cruel. Israel was a unique nation, chosen by God to be the guardian of His Word and the proclaimer of His Kingdom. The OT records His miraculous and providential care for her throughout the centuries. The prophets told of One who’d come as her great Deliverer. Israel eagerly awaited the promised Messiah. But the story has a surprise ending. In the person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah finally came and presented Himself to Israel. The religious leaders examined Him carefully, measuring Him every way they could. But He didn’t fit their blueprint. They expected a reigning, political Messiah who’d instantly deliver them from Roman oppression. They felt no need for a spiritual deliverer, so they rejected Him and tossed Him aside like a worthless rock.

Maintenance-Mindset

Many of our smaller churches have a maintenance-mindset that has greatly limited their impact on their communities.  These churches have an inward focus rather than an outward one, they seek chaplains rather than pastors to lead them, they work very hard to preserve their resources instead of using those resources for ministry, and they see missions as something they support instead of do.  Most of these churches are either plateaued or declining with the majority of them in decline.  They can often survive for decades in this state, but for all practical purposes they have forfeited their right to call themselves a church.  They long ago forgot their purpose for existence was is to impact their communities with the Gospel.

Jesus said, "Follow Me"

What can we learn from the disciples’ response to Jesus’ call?
• What does Christ expect you to leave behind to follow him?
• What sacrifice of personal achievement, wealth, or position does Christ ask you to make?
• What prevents you from following Jesus immediately and wholeheartedly?
• What must you do to eliminate these hindrances from your life?

Crazy Christians

Brad Paisley’s great new song — Those crazy Christians, I was gonna sleep in today But the church bells woke me up and they’re a half a mile away Those crazy Christians, dressed up drivin’ down my street Get their weekly dose of guilt before they head to Applebee’s They pray before they eat and they pray before they snore They pray before a football game and every time they score Every untimely passing, every dear departed soul Is just another good excuse to bake a casserole Those crazy Christians, go and jump on some airplane And fly to Africa or Haiti, risk their lives in Jesus’ name No, they ain’t the late night party kind They curse the devil’s whiskey while they drink the Savior’s wine A famous TV preacher has a big affair and then One tearful confession and he’s born again again Someone yells hallelujah and they shout and clap and sing It’s like they can’t wait to forgive someone for just about anything Those crazy Christians Instead of being outside on this sunny afternoon They’re by the bedside of a stranger in a cold hospital room And every now and then they meet a poor lost soul like me Who’s not quite sure just who or what or how he ought to be They march him down the aisle and then the next thing that you know They dunk him in the water and here comes another one of those crazy Christians They look to heaven their whole life And I think, What if they’re wrong, but What if they’re right You know it’s funny, much as I’m baffled by it all If I ever really needed help, well you know who I’d call Is those crazy Christians

Cheap Grace

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” (The Cost of Discipleship, 43-44)

What's The Difference?

Calvinism and Arminianism: What's the Difference? This information came from a blog titled, "Quadrilateral Thoughts" 1. Natural State of humanity •Both Calvinists and Arminians believe that humans are completely fallen (total depravity) and cannot do any good in their own power. •There are some pop-Arminians who believe in complete free will (and are thus Pelagian), but this is not the official Arminian position. 2. Who is chosen? •Calvinists believe that God determines entirely who will be saved (unconditional election). It's called "monergism," since God alone does all the work. •Arminians believe that God empowers us all to be able to sign up for more grace if we will and that God includes us in his kingdom on the basis of our response to his call (conditional election). It's called "synergism" because, by God's grace, our wills work together with his will. •Wesleyan-Arminians call the grace that reaches out to us in our powerless state, "prevenient grace." 3. For whom did Christ die? •In the most stereotypical version of Calvinism, Christ only died for those God has predestined to be saved (limited atonement). There are "four point Calvinists" who would say Christ died for everyone, although obviously only those whom God has chosen will receive the benefit. •Arminians believe that Christ died for everyone and that anyone can potentially be saved. 4. Can we reject God's grace? •Calvinists believe that, if humans could say no to God, it would undermine his sovereignty or authority over the creation. Therefore, they do not believe a person could reject God's grace (irresistible grace). And it is only natural that, if God chooses who will be saved, that such people will be saved and make it to the end (perseverance of the saints). •Baptist Arminians potentially fall into a gray area here. Once a person is "in" the people of God, they do not believe a person can fail to be saved (eternal security). Many Baptists would no doubt say that a person who went apostate after conversion was probably never truly saved in the first place (related to perseverance of the saints). But you do sometimes hear the pop-Baptist position that, even if you tried to reject God's grace after salvation, you could not. •Wesleyan-Arminians believe that God, in his sovereign will, has made it possible for a person to be "in" and yet later reject God's grace (cf. Heb. 10:26-29) and thus not make it.

Passion

There are many reasons pastors lose their passion for ministry. We face challenges that threaten to overwhelm us, people who oppose what we are doing, frustration due to a lack of immediate results, fatigue, a sense of loneliness in ministry, and the various pressures that go along with ministry. However, those by themselves are not enough to rob us of passion. Andrew Blackwood once wrote, "In pastoral work the most serious obstacles lie within a man's soul." It is not the problems themselves that take away our passion, it is how we choose to respond to those problems.

Inspiring Worship!

What a great morning at Burton-Richland Center UMC.! So many people are involved in different roles within the church. The music was wonderful and having four different folks who can play instruments is unusual. How fortunate I am to be able to serve as pastor.

The Bible

Americans overwhelming (77%) believe morals and values are declining in the U.S. The most-cited cause for the decline is a lack of Bible reading. As in previous years, the survey found that the Bible remains a highly valued, influential force in America. But beliefs about the Bible and its role in society are becoming increasingly polarized—particularly when the data is examined by age group. The research also uncovered a significant disconnect in belief versus behavior. While 66% of those surveyed agreed that the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life, 58% say they don’t personally want wisdom and advice from the Bible and about the same amount (57%) read it fewer than five times per year. Key findings: •1 in 6 people reported buying a copy of the Bible in the last year •80% of Americans identify the Bible as sacred •Americans have plenty of copies at their fingertips—with an average of 4.4 Bibles per household •56% of adults believe the Bible should have a greater role in U.S. society •But actual Bible reading and perceptions about the Bible have become increasingly polarized, with 6 million new Bible Antagonists in the last year alone •More than half (57%) of those ages 18-28 report reading the Bible less than three times a year or never

He Has Indeed Risen!

Tomorrow I have the privilege and the huge responsibility of beginning my ministry at The Burton-Richland Center United Methodist Church. I have found these people to be very warm and eager to draw closer to their Lord and Savior. I am thrilled to be able to stand before them and expound the Word of God while making it applicable to each life. God's Word is timeless, consistent and true. As we come together in the morning I'll be sharing how a small group of disciples behind locked doors for fear of detection and arrest suddenly found themselves in the presence of the risen Lord. Halleluiah, what a savior!

Distractions

A church of any size can get distracted from the bottom line of Christians being in the world: love God and love each other. In church, we love God in worship. We love each other inside the walls by getting along. We love those outside the walls by mission. That’s really all there is. The rest is distraction.

Two Great Books

I've been reading a couple of great books recommended by Pastor Matt Haynes. "Greater" by Steven Furtick and "The Tangible" by Hugh Halter. I bought the e-books at Kindle and would recommend them as must read for Christians on fire for Jesus or even those who have lost their edge.