I am constantly amazed with the way God seems to enrich my life.  I have played a small part recently in the development of a young adult fellowship in my church.  It was sorely needed so that relationships, growth, and  discipleship could be established among the few couples and singles that we have in attendance.  A few of them did not have a lot of opportunities for these things in church because of worldly interference such as work and children or mission interference such as working in the children’s departments and ministries.

The new group has a name and it is The Bridge.  This name was chosen because a bridge is something that connects.  A few people in my church have looked at this new group with concern, having let their minds go to thoughts such as division, separation or even revolution.  The Bridge has none of these things as an agenda.  The Bridge is a place for fellowship, for accountability, for biblical discussion amongst peers, and simply to celebrate our King in a way that is relevant to their age group.  As a bridge it is decidedly connective.  Connecting the individuals in this group to each other and the group to the lost in the community of like mind and interest and finally to the older generations in our church are the main goals we have in mind.  As one of the group, Wayne, put it; The Bridge is an addition and not a subtraction in our church.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Heb 10:25NIV

As some of you already know, I used to be a loner.  I was introverted and pretty much hated everyone.  Then I met Jesus and entered his Kingdom as a child and servant of God and started the process of change.  As all of us know, God sometimes makes supernatural changes in us in certain ways immediately but he seems to do this in various ways.  Some may be miraculously delivered from addictions to tobacco for instance while another may not.  One way I was not changed was in my attitude towards assemblies, groups, fellowships, and even church.

I immediately started going to church but only for the Word of God, not for the people.  I would be the first to my vehicle when church was over, waiting sometimes not very patiently for my wife to finally be ready to leave.  I did not need anyone but Jesus and that was fine with me.  The roles have now reversed.  My wife often is waiting on me.  Somewhere along the line in my concerted attempt to love everyone, a bridge was built.  I was connected to the rest of the Body.

As the verse in Hebrews states, we all need to be connected to each other and never stop meeting or assembling with each other.  Why is this so important?

The main reason is, of course, the mission.  We are not a bunch of spiritual Rambo’s, furtively making our way through the jungles of life attacking all the spiritual forces we find aligned against us.  We are instead part of a unit of elite, trusted soldiers that must train, fight, and rest together.  The enemy is out there and he likes nothing better than finding one of us cut off and alone.  We cannot make it alone, even if God is there with us, simply because God decided long ago to work through us.  And the work he does through us is for others, not ourselves.

Another reason is the thing that brought this post about.  We need each other for the joy it can bring.  The relationships between believers enrich us, fulfill us, and mature us.  I was pretty good at being alone at one time.  But most of you probably don’t need to be told, being alone is not very fun or fulfilling.  Some of you also know the terrible, depressing feelings that come from loneliness.  I no longer fight depression.

And love is simply amazing.  Not the emotion but the true attribute called agape.  Intentional love, as it grows from being something we make ourselves do, to something we want to do, and finally to that thing we just do, does so much good for each of us individually and for the Kingdom that it just naturally spills over and flows out.  It is contagious.  It is life changing.  It is life enhancing.  It is rewarding and enriches not only ourselves but others, and especially the Body of Christ.

We need each other and even more so as we see the Day approaching because the enemy’s activities are ramping up.  I believe the final onslaught is here.  For our adversary, it is all or nothing.  We must stand and even more, continue to advance the Kingdom and we cannot do it or make it alone.

Build a bridge.  Be a bridge.  Protect your bridge.

Blowing up bridges is one way all enemies seek to divide and conquer.

Love you all

Tags: accountability, Believe, Body of Christ, Church, Enemy, Fellowship, jesus, joy, Kingdom, Life, loner, Love, mission, peers, Relationships, Relevant, Servant, Trust, Work

One of the most amazing things about God is that he loves us the way he does.  Some people hold a belief that he made us for worship; that he actually made us to adore him.  He has the power to have made us that way or any way that he wanted, but he chose to go a different route.  He made us with free will; to really have the ability to make our own choices.

He took a risk.  Love entails risk.  There is always the chance that those that are loved will not love back.  God knew this and still took the route that he did.  He is not the self centered ego maniac that some theological worldviews paint him out to be.  This is good news for those of us that want to reach out to the skeptics of this world.  We actually have something to say against all of their arguments about a loving God doing evil nasty things.

The bible paints a picture of a God that gets hurt when we forsake him.  The idea that God is impassable is just not presented in the bible.  Our choices cause him pain, regret, jealousy, anger, and sometimes joy.  The reformed believers do not fully accept this.  Some reject it outright.  They seem to do this out of a belief that it lessens God somehow.  They believe that those of us that believe the way I do are trying to make God in my image.  This is not so.

He made us in his image.  So what does that mean?  How could we be made in his image if he does not experience emotion since we are riddled with them, driven by them, and even ruined by them sometimes?

God created us like we are because he wanted true relationships with us.  That whole idea about worship and adoration is a side effect actually.  When someone comes to really know him through a real relationship, they are going to naturally worship and adore him because of who he is.  But we can’t know this until we enter into a love relationship with him.  It is intentional on our part.

Some see love as an emotion and in some sense it is.  But really it is the lasting quality, attribute or aspect, which God has for us or wants from us.  Love is something that we determine and decide we will do.  What we call love in the beginning relationship is really attraction, or even lust.  It then turns into desire and maybe grows into care.  But if it never turns into love, agape as Paul calls it, then it probably won’t last.  And if it does not, if we are to believe the evidence, then relationships don’t last.

Ask any person that you know that has been married forty or fifty years if it was all a bed of roses.  I know a few and for most it was not.  Some of them faced and went through things that cause us to wonder why or how they ever stayed together.  The answer is simple, they made a commitment, and they intentionally kept that commitment.  In our society today we not only do not always commit, even when we do we do not necessarily intend to keep it.

When we make marriage vows today, are we saying that we are going to love, honor and cherish or are we really saying we will love until the attraction is not as strong, honor as long as we receive more, and cherish until someone or something comes along that we are more attracted to.  Even the vows we say in a marriage ceremony show the intentionality of love.  We promise “to love” not that we necessarily “do love”.

My wife and I watched Fireproof last week.  I have been letting the movies concepts run through my head all week.  There was not a lot of great acting in it but the message was powerful.  The message was that love, and marriage, is intentional.  The couple had every stereotypical thing that is wrong in marriage going on but even if we are not all going though all that they were, we still need to get the message, the concept, in our heads and our hearts so that we can turn this crisis called divorce around.  This means we must be intentional.  And we really need Jesus to be our Lord.

We must, especially as people of the Kingdom of God, do what we said we would do.  Marriage is a covenant, which is the way God intended, and covenants are not to be broken.  No matter what.  God could have broken his covenant with us long ago and we would deserve it.  But he didn’t.  He even went so far as to send Jesus to die so that we could stay in covenant with him.  The cross was intentional.

If you are married, or intending to be, watch the movie Fireproof and read the book, The Love Dare, together.  I have read most of it and it is a valuable tool to help you keep any vows you have made.  Being, or becoming more, Christlike demands that you keep your promises.

“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” (Jas 5:12)

Intentional.  What does intentional love really look like?  It looks like a cross.  So let your yes be yes.  Be intentional in loving.  Especially in marriage, but also in everything else you do. 

Love you all

Tags: Belief, Bible, Christlike, Fireproof, Free will, God, jesus, joy, Kingdom, Love, Love Dare, Marriage, Relationships, skeptics

Gods grace is so amazing.  This was one of the determining factors in my acceptance that the God that reached out to me, the God that loved me before I loved Him, that wanted to save me from an eternity without His love, was, in fact, the God that Jesus came to present to us.

Amazing grace, how truly sweet the sound.

Enjoy

Love you all

Tags: amazing grace, God, Grace, jesus, Love

My pastor is retiring at the end of this month.  This saddens me because he is not only a great man of God; he is the only pastor I have had.  No one really enjoys change much but the leader of a church leaving can raise concerns and even cause some arguments and dissension in a local body of believers.  There have been some questions raised because of a new young adult fellowship that has been initiated.  I have also played a part in the establishment of this group.  And I am assuring anyone that reads this that we are not doing or saying anything to cause division.  Wayne, one of this group put it exactly the way all should see it.  He said The Bridge (our group) is an addition, not a subtraction.  We want to help each other and the unchurched in these age ranges in our community.

The church has started the process of determining who will take up the mantle of our pastor and move this congregation forward.  We all seem to have different ideas about what we think we want in a pastor but the question should be what do we need.  Every church is different and has different ministry opportunities and finds itself in the middle of different communities.  No two will need the same things.  But I want to ask a few questions here today for discussion.  A lot of my commentators go to my church but not all.  And I know there are other readers.  I ask that all respond.  These questions are not just about my church.

What role does age play into your choice?

Do you think a couple with children living at home would be a positive or a negative choice?  Why?

How important is “style” to you?  This is meant in relation to their preaching.

Would you want someone you have known previously to be your pastor?

How much education should the pastor have?

Would you want a single pastor?  Why or why not?

Should someone in your local assembly (church) have the first shot?

Do you have any special requirements you are looking for?

These are just a few that I am wondering about for now.  If the comments come I may add more as they warrant.  I am not looking for the things we should all be in agreement about already.  We all know we need someone with integrity and anointing, someone that is a student of the bible, and someone that is filled with the Spirit and operates in His gifts.  These and other such things are not what I am looking for.  I am looking for practical things that you are interested in.

This is not for comments that are meant to demean anyone.  Jesus is monitoring this discussion with me.

Love you all

Tags: Bible, Church, congregation, Discussion, dissension, Fellowship, Love, man of god, ministry, pastor, style, town hall, War