Here's 10 things that I was reminded of today at REVO to share with you and challenge you with.
1. The same power that was in Jesus as he preached, healed, performed miracles, and equipped disciples is now in us. We are unstoppable!
2. The Word of God is authoritative, powerful, life-changing, and challenging. We need to know it!
2. The same calling and mission in Acts 1:8 that Jesus gave the first New Testament Church is the same mission that the Church has today. We know what to do!
3. Jesus forgiving sins, dying in our place, resurrecting from the dead, and offering salvation is worthy of more excitement and fanfare than anything that ever happens in a stadium or sports arena. We're on the winning team!
4. The Spirit is the same, the message is the same, the God is the same, the power and authority of the Word is the same, the direct access to God through prayer is the same, and the method that God chose to share Jesus with the world is the same today as it was in Acts. We are dangerous!
5. The mission has been communicated and the Spirit has been sent. We don't need anything else!
6. We bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus not out of obligation or guilt but out of excitement, anticipation, jubilation, and obedience. We have to tell people!
7. The calling on followers of Jesus is from our hometown to the ends of the earth. We have to go!
8. Even with below-freezing temperatures outside, worshipping authentically and preaching twice in one day is a workout. We have to wear more deodorant next week!
9. It takes an army of people that are All-In to help REVO be obedient in sparking a revolution of life change through Jesus. We have some incredible volunteers!
10. The Church not only gathers, but also scatters to accomplish the mission and be faithful with the opportunity that we've been entrusted with. We don't go to church, we ARE the church!
Let's be a Dangerous Church!
What Is Church Really All About?
Growing up I'm sure you learned the rhyme and the hand motions:
Here's the Church,
Here's the steeple,
Open it up
And there's all the people (Insert wiggling fingers here).
The climax of the prose is seeing the people. I think a lot of people, both outside and inside the Church, think that the purpose of the Church is the people. The Church helps them, equips them, teaches them, comforts them, and all that other positive stuff.
However, a byproduct of that line of thought creates a skewed idea of why people initially get involved in a church. People start to ask themselves, "What can this church do for me? What programs do they have for me? My kids? My family? How is attending or being a member here going to benefit me?" The only problem with that is that Church actually becomes all about you.
So what is the Church really all about?
The Church is really not about the people. The Church is about Jesus and His mission.
If a church focuses on elevating Jesus and His mission, it will create a culture of outwardly focused people without an individualistic mindset. Make sure the mission and vision is raised above everything else. Work hard to constantly clarify and simplify the person of Jesus and His mission of the Church.
I link the thought process to the comparison of an Apple product and a PC.
Apple's philosophy of business is to do one thing, promote that one thing, and convince people that it's the best thing they have ever seen and can't live without it.
PC's approach is to try and promote every single thing they offer in one big blitz and hope that one item on a long list seems appealing to the customer.
As a church, we want to take the Apple approach. We want to preach Jesus, elevate Jesus, sing about Jesus, worship Jesus, and communicate that the hope of salvation that you cannot fully live without is found in Jesus.
What do you think?
Here's the Church,
Here's the steeple,
Open it up
And there's all the people (Insert wiggling fingers here).
The climax of the prose is seeing the people. I think a lot of people, both outside and inside the Church, think that the purpose of the Church is the people. The Church helps them, equips them, teaches them, comforts them, and all that other positive stuff.
However, a byproduct of that line of thought creates a skewed idea of why people initially get involved in a church. People start to ask themselves, "What can this church do for me? What programs do they have for me? My kids? My family? How is attending or being a member here going to benefit me?" The only problem with that is that Church actually becomes all about you.
So what is the Church really all about?
The Church is really not about the people. The Church is about Jesus and His mission.
If a church focuses on elevating Jesus and His mission, it will create a culture of outwardly focused people without an individualistic mindset. Make sure the mission and vision is raised above everything else. Work hard to constantly clarify and simplify the person of Jesus and His mission of the Church.
I link the thought process to the comparison of an Apple product and a PC.
Apple's philosophy of business is to do one thing, promote that one thing, and convince people that it's the best thing they have ever seen and can't live without it.
PC's approach is to try and promote every single thing they offer in one big blitz and hope that one item on a long list seems appealing to the customer.
As a church, we want to take the Apple approach. We want to preach Jesus, elevate Jesus, sing about Jesus, worship Jesus, and communicate that the hope of salvation that you cannot fully live without is found in Jesus.
What do you think?
-Venti House Blend, 2 Creams & 1 Jesus-
I was standing in line at the coffee shop last week and the girl in front of me ordered a cup of house blend, drip coffee. The barista asked her is she wanted some room at the top of the cup for cream, and her response was incredible!
"No cream for me. I take my coffee like I like my men: strong, dark, and hot."
I literally laughed out loud.
When I approached the counter I became subconscious about what my "Decaf Caramel Latte" was saying about the expectations that I have of my wife, Elizabeth. I don't know about you, but "sweet, fair-skinned, and doesn't give me the jitters" just isn't the romantic pick-up line I would use.
Some people can describe their life and relationship with Jesus the same way they describe their liquid morning elixir. For them, Jesus is simply an additive to their life, just like a pack of splenda or a splash of cream. Life is a little too bitter and bland sometimes, so we add Jesus to it and make it a little more palatable. We love the blessings and assurance we get from Jesus. We even tolerate the sacrifice and selflessness that He calls us to, but only in small doses! We don't want to shake things up too much. It is our life, and we know exactly how we want it to look and taste.
Here's the problem: Jesus isn't an additive to your life. Jesus isn't just a part of your life, he wants to take OVER your life.
What are you pouring into your cup?
-4 Things Leaders Do-
I have learned that you can do a lot of things well, but in an entrepreneurial setting like a new business or church plant, if you do not have leaders then you are going to be hosed! Here are a few things I've learned during the process.
1. Leaders Delegate
Delegation is about equipping, communicating, and evaluating. If you delegate without doing those 3 things, then you are just dumping tasks on people, not delegating responsibilities. Another key success is to make sure the person you are delegating responsibilities to is competent and capable. If they are not, then your delegation process will be like trying to put a square peg in a round hole; it damages both the peg and the hole.
2. Leaders Develop
Training someone is simply giving them a task to do. Developing someone is giving them a responsibility to own. Training is focused on indoctrination of status quo ideas and methodologies. Developing is about educating so the end result is growth, innovation, and focusing on the future. Do you want volunteers/workers/leaders that just punch the time clock and check off the to-do list? Or do you want people that are constantly thinking about ways to be faster, better, more efficient, and more effective?
3. Leaders Grow
You cannot take people to a place you have never been before. So leaders have to continue to mature and develop in their own life. If not, your leadership capacity hits a ceiling and your ability to lead becomes stagnant. Here is a short, homemade list of leadership levels.
a. Model Leader- A leader that does it all himself. Growth is limited to one person's ability.
b. Leading Leader- Still does the majority of the tasks, but has delegated some less-important things out.
c. Leading Leaders- Delegates responsibilities by leading people, not projects.
d. Leading through Vision- A leader that surrounds himself with leaders who lead leaders. Growth is limitless.
4. Leaders Evaluate
There are no sacred cows in leadership/ministry. If it does not work, then trash it. Two really good reasons to quit doing something and reevaluate are, 1. If you have always done it that way, and, 2. If it is not being effective. Sometimes the prior leads to the latter, yet you will never know these things if you do not take time to evaluate everything you do.
Thoughts?
1. Leaders Delegate
Delegation is about equipping, communicating, and evaluating. If you delegate without doing those 3 things, then you are just dumping tasks on people, not delegating responsibilities. Another key success is to make sure the person you are delegating responsibilities to is competent and capable. If they are not, then your delegation process will be like trying to put a square peg in a round hole; it damages both the peg and the hole.
2. Leaders Develop
Training someone is simply giving them a task to do. Developing someone is giving them a responsibility to own. Training is focused on indoctrination of status quo ideas and methodologies. Developing is about educating so the end result is growth, innovation, and focusing on the future. Do you want volunteers/workers/leaders that just punch the time clock and check off the to-do list? Or do you want people that are constantly thinking about ways to be faster, better, more efficient, and more effective?
3. Leaders Grow
You cannot take people to a place you have never been before. So leaders have to continue to mature and develop in their own life. If not, your leadership capacity hits a ceiling and your ability to lead becomes stagnant. Here is a short, homemade list of leadership levels.
a. Model Leader- A leader that does it all himself. Growth is limited to one person's ability.
b. Leading Leader- Still does the majority of the tasks, but has delegated some less-important things out.
c. Leading Leaders- Delegates responsibilities by leading people, not projects.
d. Leading through Vision- A leader that surrounds himself with leaders who lead leaders. Growth is limitless.
4. Leaders Evaluate
There are no sacred cows in leadership/ministry. If it does not work, then trash it. Two really good reasons to quit doing something and reevaluate are, 1. If you have always done it that way, and, 2. If it is not being effective. Sometimes the prior leads to the latter, yet you will never know these things if you do not take time to evaluate everything you do.
Thoughts?
-A Few Thoughts from Yesterday at REVO-
We started out 2012 with a few new things at REVO. We moved to a new location to ensure the room for future growth through multiple services, and we started the iMarriage rGroup at 6:00, which is a six week precursor to the launching of our second worship experience! We also started a new teaching series called, "The Empty Chair." I wanted to pass on some of the main points to challenge you and remind you of God's heart for The Empty Chair from Luke 15:1-10.
-Each chair symbolizes a person, and the empty chair stands for the person that is not here in church. It stands for potential, a person disenfranchised with the church, Christianity, and religion.
-Jesus often hung out with people that wouldn't have been sociably acceptable company for the typical religious person. Why? Because Jesus has a heart for people that are far from him and don't know him.
-Jesus makes it clear that the passion and heart of the Father is towards the ones that are lost and far from Him, not the self-righteous, prideful, religious people.
-When Jesus makes the analogy of the lost sheep and the lost coin, it honors the lost, challenges the disciples, and ticks off the religious.
-What causes a party to break out in heaven? When one person that doesn't know Jesus repents of their sin, turns towards God, and starts a relationship with Jesus. Now, shouldn't the church promote, strive for, and celebrate the same thing?
The point of the message was that The Empty Chair is incredibly important to God, and that care and urgency must be matched by the Church and by followers of Jesus. Here are the three ideas I wanted people to remember to support the point of the message:
1. God takes the initiative to go to great lengths to bring back to Himself those who are estranged from Him.
-I love the fact that God pursues us, and I'll never forget that I was once lost and empty and God sent Jesus out to rescue me. That totally flips the ideology that God is some big religious bully waiting on you to mess up so he can laugh at you and expects you to come crawling back to Him after you fail.
2. Reclaiming such people should lead to joyous celebration.
-We celebrate when people's lives are changed! We party at our baptism services! We embrace the "party hard" mentality from this passage, and that's just the way we roll. And honestly, if live change doesn't get you fired up, then you probably aren't going to like REVO.
3. The faithfulness of the majority never excuses us from ignoring anyone who still remains distant from God.
-Regardless of how many people gave their life to Jesus last year, regardless of how many people got baptized, regardless of the incredible stories of life change that we experienced, the mission is not done. The job is not complete. As long as their are empty chairs in this city, we're still going to be relentless about turning our time, energy, and resources to finding the lost sheep and the lost coin.
The first sermon of the new series in a new year in a new location mentioned the most important chair. The thing that God is most passionate about and the idea that jumpstarts the party in heaven, is when the empty chair is no longer empty.
-Each chair symbolizes a person, and the empty chair stands for the person that is not here in church. It stands for potential, a person disenfranchised with the church, Christianity, and religion.
-Jesus often hung out with people that wouldn't have been sociably acceptable company for the typical religious person. Why? Because Jesus has a heart for people that are far from him and don't know him.
-Jesus makes it clear that the passion and heart of the Father is towards the ones that are lost and far from Him, not the self-righteous, prideful, religious people.
-When Jesus makes the analogy of the lost sheep and the lost coin, it honors the lost, challenges the disciples, and ticks off the religious.
-What causes a party to break out in heaven? When one person that doesn't know Jesus repents of their sin, turns towards God, and starts a relationship with Jesus. Now, shouldn't the church promote, strive for, and celebrate the same thing?
The point of the message was that The Empty Chair is incredibly important to God, and that care and urgency must be matched by the Church and by followers of Jesus. Here are the three ideas I wanted people to remember to support the point of the message:
1. God takes the initiative to go to great lengths to bring back to Himself those who are estranged from Him.
-I love the fact that God pursues us, and I'll never forget that I was once lost and empty and God sent Jesus out to rescue me. That totally flips the ideology that God is some big religious bully waiting on you to mess up so he can laugh at you and expects you to come crawling back to Him after you fail.
2. Reclaiming such people should lead to joyous celebration.
-We celebrate when people's lives are changed! We party at our baptism services! We embrace the "party hard" mentality from this passage, and that's just the way we roll. And honestly, if live change doesn't get you fired up, then you probably aren't going to like REVO.
3. The faithfulness of the majority never excuses us from ignoring anyone who still remains distant from God.
-Regardless of how many people gave their life to Jesus last year, regardless of how many people got baptized, regardless of the incredible stories of life change that we experienced, the mission is not done. The job is not complete. As long as their are empty chairs in this city, we're still going to be relentless about turning our time, energy, and resources to finding the lost sheep and the lost coin.
The first sermon of the new series in a new year in a new location mentioned the most important chair. The thing that God is most passionate about and the idea that jumpstarts the party in heaven, is when the empty chair is no longer empty.
-"Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays?" Jesus Doesn't Care-
The "Occupy Wall Street" protests are getting a little stale, so it's time to look at another point of tension. It's the hotly debated topic of whether or not retailers and Americans in general should keep "Christ in Christmas." Ground zero of the argument is specifically saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."
The "Occupy Christmas" protests are a lot more digital than its predecessor, but money is still involved. Most people post their picket signs on facebook or twitter with complaints about others offering no regard to "the real reason for the season." The irony of most of those posts is that the only time most people post something on Facebook about Jesus is when they are complaining about other people not acknowledging Him. Really?? To make it Twitter compatible in 140 characters or less, I'd go with, "Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? I don't think Jesus cares."
Some shoppers even threaten to boycott stores that say any salutation other than "Merry Christmas." I guess if you want to hit them where it hurts, the best place to aim is their pockets. But before you get the undies on your gingerbread men in a wad, let's think about this from a biblical standpoint.
Whose responsibility is it to tell people about Jesus? Whose responsibility is it to make sure His name is appropriately proclaimed? Whose speech, attitude, actions, and lives are REALLY suppose to be representing Christ?
In Scripture, Jesus said:
Acts 1:8- YOU are to be my witnesses...
Mark 8:29- Who do YOU say that I am?
Jesus never said "Walmart is to be a witness to my name." I can hear people telling Jesus, "some people are saying Happy Holidays and some Winter Solstice and some Happy Kwanza and not even telling people Merry Christmas?!?!" And I could imagine Jesus saying, "I don't care how Hallmark is portraying me on their cards, who do YOU say I am? What is YOUR life conveying to the world about who I am?"
Jesus calls believers to represent Him and make his name famous in the world today. A retailers job is to sell you reasonably well-crafted products at a competitive price. Their mission statement is not Matthew 28:18-20 and purpose statement is not Acts 1:8.
It's not Hallmark's responsibility to tell people about Jesus on their Christmas cards. It's not the job of some retail corporate giant to acknowledge Jesus in their marketing and advertisements. As followers of Jesus, it's OUR responsibility to tell people about Jesus.
So stop freaking out. Step down off the soapbox and enjoy some eggnog. Stop shifting the blame onto secular organizations for not talking about Jesus. Stop posting sappy monologues on Facebook about people taking "Christ out of Christmas."
Stop trying to "Occupy Christmas" and go tell someone about Jesus.
The "Occupy Christmas" protests are a lot more digital than its predecessor, but money is still involved. Most people post their picket signs on facebook or twitter with complaints about others offering no regard to "the real reason for the season." The irony of most of those posts is that the only time most people post something on Facebook about Jesus is when they are complaining about other people not acknowledging Him. Really?? To make it Twitter compatible in 140 characters or less, I'd go with, "Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? I don't think Jesus cares."
Some shoppers even threaten to boycott stores that say any salutation other than "Merry Christmas." I guess if you want to hit them where it hurts, the best place to aim is their pockets. But before you get the undies on your gingerbread men in a wad, let's think about this from a biblical standpoint.
Whose responsibility is it to tell people about Jesus? Whose responsibility is it to make sure His name is appropriately proclaimed? Whose speech, attitude, actions, and lives are REALLY suppose to be representing Christ?
In Scripture, Jesus said:
Acts 1:8- YOU are to be my witnesses...
Mark 8:29- Who do YOU say that I am?
Jesus never said "Walmart is to be a witness to my name." I can hear people telling Jesus, "some people are saying Happy Holidays and some Winter Solstice and some Happy Kwanza and not even telling people Merry Christmas?!?!" And I could imagine Jesus saying, "I don't care how Hallmark is portraying me on their cards, who do YOU say I am? What is YOUR life conveying to the world about who I am?"
Jesus calls believers to represent Him and make his name famous in the world today. A retailers job is to sell you reasonably well-crafted products at a competitive price. Their mission statement is not Matthew 28:18-20 and purpose statement is not Acts 1:8.
It's not Hallmark's responsibility to tell people about Jesus on their Christmas cards. It's not the job of some retail corporate giant to acknowledge Jesus in their marketing and advertisements. As followers of Jesus, it's OUR responsibility to tell people about Jesus.
So stop freaking out. Step down off the soapbox and enjoy some eggnog. Stop shifting the blame onto secular organizations for not talking about Jesus. Stop posting sappy monologues on Facebook about people taking "Christ out of Christmas."
Stop trying to "Occupy Christmas" and go tell someone about Jesus.
-My Greatest Fear in Leadership-
Most people I know are scared to fail. I'm not. Am I scared of the dark woods behind my house? Maybe. But I'm not scared of failure.
Many leaders are scared of failure. It clouds the decision making process and sways opinions. The emotion of fear can easily replace the reason of logic. Fear can make you do and say things. Even worse, fear can make you NOT do things and NOT say things.
Being scared to fail can cripple a leader. A fear of failure puts your focus on the rear-view mirror instead of looking out of the windshield. Failure sees obstacles, not opportunities. Failure is so consumed with the risks that the rewards are hardly ever mentioned. Failure can make you satisfied with good, which becomes your greatest hurdle to ever being great.
I'm not scared to fail, but I will tell you what I am scared of. In fact, scared is a mild term for it. Petrified, intimidated, and downright aghast would be more fitting!
My greatest fear is the threat of mediocrity. In my life, church, ministry, family, leadership, everything!
What if my ministry was successful, but not significant?
What if my church had the presence of people, but not the presence of God?
What if I lived an average life and died an average person?
The threat of being mediocre is an incredible motivator. Figure out what your greatest fear is. If it's something lame, then change it. I would hate to look back on my life and realize that something so insignificant and trite as "failure" determined who I was and what I was able to accomplish.
Many leaders are scared of failure. It clouds the decision making process and sways opinions. The emotion of fear can easily replace the reason of logic. Fear can make you do and say things. Even worse, fear can make you NOT do things and NOT say things.
Being scared to fail can cripple a leader. A fear of failure puts your focus on the rear-view mirror instead of looking out of the windshield. Failure sees obstacles, not opportunities. Failure is so consumed with the risks that the rewards are hardly ever mentioned. Failure can make you satisfied with good, which becomes your greatest hurdle to ever being great.
I'm not scared to fail, but I will tell you what I am scared of. In fact, scared is a mild term for it. Petrified, intimidated, and downright aghast would be more fitting!
My greatest fear is the threat of mediocrity. In my life, church, ministry, family, leadership, everything!
What if my ministry was successful, but not significant?
What if my church had the presence of people, but not the presence of God?
What if I lived an average life and died an average person?
The threat of being mediocre is an incredible motivator. Figure out what your greatest fear is. If it's something lame, then change it. I would hate to look back on my life and realize that something so insignificant and trite as "failure" determined who I was and what I was able to accomplish.
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