Do You Delight in Spending Time with God?

As I reflect back on the ebbs and flows of my spiritual journey, one constant has been spending daily time with God, reading the Bible and talking to God in prayer. Sometimes I awaken in the morning and can’t wait to spend that time alone with Jesus. Other times I get up and sit down to spend time with him, not because I’m eager to, but because I know that if I don’t I’ll drift away from an intimate relationship with him.

This morning I was pondering, “How does one change from a ‘have to’ attitude to a ‘want to’ attitude when it comes to spending time with God?” In Psalm 42, the sons of Korah describe their longing for God like a parched deer, thirsting for a cool drink of water. They draw the parallel with these words, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:2).

My wife, Brenda, describes a time in her spiritual journey that she began praying Psalm 42:1-2 as a request for God to change her desire to be like that of a deer panting for a refreshing stream of water. She says that one day she realized that God had changed her “have to” to “want to” as a result of those prayers. And now, years later, I observe that continued soul-thirsting after God as she spends time each morning reading and meditating on the Word.

I’ve heard some say that we shouldn’t push ourselves to spend time with the Lord if it isn’t a delight. I disagree! I’ve discovered that you can’t “feel your way” into longing for God, but rather, developing the habit of daily time in the Word and prayer, accompanied with a prayer that God will develop the spiritual thirst in our soul, results in a new longing and increased intimacy with the one who is the lover of my soul.

Here are a few questions to evaluate (with honesty!) your motives in spending time with God:

1.     What do I believe about spending time with God?

2.     Do I feel guilty when I don’t read my Bible daily? If so, why do you think that is?

3.     How would my relationship with God be different a year from now if I spent regular, daily time with him?

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

May God increase our delight in his presence!

The New (and BETTER!) Commandment

The Jewish leaders were continually trying to trap Jesus in what he said so they could condemn him publically. On one occasion, they came up with a scheme to make him choose between the hundreds of commandments from the law.  A lawyer asked Jesus which was the most important, and without hesitation Jesus replied,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40, ESV)

Bam! He boiled the whole Old Testament down to two things: Love God and love other people.  There was no way the lawyer could argue against that. And when it comes to loving other people, Jesus said the qualification is that we love them to the same degree that we love and care for ourselves. Now when it comes to my family, I’m okay with that. I love my wife and kids and would do anything that is for their best. I would even take a bullet for them to save their life, or choose to get sick if it meant them staying healthy.  But Jesus said that our love isn’t just for family, it’s for our neighbor as well!

Then another time, Jesus raised the bar even higher when he said,

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34, ESV)

Instead of my self-love being the measure of love for others, Jesus took it to a new level and says that we’re supposed to love others in the same way that he loves us! Wow! That’s a tall order! Jesus’ love is way beyond what we normally have.

This command is sandwiched between washing the disciples’ feet (an act of humility and servanthood) and his arrest, which led to his greatest demonstration of love: dying in our place. His love compelled him to step out of heaven and become human. His love drove him to undergo the beatings, humiliation and crucifixion. He didn’t have to do all that, but he did because of love. Then he goes on to say that this kind of love is the distinguishing mark of being a disciple (v35).

So… how’s your love for God and for other Christians? Can you say that you love like Jesus loves you? And what would it look like in your life this week? In relationship with your family… your co-workers… your neighbor… the homeless guy on the street corner?

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18, ESV)

Recruiting New Leaders for Community Groups

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Objective: Helping people discover their God-given call to being Community Group Leaders

Rather than trying to sell something that people don’t want, we are giving people the opportunity to participate in God’s discipleship agenda for the church.

We’re not trying to steal people from other ministries, and we’re not trying to make people who are already too busy to add one more thing to their plate. Instead, we’re looking for people who love God and love people, who are ready to step up to a new challenge of shepherding a group of people toward Christ-likeness and kingdom-minded service.

What keeps most people from responding to the invitation to “start a group?”

·      They’re too busy, either participating or serving in other ministries, and/or with family, kids, work, hobbies, sports, etc.

·      They don’t feel qualified to lead (they haven’t led before, not enough Bible knowledge, don’t think they can do it, don’t have the gift of teaching, etc…)

·      They don’t feel called to lead

·      They’re already in a group and don’t want to leave the community of friends they’re connected to – that can feel like a divorce!

Everybody’s challenge is nobody’s challenge! The problem with only doing mass appeals for new Community Group Leaders is that we’ll get a limited number of respondents (in recent campaign at the Rock Church, two Sundays of promotions brought in .14% of those the attendance).  Many who would make good leaders don’t respond and opportunity is lost, unless we have a parallel track of invitation and challenge.

How to personally recruit CG leaders:

1.     Craft your message:

·      Vision: develop a 30 second “elevator speech” of how God is changing lives through Community Groups and the need to grow the number of groups to impact more lives.

·      Scope: what are you challenging them to? 1 year commitment? 6 months? How about a shorter scope of “host a group for 4-6 weeks.” That’s a much easier commitment for someone to make.

·      Responsibilities: what would they be required to do?  Show a video for the teaching segment, facilitate discussion, encourage relationship, lead prayer time.

·      Process: how would they begin? Application :: training :: coach :: launch :: coaching / support

2.     Start with your circle of influence: think and pray through those you know. Who could you talk with about starting a group? Make a list and start contacting them!

3.     Make appointments to meet with your prospects: a face-to-face meeting is going to have the greatest potential of recruiting a new leader, especially if you don’t already have relationship with the person.

4.     Ask coaching questions: as you dialog with a potential leader, ask questions that will help drill down to their desire to serve God, fears that may be holding them back, and that will help them assess their priorities and schedule.

5.     Network with other leaders and ask them for referrals

No More Condemnation!

Guilt. Condemnation. Self-loathing. Insecurity. So many people in our culture live under a burden that crushes. The result? Depression, self-medicating with alcohol or drugs, pushing those who love us away, even suicide. But it doesn't have to be that way!

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2)

NO CONDEMNATION! Not based on our worthiness or goodness, but based on being "in Christ Jesus." Jesus death fully paid for every sin, and when a person surrenders to Jesus through faith, they are placed in Christ and become a new creation! "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17)

Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:18)

Are you in Christ by believing in him? Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ by believing what he said is true about you and rejecting the deceptions of the evil one, who only wants to discourage you and tear you down. Walk in the new life he has given you and reject guilt & condemnation!

What kind of fragrance are you spreading?

Have you ever thought of the aroma that you spread to those around you? Not your aftershave or perfume, but the fragrance of Christ that you carry with you!

In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul paints a picture of a Roman triumphal procession, where Jesus is the conquering General being honored as he leads a parade of conquered slaves, of whom Paul says we are a part!

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere." (v14)

It's the paradox of being a conquered slave, but at the same time being an emissary of God himself! Then in the next verse, he describes another paradox, that to those who are being saved, we are the aroma of life, but to those who are perishing, we are the aroma of death. The same gospel has opposite effects on people - a beautiful fragrance of life or a pungent, offensive odor of death.

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul describes why some people can't understand the amazing gift of salvation that God is offering to them:  

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (v 3-4)  

A few years ago, I was at a conference and one of the speakers said that we have three options of how we relate to the world:

1. Fortress – we can pull away from the world and protect ourselves and our children from all the bad that is out there
2. Force – we can choose activism to try to force change through legislation and political action
3. Fragrance – we can live in the world in such a way that others see Christ’s love through us

There is a spiritual battle being waged for the souls of humanity, and our job is to (1) take the gospel - the beautiful fragrance of Christ - with us everywhere we go, and (2) pray for the illumination of the hearts and minds of unbelievers around us.

What kind of fragrance are you spreading?

You are Shepherds!

At the end of his third missionary journey, Paul was on his way to Jerusalem and stopped at Miletus to meet with the elders of the church at Ephesus. Considering the way the church was structured in those days, each elder was probably responsible for a group of people that met in a home. In Acts 20:20, Paul tells the elders that he taught them “publically and from house to house,” a pattern which characterized the early church.

Our weekend services are the times when we gather publically, worship together, hear the word taught, and are challenged to pursue a shared vision of Pervasive Hope. Then when we meet in homes, we encourage each other in a personal way, growing in Christ-likeness and Kingdom-mindedness. But it’s not just about relationships and growth, it’s also about engaging our community in a way that meets their needs and introduces them to Jesus too: Pervasive Hope to every street & every person!

In some ways, Community Group leaders are in a similar role as those Ephesian elders, as you shepherd a group of people that meets in a home or coffee shop during the week. And the challenge that Paul extended to them could be applied to your life and ministry as well:

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

Take these observations to heart:

1.     Keep watch over yourselves – before we can shepherd others, we need to shepherd ourselves! At a most foundational level, this includes developing a consistent and passionate pursuit of intimacy with Christ through prayer, the Word, and other spiritual disciplines. It also includes walking in obedience to Christ, allowing His Spirit to develop godliness and character.

2.     Keep watch over each other – this is the second part of “yourselves,” meaning the other shepherds of the church! We can’t be lone rangers in our ministries, or think that I don’t have to answer to anyone because it’s “my Community Group.”  That’s one reason that we have periodic huddles, training times, and reports for Community Group leaders – we want to stay connected to each other for accountability, encouragement, and alignment of our direction to fulfill God’s mission for his church.

3.     Keep watch over those in your group – I believe that every Christian needs someone shepherding them. This is especially true for young believers who need to become grounded in the faith and truth. There will be times when you as a shepherd will need to lovingly confront someone in your group who is going astray, calling them to reconciliation with Jesus and to walk in obedience to him.

4.     Remember who called you! The Holy Spirit is the one who calls us to ministry, and he also gifts and empowers us to fulfill that calling (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

5.     Remember who your group belongs to! Paul calls it the “church of God,” not “my church” or “your church.” Our commission to “be shepherds” really places us as under-shepherds of Jesus, the “great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20). Seek his wisdom and direction for leading, feeding and growing a healthy Community Group!

Let’s work together to shepherd and disciple the people that God is bringing into his family, the church! Let’s lead them to become more like Jesus and to engage in a lifestyle of expanding his Kingdom through ministry and evangelism in your neighborhood.

Discussion: Which area do you need to bring a greater emphasis into your Community Group this year?

1.     Biblical Community – authentic relationships that encourage and stimulate each other “toward love and good deeds”

2.     Discipleship –engagement of God’s word and other spiritual disciplines, leading toward life transformation into Christ-likeness and Kingdom-mindedness

3.     Outreach – bringing Pervasive Hope to your neighborhood through meeting practical needs and sharing the gospel

Response to “The Great Dance” (by C. Baxter Kruger)

The author begins the book with a wonderful description of the relational engagement between the Trinity and humanity, which affects every aspect of life. He wrote of his own transformation from viewing God in a detached, intellectual sort of way to the realization of joy and glory of life enveloped in the Trinity:

“All along I had been thinking about God the wrong way. All along I had misjudged the very being of God. I had been a blind idiot. God is not some faceless, all-powerful abstraction. God is Father, Son and Spirit, existing in a passionate and joyous fellowship. The Trinity is not three highly committed religious types sitting around some room in heaven. The Trinity is a circle of shared life, and the life shared is full, not empty, abounding and rich and beautiful, not lonely and sad and boring.” (p22)

I believe that many people today struggle along in the sad state of cultural Christianity, embracing an intellectual belief about God, but never experiencing the profound reality of the abundant life in Christ. I have heard it said that we go through multiple “conversions” in our life, and what Kruger describes in these first pages was his conversion from an intellectual faith to a relational faith.

My concern with his work is rooted in his belief in what it means to be “in Christ.” I believe that the position that he teaches in this book teeters on the precipice of universalism. On page 49, he writes,

“When this Son went down, we went down. And when this Son came forth from the grave, the human race came forth with him, quickened with new life, born again in the Spirit into a living hope. And when this Son ascended to the Father, he took the whole human race with him. And there and then the human race was welcomed by the Father, accepted, embraced, included in the great dance.”

The implication of this statement is that every human being has already been born again, and everyone is already seated in heavenly places “in Christ.” I believe that on careful examination of the following Scriptures, one must conclude that we are placed “in Christ” at the moment of our salvation, and that those who do not believe in Christ are not “in Christ” and thus are separated from him and face condemnation.

Romans 8:1-11: verse 1 states clearly that whoever is “in Christ” is not condemned, nor will be condemned: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (ESV) Verse 4 goes on to describe those who are “in Christ” as those “who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Verses 5-8 describe the contrast between those who live by the flesh and those who live by the Spirit. Verse 9 puts the nail in the coffin by stating “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

In contrast to this, Kruger says that “Lost is defined not in terms of whether or not we belong to the Trinity, for that has been settled once and for all in Jesus Christ… We belong to the Father, Son and Spirit.” (p106) Taking this statement alongside his comments on “the whole human race” being born again and ascended to the Father in Christ, Kruger is clearly stating that everyone is “in Christ” and not separated from him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” – note the conditional statement here, introduced with the word “if”. The following statement would therefore be true as well, “if anyone is not in Christ, he is not a new creation.” And then examine the words of Jesus in his conversation with Nicodemus found in John 3:16, “whoever believes in him should not perish…” In these words Jesus describes the reality of conditional inclusion in Christ – and stated negatively it becomes “whoever does not believe in him will perish.” Two verses later he states it clearly, “whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Taken together with Romans 8:1 that states those “in Christ” are not condemned, the way that someone is placed in Christ is by believing. Some do not and will not believe and therefore are not in Christ.

Earlier in John 3, in the discussion about being “born again,” Jesus makes the following assertions:

• Being born again is a requirement for seeing (v3) and entering (v5) the Kingdom of God
• Being born again is being born of the Spirit (v5-6)
• Those who believe in Jesus may have eternal life (v15)

Given the context it is safe to assume that “having eternal life” is synonymous with entering the Kingdom of God. Thus,

Believing in Jesus --> being born again --> entering the Kingdom of God = eternal life = being in Christ.

Based on the above Scriptures, and in contrast to what Kruger writes, I do not believe that the whole human race was born again and placed in Christ at the cross. His thinking leads to a re-writing of the gospel, from telling people that they are separated from God by their sin to telling them they need to change their thinking to believe that they are already in Christ (Kruger p102-103).

Scriptures on Judgment:

Hebrews 10:26-27 “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”

2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”

Does Character Really Matter?

No Longer a Hero!

It seems that every couple of months another leader or celebrity athlete is disavowed because of a lack of character.  When the recent scandal with Lance Armstrong began, I didn’t believe it because he seemed like such a “good guy” and an example for overcoming adversity.  But when the truth came out and his character was exposed, another hero was taken off the pedestal.

Perhaps the most troubling is when it’s a Christian leader. Every time a pastor or TV evangelist falls into sin, the media has a field day, and there are so many negative comments about the church and Christians. Upstanding character isn’t just for leaders or public figures though; God has designed for every Christian to grow to become more Christ-like in their attitudes, motivations, and behaviors. One of the realities is that many people base their perceptions of God on our character! When they observe a lack of integrity or an attitude of always complaining, we misrepresent what it means to live a life of faith in our amazing God.

Jesus put it this way: “…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”         Matthew 5:16 (NIV)

What kind of light have you been shining before others lately?

There’s a great passage about our growth in godliness that at first glance seems like a paradox, but as you dig deeper, you’ll see that there is a divine partnership between God and us.  Take a few minutes today to read 2 Peter 1:3-9. 

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20peter%201:3-9&version=NIV

To dig a little deeper, grab your journal to record your thoughts on these questions:

1. Read 2 Peter 1:3-4: What do these two verses promise? What is God’s role in our growing in godly character?
2. Read 2 Peter 1:5-9: What is our role in growing in godly character? What might hinder you from that growth?

Verse 8 gives a promise that I think every Christian wants a piece of:

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In other words, growing in the character qualities listed in that passage will give you an effective and productive Christian life. That’s the kind of life that I want to live! Let’s make every effort to grow in the godly character qualities that Peter listed, and let’s give God thanks for being at work in us, giving us EVERYTHING that we need for life and godliness!

Thought to Start Your Week!

Be strong & courageous this week, and remember God's love and grace in your life!  You are chosen in Christ, empowered by his Spirit, created to do good works, purchased out of the slave market of sin by Jesus' blood and set free to be a bond-slave of the King of Kings & Lord of Lords!  You have a high & noble calling, and you are never alone.

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:8-9

Three Qualities of a Healthy Community Group

No two Community Groups look alike… yet, there are some common characteristics of groups that are healthy. When I meet with prospective Community Group Leaders, there are three things that I emphasize that they must develop in their group. As the Community Groups Pastor, it’s my desire that every Rock Community Group would be growing and engaged in all three of these characteristics:

1.     Relational Engagement (aka – Authentic Community)

As I wrote in another post (CLICK HERE), God created us for relationships with others, and without them, we are isolated and vulnerable to discouragement and defeat. Community Groups are a safe place to be honest and transparent about the victories and struggles in life. As you spend time with those in your group, you’ll find those relationships growing into true friendships. The best place to grow closer to Jesus is in a community of friends!

2.     Spiritual Formation (aka – Discipleship)

When Jesus met with his disciples for the last time before he ascended to heaven, he gave them their marching orders:

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matt 28:19-20a)

This passage is at the core of what the church is called to do – make disciples. A disciple is a learner, one who is in the process of becoming like their master. And that’s our goal, becoming like our master, Jesus! Every Community Group includes time spent in the Word, prayer, and encouragement for spiritual growth. But ultimately, we each need to take responsibility for our own growth, and then when we meet together in our Community Group, we “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Heb 10:24).

3.     Missional Impact (aka – Community Outreach) 
The Rock Church is a Do Something Church – we believe that God calls us to be engaged in the neighborhoods around us in order to bring Pervasive Hope to every street and every person.  Our Community Groups likewise engage in outreach projects to the neighborhoods around them. Some groups participate in the quarterly Rock Your City events. Other groups, like Corbett & Susan Stone’s group, go to a local food pantry once a month to hand out sacks of groceries to hungry families. There are hundreds of opportunities in our city and county to meet needs and serve others in the name of Jesus.

So how is your Community Group doing? Are there some adjustments you need to make so it will be engaged in all three of the above essentials?

Let me know what you intend to this month to make a difference!

Be strong & courageous!
Dave Stewart