What does church look like for you?

Hebrews 10:23-25

"Let us continue to hold firmly to the hope that we confess without wavering, for the one who made the promise is faithful. And let us continue to consider how to motivate one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another even more as you see the day of the Lord coming nearer."

I hear this scripture a lot about not letting go of coming together as believers and worshipping together, but what does this mean? What does it look like? Is there a form superior to other ideas?
It's a big question in a age of highway speed life, digital connectivity, and increasing loss of one on one discipleship. "Church" has, since the transition by Constantine into the Christendom World view, been about ritual and form centralized around the church organization, but is that the look of the church we must except or is there more to our rich history?
From what I have studied, I find a church format brought together under a Roman form that took away the individual expression of the local church and made it cookie cutter led by a single organizational structure instead of a movement of people led by the Holy Spirit.
Is church simply a gathering together or is there more we are called to? Is it about gathering at one place or is it more about sharing our lives in the personal places where we live? Can church exist only in that one place or can it exist in small gathers around the dinner table? Is it about one man preaching or the voices of the individual coming together as a symphony of the one voice of God? Do we play some music to prepare our hearts to receive, or can we sing as an expression of what we have received? Is the end of the service the end of our service or is it only the beginning of the true mission and gathering?

So many questions and so many opportunities for understanding :-) I'm still coming to my own conclusion through scripture and prayer......what do you think?

- Posted in the moment

Location:Work

Sometimes we hide mistakes in the pursuit of perfection.....

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

You make all things work together for my good

I am loving this song right now because of hard times in my marriage. In my attempt to be Superman for my wife, I failed to share with her I am just as imperfect as I make her feel sometimes. I wanted to so desperately be the standard that I forgot I'm not....Jesus is. She doesn't have to live up to me because I'm trying to do the same thing she is. Just be more like Jesus....not be Jesus.
This lyric is really speaking to me:

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

It's reminding me that we all make mistakes and all we can do is love each other through them because God loves us through the mistakes.
I wonder how many times our half truths, masks, and fear of rejection stop us from seeing God's great mercies in times of trouble and doubt. We become like Adam and Eve hiding in the garden from each other and God.
Fellowship and marriage alike is based on a raw honesty without fear of condemnation. It's hard to get there because we think, "Will they still accept me when they find out who I really am and what I really am going through?" We end up living these superficial life's based on what we think we can and cannot let out. Distance of the heart is first born as a seed within the distance of space I think.
But we have this promise at the end of this song that comes from Romans,

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

1. When our focus is on loving God, we can live His purpose of loving others.
2. We are not to conform others to our image or understanding, but we are together called to conform to the image and love of Jesus.
3. If we are in God and God is in us, nothing can stop a marriage or an assembly of believers from becoming what God has called them to be.

I am encouraged for the future and what God has predestined from the beginning.....If God is for us, who is against us?

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen
- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee shop

When people believe in your calling, you are encouraged to believe in your calling

1 Timothy 1:18-19a

"Timothy, my child, I am instructing you in keeping with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may continue to fight the good fight with faith and a good conscience."

I am recently in the midst of some conflict with a couple people. Not things that will end friendships or the fellowship of believers, but stuff that can either leave lasting hurts or be taken care of with care and healing. It's not easy because I like to be friends with everyone and although I do enjoy stirring up conversation on things that we don't always question in our faith, I don't like to see things become division and anger.
I recently began to question my calling because I couldn't believe God would call me into a ministry calling that created so much disruption and uneasy feelings on the part of others I respect greatly. I had to ask God, "Why am I seeing so much pushing back? Am I really in the right place at your right timing?"
Then I had a conversation with my mentor and he shared his heart for my calling. He encouraged me to keep going and I am a little uncomfortable by that only because I have only had that kind of confidence in my life from someone else a couple times. Maybe only three times....one being my wife and one being my mom.
I look at what Paul is saying here and recognize that same spirit in my mentor and I appreciate it greatly because at times you question where you are and it's good to have someone farther down the trail at a greater vantage point that reminds you, "continue the good fight of faith son!" I hope will be able to do the same for someone else someday.......




Thank you Pastor :-)
- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee

Taking responsibility for your calling

Hebrews 3:1-6

The Messiah is Superior to Moses
Therefore, holy brothers, partners in a heavenly calling, keep your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was in all God's household, because he is worthy of greater glory than Moses in the same way that the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. After all, every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful in all God's household as a servant who was to testify to what would be said later, but the Messiah was faithful as the Son in charge of God's household, and we are his household if we hold on to our courage and the hope in which we rejoice.

I have been thinking a lot lately of this shadow and fulfillment idea. We so many times transport a inferior revelation of Old Testament understanding into the superior revelation in the New Testament Gospel understanding of Jesus our messiah. I blogged last time about the shadow of the tabernacle and the fulfillment of that shadow in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us as the tabernacle of His presence.
This week I have been thinking about our O.T. Understanding of leadership. We so often use Moses as a model of true Godly leadership and he is a great example of leadership in time of great struggle, but is he the perfect example or the shadow of someone greater?
I believe Jesus is the model we should look to in the N.T. Understanding of leadership. In Hebrews, he is shown to be the greater revelation of leadership. He is the good Shepard, the great apostle, and the high priest. He is the fulfillment of an imperfect shadow we see from the High priest of the temple era, moses as prophet, and even Abraham the apostle (the first apostle or "sent one").
In doing what Jesus did, he unleashed the Holy Spirit in a new way upon the world. No longer was the Holy Spirit upon people, but now is in us and therefore unlocking the Gifts of the Holy Spirit into each believer.
If this is true, Jesus is the head and we are the body. Our job as the body is to listen for the mind of Christ to speak and we are to act accordingly. Does only the finger move to pick up a glass? Does the palm have the only contact? Does the arm have no responsibly to move?
I believe pregnant in this new understanding of Gospel Revelation is that each member is being spoken to, not for their own edification, but the direction of the body as a whole! We demand that our leaders stand as prophet, high priest, apostle, pastor, evangelist, and teacher, but does this show our confidence in that leader, or does it show a disregard for our own responsibility in the body? There is only one who can bear all those callings and that is Jesus.
Moses was faithful as a servant of Gods house, but Jesus was faithful as a Son. If we believe scripture when it says:

Romans 8:29-30

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that the Son might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Then we have to begin to take responsibility for our calling as Sons and Daughters of the Father. No longer as mere servants of His house, but faithful in adoption!

What is God saying to you that when shared will edify and build up the body for a new dimension of Gods reality in your local gathering? He's speaking.....or you listening?

- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee shop

The shadow of the temple

I recently spoke with the worship team about the focus we are beginning in this season. The focus is that we no longer try to seek an Old Testament temple experience in the attempt to "bait" God into our worship, but instead worship known he is already with us. I hope it made sense because I seem to speak better in front of large groups of people than smaller ones (I have to get past this and God is using this small team to do it I think lol).

I am deeply inspired by conversations I have had recently that confirmed my internal fire about God's presence and our awareness of Him. Corban Robbe likes to say, "We have to understand that in worship we don't need to play a minor key to signify that we are entering the Holy of Holies.....we are the carrier of that experience through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us!" (paraphrase)

I have for sometime been confused why we call God down when scripture clearly shows He already has come in Jesus and now is with us in every moment. I wonder sometimes if we do this not out of ignorance because we do know this truth, but out of a void of daily relationship with our creator. It's easy to see why I would feel the need to call on Him if I am not aware of Him in an eternal way. The questions I have had to answer are: Is the temple form of worship and life changed in Jesus and how do we become aware of that change daily?

Scripture says in the times of Solomon that experience was this.

2 Chronicles 7:1-3

Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of Jehovah, because the glory of Jehovah filled Jehovah's house. And all the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the glory of Jehovah was upon the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and gave thanks unto Jehovah, saying, For he is good; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

We look at this and desire it because it was a powerful act of God to the point where people were so in awe of God's presence on the temple they could not even enter, but why were they unable to enter? Was it because it was so powerful it was just impossible, or could it be because with out a Savior that washes away the sin of this world, they were unable to walking into the glory of God's sinless and righteous presence? Did this moment expose what Hebrews says about the sin condition in the people of Israel and what Jesus has done to make a way and in seeking this shadow of the Promise, do we feel let down when we don't experience this in our worship?

Hebrews 8:7-13

The New Covenant is Better Than the Old

For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one. But God found something wrong with his people when he said,
"Look! The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors at the time
when I took them by the hand
and brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Because they did not remain loyal to my covenant,
I ignored them, declares the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
Never again will everyone teach his neighbor
or his brother by saying, 'Know the Lord,'
because all of them will know me,
from the least important to the most important.
For I will be merciful regarding their wrong deeds,
and I will never again remember their sins."
In speaking of a "new" covenant, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Jesus is a mediator of a new covenant where we no longer seek Him in ignorance of His righteousness, holiness, and power, but that we would carry His law of life internally written on our hearts and minds! We become a living temple and a carrier of His presence in the now.

So how do we become aware of this in our daily lives? It may seem over simplified, but i believe it is just this simple. Prayer, study of scripture, repentance, and living a life that brings Heaven to earth for those ignorant to the love of Jesus and what he has done for them.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

You know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, don't you? You do not belong to yourselves, because you were bought for a price. Therefore, glorify God with your bodies.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord's Spirit is, there is freedom. As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit.

If we are to become more aware of Him, we need to immerse ourselves in Him through His word that speaks of Him and speak with him and listen to him to better know His voice of instruction. We must recognize he is not seeking to inhabit a buildings as in the Old Testament shadow, but inhabit us that we would be aware of Him and His plan moment by moment. In that, we would become more and more like His Son with EVER-INCREASING GLORY by His Spirit!




- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee shop

Disciplines that produce a harvest

Hebrews 12:8-11

Now if you are without any discipline, in which all sons share, then you are illegitimate and not God's sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them for it. We should submit even more to the Father of our spirits and live, shouldn't we? For a short time they disciplined us as they thought best, but God does it for our good, so that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, for those who have been trained by it, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.

This morning as I'm in prayer, I have this thought of discipline. Do we really carry out the life style of discipline? I am going to share today at a luncheon about the need to refocus our life's around the four windows of discipleship:

(Courtesy of Corban Robbe)

1. Prayer
2. Scripture
3. Openness with one another
4. Life of service in the community

These things might the beginning of a harvest of Righteouness and Peace. Please God show us your heart and character!


- Posted in the moment

Location:Church