5 Things Every Congregation Must Understand About Worship

April 11, 2020

I’ve now spent most of my adult life (30 years) thinking about, leading and teaching on the topic of worship. It’s been central to my life’s call to reflect on why we do what we do in worship in settings like local churches, conference events and universities. After interacting with contemporary worship ideas around the world over these past three decades, here are the top five most important things I believe every congregation needs to understand about worship.

As each of the following sections is a summary, I promise that I will leave out language about worship that is important to someone. But in this setting, the summaries will have to suffice.

Under each point, I suggest “What We Get Wrong” and “How We Get It Right.” I hope these insights are helpful to our shared understanding of worship.

Five Things Every Congregation Must Understand About Worship

I will use the words 1) Who, 2) What, 3) Where, 4) Why and 5) How to cover these five ideas.

1. Who Do We Worship? We Worship the God of the Scriptures.

If Christian worship is distinctly anything, it is a response of affection to the God who has pursued us since the beginning of time. That God is not the generic God of all faiths, or all religious narratives.

That God is the specific God revealed in the creating Father, the saving Son, Jesus Christ, and the empowering and comforting Holy Spirit.

Creational stories (not to be confused with “Creation” stories) may resonate with similar human virtues between religious faiths, but our Redemptive stories are radically different, as are our Descriptive stories of Who God is and how He works in our lives. (I explored that idea in 2008 here.)

According to the Gospel of John, where the Spirit is, there is Jesus and the Father. Where the Son is, there is the Father and the Spirit. Where the Father is, there are the Son and the Spirit.

We worship the trinitarian God, and we worship each Person of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and give thanks for specific things each does and has done.

If we mess up who we worship, we become lost in idolatry—and when we miss who God is, we skew who we are as well as others around us. Injustice always follows idolatry.

We worship the God who is Creator (Gen. 1:1), King (Ps. 142:1), Trinity (Deut. 6:4) and Savior (Matt. 1:21).

What We Get Wrong

It is cool to be “non-specific” about God today. But not everything everyone believes is true. It can’t all be true, as many things people believe contradict other views of the world—and the results of belief systems have extreme impact.

Christians worship the specific God who reveals Himself in Jesus Christ. It sounds good to today’s tolerance-generation to say we’re all worshipping the same God, but the reality is this: Not all of the competing stories about God can be simultaneously true, and we are being lazy if we think they are.

The Trinity centers us. The Trinity keeps us focused on worshipping God in the Person of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who reveals Himself in both Love AND Truth.

We also sing too generically about God. It reminds me of some of my Hindu friends whose homes would have hundreds of images of gods in them, along with a picture of Jesus, just in case one of the other religions is right!

How to Cultivate Personal Growth in Your Life

Rachel Blom

April 11, 2020

We’re blessed with a huge garden and a reasonably sized vegetable garden. Spring is in the air and that means there’s a lot of work to be done in the garden. I’m preparing the soil, pulling weeds, pruning trees and bushes, sowing seeds and planting out seedlings I’ve already grown inside our house. And all that work is focused on just one thing: growth.

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow.

It’s a really simple principle. I’m pruning the rose bushes so they’ll grow strong and have beautiful flowers. I’m preparing the soil and make it loose so my carrots will grow big. I’m watering my seedlings daily so they’ll grow strong enough to be planted outside. I’m digging deep to pull out weeds so the roots of the ‘real’ flowers have room to grow deep. I’m doing everything I can to facilitate growth, because that’s what it’s all about in a garden.

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow.

But it’s the same for us, isn’t it? God has planted you in the church or ministry you’re in right now and His goal for you is to grow as a person and as a leader. He doesn’t want you to produce just one or two apples, He wants you to produce abundant fruit. So are you growing right now, in leadership and in your relationship with God?

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow.

That means you too. So are you doing everything you can to facilitate growth for yourself? Are you making the right choices, doing those things that will help you produce fruit in your life? Here are some things you could do to promote growth for yourself:

Fertilize

Feed yourself with the Word of God to grow daily. Make reading your Bible your number one priority. Also: make time to read books. Today a reader, tomorrow a leader sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. If you want to grow as a leader, you have got to read, you’ve got to become a lifelong learner. If you’re not intentional about this, it’s never gonna happen so block a few hours each week to read.

Pull weeds

Stinging nettles are a big problem in our garden and they’re very hard to get rid of because they have deep roots that are widely spread out. If you want to get rid of them, you have to dig deep and really pull out each and every root. What sin keeps popping up in your life and is hindering your growth? What sins have you become too comfortable with? Pull them out, roots and all and get rid of them once and forever. Remember that weeds are far easier to pull out when they’re still small and the same goes for sins. Remain vigilant about sins in your life and pull them out as soon as you spot them. It will make room for some serious growth.

Prune

Accept that pruning is God’s way of preparing you for bigger growth. If you don’t prune certain trees or plants, they’ll put all their energy into developing beautiful leaves, rather then a lot of fruit. So God may decide to prune you, to take things away from you or allow hardships in your life to deal with. Rejoice in this season of pruning, for He’s preparing you to bear a lot of fruit later on!

Sow seeds

Sow the right habits in your life, those that honor God and help you do your work better. Every good habit starts with a simple decision to do the right thing. Having a daily quiet time, spending time in prayer, taking care of your body, eating right, having a Sabbath day, these are all habits that will help you produce fruit. What bad habits do you need to get rid, which habits are holding you back of and what good ones do you need to sow?

Plan

If I want to be able to harvest ripe tomatoes come August, I have to start prepping in March. I need to sow seeds indoors, plant out the strongest seedlings into bigger pots, acclimatize them to being outside, transplant them into the vegetable garden and then keep watering and pruning them to make sure they develop well. Growth is always intentional, always planned. It never ‘just happens’. If you want to grow, be intentional about it, plan it. What areas do you think you need to grow in? Define those and make a plan.

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow. What will you do to grow right now where God has planted you?

Derwin Gray: I Prepare My Sermons by Dancing

Derwin Gray

April 11, 2020

I’m writing this blog for the church planters and pastors who have asked me, “How do you prepare a sermon?”

And I’m writing it for the Transformation Church Family so that “Transformers” will know how to pray for me as I prepare sermons for them that will hopefully cause us to reflect Jesus to our broken planet.

So, here it is: I dance to the rhythm of God’s grace.

Now, keep in mind, I’m still a young preacher, so my dance moves aren’t very polished. But I’m a passionate learner and here’s what I’ve learned so far.

DANCE MOVE ONE: PRAY

Before I prepare a sermon, Jesus must prepare me.

Within weeks of becoming a Christ-follower, Ezra 7:10 inspired me to pray, “Lord, empower me to study Your word, obey Your word and teach Your word.”

When we pray before preaching we’re saying to Jesus, “I need a revelation of You,” “I need Your power for my life and the lives of the people I’m preaching to.”

By the way, be on guard … the better you get at preaching, the easier it’ll be not to pray.

DANCE MOVE TWO: CHRISTO-CENTRIC PREACHING

It’s vitally important that the preacher knows that all Scripture points to Jesus (Luke 24:13-49). This is called Christo-centric preaching or historical-redemptive preaching. Jesus said:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” John 5:39-40 ESV

In every one of my sermons, Jesus is the hero!

In every one of my sermons, it’s ultimately about what Jesus has done to redeem humanity and bring His kingdom to earth through His redeemed, glorious Bride, the Church.

If we don’t preach Christo-centrically, the hearer of the sermon might conclude that Jesus exists to help them fulfill their dreams, instead of being agents that colabor with Him so His dream — the Kingdom of God — can become a life-giving reality here on earth.

Or we become moralistic preachers. The Bible becomes a lifeless, flesh-satisfying, self-help book of principles on “how to be successful” or “how to get God to do what we want Him to do.” Moralistic preaching produces legalists or people who quit under the weight of not living up to the standards. By the way, moralistic, legalistic preachers don’t live up to their own standards either; that’s why they always seem mad.

The Story That Makes The Whole World Stable

Toni Ridgaway

April 11, 2020

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY5K_j1A2PY&feature=share&list=UUHWFEZ_ta4VkmECA8iWq1fw

What Box? Tradition, Rationality and Revelation

Anthony Coppedge

April 11, 2020

I recently posted an Instagram photo of a piece of art that said “color outside the lines”. My comment was simply “what lines?” Perhaps it’s my personal viewpoint of looking at things through God’s hard-wiring of my mind, but I really don’t like the idea of being restricted to artificial limitations. I do, however, like knowing the boundaries because they help frame the conversation and focus. I said all of that to set up today’s #thinkchurch post: How are you approaching your ministry work?

Tradition. I have preferences. We all do. Some of these preferences have meaning to us, so we create a consistent pattern around them. Before you know it, we’ve told others how to operate within our preferences. One step removed from us, what was once a preference is now a tradition. I think traditions are a lot like money: they’re neither good nor bad – it’s all about how you approach it. If a tradition gets in the way of loving people, it’s a clear sign that the tradition has to change or go.

Rationality. Oh, boy, do I fall into this one all the time. I am l.o.g.i.c.a.l. all of the freaking time. Rational thought is useful, but it can easily miss the mark of being redemptive. If this, then that can lead to decisions without heart. It’s a good management technique, but a poor one for leadership.

Revelation. What box? I have often been told I’m an excellent conference speaker because, as one young man put it, “Coppedge is a quote machine!” I used to think that this was proof of how smart I was, until Holy Sprit gently said to me “You think those are your thoughts that come out of the blue?” Hmmm. I now recognize that when I say something and I have to repeat it to know what I just said, yeah, those are not me, that’s revelation from God. I’m not that good, but He sure is! The Lord’s Prayer says “…Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” How much of our thinking is Kingdom focused and under the subjection of God’s will?

NOTE: This thought process came from reading a wonderful post this morning by Dr. Skip Moen, entitled Rationality Fatigue. Skip is one of the greatest theologians concerning Hebrew thought and meaning, and I cannot recommend his daily Hebrew word study highly enough. Skip uses the tax-deductible funds (you choose how much to pay) to fund ministry for others.

QUESTION: What has been your experience with tradition, rationality and revelation?

Lessons Through Busyness

Justyn Smith

April 11, 2020

Back to the wonderful world of blogging. The last two weeks looked like this for me…

Our team had to move one of our campuses in just four days. Not from high school to high school, but from high school to permanent location. This included build out, painting, décor, cleaning, etc. You name it—we did it in just four days!

We launched another addition of our very successful family experience. This time it’s called “Angry Words” and it won’t take a rocket scientist to figure out our theme.

On top of all that we had to get ready for Easter. To say the very least, my last two weeks were probably some of the busiest weeks I’ve ever experienced.

Here are a couple lessons I learned along the way:

• I totally bombed at hiding my frustration. As you can imagine, moving an entire campus in four days put me a little over the limit in the stress category, especially since this wasn’t a planned move AND we were getting ready for our family experience launch AND Easter was just one and a half weeks away. Why was this bad? Well, I feel as a leader I’m allowed to be frustrated, but I’m not allowed to let it affect other people. There were people “under” me who were given a negative impression of leadership because of my attitude. I had to eat some humble pie and ask forgiveness.
• Serving God isn’t always “cookies and cream”. As a staff pastor I have to trust my leadership. This doesn’t mean I have to agree—it means exactly what I said—I have to trust them. If my pastor feels like this is the best move, I need to bring up my disagreements behind closed doors (which I did), but in the end I need to do my best to make it happen with a great attitude.
• A lot can happen when people are excited about the vision. We got A LOT done in a very short amount of time. It was due to volunteers getting excited about what God can and will do through serving our community. I want to find and create ways to excite our volunteers at all our campuses.
• I wanted everything to be perfect in my four-day move at our new kids building, however I was reminded that parents, members and guests at our church have no idea what “perfect” is. Because we went from temporary to permanent—anything (almost) we would’ve done would have been a great improvement and they would have loved it. Then, we could continue to finish up the building over the next several weeks and with every new added item would add new excitement.

So, as you can see we’ve been busy and God’s been refining me. There’s one thing that I’m absolutely certain of—I love what God is doing through our church and I love leading a great group of world-changers. I’m reminded that as crazy as things get, this is the best “job” ever!

-PJ

7 Lessons Each Navy Deployment Taught Me About Thriving While Socially Isolated

Steve Curran

April 11, 2020

As some of you may know I was in the US Navy for 23 years. During that time I experienced Navy deployment on ships countless times. There are days I miss my time at sea, and then I remember that I get to have dinner with my family every night, so I’m good.

With #socialdistancing #quarantine #shelterinplace causing upheaval in all of our lives I have been reflecting on how my time in the Navy gave me skills that help in this current reality. My goal every time I deployed was to come back better than when I left. Sometimes that meant in better shape physically, sometimes that meant better spiritually, sometimes there was another area of life. My hope for you is that during this time you won’t just survive, but that you will thrive. And be better when this is over.

Here are seven lessons Navy Deployment taught me about thriving while socially isolated. Hopefully some of these help you in your situation.

1- Accept that this is the way things are going to be for a while. The first two weeks and the last two weeks of every Navy deployment were always the most difficult. It takes time for each of us to adjust when everything in our life changes. Whether you are heading into week 2 or week 4 or week 6 of isolation, accepting that things will be this way for a while longer is the first step to thriving.

2- Set a routine. For many of us this is the first time we now work where we live. And it is easy for the schedule to become fluid. And for work to creep into hours that used to be off time when we were not at the office. As you work from home set a schedule. Wake up at the same time, shower, get dressed, and then “head” to work. Then set an off time. “Leave” work. Shut down the computer, relax, do something not work for the rest of the evening. Make sure you take your days off as well.

3- Go outside everyday. During deployments, if you did not intentionally go to the weather deck to see the sun, there could be days when you did not breathe fresh air because you were inside the hull of the ship. While stuck at home there is a temptation to just curl up in bed or on the couch. Resist! Get outside for at least 20 minutes every day.

4- Exercise. This can be combined with number 3. Move more. This does not have to be P90X or 50 pushups a day. However, you are going to take less steps than you normally do. So maybe take a walk. Do push ups that match the date on the calendar. Do jumping jacks with your kids.

5- Stay connected with others. My first Navy deployment was in 1993. The internet was still new then. We still wrote letters. So staying connected with my wife took days, if not weeks. During my last deployment we emailed multiple times a day. So many of us have the technology to stay connected with friends and family today. So, whether it is facetime, zoom, google hangout, messenger or just plain old text messages, reach out to the people you used to see in person and just talk.

6- Set a reading goal. During deployments I used to set a reading goal. I will read X number of books during this one. Multiple times I used a Read the Bible in a year plan. If the Navy deployment was six months, I would double up the readings. If you do this, just muscle through Numbers, it gets better. I hope we will not be isolated for six months, but if it is a month you could read all four gospels by reading 3 chapters a day. Or maybe just focus on reading a single gospel and do a chapter a day.

7- Do something non-digital. The truth is your screen time is going to go up. That is okay. Do not beat yourself up over it. However, find some non-digital way to have some fun. Play a board game with family, build a lego set (even if you are an adult), draw your thoughts instead of writing them, pull out your Grandma’s recipes and cook something you have never tried. What you do is not important, finding something enjoyable that is non-digital is the key.

While we do not know how long this time of social isolation will last we do know two things. First, Jesus is still in control and he is still good. Second, this will not last forever. It is not a zombie apocalypse. My hope for you is that when this time comes to an end you will not just have survived, but you will have thrived. And your life on the other side will be better.

This article about Navy deployment lessons originally appeared here.

The New Normal … What If Everything We Knew About Church Changed?

Geoff Surratt

April 11, 2020

The new normal for church may be that everything we know about church changes. What then?

Sundays feel weird. Normally Sundays are energizing, challenging and exhausting. On Sundays we get to do the things we are wired to do; preach, lead worship, teach kids, and connect with people we love. Now a typical Sunday consists of watching a pre-recorded service and making small talk in an online chat room. When we get done we don’t even have sports to sleep to. Weird.

Mondays feel weird too. The past couple of weeks we’ve scrambled to get our services online, create virtual small groups and find ways to love our community while keeping our distance. Now we have a lot of that figured out. Sure we’ll tweak and fine tune, but most of the things that we’ve worked so hard to adapt are coming into shape. Now its Monday again and what do we work on now?

We still have to write sermons and find way to record content without infecting each other. We have to check on attenders and reach out to community leaders. We have to make sure online groups are happening and figure out the things that aren’t working. But what is our mission? What are we really focused on now that we cannot gather as a church for many weeks to come? What is our new normal?

Here’s my recommendation for a things to work on this week. I think if we focus on these three things we’ll make incredible progress in our new normal.

Celebrate Our New Normal

Let’s take time to celebrate. We are doing things as a church we wouldn’t have thought possible three weeks ago. We are preaching to a camera and getting pretty good at it. We are connecting with people we’ve known for years, and people we’ve never met, in ways we didn’t know was possible. We are figuring out communion and baptism and giving and prayer without being in the same room, and its working. We are seeing creativity and passion from people who previously sat on the sidelines. We are bringing hope and light to our community at a time when they desperately need it. We are being the church in ways we couldn’t have imagined way back in February. That calls for a socially-distanced virtual party.

Mourn Our New Normal

We’ve lost some things that are really hard to let go of. We will not gather on Easter. We will not have Good Friday communion together. We will not go to that conference we’ve been looking forward to for months. Each of us have lost or will lose many things, and we need to take the time to mourn. There are many aspects of our current situation that suck, and pretending that they don’t doesn’t help. Take some time to grieve what you’ve lost.

Innovate in the New Normal

I love seeing stories of companies pivoting right now to manufacture things they’ve never built before. Car makers are making ventilators, and shoe companies are making masks. This morning I read about a scientific group in Ohio who’ve figured out a way to turn shipping containers into sanitation units for health care workers’ personal protection equipment (PPE). It gives me hope because I see incredible innovation happening around the world.

The same innovation has to happen in the church world. We can no longer to do what we’ve always done. I see little glimpses of innovation in the way churches are doing services, but that is barely the tip of the iceberg of the innovation that has to come. Obviously we have to create opportunities for people to connect, worship and learn together, but that barely scratches the surface of what we have to figure out.

The challenge is innovation is uncomfortable. For many of us in ministry we’ve spent decades learning to do what we do. Years in college and seminary, and more years working for churches figuring out how to create the best environments possible for ministry to happen, and now those environments don’t exist. We’ve been to conferences, connected in cohorts and leaned into coaches (I have to use my alliteration skills somewhere) to learn the very best way to do church. And now most of what we learned is secondary at best. Let’s be honest, it feels really strange sitting on our couches watching a pre-recorded Sunday service. We try to make conversation in the chat, but its hollow at best.

We have to invent new ways to do what we are called to do. Our calling hasn’t changed, but our methods of ministry have to. We can’t continue to focus on how to do what we’ve always done, but do it online. We can’t just focus on making our 45 minutes on Sunday the best they can be. We have to understand the needs of today and how we can help. We have to innovate.

Here are some innovations I think we need in the new normal:

Teaching Pastors

How can we teach people to dig into the Bible for themselves? Rather than giving them an already baked bread like we normally offer on Sunday, how can we point them to the flour, eggs, yeast and milk and challenge them to bake their own loaf? How can we create enough hunger in people that when they finish watching us teach they feel compelled to pull out their Bible (or App) and figure it out for themselves? I think the opportunity for innovation is not just how we preach, but what outcome we hope for.

Worship Leaders

No band, no haze, no moving lights and no graphics. Just you staring at a camera trying to lead people in worship. What do you hope people are doing as they watch online? Singing, praying, sitting silently? Is it unrealistic to think the average guy watching is going to suddenly burst into off key singing while sitting in his PJs with his family? If its not participation, what is the goal of Sunday worship? How can you innovate in how you lead? I think this is more crucial than recording the next viral worship song created by your team singing into cell phones. I don’t know where we need more innovation right now than in the area of worship.

NextGen Pastors

Kids are currently spending more time with their parents than their peers, teachers or church leaders. Now is the time to get serious about helping parents know how to have honest conversations with their kids about faith. No matter how good your online experiences are right now, they pale in comparison to the daily conversations kids and students are having in their homes. Are you connecting with parents to understand how you can help? Are you coming up with creative resources that parents are actually using?

The biggest mistake we can make as church leaders right now is to think the adaptations we’ve made to make what we’ve always done available online are an adequate response to our new normal. There is a good chance church will never be the same, how are we innovating to lead our congregation into this new season? What if we sat down together and rewrote our job descriptions for this season? Let’s cross out the things that don’t really apply right now and add in the things that are essential. Let’s create time in our schedule to celebrate, mourn and innovate. Let’s become the church God wants us to become through this crisis.

This article about the church’s new normal originally appeared here.

Ed Stetzer: 3 Tips for Reaching the Dechurched

Ed Stetzer

April 11, 2020

It is becoming increasingly important for the church to talk about reaching the dechurched in their communities. This sounds like a great idea in theory, but it presents a real challenge when churches perpetuate an “us-versus-them” mentality in our language and disposition.

By “dechurched” I mean people who were at some point either briefly or for a long time involved in a local church, but have not been active for several years.

To reach the dechurched, we have to understand them. And, as I see the dechurched, there are two main groups—the open and closed. How we seek to reach a dechurched person should be determined, in part, by which group they’re from.

Types of the Dechurched

Ministering to dechurched people who are open is relatively easy for believers as there is a level of comfort in discourse. These are people who have left the church, but they aren’t aggressively antagonistic to it. They could have stopped attending after a move when the “never quite found the right church.” Nothing against God or churches; they simply stopped attending.

The closed dechurched, however, are generally closed because of a negative or hurtful experience that has driven them away from the church. They tend to be antagonistic toward returning to church, and sometimes to the subject itself.

Those Hurt by the Church

There are many kinds of people that are hurt by the church.

Some of the hurt may be superficial and for others it may run deep. I saw this a few years ago in an airport where I noticed someone using sign language. Because I know sign language (less now than back then), I started a conversation with him which quickly turned to matters relating to the church.

He was a pastor’s kid who grew up in an evanglical church. It was there he was hurt. His dad was treated poorly and the son decided that, as a result, the church was not a place for him. This man wasn’t open to the church at all because of this experience.

As I learned his story I found a profound and deep sense of brokenness.

He was dechurched because he was hurt. And, he was now closed to the church.

Collateral Damage

Some of the hardest people to reach are people who have been reached and are now unreached for some reason. Because the church is not perfect and imperfect people can do stupid things, collateral damage can often impact later generations—or even outside observers—as they watch from the sidelines.

Some make instant decisions based on the hurt and mistreatment they see. Some of the hardest people to reach are those who have been in church and are now out of church (“dechurched”) for some reason they witnessed but were not directly a part of.

It’s not just that they’re inoculated; it’s that many have a bit of revulsion toward the things of the Christian faith, a revulsion shaped by their experiences or observations.

How do we respond adequately to this situation? What can we do to better reach the dechurched?

1. People are generally going to be reached by churches unlike the one that in their view burned them or that caused the hurt.

If you got burned in a Pentecostal church, you might hear the gospel in an Anglican church. If you got burned in an Anglican church, you might hear the gospel in a Baptist church.

Diversity and multiplicity of churches present a greater opportunity for gospel impact. This is one of the reasons we should never see other churches as our competitors, but as our teammates in reaching our community, particuarly when someone has left a church in a hurtful situation.

2. We should give them permission to feel and express their pain.

I saw a friend witness to someone who was sharing with him their experience of hurt in church and explaining why they were dechurched. My friend replied, “I couldn’t follow a God like that either.”

I think a disavowal of a person’s wrong action done in the name of God can open doors to further dialogue and lead to sharing about the God of the Bible, the God in whom Christians actually believe.

We should help people overcome the perception that true Christianity is what hurt them. Often it was a judgmental person or a harsh tone that caused the problem, not the gospel itself. They may be turned off to genuine Christian belief because they’ve never been exposed to it as “good news.”

We can and should take the time to communicate the gospel lovingly and graciously. Not only what we say, but how we say it is exceedingly important.

3. I would caution readers that this process takes time.

I think of a friend who was burned in a church and also has a different view than our church on an issue that’s biblically significant. This makes for a complex relationship and tough conversations as I find how deeply her hurt affects the way she sees church.

As a family, we have been intentional about loving her and being her friend. We watch her kids. We invite her over for dinner. And we invite her to Easter services and make an effort to connect with her in every way possible.

But we’re recognizing it takes a long time so everything done needs to be tempered with love and perseverance. This is an issue of patience and endurance with rewards over time.

Intentional Relationships

Intentional relationships can yield a positive outcome for the Kingdom.

Let us keep reminding ourselves as Christians and churchgoers that we need to reflect on the many ways that our structure, words and deeds can lead to hurt and pain in the lives of others. We should recognize the collateral damage church life sometimes brings.

We are called to a greater mission and we serve the greatest master. We need to ensure that we keep people in our sight and the gospel in our purview as we engage our world in meaningful and loving ways.

Seven Digital Disruptions in Churches

Thom Rainer

April 10, 2020

I had no idea what was about to transpire.

The year was 1994. I was serving as pastor of a church in Birmingham. I did not have the foresight to see how churches were about to be disrupted by the digital world.

Now, over 20 years later, I can look back and see the massive digital changes. But I was not prescient. I have been greatly surprised.

So what are the digital disruptions churches have experienced? I don’t have an exhaustive list, but here are seven key disruptions.

1. From the house to Facebook. We once connected with members and guests with home visits. Today, we are more likely to connect on Facebook and other social media.

2. From the worship service to the website. A guest’s first point of contact used to be the worship service. Now they go the church’s website to garner first impressions.

3. From the offertory to online giving. This shift is growing. Churches of all sizes better have online giving as at least one option for giving.

4. From the newsletter to the blog. When I became a pastor in 1984, I wrote a column for our church’s print newsletter. It had the highly original title of “From Your Pastor.” Today, more pastors and staff communicate via their own blogs.

5. From the cassette to the podcast. I’m really showing my age now. My first sermons were distributed via a plastic cassette. If you happen to come across one of my sermon cassettes, please destroy it immediately for the sake of the kingdom. Another way podcasts have disrupted churches is providing weekly messages from other pastors, especially well-known pastors. It can be tough on pastors when a church member says, “Matt Chandler says …” or “Andy Stanley says …”

6. From the paper Bible to the digital Bible. In the past: “Please open your Bibles …” Today: “Please open or turn on your Bibles.”

7. From the announcements to the app. Some church apps automatically update with news and prayer requests. By the time you hear it on Sunday morning, the news is old news.

There has been so much change in such a short period, so many digital disruptions in the church. What can you add to this list? Let me hear from you.

National Neighbors Helping Neighbors Movement Launches Amid Coronavirus Crisis

ChurchLeaders

April 10, 2020

Outreach Inc, a national Christian ministry and media organization, has launched a national Neighbors Helping Neighbors movement to encourage people to demonstrate safe yet compassionate care for their neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thoughtful ideas and practical tools are now available to assist in caring for neighbors from a distance, with the hopes that thousands of households will become good neighbors across the country.

“As this pandemic continues to unfold we all find ourselves in challenging times, often marked by fear and uncertainty. However, we know we are in this together,” shares Jason Daye, vice president at Outreach Inc. “It is our hope that people across the country will rise up in safe and helpful ways to assist those nearest to them. We live in a world where rocking chairs on our front porches have been replaced by privacy fences around our backyards. Many people do not even know their neighbors’ names, let alone their needs. With the current situation and many restricted by stay-at-home orders, it seems now is the time for us to be good neighbors. There are likely people on your block or in your apartment building who have real needs, and now is the opportunity for us to reach out cautiously and compassionately, to truly ‘love your neighbor,’ even if it is from a distance.”

Outreach Inc has responded to these neighboring needs in the coronavirus crisis by launching the website HelpingYourNeighbors.com. Here you will find neighboring resources such as a guide with 16 practical ways to help a neighbor and handy door hangers on which individuals can write their name and contact information and place on their neighbors’ doors. Neighbors can then contact them to share needs or just have someone with whom they can talk during this time of isolation. Other resources include yard signs, to help one’s neighbors know you are ready to help, and the Dozen Door Challenge which invites households to connect with their 12 closest neighbors.

All tools and resources are either free or heavily discounted. Outreach Inc has subsidized the costs to make Neighbors Helping Neighbors affordable to every home, every faith community and every organization in an effort to see as many people as possible being good neighbors during these trying times. An individual or family can get 12 door hangers mailed to them for only $2.50, with free shipping, which enables them to safely contact their neighbors and offer their service and support.

“As an organization who has a heart for God and for people, we wanted to do our part to encourage people everywhere to look to the needs of others,” says Scott Evans, founder and CEO of Outreach Inc. “Imagine neighborhoods across the country where people are reaching out to care for their 12 closest neighbors. What a difference this can make in these very difficult times.”

Individuals, faith communities and other organizations can learn more about the nationwide initiative, Neighbors Helping Neighbors,and find tools and resources at outreach.com/neighboring and HelpingYourNeighbors.com.

Founded in 1996 with a mission to share God’s love and empower the Church to share the message of Jesus Christ, Outreach Inc provides outreach tools to 25,000 churches a year in the US and equips

over 100 million church leaders and Christians in every country of the world each year through their web properties, media and digital channels.

Mom Creates ‘COVID-19 Time Capsule’ Worksheets for Families During Pandemic

Bri Lamm

April 10, 2020

Have you ever wanted to work on a time capsule but haven’t had the time? Like most mothers around the world right now, Natalie Long is at home with her kids, practicing self-isolation, and social distancing as a way to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Recognizing that this is likely a once in a lifetime event, Natalie wanted a way to document this time in her family’s life so they could look back on the COVID-19 pandemic in the future, and remember what it was like.

“We are all living through history and something I have said I wanted to do from the beginning is make a keepsake of this moment for us to look back on,” Natalie wrote on Facebook. “I have saved newspapers, art work done by my kids, taken photos of all our days and kept a diary.”

The founder of Long Creations, Natalie assembled a simple ‘About Me’ page for her and her children to fill out together.

“Everyone is going to talk about it. You know, ‘what grade were you in when you couldn’t go to school?,’ that sort of thing. And their kids are going to ask them,” says Natalie.

Natalie shared the worksheet on her professional page to gather ideas for what else should be included in a time capsule. Within no time, she had an 11-page document, ready to record the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 Time Capsule pages include:

A Page To Draw Family Picture
All About Me
How I’m Feeling
My Community
What I Am Doing At Home
Handprint Page
Special Occasion Page
Letter To Myself Sheet
Interview For The Parents
Letter From The Parent

She posted the finished time capsule documents on her Facebook page for families to download and work on together. As you can imagine, her COVID-19 time capsule went viral for ALL the right reasons, even crashing her Dropbox and Google Drive download links.

With the help of her friends at Let’s Embark, Natalie is now hosting her FREE COVID-19 Time Capsule worksheets here for anyone to download.

“This is something I designed for fellow families with children living through this difficult time,” Natalie says “It is meant as a GIFT not for profit!”

When asked if she would accept payment for the time capsule, Natalie encouraged people to donate to a local charity or family in need.

We are living in unprecedented times. There’s no better way to remember what these days and weeks are like, than documenting them together as a family!

Download your FREE COVID-19 Time Capsule here.

What COVID-19 Has Done for the Church

Brie Gowen

April 10, 2020

Do you see what COVID-19 has done for the church? No, it’s not that it’s given it that push to get on social media. And it’s not about whether to meet, the importance of staying connected (although that’s important), or even the gumption to broadcast services live. What I’m talking about actually has nothing to do with whether a building has its doors opened or closed, or whether the government is skating too close to infringing on constitutional rights. It has nothing to do with religious organizations and everything to do with your relationship. Because, I’ll tell you a secret. You are the church. Allow me to explain.

Recently a coworker asked me how I had gotten to such a strong level of faith in my life. The person was pleasantly surprised when I said it wasn’t a switch that was flipped in my life, or even an overnight ordeal, but rather years of seeking and growth. I relayed the story of how my growing closer to Jesus began.

Somewhere around 2010 I came across a wonderful opportunity at work. It was a weekend position that allowed me to work only 24 hours a week, while still getting paid for 40 hours. Pretty sweet, right? I had a baby, and another on my wish list, so working part-time for full-time pay was a God-send! The only problem? I would agree to work every weekend. While Saturday wasn’t a problem for me, Sunday was a lot harder. For one, I loved my church. My father-in-law was our pastor, and I worried how they would feel about the position.

It turns out, my father-in-law didn’t mind. He knew something I was about to learn. He knew something COVID-19 is trying to teach us all. He understood that a personal relationship with Jesus wasn’t found on Sunday morning alone, and he felt pretty confident in the Lord’s ability to show me just that.

Growth in Christ Requires Learning to Seek the Lord

My biggest concern after I took that weekender job? I worried my relationship with the Lord would suffer missing Sunday mornings, so I determined that it would not! How did I do that? I made the choice to seek the Lord more closely each and every day. I couldn’t go to church on Sunday, and my small congregation didn’t meet any other time. So I went to church Monday morning on my couch. I went to church Tuesday morning while I sipped my coffee. I went to church Wednesday morning while I fed my baby. I think you’re getting the point.

Ten years ago my life began to turn around for the better because I made a decision. I decided that since I couldn’t go to church, I would bring church to me! I started to set aside time daily to read my Bible, seek the Lord, pray, and listen to His voice. And we as a country are being given this same chance now! We are being told to stay home, and we have the opportunity to use that time wisely. We’re not just in a time in our lives where we can’t go to church. We’re in a time of our lives where we can bring church home. We can bring it into our hearts!

Even after I switched jobs and could attend worship with others on Sunday mornings, it was too late! My life had already changed, thank the Lord. I had begun to manifest the fruits of the Spirit. It wasn’t just my schedule that had changed. My personality had changed. I found that a life where I saturated myself with Scripture, was a life where I could be more joyful and triumphant. I learned how to deal with the world’s problems according to the Bible’s answers. In those pages, I discovered how much my Savior loved me, and sadly and honestly, I had spent ten years in church on Sundays as a child/teenager, never learning that truth. Salvation, discipline, and true life change aren’t always found in a building. And a deep relationship that changes you from the inside out, rarely is. Life change is found in time with Him.

This pandemic has given us all the rare opportunity to seek Him more. It has forced upon us the need to be fed at home, and I’m not talking about sustenance you get from the grocery store. I’m talking about the kind of spiritual food that will leave you never hungry again. It’s the kind of bread that gives you life, abundant life at that, and it fills you so full that fear can’t fit there. It fills you so overflowing that the uncertain circumstances surrounding you don’t stand a chance. It’s the Manna that God sends down from Heaven, and when you taste and eat you understand that He always provides just enough.

Do you know what the church (meaning the physical building AND all of us as the bride of Christ) needs? We need to learn how to be mature. God doesn’t intend for us to stay babies, being fed our spiritual bottle on Sunday mornings, thinking that will keep us full all week! He calls us to eat meat. He wants us to be self-feeding, steak-chewing, garden-growing, fruit-baring farmers. Y’all, it’s like He wants us to be homesteading harvesters who water where we’re planted. Of course He wants believers gathering together and supporting one another! Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t a church-bashing post. No, what this is is a reminder that we are the church, and we are called to grow the church. The fact is, it’s hard to grow a crop when all you do is eat the fruit. If you’re wanting to harvest, like God calls us all to do, then you have to start planting seeds, and folks forget you begin by planting the seeds in you.

So, I would encourage you to take advantage of this time. See it for what it is. It’s an opportunity, much like the one I experienced ten years ago, to seek the Lord so you don’t lose Him. Y’all, He’s not hard to find. We’re just usually so distracted by all the noise that we miss Him, but perhaps now is a National Call to Quiet. Perhaps Christ is calling us all away from the noise and into His arms. We have been given the chance to bring church into our hearts, the place where God has wanted it built all along. Don’t miss the positive change we can bring from such a negative time in our history. Don’t miss out on the greatest opportunity of all. To build His Church in you.

5 Ideas That Can Strengthen Your Easter … The Most Uncommon One of Our Time

Dan Reiland

April 10, 2020

Easter is just around the corner, and it will be like no other in our lifetime. And you’re most likely looking for ways to strengthen your Easter.

None of us could have anticipated or predicted COVID-19, but it did not catch God by surprise. That does not suggest that God set it in motion, but that He is still God, and He is with us.

There have been countless forecasts about how severe or how long it will go. Those who focus on health seem to talk about severity, and those who focus on the economy seem to talk about duration. Both elements are essential.

It’s impossible for projections to be fully accurate, but I’m grateful for expert forecasts because we need them. It helps us all know how to prepare, prioritize, and respond.

Every day we learn more, and that is good.

Ultimately, however, we don’t have the answers, and we don’t know the outcomes. That is, in large part, what is behind the growing sense of unease, concerns, worry, anxiety, and in many cases, fear.

Though we would never have desired it this way, there could not be a better time to present the hope of Christ.

Before we look at 5 ideas that can strengthen your Easter, we know there is an untold number of personal and individual fears right now, but three have risen to the top.

The top three “macro” fears are:

1) Health

Let’s be honest; everyone has wondered for at least a moment, “Will I get it?” That’s not fear, that’s being aware and human.

Many are considering big questions like the length of life and eternity. Dwelling on that can produce worry or fear if they are unsure of their destiny.

Even if your concern is not for yourself but someone in your family or a friend, the thought is present in us all.

2) Finance

Our physical security on this planet is connected to money. We can be honest about that.

Money is not the source of inner peace, happiness, or the most important things, but remove it, and life becomes difficult.

Many have already been impacted and are worried or fearful about how they will pay their bills.

But where does our real security come from?

3) Future

What does the future hold? What does it look like?

Even though we were never in control of the future, there was a certain level of comfort in thinking we were. That’s normal and natural. But we have been reminded that even if we are in charge, we are not in control.

Leaders, in particular, are thinking about the future. What will the church look like “after…”

The Gospel encompasses all three concerns.

I’m not suggesting that you should focus entirely on these concerns, not at all.

But to omit or overlook them is to miss current reality.

And remember, the Gospel is good news!

What We Need Most From Marriage

Gary Thomas

April 10, 2020

What if one of the things we need most from marriage is something we don’t want?

One of the things I love about marriage is that it can lead us to places where we will be all but forced to rely on God like we never have before.

My friend Rett gulped deeply when the doctor told him that his wife Kristy had to have a particular operation that could keep her in bed for several days and require special care for a few weeks after that.

Rett is a cognitive man, a brilliant lawyer, but he tends to live in his head with concepts and arguments and a quick wit. He makes a good living and can hire people to do what he doesn’t want to do. He’s not used to playing the role of a nurse, which is what he knew he would have to be doing for his wife.

On the way home from the doctor’s office, Rett blurted out, “I don’t know if I can do this!”

“What do you mean?” Kristy asked. “I’m the one getting the operation!”

“I mean, I don’t know if I can be that low maintenance. I’m high maintenance. Tank (their dog) is high maintenance. The only reason our marriage works is because you’re low maintenance and you hold everything together.”

It’s Surprising What We Need Most From Marriage

Marriage is a long journey—long enough so that eventually even the lower maintenance spouse is going to be at least temporarily high maintenance. While many might see this as a curse to bear, this actually can be seen as a gift if the normally higher maintenance spouse views such seasons as opportunities to step up and switch seats, becoming the primary caregiver, perhaps even becoming a different kind of person.

Ruts are comfortable, but limiting. They stifle personal and spiritual growth. Marriage sometimes forces us out of those ruts so that we are invited to grow in areas in which we may not want to grow, but in which God is eager for us to grow.

In case you’re wondering, Kristy gave Rett a glowing report about stepping up, though she admitted he was rather relieved when one of her relatives finally flew into town and took over.

Here’s the key: Marriage presented Rett with a situation he would never have chosen on his own. Rett didn’t choose marriage to learn how to become a nurse—part of his attraction to Kristy was the fact that she was so low maintenance—but that’s what he had to do now that he was a husband. Marriage called him to step up outside of himself, depend on Christ, and in the process become more like Christ.

Rett followed and appreciated Christ the teacher, but Jesus wasn’t just a teacher. Christ touched the lepers, healed a woman who had been bleeding for years, and regularly made time out of His schedule to attend to the physical needs of those He loved. To put it in language Rett can now understand: Christ on earth wasn’t just cognitive; He was also caring. For Rett to become more like Christ, he had to grow in the same area. He’s got the cognitive down—you’re not going to trick him with false doctrine—but can he learn to care?

Ask yourself, what if marriage is supposed to be difficult on occasion so that we are forced to learn to rely on God’s Holy Spirit and become a different kind of person?

What if God is more concerned about our “practical atheism”—saying we believe in Him but rarely relying on Him—than He is about how easy our marriage might be at any given moment? That may be what we need most from marriage.

What if half of our frustration in marriage results from the fact that we want it to be easier but God wants us to become more mature?

Consider what your marriage may be calling you to today that you don’t feel capable of doing on your own. Instead of saying, “This is just too hard,” or “This just isn’t my gifting or calling,” or “That’s not why I got married,” invite God to transform you into a different kind of person.

Be bold; hold God to His word: “Lord, You promise to give the weary strength. I am bone weary. You promise to give power to one who lacks it. I feel powerless. You promise to give the ignorant wisdom. I am clueless about what to do.”

Instead of running from the difficulties of marriage, let’s allow them to teach us the glory of spiritual dependence on God. Let’s accept the invitation to become a different kind of person. It may not be what we want of our marriage, but it may, in given seasons, be what we most need from our marriage.

This article about what we need most from marriage originally appeared here.

A Challenging Word for Churches From USA Today

Chuck Lawless

April 10, 2020

Yesterday, the front-page article in USA Today was entitled, “Crisis, then Complacency Define Past Outbreaks.”[1] Two quotes caught my attention:

“Every time we have an infectious disease emergency, you see a lot of interest in funding and robust response, and then that disappears when those events recede from the headlines. We have this cycle of panic and neglect, panic and neglect.”
“. . . all too often, when the crisis fades and the fear subsides, urgency morphs into complacency.”[2]

These quotes, although they’re not addressed to churches, caught my attention because I fear the same thing will happen to the church. We’re responding now in new ways, but I still wonder what that will look like on the other side of the crisis. Here are some possible ways to maintain our Great Commission urgency post-COVID-19:

View this crisis not as something to endure, but as an opportunity to improve. We’re being forced to think about how we do digital church, but we’re also seeing that we often reach more people this way than we do in person. Bringing technology into how we do church isn’t an automatic weakening of the gathered body. We can do both well.
As a leader, evaluate what you’re learning about your own idols—and genuinely repent today in preparation for leading tomorrow. Some of us are learning about our addiction to work or recognition. Some are realizing we idolize the act of standing in front an audience paying attention to us. Others are learning about the unhealthy power of worry in their lives. Whatever the Lord is teaching us, we who lead God’s church must learn the lesson well and adjust our lives accordingly.
Don’t look forward only to your congregation gathering again, but look forward to sending them out to a world more connected than we’ve ever considered. This crisis has shown us that every one of us is connected to others. We cannot miss this opportunity to foster a spirit of local, national, and international missions among our congregations.
Capitalize on what’s working today, and let it become part of your ministry. In many cases (like, e.g., reaching out to all church members regularly, holding regular staff meetings, offering online giving options, livestreaming our services), these are things we should have been doing anyway. I encourage us not to view them simply as stopgap measures in this strange time.
Remember that fallen human beings tend to return to our idols after the crisis is past – and we leaders must help avoid that pattern. It’s the pattern of the book of Judges, and it’s too often our pattern, too. Unless we guard against it, we’ll quickly go back to status quo—and perhaps even be more reticent to reach out to people we don’t know.
Don’t go through this crisis by acting first and praying second—and, reverse that pattern in your long-term ministry DNA. I trust that COVID-19 has led us to pray more (though I’m not convinced we’ve necessarily changed our pattern of when we pray). If God is taking us to our faces so He might display His glory through us, we need to stay prone before Him even after this crisis is past.
If you’re a pastor, build genuine friendships and support systems with other pastors. We need each other these days for encouragement and prayer—and many are turning to other pastors in fresh ways. The fact is, though, that we’ve needed each other long before this crisis hit. And, we will always need each other in the future.

I pray today’s urgency and creativity in crisis will lead to even more urgency and creativity in the days to come. If that happens, it won’t be because we naturally lean in that direction; it will be because God is up to something.

___________

[1] Bart Jansen, “Crisis, then Complacency Define Past Outbreaks,” USA Today (April 1, 2020), 1A.

[2] Ibid., 5A.

This article originally appeared here.

4 Questions About Meditation (And the Steps to Help You Start)

Vince Miller

April 10, 2020

The Scriptures talk a great deal about meditation, especially in the books of wisdom like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. But what does meditation mean, what happens when I do it, what are the benefits, and how do I do it? Here is one definition:

“Meditation in the Bible means reflective thinking on biblical, truth so that God can speak to us through Scripture and through the thoughts that come to mind as we are reflecting on the Word, but that must also be filtered by the Word.” — Bible.org

Four questions about meditation and the steps to help you start.

What Is Meditation?

In other words, meditation is the practice of taking a verse or many verses and then contemplating, deliberating, and mulling over those verses and their implications for our lives in the course of a few minutes, a day, or longer. As we consider the biblical truth, God’s voice has the opportunity to enlighten us on how that truth applies to our lives.

What Happens When We Meditate?

Meditation has the potential to bring ongoing transformation to our lives over time. Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” As we meditate on specific passages in God’s Word, the truths of that passage become resident in our minds and once in residence, they influence our thinking and our actions.

Consider, for instance, Micah 6:8. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Think of all the biblical truths packed into that one verse and the many implications it has for our lives. I would encourage you to meditate on that one verse this coming week as a test drive for how God’s Word can become resident in your life. Meditate on it, pray on it, and act on it as situations present themselves.

What Are the Benefits of Meditation?

Scripture mentions many ways that meditation helps us live out our Christian lives in ways that please God:

It focuses our minds (Ps 119:15).
It helps us better understand (Ps 119:27).
It helps us remember God’s faithfulness to us (Ps 143:5).

Scripture: meditating on it

It facilitates worship (Ps 1:2).
It helps us apply God’s Word (Titus 3:3-4).  All of these allow the Word of God to take up residence in our hearts and lives, adjust our mindset to God’s thinking, and help us live out the truths on a daily basis.

How Do I Start?

A simple way to facilitate meditation is to take the verse, or verses, from the Men’s Daily Devotional for the day and print them out for the car, your desk at work, and wherever you spend your time. Ask Jesus to transform your mind, thinking and life as you meditate on his eternal word.

Steps Toward Reflection & Mentorship:

Begin:

Meditation is a purposeful reflection on Biblical truths so that God can convict and change us.

Unpack:

The word “meditation” has a mystic feeling and meaning to people today. Why do we hold this view of meditation?
Practically, we are always meditating on something. What  do most men spend most of their time meditating on?

Inform

Romans 12:1-2 reads, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” What does this say about the danger of meditating on the wrong thing?
But what is the impact of meditation and binaural beats program?

Land  

What obvious issues do you face in taking time to meditate?
What steps do you need to take to overcome these issues?
How could you build meditation into your everyday life?

What is one thing you want to stop meditating on this week?
What one thing do you want to start meditating on from God’s truth?

This article is an excerpt from Vince Miller’s book, 20 Lesson’s That Build A Man’s Faith: A Controversial Mentoring Guide

Are These 3 Phrases Spiritual or SELFISH?

Dan Dye

April 9, 2020

“I like your Christ, I don’t like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

— Mahatmas Gandhi

I’ve discovered some things over the last few weeks.

I’ve found that most Christians have a sincere desire to live their lives for Jesus. They want to obey Him, honor Him and serve Him the best they know how.

However, I’ve also found that many Christians today don’t understand how to love people the way Jesus does. We say mean things. We gossip. We’re selfish.

Now, don’t get me wrong. We are sinful humans and these traits are to be expected to an extent, but I wonder if we use our human nature as an excuse to our advantage?

The city that I pastor in is very religious. There are churches on almost every corner. Christian billboards are the norm up and down our interstate. We have two Christian colleges in our community.

But despite the plethora of religion, here’s the shocking news: 70 percent of our city doesn’t attend church … anywhere. Line 10 people on our street, and seven of them don’t go to church. There seems to be a serious disconnect between who Jesus is and who the church is. And I hate to admit it, but I think we’re to blame.

The majority of Christians really mean well, I get it. I’m honestly not trying to bash the church. We start off excited about the Gospel, and about who Jesus is. We want to serve Him. But over time, we get caught up in ourselves and our “way” of Christianity. We get opinionated about how to live as Christians.

We can be guilty of accidentally saying and doing things without realizing it. We may sound spiritual, but the meaning behind our spiritual phrases are much more selfish than we’d like to admit.

Here are three things I’ve found that Christians accidentally say while trying to be spiritual:

1. What they say: “I’m standing up for what I believe in.”

What they actually mean: “I’m too stubborn/arrogant/insecure to accept anything that differs from my opinion.”

Sometimes Christian’s confuse stubbornness with conviction.

The “my way or the highway” mentality never has worked well in the church. It could be arrogance that doesn’t allow them to see any other way than their own. Proud people have a tough time seeing others views. Or they could just possibly be insecure in what they believe.

Whatever the reason, they “stand up for their belief” and shun anyone who feels differently. I’m thankful Jesus didn’t do that 2,000 years ago.

Luis Palau to Pastors: This Easter Is a Unique Opportunity

Megan Briggs

April 9, 2020

Even in the time of a global pandemic and his own health concerns, Luis Palau continues to preach the good news of Christ with a steady confidence that his 85 years on earth have fashioned in him. The evangelist, who has preached to thousands of people all over the world, believes that not only is this an opportune time for ministers to share the good news of Christ, but it is also ideal for the older generation of Christians to set an example of trust and wisdom for younger Christians.

“Talking about death is not an American thing, you know,” says Palau, who is from Argentina originally but now lives in the Portland, Oregon area.

In an exclusive interview with churchleaders.com, Palau said he has been paying attention to the news more than he usually does. He sees a unique opportunity for the church to reach people now that so much of our collective consciousness is focused on a topic we normally avoid addressing–that is, death.

Palau has had to come to terms with his own mortality in a more tangible way these last couple of years. The evangelist was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2018 and told by doctors he likely only had about nine months to live. But, as he shared in a special Easter message that his ministry, Luis Palau Association, is releasing on Sunday, “the Lord has kept me a year and half longer than the doctors thought.” Palau says his condition has stabilized and the last scans he underwent to monitor the tumors in his lungs revealed that they haven’t grown even a centimeter since the last time he was scanned.

For Palau, who witnessed his own father die at an early age and go to be with the Lord, death is not something he fears or spends a lot of time agonizing over. Palau, who has four sons with his wife, Patricia, says “The only sad thing about it is leaving her.”

And while the evangelist doesn’t believe the coronavirus and the fact that so many people are dying from it is something to make light of, he does say that along with displaying wisdom by taking necessary precautions, older Christians have an opportunity to show younger generations how to trust God in these uncertain times.

Older Christians Have a Lot to Teach Younger Christians

“I really think we have a unique moment to show, first of all, trust in the Lord,” Palau says. Since his father died when he was just 10 years old, Palau says his ability to trust has come from God taking care of him faithfully since his father’s passing. “The Lord has taken care of me every year.” Additionally, that trust in God manifests itself in confidence in the face of death. “We need to show confidence in the living Christ and that we do believe that if I should get this virus and it’s my time to go, hey, I’m going to be with the Lord and I’m at peace.”

Secondly, Palau believes older Christians are perfectly positioned to display the joy of the Lord. “Not that this is a joke and we’re not making light of it, but on the other hand our joy is not dependent on outward circumstances.” Children especially need to see their elders resting in the Lord, trusting him, and seeking him. Palau gave the example of Patricia taking a moment today to play some songs on the piano as an expression of joy. Palau, who says he often draws confidence from 2 Samuel 22:31, says now is the time to express our confidence that God’s way is perfect and his word is flawless. In short, he doesn’t make mistakes.

The third thing older Christians can teach younger ones by example at this time is making decisions and taking action with wisdom. He shared how he and his own family are being careful and “using prudence” during this time. For instance, his family is opting for a virtual Easter get-together with the assistance of Zoom instead of meeting together in person like they normally do. Wisdom, Palau believes, is perhaps the most neglected of virtues. And sometimes Christians neglect it as well. “We say foolish things to the media. We do foolish things that appear to be faith, but sometimes it’s not faith–it’s just foolishness.”

Pastors Need to Keep It Simple This Easter

Another demographic Palau feels has a unique opportunity in this moment is pastors who will be preaching on Easter. “This is the best opportunity ever to proclaim hope,” Palau says. The Christian hope, unlike any other, is a “living expectation” that preachers can share with other people.

Palau encourages pastors not to be hesitant to address everyone’s fears concerning death this Easter. “People are longing to hear the reconfirmation that eternal life begins on earth, yes, and we become children of God from then on. But then when your body shuts down and your soul and spirit leave your body, you’re going straight to be with the Lord,” he says, referencing Paul’s words that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

As people are concerned about themselves or their loved ones, “It’s a great time to proclaim the resurrection.” His cancer diagnosis two years ago led Palau to revisit the Scriptures concerning heaven. “As soon as you close your eyes, you’ll be with Jesus and see him face-to-face,” Palau explains. “When Jesus comes back, your body, soul, and spirit will all be rejoined together again. In the meantime, you’ll come back with the Lord when he comes on clouds.”

Even If They Can, Most KS Churches Won’t Meet for Easter

Stephanie Martin

April 9, 2020

In what Laura Kelly, the Governor of Kansas, calls a “shockingly irresponsible decision” that will endanger lives, a Republican-led panel overturned her executive order limiting the size of church gatherings during the pandemic.

Kelly, a Democrat, removed exemptions Tuesday for churches and funerals, subjecting them to 10-person limits. The next day, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt strongly discouraged law enforcement from policing Kelly’s order, and the state’s Legislative Coordinating Council voted 5-2 (along party lines) to overturn the portion of the order affecting churches.

Are Religious Rights at Stake?

Senate President Susan Wagle, a Republican, opposed Gov. Kelly’s action, saying it’s wrong to “use this crisis, or any other crisis, as a basis to restrict our constitutional rights.” Churches, Wagle adds, should follow health advice “with free will, not a mandate by big brother” because “this is still America.”

Other Republicans chided the order for singling out churches while permitting gatherings at malls, libraries, and airports. “Our families still want to experience the joy of celebrating Easter and still carry the heartache of burying our loved ones,” says Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch. “I trust our faith leaders to exercise good judgment, do what’s right, and keep people safe.” Before voting to overturn the order, Finch said, “I think we have a duty to look out for one another and not spread this virus.”

Randy Quinn, senior pastor at Wichita’s West Heights United Methodist Church, doesn’t think the government is trying to impinge on rights and says people who feel that way “are pushing the wrong issue at the wrong time.” During this pandemic, Quinn adds, safety comes first, and worship can be done with one’s family. “I don’t need a gathering of 1,000 people, or 100 people, or 25 people to be in a spirit of worship and connection with God,” he says.

Three COVID-19 outbreaks in Kansas have been traced to religious gatherings.

Staying at Home Is Prudent, Most Church Leaders Agree

As in other parts of America, most Kansas pastors are sticking with virtual worship as the pandemic peak approaches. Dan Entwistle, senior executive director at Leawood’s Church of the Resurrection, says congregants have indicated they’re more connected than ever, thanks to technology. Attendance—or viewership—has doubled lately, he says, and leaders are making decisions based on both faith and science. “If we are expecting God to protect us despite the risks that we put in front of ourselves, then instead of us becoming agents of healing in the community,” Entwistle says, “we can actually become agents of harm by infecting others.”

New findings from Lifeway Research indicate that most U.S. Protestant pastors have hit pause on in-person worship to safeguard physical health. By March 15, 64 percent of pastors held in-person services, but by March 29, only seven percent did. Only three percent of pastors surveyed say they’ll have in-person gatherings no matter what.

Pastors also report adopting technology rapidly to try to keep people connected, which is a top concern. “The lack of [physical] presence pains many pastors and their congregations,” says Scott McConnell, Lifeway’s executive director, “but they are utilizing technology like never before to stay connected until they can meet again.” He adds, “Gathering for worship as a local church is a fundamental expression of the body of Christ, but so are valuing life and loving others.”

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow.

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow.

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow.

Fertilize

Pull weeds

Prune

Sow seeds

Plan

DANCE MOVE ONE: PRAY

DANCE MOVE TWO: CHRISTO-CENTRIC PREACHING

Here are seven lessons Navy Deployment taught me about thriving while socially isolated. Hopefully some of these help you in your situation.

Here’s my recommendation for a things to work on this week. I think if we focus on these three things we’ll make incredible progress in our new normal.

Celebrate Our New Normal

Mourn Our New Normal

Innovate in the New Normal

Here are some innovations I think we need in the new normal:

Teaching Pastors

Worship Leaders

NextGen Pastors

Types of the Dechurched

Those Hurt by the Church

Collateral Damage

1. People are generally going to be reached by churches unlike the one that in their view burned them or that caused the hurt.

2. We should give them permission to feel and express their pain.

3. I would caution readers that this process takes time.

Intentional Relationships

The COVID-19 Time Capsule pages include:

Growth in Christ Requires Learning to Seek the Lord

The top three “macro” fears are:

1) Health

2) Finance

3) Future

It’s Surprising What We Need Most From Marriage

Four questions about meditation and the steps to help you start.

Steps Toward Reflection & Mentorship:

1. What they say: “I’m standing up for what I believe in.”

Older Christians Have a Lot to Teach Younger Christians

Pastors Need to Keep It Simple This Easter

Are Religious Rights at Stake?

Staying at Home Is Prudent, Most Church Leaders Agree

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