Tell Who about Jesus?-The church or the world

To whom is our message to be directed, the Christian or the world? I have settled in my mind who I should preach to and reach for Christ. However…

Recent conversations via email and phone have been interesting to say the least. Apparently our recent message series has stirred the hearts of the committed, the Christians in our community who, like Olympic athletes, have jumped to conclusions and assumptions in record setting fashion. All this nipping at my heels has started me returning to a basic foundation principle found in the scripture and one which lies at the basis of the purpose of the church.

First we are to do all we can to glorify God. I understand this and try to do my best to reflect His glory is all that I say, I do, or even in what  I preach. We all need to realize we are walking witnesses to our faith in Jesus and people watching us should see the glory of God in our lives.

Secondly, the church needs to reach the lost. Period. Reach the lost. Period. Not to repeat myself, but hey church–we are to reach the lost. We have used many different means and methods to accomplish that. And in nearly every one, over time the critics from within the Christian community rise up to condemn the method chosen. Oddly enough when the availalbity of electric service hit the common countryside in the early 1900’s, churches began evening services to reach the lost. This new and unusual phenomon attracted people of all sorts to come out to the church house and see the lights. Thus the term, “Light of Evanglelism” was used to discribe those early evening services. That was followed by tents, gospel singing, and mass evangelistic meetings, each of which was touted as the devil watering down our faith by commercializing the Lord. Whoa.

I am reminded of the words of our Lord when the disciples saw someone who was doing the work of God, but was not one of “them”. Jesus said, “Anyone who is not against us is for us. If anyone gives you a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the  truth, that person will surely be rewarded.”

Our method to attract the lost and reach them with the gospel may be un-orthodox. We are appealing to young men and women in our society that has some bad habits and potentially dangerous practices in their lives. We will unfortunately see in the next decade or two the results of the blantent disregard for alchohol abuse and sexual promiscutity present in our society. To stick our head in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist is NOT the way to tackle this sin problem. We need honesty, acceptance, and yes, toleration in love while we all along the way make attempts to reach them, love them and rescue them. A provocative title for a message series is just one of the ways to ease the sinner to perhaps take a look at their lives and realize that if they darken the doors of the church seeking help–they will not be shamed, ushered out, or loudly condemned, but rather welcomed, accepted and encouraged to find Jesus.

Christians are a strange bunch to say the least. I almost dread using that term to discribe my lifestyle. Rather, Jesus follower, seems more appropreiate. Now, I understand the term Christian means Jesus follower. But it is becoming more of a term refering to rule follower, legalistic, intollerant, condemning and stern. Ouch–I am not that–don’t want to be known as that–I want to follow Jesus, represent Him in all I do. Whether it is at a local watering hole, enjoying a good time with friends, who may be far away at that point from knowing Jesus, or in my T-shirt and jeans giving it all in worship to God. I want to be the same in both situations, always aware that I live to glorify God and to reach others for Jesus, in new ways.

Advertising our Faith

At Velocity Church, we use several forms of advertising our church. We have directional signs, and I must say, find them very successful. We track the responses and this one form of paid advertising is very effective. The billboard pictured above has not generated a particular guest to remark they came because of this sign. But we know that from the traffic which passes by this one and another very similar sign facing the other direction, people are beginning to have a name association with our church. And certainly the best advertising occurs when someone in the church invites a friend, relative or neighbor. This is the best for sure.

But how do we advertise our faith? Not our church; not our services; not our programs, but how do we advertise our faith. I believe that there are 3 areas of importance in life, especially for the Christian. We must connect to God in worship. This time in worship not only gives to God what He desires, but enables us to recieve from Him what He wants to give us in return. Secondly, we need to connect with each other. Fellowship is the glue to allow the Holy Spirit to encompass us with His presence. We have Him living inside of us, but follow Him as He dwells among us. Fellowship in groups of learning, groups of service and group of prayer all help us to grow. And finally we have a connection in service–to our Lord, but also to each other and our community around us. This “hands on” work is what allows us to be seen in our community as a caring group of people. This message then under girds the “paid” message of the signs, the ads, the billboards etc. And when we take the next step outlined below, we are entering the dangerous zone of Christ like living.

When was the last time you shared your faith? When was the last time you told someone about your conversion in Christ? I don’t mean, getting up on that soap box in the town square, but across a kitchen table, just shared with a friend, your love for Jesus and all that He means to you. This is more than wearing the T-shirt; this is more than giving away a tract; this is from your heart to one another’s heart–the faith which lives within you.

We fear failures; questions which we can not answer; rejection of our listener to our story. And because we do not want to fail–we fail to serve. Thomas Edison tried nearly 1,000 ideas and experiments to invent the light bulb. I am glad he did not let failure stop him. If we fail to convert someone–keep in mind, that’s not our job to convert. That’s God’s job. We are the spokesperson to share the story, to scatter the seed. God will bring about the growth. Begin today to pray for God to lead you to an opening to share your faith. More important than church name recogition is the salvation in Jesus for those who are lost.

Video – Set Me Free – Ignite Student Ministries – tangle.com

Sunday’s message from Phil. 4:8. Great video about the subject matter for this week.

more about “Video – Set Me Free – Ignite Student …“, posted with vodpod

This Weekend at Velocity Church

This weekend will include another Service Saturday project days. We will gather at the entrance to the Baggett Elementary school to have prayer and ready ourselves for the project of cleaning up the trash strewn along Williams Lake Road. Our main area of concern is between Rt. 92 and Dobbins Middle School. Having driven that way for several months to and from the office, let me say it’s in need of a clean up. The local sheriff has offered to do it with the help of the prisoners, but I chose to allow those who are prisoners of Christ to do the dirty deed.

Wearing good shoes, protective gloves and with high spirit we will accomplish this project for our community. At approximately 12:00 noon we will reach the firehouse located near Pine Valley. We are cooking lunch not only for our participants, but also for the fire fighters at the station. And it’s all FREE. Yes, free food. That always brings a crowd. If you have not signed up, come on out anyway–we will have plenty of dogs and burgers to go around for all. We want to honor our firefighters also, by having our closing prayer circle and seeking God’s blessing of safety for them and their co-workers who put their lives on the line for us.

Sunday will be a great day as well. We are on the 3rd message of our rather controversial message series, “Beer, Babes and Baseball”. We are examining Philippeans 4:5 this week, talking about the strength in gentleness. Men often shy away from being gentle, rather desiring to be more macho–but God’s word tells us that real strength lies in a gentle attitude of living on the second mile. (Matthew 5:41) If you have been missing from our gathering in recent weeks, this Sunday will be perfect for you to reconnect with us and with the Lord.

“A” Team is on for set up this weekend. See the great A team at 7:30 am this Sunday–oh yeah come on.

Paul

A New Me–Sort of

One of my hobbies or maybe passions is cycling. I have ridden a bicycle since a boy and actually can remember each ride (bike) since the Huffy that carried me around the yard and my hard work to not need the training wheels. From that I got a used 24″ bike since I was convinced my legs were growing and needed this big bike. Helping to earn part of the price, it became my “ride” for several years, till the “English Racer” caught my eye. It was a 3 speed with a bike bag on the back with actual tools. Did not know how to use the tools, but it was neat to hear them jingle around as I road. That bike actually went to college with me in Cincinnati, till it was stolen. I found the thieves, tried to catch them and ended up with a large bump on my head from a 15 foot fall over a ledge. The head survived, but my bike was trash. Soon in my new Youth Ministry, in trying to relate to kids in the church, I began to look for another bike. A used Italian road bike was available at a local yard sale and again, I had a ride. This ride lasted a few months and soon needed some serious repair or replacement. My rides were growing more adventurous and a more tour friendly ride was needed. Enter my Schwinn Sports Tour. This 10 speed feature a Sun Tour grouping (the gears) and was very “hill” friendly. I would ride with friends for miles and miles–some as long as 25 miles. Soon the lure of riding to our local church camp was too great to ignore and off we went–riding nearly 50 miles–just one way. We walked up some hills, carried our sleeping bags and such on racks. We slept on picnic tables under the pavilions at camp and returned the next day. It was a great experience.

Soon marriage, family and greater needs entered my life. I became a jogger and the bike sat idle for many years. It was many years later I again took up riding. I needed an easier exercise method that would not hurt the knees, which from years of jogging were not doing well. I needed to loose some weight and thus out came the bike. I literally wore it out, as my ever expanding distances proved too much for the 1975 vintage bike. It was followed by my Trek, which was followed by another Trek bike and which was finally replaced by my current Bacchetta Corsa, a recumbant bike.

Now I am in preparation for what will be the most difficult ride I have ever undertaken. No, I am not riding across America, howbeit that would be super, I am riding this year’s Bike Ride Across Georgia, which takes place in the mountains of North GA. I don’t do hills well. At least not in recent years. And my new bike, is not really suited for hills either. So I have decided that the best way to get over the hills is to not have to drag so much weight over the hill. I can’t really do much for the bike, which now weighs about 24 lbs. But I can do something about the engine which drives the bike. On January 1 of this year, I topped the scales at 210 lbs. I need to shed some pounds, some serious lbs. So began my diet and exercise routine. It has not been easy, but I was able to drop about 16 lbs by March. This grew to about 20 lbs and then I leveled out. No matter what I tried, it seemed to just not move. I thought about drastic measures, like adjusting the dial on the scale OK, would not really count, but it maybe up my spirit.

I knew I need to just up my workouts and out my eating of the worthless carbs. So, with a renewed spirit as of April 1st, I tried to get some more weight off the scales. I am riding more, walking more, and eating less. An old, but tried and true method of re-programming the mind to adjust to a better diet. This morning, I am at 185–yeah. And I have about 6 weeks left to get another 10 lbs out of my system. This will be like removing 2 heavy bowling balls from my bike, which should enable my ascent up the hills to be sightly easier. (I know nothing, short of a servo motor on the front wheel or good motorcycle can make it really easy)

This rather long and personal blog comes today–our 4th Wednesday of the Month Fast Day at Velocity Church. My prays today that occur during the times when snacks, meals and such normally would be going on, is for many concerns in and about the church family. But perhaps God will understand that I am also praying that this day will lead me to seek an understanding that nothing, not even food, hobbies, family or job must come before Him. I am reading many of the Psalms as this day progresses. I am praying for my life–my witness–my faith–my relationship with Jesus. And I believe that when we put Him very first, we can depend on Him to give us control over other priorities in our lives. I am praying for my 175 lb goal to be met before June 6th. And I know it will happen. A new me. But honestly, that new me has been here all along. “God, open my eyes to your presence in new and awesome ways. Let me renew and repent that you will shape me as your servant in your kingdom.”

Challenging Video

Thanks to Bill Grandi and to his daughter Tami for sending this video along. It is inspirational and typifies living on the edge for Jesus.

Traffic–please more traffic

I am not speaking of the traffic on the roads. We have plenty of that kind of traffic to last me for a lifetime. And I am not talking about the rise in drug trafficking flowing from Mexico and into Atlanta and from there to all parts of the eastern United States.

No, I am excited about traffic which flows through the church–the first time guests. As I contemplate the first time guest, it appears that we see a few different kinds which make their way to us. Each has a certain response necessary from us and each needs our love and acceptance.

First, I see the Christian flow right down the middle lane. For whatever reason, either discontent with the current church or having perhaps been “out” of church for a while, they come visiting. Some are excited right away with the casual dress and often return the next week in their jeans and T’s. But after a while, certain things are noticed missing. No Sunday school, no organized youth groups, no special music or such. And after a while, when it is certain those “things” are not on the docket or within the parameters of the vision, they move on to another location. Some barely last a week or two, due to maybe the loud music; or temporary location with no one even thinking about land or buildings. For whatever reason–they hit the road and traffic someplace else. We pray for them and hope they connect with a body of people more suited to what they think they need. Its too bad they never catch on that it’s not about them, but about Him and about reaching those outside our midst.

Second, we see the group that connects almost immediately with the vision. They often linger afterwards to talk or to take up the tasks of helping in our tear down. They don’t rush away, but seem to soak in the acceptance and fellowship offered. They see value in relationship–not in viewing a show called church. Soon they are gladly accepting the role of one who worships simply and wholly. Lost are the preconceived notions of where we have been. We as a congregation in worship gather as one body and determine our desire to worship in spirit and truth. This group is excited to participate in our service projects too. We watch them move from worship to connect to serve in just a matter of weeks. God’s Spirit works wonders.

I have probably been too broad in my view or descriptions. Each guest is unique and we are blessed by their presence–whether for one week or one month or for as long as we are a church. So, we will continue to do whatever we can to increase the traffic flow to our worship gatherings each week. Signs, billboards, brochures, and web pages all are contributing factors to this end. But the greatest way to make these guests arrive each week is by us who are out inviting and sharing our faith with others. When we invite someone to the gathering–they goes an extra mile in helping that guest get connected early in the process and come to know Jesus as their Savior is they don’t already. After all, Jesus did tell us to go to the world and preach. And he even gave us the places to look–highways, byways and alleys. Hey–isn’t that where we find traffic?

Beer, Babes and Baseball–Oh my

I am not a regular poster to my blog. Sorry, but I find it difficult to make the time necessary for this task. However, I enjoy reading others blogs and often lament–”Why can’t I do that.”  I suppose it’s like everything in life–you make the time for what you want to do and give priority to those things you either like to do or accomplish or enjoy doing and accomplishing.

I love to sermonize. I preached for years to my kids. I used to preach to my wife–now I know better I enjoy reading God’s word, praying and seeking the message He speaks clearly and forcefully from that word. I spent several weeks writing daily devotions for many people in the church who ask for this. And on more than one occasion, my blogs are basically the same format. Here is a scripture; here is a message; hear it out–use it and grow by it. Tried and true format for certain.

But the blogs I love to read are the ones who open up a glimpse into life in and around the blogger. Warts, wounds and wavering give evidence to our human nature and to God’s grace of healing as He works in people’s lives and we see testimony of His presence. I like the laughter I see, the videos of inspiration and humor. I have never been one to take life seriously every moment of every day. I see the odd side; the humorous side; the weird side and usually have something to say about it. This is probably due to my training and practice as a ventriloquist or my parental units trying to raise a smart mouth kid, whose remarks often landed him in trouble. Sometimes my thoughts just can’t stay sequestered, they come charging out to people’s surprise. “And he’s a pastor…”

So in my attempt recently to design a mailer card to advertise our next (current) message series, I wanted to go beyond the typical pastel colored, cross laden, heavenly hands reaching Easter card and design something that says, “Hey, Velocity Church has no preconceived notions about you, our potential guest. We really don’t care about your past, your interests or your habits. We care about you and where you are going. We want you to go along with us on a journey of faith and maybe some of your past can be put behind you as you face a future in Christ.”

Now, all that print would just clutter up the card. So–I took the shortcut approach and designed conception below. It was in your face–and dealt a big blow to traditional beliefs and ideas. People around our area could qualify for the Olympic Long Jump, as they began to jump to conclusions about our message–our direction and purpose–and our faith. Wow, what a reaction. I am not apologizing for our mailer. Maybe it is a shock value attempt for attention. But if so, so what. There are thousands of men and women who will not come to church if they are made to feel guilty, ashamed or wrong. We want everyone to at least feel welcome enough that warts and all–they are welcome. And once here, God’s Spirit of grace and forgiveness and our acceptance of them as people whom God loves, will resonate in their hearts.

Judge for yourselves. Here is the card as it appeared in the magazine ad. I can not get the mailer on my blog, but all information is the same, just spread out over a front and back.