Making A Difference

"We haven't celebrated Christmas in two years."

That's what one woman told me as I listened to her story. Another one told of her son who is legally blind while another child has a rare form of cancer. These are all stories of families who City on a Hill Church have adopted in our Angels of Love ministry this Christmas.

I'm probably more excited about this ministry than any other we've done in our community since the launch of COAHC back in August 2008. We selected one low-income apartment complex with over 150 dwelling units in our community on which to focus our love this Christmas season. The ministry isn't original, but it is going to make a difference in many lives. We're simply providing our church family an opportunity to select ornaments from our Christmas tree that have on them details of children who need some help receiving Christmas gifts. The children will attend either our Christmas Eve service or our December 26th service to receive their gift.

Jesus' ministry was constantly addressing the physical and emotional needs of those around Him while ministering to their spiritual needs, too. That's what this is all about. We're expecting many lives to be transformed this Christmas!

What's In a Name?

What's in a name? In many cultures, names mean a great deal. They not only identify a person, but they also describe a person. Isaac means "laughter" (Sarah laughed at the thought of giving birth at such an old age), Moses means "draw out" (Moses was drawn out of the Nile by Pharoah's daughter), Jacob means "deceiver" (He deceived his brother Esau out of his birthright and blessing), and Jesus means "Jehovah saves."

We're kicking off the Christmas season this year with a sermon series on the names given to the Messiah by the prophet Isaiah.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

Each one of these names are incredibly important when we realize the identity and role of Jesus in our lives. I encourage you to dwell and prayerfully consider each name in the next four weeks. Consider how these identifications and descriptions apply to the Savior and how He has impacted your life.

Coming Attractions

Sometimes there are sermons that I get more excited about than others. That's pretty normal for pastors. For example, the series that we are currently in at City on a Hill Church entitled Climate Change is a series of three sermons that are so near to my heart because the content contains the vision for our church and the role we're to play in our community.

I've been researching and preparing for another series that I'll be kicking off in January 2011. It's a series that will focus on the Apocolypse - the End Times. Initially, the series was scheduled for four weeks. It's going to be very difficult to cover all the bases in just four weeks. We may need to go longer.

I've never taught on this subject before, but I honestly cannot wait to preach these messages. Most pastors avoid the topic of the Apocolypse because the content is so difficult to understand and there are so many interpretations of what the end times will look like. For me, I can't ever remember spending so many hours preparing for a sermon series. It's worth it, though!

So, here's to a preview of coming attractions...

Fueling Up

Ministry has a way of draining every drop of energy you have. Elijah experienced it firsthand. But God has the solution...

All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."... He ate and drank and then lay down again.

The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

1 Kings 19:5-8 NIV

When you read this story, you see that Elijah was so exhausted, he prayed for his own death. He expended spiritual energy in his encounter with the false prophets on Mt. Carmel. He expended physical energy by killing the false prophets and then running for his life from Jezebel. He expended emotional energy by worrying about his people and his own life.

Elijah was fed supernaturally. God not only provided the sustenance, He actually did the cooking, too! Elijah was so strengthened by God's food, he traveled another forty days and forty nights. In this passage, we get a glimpse of what God can do for us when we're run down and have given all we have to give.

The source of our strength isn't in a retreat in the mountains. The source of our strength isn't in a weekend at the beach. The source of our strength is in God's food that He has provided through His Word. You and I have a recommended daily allowance of God's Word that not only sustains us through the ups and downs of life, but also provides strength for those very difficult times.

The next time you need supernatural strength, get fueled up with some supernatural food - your daily Bread - God's Word!

Say What?

Repeating our vision is something I never get tired of talking about to our church. It's a vision that was spoken to me by God's Holy Whisper before the church was launched. It was the reason why our family moved across the country to Culpeper. And it's the reason why our church has been so blessed over the last two-and-a-half years.

Last weekend, we kicked off a series entitled Climate Change that I preached our first three weekends back in August 2008. I preached them again as City on a Hill Church celebrated our first anniversary. Am I really that lost for material on which to preach? Not at all! As the spiritual leader of COAHC, I must continue to remind our people of why God has called us to be a local body in Culpeper and what we're supposed to be doing. I must continously cast our vision before our people so that we never lose track of the big picture for COAHC.

So why keep preaching the same messages over and over again? I read a great blog post today by pastor, author and church planter, Steven Furtick, that helps answer that question. In short, I can't preach the message enough!

This certainly won't be the last time COAHC hears how to influence the spiritual climate of a community!

The Main Thing

Being busy can either draw us closer to God or pull us away from Him. It's up to us!

I've had a lot of conversations lately with people who have a desire to grow in their relationship with the Lord, but who are letting their busy schedules stand in the way of discipleship. Work... Kids... Responsibilities... And, yes, even ministry... These are all commitments that overshadow our discipleship.

If there's one simple concept I remind myself of all the time, it's this:

Keep the main thing the main thing.

For me, the main thing is my relationship with Jesus Christ. That's it! My job, my family, everything else comes after my Lord. Guess what? That's exactly the way God designed it, too.

When we put Christ first in our calendars, something supernatural begins to happen. There is an increase in energy, creativity and efficiency to get done all the other things on our schedule. What's more is that there is peace about the things that can wait until tomorrow. Wouldn't it be nice to go to bed not worrying about what didn't get done today?

Let me encourage you this week to take a look at your calendar and make sure discipleship is included. Keep the main thing the main thing!

A Big Deal

Learning about trust and community is a big deal to God!

According to Jewish tradition, the three central lessons the Hebrews learned during their journey in the desert are (1) trust God completely, (2) trust Moses completely, (3) be a unified community that cares for one another. The Scripture uses a plural pronoun to refer to the people as they wander in the wilderness, but a singular pronoun as they arrive in the land of promise. The Hebrews finally learned how to trust God and Moses and be a unified, caring community.

The same lessons are there for us today. The Lord wants us to not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. He also wants us to trust our leadership in the local church. Hmmm... Interesting. I think I could write a book about this issue from both sides of the fence. Nevertheless, God wants us to do it. So, are we or aren't we?

Being a unified, caring community is a nice Utopian thought. But can it really happen? It can with a little intention, swallowing of pride and other-centeredness. When we stop looking at the church from the perspective, "What can the church do for me?" and begin approaching it with the question, "What can I do for the church?" we'll be on the right track.

If it's a big deal to God, then it should be a big deal to us!

Help or Hinder

Nehemiah had vision! The vision God gave to him was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Many times he was confronted with people and situations that would try and distract or prevent him from fulfilling his vision, but his response in Chapter 6, verse 3 gives us a hint at his focus and determination.

"I'm doing a great work. I cannot come down."

Have you ever noticed how often we're presented with opportunities while we're in the middle of accomplishing our God-given vision? They range from opportunities for new jobs, careers, relationships, churches and even new ministries. If these new opportunities help you accomplish your vision, say, "Yes!" If they hinder your ability to stay focused on your vision, simply say what Nehemiah did, "I'm doing a great work. I cannot come down."

Vision

Vision isn't just eyesight. It's heart-sight!

God's personal will for my life is made known to me by the vision He has put into my heart. But... My heart is deceitful and deceptively wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), so I have to be careful about following my heart. How in the world can I be sure what is God's vision for me and what isn't?

My first step is becoming familiar enough with Scripture that I know if the vision lines up with God's moral will (the "do's and don'ts" of the Bible) and God's principles (the unchangeable truths that are stated, implied or illustrated in the words of the Bible). There are a lot of things we may want to do with our lives, but is the vision agreeable to God's Holy Word?

My second step is to ask the question, "Does it honor God or does it honor me?" God never calls us to do anything that doesn't honor Him above all others (including myself). The apostle Paul instructs us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

My last step in discerning God's vision for my life is to ensure that I'm not forsaking my God-given responsibilities for this new vision. In other words, God doesn't call me to something new that requires me to turn my back on what He has already called me to do. It doesn't mean that God doesn't bring new seasons of ministry in my life. It does mean that God won't give me a vision that requires me to neglect my duties as a father, husband or disciple of Christ.

Community

The book of Ephesians teaches us that the Church - the universal group of Christians - the Body of Christ. We can break that down a little further and understand that each local church is also the Body of Christ. Being a smaller representation of the universal group of believers, each local church consists of people with different gifts. Some are hands, some are feet, eyes, ears, etc. When we begin to acknowledge each local church as the Body of Christ, we can then begin to recognize the importance of community within each local church.

Understanding community is to say that we recognize the potential of each person within the Body. We're called to respond to one another's needs because when one person is in need, it affects the entire Body. We're called to rejoice with one another in times of triumph and mourn with one another in times of sorrow. Living in community with one another is an essential part of a Christian's life!

First Step

This week, we took our first step in the adoption process by contacting the authorities in Culpeper about bringing a new child into our home from foster care. We know that the details are going to be taken care of and that there is a child who has already been ordained by God to be a part of our family.

We are so excited about this next journey in our life adventure!

Extraordinary in the Ordinary

Have you ever thought of yourself as someone who is too ordinary for God to use for extraordinary things? If so, you're not alone.

If we look at the Bible, though, we see God using ordinary things and ordinary people as His instruments to accomplish His providential will. He gave Moses a staff to perform miracles. God also gave him a piece of wood to throw in the well at Marah to sweeten the water. Jesus used mud and water from the Pool of Siloam to give sight to a blind man. God used an ordinary shepherd in Moses to free the Hebrews. Jesus chose ordinary fishermen in Andrew, James, John and Peter to be His disciples.

Why didn't God simply do these miracles without the use of ordinary objects? Why didn't Jesus simply speak to the blind man to heal him? Why did God choose ordinary people for such extraordinary things?

God has a beautiful way of showing the great potential in all of us. The potential rests in the supernatural power of God Himself who lives in us - not in our own abilities apart from God. When we realize that we, ordinary people, can be used by a supernatural God to accomplish extraordinary things, we see a glimpse of the depth and height of His marvelous love.

He has chosen you, yes you!

Embarrassement

Last night at the Catalyst Conference, Francis Chan shared a recent experience that took him on an historical tour of many sites throughout Europe that had ties to the Church. One place he visited was a church that had "squint holes" in the exterior wall through which the lepers were forced to participate in worship services, standing in the outside weather. He toured another church that was built in front of a railroad that was used as a main railway for transporting Jews to concentration camps during World War II. As the railcars traveled by the church, the congregation could hear the screams of the doomed victims. In response, the Christians simply sang louder to drown out the screams.


Chan, accurately, pointed out that these examples in our Church history are embarrassing and don't line up with Scripture. His question was, "What is the Church doing that Christians 100 years from now will look back on and consider embarrassing and not congruent with Scripture?"


My most immediate reaction is that the culture of the American Church is embarrassing, specifically our indulgence and consumerism mentality. Our narcissistic approach to life has infected the Church and prevents us from obeying even the simplest of commandments from our Lord, much less the Great Commission.


I don't pretend to know what things will be like 100 years from now. They could very well be worse. I just know that I'm embarrassed for us now.

Adoption

The Bible is full of verses that command us to care for orphans. If caring for orphans is a spiritual issue, why do Christians have to go to the internet for answers about adoption? The Church should be the place providing the necessary answers!



In the United States alone, there are over 120,000 foster children who are available for adoption. There are over 300,000 churches in our country right now. So, why is there even a need for a Foster Care system in place in our country?



As Christians, we've experienced adoption in our own lives. We were once orphans adopted into the family of God to be co-heirs with Christ Jesus. We should understand the value of adoption more than anyone else.



My wife, Carrie, and I are following through on this Biblical mandate by moving forward in the adoption process. City on a Hill Church will also be taking steps in the near future to work with specialized ministries to develop an orphan ministry in our church.



It's time for the Church to step up and respond to this urgent need in a greater way!

Three Days Later

In Exodus, we read of the great miracles God does for His people as they wander through the desert on their way to the promised land. The Hebrews literally travel from miracle to miracle. Perhaps the greatest miracle they experienced was at the very beginning of their journey when God split apart the waters of the Red Sea and allowed them to cross on dry ground to escape from the charging Egyptians. The Hebrews celebrated after this great miracle and blessing from God (see Exodus 15:1-21).

Only three days later, the Hebrews grumbled against Moses (in reality, they were grumbling against God) because they could not find drinking water (see Exodus 15:22-24). Only three days after their great escape - the greatest miracle and the greatest blessing they had ever seen - they were willing to shake their fist at God!

If we're not careful, we can be a lot like the Hebrews. We can forget what God has done for us. We can forget the miracles He's done in our lives. We can forget the blessings He's given to us. Let's not forget that He's the One who has led us to where we are - not to forsake us, to forget about us or to leave us. He's led us to where we are so that we can trust in Him completely for everything instead of relying on ourselves.

Conflict

At City on a Hill Church, I've been preaching a series of messages on the Beatitudes found in chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew. This week, we come to verse 9 where Jesus tells us,

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

The interesting thing we need to remember is that we're all going to encounter conflict. Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. In fact, a long-lasting relationship with anyone without conflict is probably not a healthy one. What we do with conflict is truly the important focal point.

The book of James helps us understand how to handle conflict. In the first three verses of chapter 4, we're reminded

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

This really helps us understand that conflict arises many times out of unmet desires in our hearts. If someone does not meet that desire, we have a tendency to condemn that person and quarrel and fight to get our way. Those desires turn to demands. When we judge and punish those who get in our way, we've allowed conflict to turn into sin. In fact, when what we want becomes more important than loving others and maintaining peace and unity, our desires and demands have become idols.

True Love

From where does true love come? Many people consider love to be a feeling or emotion that becomes present only at certain times. Other people say that love is a choice that we must make. There is some truth in both of those views.

In 1 John 4: 19, the apostle tells us, "We love because he first loved us."

Love is more than an emotion. It's not just the warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you see your spouse or children. Love is more than an intellect. It's not just making a decision to act a certain way even though you don't want to. Love is the evidence of God in our lives. Love is God, Himself!

If we have God living in us, then loving one another should be the easiest thing we ever do. Loving one another should be the thing we do the most.

God's Discipline

The purpose of discipline is not to punish for punishment's sake, but to correct one's attitude and behavior. Hebrews 12 makes it very clear that God discipline's his children. Why would He do this? Verse 6 reminds us that it is because of love God disciplines us.

I wonder how often we actually acknowledge God's discipline in our lives instead of dismissing it as something else. And I wonder how often we actually submit to God's discipline in our lives. We're told the results are beneficial.

... How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!... but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:9-11 NIV

Usually, before we get to the place of an attitude adjustment, we go through all kinds of emotions. Sometimes we may feel hurt or rebellious. The hope is that we would feel Godly sorrow.

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it - I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while - yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:8-10 NIV

Godly sorrow isn't sadness over the consequence of our actions. It's sorrow that reveals an acknowledgment of sin and a true change in heart - ie, repentance. That's the goal of discipline!

God Can Change Me

I was talking with someone recently about her past. As she dug up old stories of things that had happened and decisions she had made, it became clear to me that I needed to remind her of 2 Corinthians 5:17:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead changes us when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. That's good news! We all have hurts, and we need to know that God loves us enough to change us and/or our situation in life.



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