I have been going through the Book of Ezra, and today was meditating on the fifth and sixth chapters. In these chapters the Jewish nation re-begins rebuilding the Temple and is blessed by king Darius. ow what is interesting is that the king before, Artaxerxes demanded that the Jews stop building. They did, but re-began under Darius. He doesn't only bless their building, but gives money and goods to aid them in their mission. All this is cool, but what took out of these readings can be found in four verses, Ezra 5:1, 2, 11, and 6:14.
What are these verses? You will need to look them up yourself because I am to lazy to cut an paste them for you, but you may be able to infer them from the rest of this blog.
Why did Israel begin to build again, after being forced to stop. Because the Prophets had a vision. God told them to re-start. Once the vision was given to Haggia and Zechariah, they communicated it to Israel, who promptly began building. And what were the prophets doing while the building was going on? Were they lifting with the rest of the men? No, they were supporting them. I will say it again; They were Supporting them.
What does this mean? I think it means that they continually re gave the vision. They were constantly lifting up the people, encouraging them, and reminding them what they were working for. They were always recasting the vision- the vision they received from God.
Next in our story of these prophets they are asked by whose authority they build, and their first appeal is that they are servants of God. They were obedient to the vision. they could have stopped until they were given the okay, or not build out of fear, or asked before they built, but they didn't. They began building and casting the vision from God, and then relied on their obedience to Him to save them. They could have appealed first to the earthly authority they had been given generations ago (and eventually they do, but only as a supporting argument). The first reason given as to why the build is that they are servants of the God of heaven and earth.
Finally we find that later the prophets are continuing to prophesy, and the people are prospering because of it. The people are not prospering because of all the wealth and protection offered by Darius. They are not prospering because of their hard work. They are prospering because of the prophets prophesying.
What does this mean. I believe it means that they prophets were listening to God, he was giving them more of the vision, they the took this to the people, who obeyed out of reverence for God, and they were blessed because of it.
Notice something though. They were not prospering because of the old vision, but because the Prophets continued to prophesy. This is not to say that the vision had changed, from God's perspective, but rather more was being revealed. Now when the next step was revealed, the people could have followed to the next level, or stayed where they were out of fear of the unknown. They chose to go where the vision would take them, and they were blessed because of it. They were allowed to prosper. They would not have prospered had they stayed where they were, because God was already at the next level. He had moved on, and they need to stay with Him.
I have a few more observations about his in general. Now, I am stealing this teaching, but the job of a prophet was threefold in the Bible. They received the vision from God. The communicated the vision. And then they protected the vision I think all that can be seen in these chapters.
First, the prophets were told to restart building the Temple. Next the people built it. And finally when there was opposition to the building, they continued to build, appealing to the authority of God.
Now it is really easy to see how they got the vision. But we are never told that the communicated the vision, but they must have for work to start on the building. Not only that, but they must have communicated it very well, since they themselves were not building with the rest, but only encouraging the workers. People were not mad that the prophets were not building because they had sold God's vision so well. The people saw their role in the vision, as well as Haddia and Zechariah's role. Not only that, but the prophets continued to communicate the vision to people., and the people prospered because of this.
No where do we see the prophets defending the vision to Israel. Now there may have been opposition at first to begin building. Remember the last king told Israel that he would destroy them if they rebuilt the Temple. Surly some people remembered this. But the Prophets do not defend the vision to these people- they communicate it. Because they communicated the vision effectively, the people hopped on board. Where they still afraid for their lives? I am sure some of them were, but they caught the vision, and nothing could stop that.
Now the prophets did defend the vision. Don't get me wrong. But they defend it to OUTSIDERS.
So that is my goal now. Communicate the vision. Of what you ask, of Concert Ministry and Sunday Morning Ministry at Mercyhouse- Amherst. I need to learn how to communicate it to the insiders, to the church, and not defend it. Seeing as I am defensive by nature, God needs to work a few miracles in me for this to happen, but I think he has already begun. I hope to communicate the vision to you next time. Until then, may the peace of God rest upon you.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Reaching, Blogging, Loving
How do we reach the lost for Christ? That is the last question I left us with, I believe. I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have been unsure and uninspired. That is I was until recently.
How do we reach the lost for Christ? Relationships. Just relationships. Its that simple. Today I was listening to NPR, and the talk was about Hyper connections. These are things like Myspace, text messages, Facebook, etc. They are electronic, on the Internet (mostly), and impersonal by nature. Now NPR had both praise and condemnation for such technology. Some of the people who praised the technology said it allowed them to go deeper into friends lives and to stay connected to people they were friends with. The critiques said that this allowed you to only focus on your own world view and didn't make you make new friends.
Now we can argue the pros and cons of this technology until we are blue in the face. The truth is that both sides are right and wrong. It simultaneously allows you to connect deeper with people and isolate yourself, at least in my opinion. It can be used to escape and to withdraw, as well as network and explore. This is not what I want to focus on though.
What I want to focus on is why these technologies have taken off, and why there are so many people upset about them. Everyone hates cell phones, but we all use them- Why? Well the reason is relationships.
You use cell phones to connect with your friends, and the people who dislike them usually feel that the cell phone has killed the art of conversation. People don't just talk to each other any more. We can't, we're to busy talking on our cell phone. Or text messaging. Or blogging.
But the relationship is the common bond. People want, need to feel connected. They want relationship. Remember, the first thing that God saw that wasn't good in all of creation is that man was alone. Now man had the garden, the animals. even communion with God, but it was not enough? Why? Because God created us to need relationship with other humans.
So in a world where we are losing our identities, are cu of geographically from family and friends, and work in front of a computer for 80 hours a week, it is no surprise that somehow we would try to make relationships fit in our new technology.
The reason that Myspace and the such have exploded is simply because the church is not doing its job. just like pornography, we are drawn to the easy cheap imitation. We are content for a while looking at pictures of a woman, and we will also be content for a while reading about a persons life. We will tell ourselves that we are in relationship, that we are connected. But it is a poor imitation for the real thing. Can a blog hug you, and email hear the joy in your tone, a text message cry about your pain.
We, as the church need to offer the real thing. We need to embrace people. We need to fill their needs ( and at the same time fill our own). We need to be in relationship with the lost.
It is too hard, you may say. I am not a councilor. I can't relate with their problems. I don't have the time. They don't want any more friends.
Well it is all BS. We are called to be with them, whether we want to or not, if we can solve their problem or not, if we can relate to them or not. Find a way to relate. They don't want more friends, you're right. They want true relationship though. They do want someone in their life who is going to "expect the best of them, and wade through the worst". They DO want fellowship.
SO this is my solution then. Love these people. It is that simple. Relate with these people. Laugh and cry with these people. Meet them where they are, and invite them to where Jesus has brought me.
I will have more to say about this next time, I am going to meet some people.
In Him
How do we reach the lost for Christ? Relationships. Just relationships. Its that simple. Today I was listening to NPR, and the talk was about Hyper connections. These are things like Myspace, text messages, Facebook, etc. They are electronic, on the Internet (mostly), and impersonal by nature. Now NPR had both praise and condemnation for such technology. Some of the people who praised the technology said it allowed them to go deeper into friends lives and to stay connected to people they were friends with. The critiques said that this allowed you to only focus on your own world view and didn't make you make new friends.
Now we can argue the pros and cons of this technology until we are blue in the face. The truth is that both sides are right and wrong. It simultaneously allows you to connect deeper with people and isolate yourself, at least in my opinion. It can be used to escape and to withdraw, as well as network and explore. This is not what I want to focus on though.
What I want to focus on is why these technologies have taken off, and why there are so many people upset about them. Everyone hates cell phones, but we all use them- Why? Well the reason is relationships.
You use cell phones to connect with your friends, and the people who dislike them usually feel that the cell phone has killed the art of conversation. People don't just talk to each other any more. We can't, we're to busy talking on our cell phone. Or text messaging. Or blogging.
But the relationship is the common bond. People want, need to feel connected. They want relationship. Remember, the first thing that God saw that wasn't good in all of creation is that man was alone. Now man had the garden, the animals. even communion with God, but it was not enough? Why? Because God created us to need relationship with other humans.
So in a world where we are losing our identities, are cu of geographically from family and friends, and work in front of a computer for 80 hours a week, it is no surprise that somehow we would try to make relationships fit in our new technology.
The reason that Myspace and the such have exploded is simply because the church is not doing its job. just like pornography, we are drawn to the easy cheap imitation. We are content for a while looking at pictures of a woman, and we will also be content for a while reading about a persons life. We will tell ourselves that we are in relationship, that we are connected. But it is a poor imitation for the real thing. Can a blog hug you, and email hear the joy in your tone, a text message cry about your pain.
We, as the church need to offer the real thing. We need to embrace people. We need to fill their needs ( and at the same time fill our own). We need to be in relationship with the lost.
It is too hard, you may say. I am not a councilor. I can't relate with their problems. I don't have the time. They don't want any more friends.
Well it is all BS. We are called to be with them, whether we want to or not, if we can solve their problem or not, if we can relate to them or not. Find a way to relate. They don't want more friends, you're right. They want true relationship though. They do want someone in their life who is going to "expect the best of them, and wade through the worst". They DO want fellowship.
SO this is my solution then. Love these people. It is that simple. Relate with these people. Laugh and cry with these people. Meet them where they are, and invite them to where Jesus has brought me.
I will have more to say about this next time, I am going to meet some people.
In Him
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Sorry It Takes Me So Long
Sorry it takes me so long to post a blog, but to be honest it is because I am doing more important things. The weeks I don't post are the weeks that I feel God is using me the most, so don't be discouraged, but rather encouraged when there is nothing new to read.
Anyway, I am now officially a missionary with the Southern Baptists. How this changes things, I don't really know, but I am getting health insurance from them now, so wooo. But this does change things a little. I am know expected to evangelize- which is awesome. Up until now I have felt that evangelism was to be done on my free time, and not when the church is paying me. Now this was a fallacious thought, and my pastor told me that I have the freedom to be an evangelist, but knowing and feeling are two different things. Now I am paid to be an evangelist. What does this mean though.
Well I know what it means to the Baptists. It means getting people baptised. And to some extent that is the gist of it. It is a measure of how well one is evangelising. But there is so much more. How does one evangelize?
I know I have discussed this a few times already, but it is of such importance that I fell we can talk about it again. How does one evangelize?
Is it simply handing out tracks?
Holding up signs that predict peoples doom?
Do I need to think of slick programs to sucker people in?
See I feel there is a value in programs, but they are not all. Unfortunately I have become sucked into the church. What do I mean by that? Well I used to have a lot of non-christian friends, now I have very few. The ones I had have become Christians, or moved away as life called them other places. I have lost my place on the front lines. I think this is where the evangelism happens.
I also used to be in the world because of my job. I was an undercover christian in the Mullins Center, now I work for a church. I need to be on the front lines undercover though. How do I get back there? And once there, how do I reach these people for Jesus?
I am going to end here and update this in a few days when I have the answers I need. I encourage you to think about how to do this wherever you are as well. Jesus wants to reach the people you are daily in contact with as well as the people I want to be in contact with.
Just an aside, I want to reach the dirty, but somehow stay clean myself. This is what I will be meditating in the next few days.
Anyway, I am now officially a missionary with the Southern Baptists. How this changes things, I don't really know, but I am getting health insurance from them now, so wooo. But this does change things a little. I am know expected to evangelize- which is awesome. Up until now I have felt that evangelism was to be done on my free time, and not when the church is paying me. Now this was a fallacious thought, and my pastor told me that I have the freedom to be an evangelist, but knowing and feeling are two different things. Now I am paid to be an evangelist. What does this mean though.
Well I know what it means to the Baptists. It means getting people baptised. And to some extent that is the gist of it. It is a measure of how well one is evangelising. But there is so much more. How does one evangelize?
I know I have discussed this a few times already, but it is of such importance that I fell we can talk about it again. How does one evangelize?
Is it simply handing out tracks?
Holding up signs that predict peoples doom?
Do I need to think of slick programs to sucker people in?
See I feel there is a value in programs, but they are not all. Unfortunately I have become sucked into the church. What do I mean by that? Well I used to have a lot of non-christian friends, now I have very few. The ones I had have become Christians, or moved away as life called them other places. I have lost my place on the front lines. I think this is where the evangelism happens.
I also used to be in the world because of my job. I was an undercover christian in the Mullins Center, now I work for a church. I need to be on the front lines undercover though. How do I get back there? And once there, how do I reach these people for Jesus?
I am going to end here and update this in a few days when I have the answers I need. I encourage you to think about how to do this wherever you are as well. Jesus wants to reach the people you are daily in contact with as well as the people I want to be in contact with.
Just an aside, I want to reach the dirty, but somehow stay clean myself. This is what I will be meditating in the next few days.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Reaching the Unclean
Sorry that I have been so slacking in posting, I had the week off, so I just tuned out the world anyway, I am back, feeling refreshed and a little inspired. I just finished reading "Rock Priest", and if you are unfamiliar with it, I recommend you find yourself a copy. I is just one guys testimony, but it really shows what God can do if we are willing to submit to Him.
One of the questions it raises is how do we reach the unreachable? How do we become the culture we want to reach, and still remain separate from said culture? These are some of the questions that I have been asking myself, so maybe that is why I liked the book so much. Anyway, I am supposed to be reaching out to hardcore kids and Umass, and the question is how do I do it? What are the symbols and thoughts that pervade the cultures I am supposed to love? And once I know that, how do I use their symbols to tell them of the Gospel effectively?
Well I think the first thing I need to do is figure out who I want to reach exactly. There are of course the hardcore kids, but UMass is huge and has so many different subcultures, that I feel like I need to narrow it down to a specific few or I would become overloaded very quickly.
I know that I want to reach out to the untouchables. Who those people are is up for debate, but I feel like part of them are the alcoholics and drug addicts and "Frat" guys. Now I know down South everyone is in a Fraternity, but at Umass it is about 1% of the population, and they are looked down upon by the rest. However, those people will use them for their parties and booze. (Sorry about the tangent, it is just important to know that "Frat guys" are on the outside here in Massachusetts.) These are the groups I have the most in common with, I think, since I was an alcoholic (that's right I was) and I was in a fraternity (Pi Lambda Phi, for those wondering).
The hard part about this ministry is that when I was drinking, I knew I was on the outside, but I don't think many others did, and this is the struggle. So much of my identity was wrapped up in what others thought about me that I didn't want to admit that I was on the outside. Now eventually I did, but there was a lot of pain first, and once I did Christ healed me, but up until that moment I was doing everything in my power to keep up the charade. Since this is how I was, I can only assume this is how they will be. This is why it is going to be challenging. How do you reach someone who desperately wants to be reached, but wants all those around to think he is not in need of what you are offering? How do you heal someone who is utterly broken, and knows it, but who has faked being well for so long it is all they know. How do you reach out to people whose whole identity is wrapped up in the image of happiness that they have falsely created?
Now I know that we all have built up fake images to show the outside world, but it is so much more with Alcoholics. They desperately want to be like everyone else. They desperately want to be liked. They hide their disease at all costs. I would say that by the end of their drinking career, be it through sobriety or death, they have no more identity except in the hope that others see them as normal. Now reaching these people means that at some level they admit that they are not in fact normal, and proclaim that they are broken to the world. This is the hump they need to get over. How do I help them traverse this road block?
The other obstacle is that most of the people I want to reach aren't quite alcoholics yet. When you are so broken that all you can do is drink, the fact that you are a drunk is evident to all, and you know that your cleverly devised plan to be seen as normal has failed. At this point there is either death or hope This is close to most people's bottoms. I have a heart for these people before they become so desolate. Looking back I had a problem that I knew about well before it ruined my life for a while, and desperately wanted to be reached out to, and to continue my path and appear as normal. I wanted to have a Christian walk beside me and keep me accountable, but I didn't want to have a drinking problem, and I definitely didn't think I needed to give up drinking just yet. This is where I want to help. I could identify with the alcoholic, but refused the label or the help.
That being said, I desperately wanted a way out. I wanted the Gospel, and no on was there to give it to me. I don' think that attacks on my lifestyle would have succeeded in changing me, but a relationship with a Christian would have helped, and a person to talk about God with would have helped me see that I needed help sooner than I did. At least this is what I think now.
So now the question is how do I reach these kids? They are out there, just begging to be found. I think that, like Jesus, I must go and find the lost sheep. They, most likely, are not going to come to me. Second I need to rely on God and His grace to a greater extent than I do now. Third, I think I need to start invading their culture. What does that mean exactly, well I have been kind of exited about going to the fraternities and talking with those guys, as well as hanging out late nights at Umass and seeing what happens. I will keep you updated.
His grace is sufficient, and that is all I really need to remember. He loves these "losers", and I pray that God would use me to reach them for Him.
One of the questions it raises is how do we reach the unreachable? How do we become the culture we want to reach, and still remain separate from said culture? These are some of the questions that I have been asking myself, so maybe that is why I liked the book so much. Anyway, I am supposed to be reaching out to hardcore kids and Umass, and the question is how do I do it? What are the symbols and thoughts that pervade the cultures I am supposed to love? And once I know that, how do I use their symbols to tell them of the Gospel effectively?
Well I think the first thing I need to do is figure out who I want to reach exactly. There are of course the hardcore kids, but UMass is huge and has so many different subcultures, that I feel like I need to narrow it down to a specific few or I would become overloaded very quickly.
I know that I want to reach out to the untouchables. Who those people are is up for debate, but I feel like part of them are the alcoholics and drug addicts and "Frat" guys. Now I know down South everyone is in a Fraternity, but at Umass it is about 1% of the population, and they are looked down upon by the rest. However, those people will use them for their parties and booze. (Sorry about the tangent, it is just important to know that "Frat guys" are on the outside here in Massachusetts.) These are the groups I have the most in common with, I think, since I was an alcoholic (that's right I was) and I was in a fraternity (Pi Lambda Phi, for those wondering).
The hard part about this ministry is that when I was drinking, I knew I was on the outside, but I don't think many others did, and this is the struggle. So much of my identity was wrapped up in what others thought about me that I didn't want to admit that I was on the outside. Now eventually I did, but there was a lot of pain first, and once I did Christ healed me, but up until that moment I was doing everything in my power to keep up the charade. Since this is how I was, I can only assume this is how they will be. This is why it is going to be challenging. How do you reach someone who desperately wants to be reached, but wants all those around to think he is not in need of what you are offering? How do you heal someone who is utterly broken, and knows it, but who has faked being well for so long it is all they know. How do you reach out to people whose whole identity is wrapped up in the image of happiness that they have falsely created?
Now I know that we all have built up fake images to show the outside world, but it is so much more with Alcoholics. They desperately want to be like everyone else. They desperately want to be liked. They hide their disease at all costs. I would say that by the end of their drinking career, be it through sobriety or death, they have no more identity except in the hope that others see them as normal. Now reaching these people means that at some level they admit that they are not in fact normal, and proclaim that they are broken to the world. This is the hump they need to get over. How do I help them traverse this road block?
The other obstacle is that most of the people I want to reach aren't quite alcoholics yet. When you are so broken that all you can do is drink, the fact that you are a drunk is evident to all, and you know that your cleverly devised plan to be seen as normal has failed. At this point there is either death or hope This is close to most people's bottoms. I have a heart for these people before they become so desolate. Looking back I had a problem that I knew about well before it ruined my life for a while, and desperately wanted to be reached out to, and to continue my path and appear as normal. I wanted to have a Christian walk beside me and keep me accountable, but I didn't want to have a drinking problem, and I definitely didn't think I needed to give up drinking just yet. This is where I want to help. I could identify with the alcoholic, but refused the label or the help.
That being said, I desperately wanted a way out. I wanted the Gospel, and no on was there to give it to me. I don' think that attacks on my lifestyle would have succeeded in changing me, but a relationship with a Christian would have helped, and a person to talk about God with would have helped me see that I needed help sooner than I did. At least this is what I think now.
So now the question is how do I reach these kids? They are out there, just begging to be found. I think that, like Jesus, I must go and find the lost sheep. They, most likely, are not going to come to me. Second I need to rely on God and His grace to a greater extent than I do now. Third, I think I need to start invading their culture. What does that mean exactly, well I have been kind of exited about going to the fraternities and talking with those guys, as well as hanging out late nights at Umass and seeing what happens. I will keep you updated.
His grace is sufficient, and that is all I really need to remember. He loves these "losers", and I pray that God would use me to reach them for Him.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Let Me Cast A Vision
So I realize that I may have been too harsh in my last blog, and kind of went on a thousand tangents. I hope with this post to change a little of that.
I tend to get really upset when I see the vision and no one else does, or they see it and are not exited about it. But I realize that part of this must be my fault for not casting the vision clear enough, and I do take partial responsibility with that (this is a big step for me).
What I am exited about is these hardcore kids coming to church. What I am exited about is spreading the kingdom. What I am exited about is reaching more people for Christ.
The way I see it, Christianity is not a fun religion. It is not all bake sales and Bible studies with ones friends. Jesus said to carry our cross. We are warned that there is a heavy price to pay when we sign up to follow Him, but in the same breath we are reassured that His yolk is easy. How can this be? Simple. When we have fully surrendered to Him, fully died to self, fully realized what we were called to be, we can do nothing but that.
Can we keep this new life found in Christ a secret after all he has done for us? I would say that if you are a Christian this would be the farthest thing from your mind. Could you in good conscience look down from heaven and see others whom you could have shared the Gospel with suffering for eternity? Can you, after Jesus has healed you return to your suburban way of life unchanged? If your faith is real I hope you would say no to all of these questions.
How then can we not have a church for hardcore kids? And a church in Northampton? And even more plans after that? Whom do you want to reach? Let us start something for them. I know we are all going to be out of our comfort zone, but isn't that where we are most effective witnesses for Jesus? Can we really congratulate ourselves on preaching to the choir? It is when we are in the thick of the Battle that our General is most clear.
We need to feel inferior, out of place. We need to squirm. It is in these situations that we lay before the throne and can ask for guidance.
What I see is hundreds of hardcore kids coming to know who Christ is. I see a church that has hardcore music. I see hardcore bands coming to know Jesus, going on tour, and bringing Christ to others. I see Jesus redeeming them and their subculture as he has me and my life.
Do you see the vision too? Who are the sub-cultures in your life that we need to reach? What are you doing to further the kingdom? Are you uncomfortable yet?
I tend to get really upset when I see the vision and no one else does, or they see it and are not exited about it. But I realize that part of this must be my fault for not casting the vision clear enough, and I do take partial responsibility with that (this is a big step for me).
What I am exited about is these hardcore kids coming to church. What I am exited about is spreading the kingdom. What I am exited about is reaching more people for Christ.
The way I see it, Christianity is not a fun religion. It is not all bake sales and Bible studies with ones friends. Jesus said to carry our cross. We are warned that there is a heavy price to pay when we sign up to follow Him, but in the same breath we are reassured that His yolk is easy. How can this be? Simple. When we have fully surrendered to Him, fully died to self, fully realized what we were called to be, we can do nothing but that.
Can we keep this new life found in Christ a secret after all he has done for us? I would say that if you are a Christian this would be the farthest thing from your mind. Could you in good conscience look down from heaven and see others whom you could have shared the Gospel with suffering for eternity? Can you, after Jesus has healed you return to your suburban way of life unchanged? If your faith is real I hope you would say no to all of these questions.
How then can we not have a church for hardcore kids? And a church in Northampton? And even more plans after that? Whom do you want to reach? Let us start something for them. I know we are all going to be out of our comfort zone, but isn't that where we are most effective witnesses for Jesus? Can we really congratulate ourselves on preaching to the choir? It is when we are in the thick of the Battle that our General is most clear.
We need to feel inferior, out of place. We need to squirm. It is in these situations that we lay before the throne and can ask for guidance.
What I see is hundreds of hardcore kids coming to know who Christ is. I see a church that has hardcore music. I see hardcore bands coming to know Jesus, going on tour, and bringing Christ to others. I see Jesus redeeming them and their subculture as he has me and my life.
Do you see the vision too? Who are the sub-cultures in your life that we need to reach? What are you doing to further the kingdom? Are you uncomfortable yet?
Monday, March 12, 2007
Church Kids Just Don't Get It
This Saturday at 11:30 pm Mercyhouse is beginning its Midnight Service. There will be food and fellowship from 11:30 pm- Midnight, and then a short sermonette followed by some question and answer time. The reason we are starting it is in response to the hardcore concerts we have been hosting here. We have really trying to be lights to these kids and minister to them, and after lots of prayer and discussion, we realized that even if they are interested in Jesus, "church" would probably be too much for them, so we will go to them, instead of whining about how they don't come to us.
Anyway, at first people were really exited, and some still are, but it seems the closer we get to the start, the less people are willing to help. Now I realize that life gets in the way of everything sometimes. I know how hard it is to juggle school, a full time job, friends, church, and them come and do ministry on top of all that. I also know that people are intimidated by the hardcore scene. I am in a special place in our church since I work for it, and doing this Midnight service is part of my job. I also realize that by complaining about the lack of enthusiasm, it turns people off more than makes them exited to help. So I am going to try not to complain that much, and instead cast a vision. Hopefully people will see the mission, get on board, and serve Jesus with joy.
Now I know that these kids are hard to deal with. They are tough, somewhat violent, and extremely smart, and smart asses. All this makes ministering to them very tough. But I want you to see that these are the kinds of people Jesus, Peter, and Paul would have ministered to. Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors, Peter gives the first sermon in Jerusalem to very smart people, Paul routinely begins conversations with synagogue leaders and Greek philosophers, and Roman Centurions. Now I can't think of smarted people than Greek Philosophers or tougher men than Roman Guards, but these are the people we see being ministered to in the New Testament, and also these are the people that fall in love with Jesus, get the vision of the Church, convert their friends and families, and found the early christian church.
It is not just the New Testament that shows Gods affection for the outcast. Jonah was to preach to the Ninevites, Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah. Rahab, a prostitute is able to join Israel- and will be in the direct line of the Messiah. Over and over we see God using the "sinners" and tax collectors to further his kingdom.
Well, I don't think these hardcore kids are necessarily "sinners" and tax collectors for our Post-Modern age, but they are pretty close. They are counter culture. They are tough. They are sometimes scary if you are not familiar with their customs and traditions. They are also, in some respects outcasts- that is why they become hardcore. Now if you are a hardcore kid reading this, don't feel too bad. I am not saying you are some freak, I am just telling you what you already knew. That is why you have giant gauged ears and tattoos. You want to reinforce that you are not part of my society. I know you are not in my circle, per se, but I still can respect you for what you are, and if you try to B.S. me into thinking that you are a part of society like anyone else, I promise you will will loose your respect and your hardcore image.
Anyway, these are the kids that God has brought to our church. These are the kids we need to reach. I don't believe in coincidences, I think that there is always a plan. If this is true, that the plan must be to reach these kids. SO lets do it. Now I know that Saturday midnight is late for some of us, but remember how late most people college age stay up Saturdays. When I drank and was a sinner like the rest, my normal bed time was 4 am. I feel that most people in college go to sleep around 2am Sunday Morning. The reason we feel that midnight is so late, is that most Christians are losers. That is why you can't reach the culture.
That's right, most Christans are losers. You would rather get a good night sleep and be ready for church that reach people for Jesus. Let me ask you, when you die, do you think God is going to be more pleased that you went to church on time and alert every week, of that you changed people's lives by showing them Jesus. Ultimately, we are called to reach all the peoples of the world. This includes college age kids who go to bed at 4am and wake up well after church is over. How are they going to hear unless you tell them.
I know I said I was not going to complain that much, and the last paragraph was really a rant at Christians, but sometimes I can't control myself, and I would just erase it, if it didn't need to be said.
Anyway, now for the vision casting time. Mercyhouse already has two services going on, one at 10:30 am, and one at 12:30 pm. But is this all that Jesus wants? Is he content with 200 people worshipping every Sunday? I don't think so. I see Him desiring that all the people of the Pioneer Valley come to know Him who made them. So let us start a third service. Sure it is late, but that is when these kids are up.
My wife lived in Ireland a few years ago, and while she was there, her church fed the homeless. Once they gave food to a homeless person, they would hand them a tract ( a pamphlet explaining Jesus to them) and then would drive away. The main problem here is that the homeless in Ireland have a 70 percent illiteracy rate. This means that they most likely could not read what the tract said. How does this help them know God? I doesn't. I see a parallel here.
If we are not meeting people's needs, but telling them they need Jesus, how are we helping. The needs of Most of Umass, and of the Hardcore scene is someone, something, to meet them on their terms. Part of this, I believe, means having a late night church bible study. If we have church early in the morning and tell them that they should come, it is sort of like handing an illiterate a tract, is it not?
I don't think this is what Jesus did. He went out into the villages, met people where that were. He had compassion on them, he really loved them. When he eats at Levi's house, it is because he knew the easiest way to reach tax collectors was to invade their space. And he doesn't do it so that he can pat himself of the back, but because he really loved these people. He knew what would become of them if they didn't know Him, and He was going to make every effort for them to repent and follow Him, even if that meant eating with tax collectors. It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick- and sick people usually can't get themselves to the hospital. Let's bring the hospital to them.
Tonight, as you go to bed, ask yourself what God wants you to do for the kingdom. Jesus demands all of us. We are to take up our cross and follow Him. He is not a way to feel better about yourself (although he will make you well and give you peace) , He is not just a Sunday morning after thought, He is our King, if we call ourselves Christians. He has a plan, and part of that plan he allows us the awesome job of completing, We are told to make disciples of the Nations. Well the Hardcore tribe at Umass needs Jesus as much as you did. Step out of your comfort zone and come love the tax collectors and sinners.
Anyway, at first people were really exited, and some still are, but it seems the closer we get to the start, the less people are willing to help. Now I realize that life gets in the way of everything sometimes. I know how hard it is to juggle school, a full time job, friends, church, and them come and do ministry on top of all that. I also know that people are intimidated by the hardcore scene. I am in a special place in our church since I work for it, and doing this Midnight service is part of my job. I also realize that by complaining about the lack of enthusiasm, it turns people off more than makes them exited to help. So I am going to try not to complain that much, and instead cast a vision. Hopefully people will see the mission, get on board, and serve Jesus with joy.
Now I know that these kids are hard to deal with. They are tough, somewhat violent, and extremely smart, and smart asses. All this makes ministering to them very tough. But I want you to see that these are the kinds of people Jesus, Peter, and Paul would have ministered to. Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors, Peter gives the first sermon in Jerusalem to very smart people, Paul routinely begins conversations with synagogue leaders and Greek philosophers, and Roman Centurions. Now I can't think of smarted people than Greek Philosophers or tougher men than Roman Guards, but these are the people we see being ministered to in the New Testament, and also these are the people that fall in love with Jesus, get the vision of the Church, convert their friends and families, and found the early christian church.
It is not just the New Testament that shows Gods affection for the outcast. Jonah was to preach to the Ninevites, Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah. Rahab, a prostitute is able to join Israel- and will be in the direct line of the Messiah. Over and over we see God using the "sinners" and tax collectors to further his kingdom.
Well, I don't think these hardcore kids are necessarily "sinners" and tax collectors for our Post-Modern age, but they are pretty close. They are counter culture. They are tough. They are sometimes scary if you are not familiar with their customs and traditions. They are also, in some respects outcasts- that is why they become hardcore. Now if you are a hardcore kid reading this, don't feel too bad. I am not saying you are some freak, I am just telling you what you already knew. That is why you have giant gauged ears and tattoos. You want to reinforce that you are not part of my society. I know you are not in my circle, per se, but I still can respect you for what you are, and if you try to B.S. me into thinking that you are a part of society like anyone else, I promise you will will loose your respect and your hardcore image.
Anyway, these are the kids that God has brought to our church. These are the kids we need to reach. I don't believe in coincidences, I think that there is always a plan. If this is true, that the plan must be to reach these kids. SO lets do it. Now I know that Saturday midnight is late for some of us, but remember how late most people college age stay up Saturdays. When I drank and was a sinner like the rest, my normal bed time was 4 am. I feel that most people in college go to sleep around 2am Sunday Morning. The reason we feel that midnight is so late, is that most Christians are losers. That is why you can't reach the culture.
That's right, most Christans are losers. You would rather get a good night sleep and be ready for church that reach people for Jesus. Let me ask you, when you die, do you think God is going to be more pleased that you went to church on time and alert every week, of that you changed people's lives by showing them Jesus. Ultimately, we are called to reach all the peoples of the world. This includes college age kids who go to bed at 4am and wake up well after church is over. How are they going to hear unless you tell them.
I know I said I was not going to complain that much, and the last paragraph was really a rant at Christians, but sometimes I can't control myself, and I would just erase it, if it didn't need to be said.
Anyway, now for the vision casting time. Mercyhouse already has two services going on, one at 10:30 am, and one at 12:30 pm. But is this all that Jesus wants? Is he content with 200 people worshipping every Sunday? I don't think so. I see Him desiring that all the people of the Pioneer Valley come to know Him who made them. So let us start a third service. Sure it is late, but that is when these kids are up.
My wife lived in Ireland a few years ago, and while she was there, her church fed the homeless. Once they gave food to a homeless person, they would hand them a tract ( a pamphlet explaining Jesus to them) and then would drive away. The main problem here is that the homeless in Ireland have a 70 percent illiteracy rate. This means that they most likely could not read what the tract said. How does this help them know God? I doesn't. I see a parallel here.
If we are not meeting people's needs, but telling them they need Jesus, how are we helping. The needs of Most of Umass, and of the Hardcore scene is someone, something, to meet them on their terms. Part of this, I believe, means having a late night church bible study. If we have church early in the morning and tell them that they should come, it is sort of like handing an illiterate a tract, is it not?
I don't think this is what Jesus did. He went out into the villages, met people where that were. He had compassion on them, he really loved them. When he eats at Levi's house, it is because he knew the easiest way to reach tax collectors was to invade their space. And he doesn't do it so that he can pat himself of the back, but because he really loved these people. He knew what would become of them if they didn't know Him, and He was going to make every effort for them to repent and follow Him, even if that meant eating with tax collectors. It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick- and sick people usually can't get themselves to the hospital. Let's bring the hospital to them.
Tonight, as you go to bed, ask yourself what God wants you to do for the kingdom. Jesus demands all of us. We are to take up our cross and follow Him. He is not a way to feel better about yourself (although he will make you well and give you peace) , He is not just a Sunday morning after thought, He is our King, if we call ourselves Christians. He has a plan, and part of that plan he allows us the awesome job of completing, We are told to make disciples of the Nations. Well the Hardcore tribe at Umass needs Jesus as much as you did. Step out of your comfort zone and come love the tax collectors and sinners.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Over Worked, Underpaid, and Loving it
I am trying to post Mondays, but like with all my plans, life gets in the way. A few guys from Mercyhouse helped to build a stage in our church building this week. We were also able to include some of the hardcore kids who have been coming to the shows we host.
In other hardcore news, our church is having a men's retreat this weekend, and another one of the hardcore kids are coming. God is truly moving in the scene. I am so exited for March 17. I realize that it is going to be a lot of work, my wife and I already host 2 house churches, but this third one Saturday night will be worth it.
Anyway, I am giving the sermon this week at church. I am speaking about Mark 4:35- 5:41. You can check it out after at http://www.knowmercy.org/. My Joshua sermons are already up there, as well as our normal pastors sermon series for the last few years. We also have a calendar so you can see how many events we as a church are hosting as outreach into the community. If you really want to you can check out our myspace page too- www.myspace.com/mercyhouse365 . Enough shameless promotion, here is my thought for the week.
I have heard for years that we are in a post modern world, but it hasn't really set in until recently. I think that my generation, I am 27, was really at the turning point from modern to post modern thought, at least I was, so I think that there are things that we can see that the generation before and after can not. Hopefully this will be a boon. Let me explain what I mean.
I was meeting with a guy in my church. and being younger, he is post modern, but he doesn't even realize it. It is all he has known, so even thinking that there are other modes of thought out there is ridiculous to him. Our conversation led to television, and the types of shows that are now on, and the lies that they are selling. But knowing nothing different, he could not discern what I meant.
In particular, we began discussing ideas of masculinity and femininity it T.V. We talked about how the ideals of man and woman have changed, and how there is now a self perpetuating monster that tells girls that women's liberation means that they should show skin, be unhealthily thin, and pleasure men sexually to feel good, and tells men that they should be women. This young man knew that these were broken ideals, but just assumed these were always the ideals. He had no idea that these are relatively new views of men and women.
I don't really know where I am going with this rant, other than this: As a Christian, I feel it is of the utmost importance to know, not only are we broken, but how that form of brokenness can to be the dominant paradigm. If we don't know our history, we will never be able to expose the lies of Satan. Even other Christians are stuck in the period of time that they are stuck in. Our world view is to some extent defined by where and when we exist. TO really effectively witness to a culture for Christ, we must not only know the culture we are witnessing to, we need to know its roots. If we are to expose the evils of our present age, we must know where those evils grew from.
Just as a side note, we must also know the good of a culture, and celebrate the common grace that that culture was able to accept. If we only condemn the others for their evil ways, and don't praise them for their advances, they won't listen.
I digress though. I would encourage you all this week to really look at the culture you are in, and try to step out of it. I you succeed, I think you will find it s easier to connect with people, since you will know really where they are coming from.
Next week I will have morew time, and hope to speak to this alittle more, until then I leave you with God's peace.
In other hardcore news, our church is having a men's retreat this weekend, and another one of the hardcore kids are coming. God is truly moving in the scene. I am so exited for March 17. I realize that it is going to be a lot of work, my wife and I already host 2 house churches, but this third one Saturday night will be worth it.
Anyway, I am giving the sermon this week at church. I am speaking about Mark 4:35- 5:41. You can check it out after at http://www.knowmercy.org/. My Joshua sermons are already up there, as well as our normal pastors sermon series for the last few years. We also have a calendar so you can see how many events we as a church are hosting as outreach into the community. If you really want to you can check out our myspace page too- www.myspace.com/mercyhouse365 . Enough shameless promotion, here is my thought for the week.
I have heard for years that we are in a post modern world, but it hasn't really set in until recently. I think that my generation, I am 27, was really at the turning point from modern to post modern thought, at least I was, so I think that there are things that we can see that the generation before and after can not. Hopefully this will be a boon. Let me explain what I mean.
I was meeting with a guy in my church. and being younger, he is post modern, but he doesn't even realize it. It is all he has known, so even thinking that there are other modes of thought out there is ridiculous to him. Our conversation led to television, and the types of shows that are now on, and the lies that they are selling. But knowing nothing different, he could not discern what I meant.
In particular, we began discussing ideas of masculinity and femininity it T.V. We talked about how the ideals of man and woman have changed, and how there is now a self perpetuating monster that tells girls that women's liberation means that they should show skin, be unhealthily thin, and pleasure men sexually to feel good, and tells men that they should be women. This young man knew that these were broken ideals, but just assumed these were always the ideals. He had no idea that these are relatively new views of men and women.
I don't really know where I am going with this rant, other than this: As a Christian, I feel it is of the utmost importance to know, not only are we broken, but how that form of brokenness can to be the dominant paradigm. If we don't know our history, we will never be able to expose the lies of Satan. Even other Christians are stuck in the period of time that they are stuck in. Our world view is to some extent defined by where and when we exist. TO really effectively witness to a culture for Christ, we must not only know the culture we are witnessing to, we need to know its roots. If we are to expose the evils of our present age, we must know where those evils grew from.
Just as a side note, we must also know the good of a culture, and celebrate the common grace that that culture was able to accept. If we only condemn the others for their evil ways, and don't praise them for their advances, they won't listen.
I digress though. I would encourage you all this week to really look at the culture you are in, and try to step out of it. I you succeed, I think you will find it s easier to connect with people, since you will know really where they are coming from.
Next week I will have morew time, and hope to speak to this alittle more, until then I leave you with God's peace.
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