It’s easy to look at today’s headlines and wonder, “What in the world is going on?” We are certainly living in times of change. Many believe that the moral compass of America and much of the world has been permanently reset. It would seem that God is nowhere to be found in the thoughts of much of the world’s population.
July 4 is the day that America celebrates her Independence Day. In recent days, upon voting to leave the EU, many pundits declared that June 23 was Great Brittan’s independence day. Others said that Great Brittan’s voters made a huge mistake. Time will tell. What happens in today’s newscast will not surprise God. What happens in tomorrow’s newscast will not surprise Him either. God knows the future, He was there in the past, and He is right here with us in the present. Are you living in an awareness of God’s presence today?
As we celebrate America’s independence today, I want to encourage you to turn your thoughts towards God. Where does God fit in your life? Is He an afterthought, or is He the Lord of your life? Here’s another way to look at it – is your life one of dependence upon God or independence from God?
When it comes to our relationship with God, we either live lives of dependency or lives of independence. What does God want for us? He wants us to live lives of dependency. Look at some of what the Bible tells us about depending on God:
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that doing things our own way will lead us to ultimate satisfaction. But a life that is lived in independence from God is really a lesson in missing the ultimate point of life. God calls us to love Him more than anything else that the world has to offer. So, in this month where we celebrate our nation’s independence, how about also making a vow of dependency to the Lord?
In The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote these words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
I’m so glad that we have a God who gave us these rights. But, even our founding fathers recognized that these rights, lived without dependency upon God were not enough. The Declaration of Independence closes with these words:
“With a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
May we live with a firm reliance upon God this and every month. May we live lives of dependency! As you celebrate your independence this month, celebrate your dependency too!
I encouraged the congregation of Woodbury Community Church to take time this week to write out a Declaration of Dependence on the Lord. Then I shared with them the declaration of dependence that I wrote. Here it is:
“I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
But, God, I also hold to these truths. My life when lived apart from You is a disaster. I need You.
I am a sinner, who desperately needs Your grace. I am hopelessly lost without the salvation that is offered through Your Son, Jesus Christ.
I am a Christian, who has been saved by grace. I am dependent on Your Holy Spirit for guidance as to how I should live my life, for conviction of sin, and for the courage to live for You and Your glory in this generation.
If you are the Creator, and I believe with all of my heart that you are, then it stands to reason that I am among the created. I need you to help me understand Your plan for my life. I am dependent upon the wisdom that comes from knowing You and seeking first Your kingdom and Your glory.
I need your eyes to help me see the world as You see it. I need Your compassion to help me love the world as You love the world. I need your provision to help me provide for my family and to help me provide for the needs of others.
I need you every second of every minute of every hour of every day. Lord, I declare my dependence upon You. May you help me to live with the joy that comes from living the life that You have called me to. I need Your strength to live that life. I am Yours. I pledge my allegiance and my love to You.”
Below is the sermon that I preached yesterday at Woodbury Community Church, where I spoke on Psalm 34:4-10 and six gifts that living lives of dependency upon God gives us. The sound on the video doesn’t work for the first 30 seconds. I hope that this sermon is a blessing to you.
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
He then takes the next seven verses to talk about different seasons in our lives. As I write today, I find myself in a unique season of life. I am living in an intentional time of rest. And, I have to admit, I am not used to that. Woodbury Community Church, where I am blessed to serve as Senior Pastor, allows their pastor to take a three-month sabbatical every seven years. My sabbatical began on July 1st. The first month of my sabbatical is all about connecting with family, connecting with the Lord, experiencing rest, and trying new things. It’s also been a time of focusing on my health. A few weeks before my sabbatical began I started the online Bible Study course, The Lord’s Table at the Setting Captives Free’s web site. It’s been a great journey and I’ve lost 25 pounds so far. I took a break from my iPad, from social media, and other things that tend to take away from time doing the most important things. Our family spent time together in beautiful Colorado and at our home in Minnesota. I tried my hand at fly fishing, got rained out of a camping trip – and instead enjoyed a “camp-in,” went to a Colorado Rockies game, played a ton of mini-golf, connected with a cousin I hadn’t seen in years, went thrifting, ate out, climbed some beautiful rocks at a park in Colorado Springs, played some disc golf at a Colorado disc golf course, discovered the World Famous Penny Arcade – an incredible retro arcade in Manitou Springs, and I read paperback books – you know the kind with paper and binding and compelling covers with words that aren’t being read on a screen. I have also ridden lots of miles on bikes in Colorado and Minnesota.
Vintage Raleigh bike ride in Colorado Springs with Pike’s Peak in background.
It’s been a relaxing, rejuvenating, and renewing month. By far, my favorite activity has been building a Little Free Library with my father-in-law. He did most of the work, using the skills that God gave him as a wonderful craftsman. The hours spent in his garage working with him on that project will forever be some of my favorite memories of life. That project has led to hours of painting and then a fun gardening project in our front yard with my precious wife. I have always wanted a Little Free Library. Now I go outside daily to see if anyone has visited our little library.
Our Little Free Library with landscaping
Back side of Little Free Library.
Side View of Little Free Library
There is a time for everything. This month has allowed me to rest. There have been sweet conversations, devotional times, reconnecting with friends, Chicago Style Pizza at Minneapolis’ new Giordano’s Restaurant, and dates with my wife. Over the course of the next couple of months the rest will continue, but there will be visits to multiple churches in Ohio, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Illinois and Minnesota. I’m looking forward to the next two months, but relishing in the season I am in right now. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my family is calling me to play a game, and then I think I’ll start reading another paperback book.
Last night, I had a chance to speak to about 400 teenagers at a See You at the Pole Rally in Big Lake, MN. It was an awesome night. Dozens of students prayed to accept Jesus’ gift of salvation. Many of those who prayed had been invited to the event by friends.
A recent study showed that the majority of churchgoers never invite their unchurched friends or family members to church.
Most people come to church because of a personal invitation.
7 out of 10 unchurched people have never been invited to church in their whole lives.
The top “rational” reason adults seldom or never attend church is they don’t agree with organized religion or what they preach (24 percent).
Here are some other sobering statistics:
“Eighty-two percent of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if invited.” –Dr. Thom Rainer, The Unchurched Next Door
“Only two percent of church members invite an unchurched person to church. Ninety-eighty percent of church-goers never extend an invitation in a given year.” –Dr Thom Rainer, The Unchurched Next Door
“A study including more than 15,000 adults revealed that about two-thirds are willing to receive information about a local church from a family member and 56 percent from a friend or neighbor. The message is clear that the unchurched are open to conversations about church.” – Philip Nation, LifeWay Research
“Four percent of formerly churched adults are actively looking for a church to attend regularly (other than their previous church). Six percent would prefer to resume attending regularly in the same church they had attended. The largest group, 62 percent, is not actively looking but is open to the idea of attending church regularly again.”–Scott McConnell, LifeWay Research
“Clearly we can encourage Christians to pray that the unchurched would sense God calling them back, but God works through His people.” “The survey showed that many would respond to an invitation from a friend or acquaintance (41 percent), their children (25 percent) or an adult family member (25 percent).” –Scott McConnell, LifeWay Research
“The issue of affinity also surfaced in the responses. Thirty–five percent indicated that they would be inspired to attend church ‘if I knew there were people like me there.’” –Scott McConnell, LifeWay Research
“Much to the surprise of the ‘Chicken Little’ crowd, people are still going to church. And more people would attend if given one simple thing—an invitation.” – Philip Nation, LifeWay Research
Do you know what Jesus encouraged the disciples to do about those who were outside of the family of God? To pray.
In Matthew 9:35-38 we read,
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.36 When he saw the crowds,he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
There is no question that we live in a day and age where the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are called to be his laborer. Jesus called His disciples to be people who make disciples. In His Great Commission, in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus commanded us to go into all the world to make disciples.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
So, Jesus told the disciples to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers into the harvest. Later He commanded His disciples to be those laborers, promising His presence when they would obey. So, why aren’t we inviting others to join in the family of faith?
If 98% of those who identify themselves as followers of Jesus won’t invite someone to church this year, what does that say about us? What does that say about who we believe Jesus to be?
Some might argue, inviting someone to church isn’t the same thing as making disciples. I agree. But, a disciple who seeks after Christ, will seek time with God’s people. In Hebrews 10:25, the author of Hebrews spoke the the importance of gathering together with other believers.
25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
In part of a larger teaching on the doctrine of salvation, the Apostle Paul shares these convicting words in Romans 10,
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?And how are they to hear without someone preaching?15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
You may worry about what your friend, co-worker, neighbor, family member, or stranger might say if you invite them to church. But, if faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ, isn’t it worth the risk to invite them to place where the hope of the Gospel of Christ is shared on a regular basis? Don’t you want your acquaintances to come to place where they are encouraged to call upon the name of the Lord?
Let’s commit together to be people who live the faith that we say that we believe. Let’s be people who believe that sharing Jesus’ hope with others is the most important thing that we can do this side of eternity.
Making disciples is a process that can only take place this side of heaven.
Charles “C.T.” Studd, was born to a wealthy English home in 1860. His father, Edward, was converted under the preaching ministry of D. L. Moody. He too followed Christ, but not with passion. Jesus was low on his list of priorities. Studd became a phenomenal cricket player. He would represent England on the national team.
When Studd’s brother George became seriously ill, C. T. came face-to-face with the questions, “What is all the fame and flattery worth . . . when a man comes to face eternity?” He recognized that he had been living a carnal Christian life, he was a backslider, and he committed his life to serving God as a missionary. In coming to that decision he would express, “I know that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last but it was worthwhile for the world to come.”
So convinced was Studd of the need for people to know Christ, that even with the incredible challenges of travel in the late 1800’s and the early part of the 20th Century, Studd served in China, India, and the Congo. Studd and his wife Priscilla would start Worldwide Evangelism Crusade which included mission work in South America, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. What an impact this man and his precious wife made!
Today, Studd is best known for a poem he wrote about what really matters. It’s a poem that my Grandpa Ray, a pastor, used to share with his grandchildren, and it’s called Only One Life, ‘Twill Soon Be Past. This poem captures the essence of what this blog post is all about. Invest your life in what Jesus is calling you to invest in. Don’t waste your life!
“Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way; Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done; Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgement seat; Only one life,’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears; Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score; When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep; Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn; Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne; Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say,”Thy will be done”; And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”; Only one life,’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. ”
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be, If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”
– C.T Studd
Remnant Ministries produced this quality video of a call to action, from one of C. T. Studd’s sermons. Watch it and be inspired.
If you are unfamiliar with the book, Stearns makes the case that the good news of Jesus Christ was meant to change the world. He writes, “The whole gospel is a vision for ushering God’s kingdom – now, not in some future time, and here, on earth, not in some distant heaven. What if two billion people (the number of those around the world who profess faith in Christ) embraced this vision of God transforming our world – through them? Imagine it. Indeed, what if even two thousand people took their faith to the next level – what might God do? Two thousand years ago, the world was changed forever by just twelve.
It can happen again.” (pg. 5)
Do you believe that?
One of the joys of my life is watching the people of God become passionate about the things of God. I love when I see people whose hearts break for the things that break the heart of God. At Woodbury Community Church, we’re seeking to be a people who care deeply about the people and the things that God cares so deeply about. All throughout the Bible we read about God’s heart for the poor, the oppressed, the orphan, the widow, the prisoner, the refugee and the city.
In 2012 a vision team from our church began to seek God’s direction for the next chapter of Woodbury Community Church. It became clear that one of the initiatives that God wanted us to pursue was caring for the poor, the oppressed, the orphan, the widow, the prisoner, and the refugee like never before. I am blown away at what God has done since!
In the past few months the Lord has worked through the people of WCC in a variety of ways.
There is Sara and her team of volunteers whose hearts are broken for the children of Haiti. Sara is a teacher by trade who became involved in an organization called Kozefò that is making a difference in education in Haiti. When it became apparent that Kozefò might have to shut down, Sara and some friends, by faith stepped up to save the school.
Here is the revised mission statement of Kozefò:
Kozefò is a mergence of two Kreyòl words: Koze and Fò, meaning, to speak in a loud voice. Kozefò, as an organization, believes education is the key to developing thinking, creative individuals. As Christians, we are called to care and to speak loud against the injustices in the world. This is the true meaning of Kozefò, people together, hand in hand, speaking in a loud voice to bring about positive change in education, one school at a time. Kozefò is committed to supporting the primary school at A New Arrival Center in the Pernier community of Port au Prince.
Then there is Tammie. Tammie caught a vision for the “orphan” in our own backyard. Struck by a need to come alongside of families in times of crisis, to help single moms who had no familial support system, and to just be there for children who have no one else, Tammie got involved in the tremendous work that Safe Families for Children is doing in our area. When she found out that there is a tremendous need for host families in the Washington County area, Tammie decided to get involved in recruiting other families to help. There are already several families from WCC that have signed on to be host families.
Here is how the Safe Families website describes their work:
When crisis strikes, many of us rely on relatives and our church family for support. But for some parents, there isn’t a safety net. Often problems such as drug addiction, domestic abuse, incarceration, or illness can be debilitating, making it impossible for parents to care for their children. With the changing economy many more families are experiencing financial crisis, unemployment, and homelessness. During such crisis, children are especially at-risk for neglect or abuse as their parents struggle to cope with crushing circumstances and emotions.
State welfare emergency hotlines throughout the nation reportedly receive over 5 million calls each year of suspected child abuse or neglect. Of those calls, about one million meet the criteria for state intervention. What happens to the remaining four million families that don’t qualify for help?
Overburdened by need and restrained by resources, law and policy most state welfare agencies are allowed to rescue only children who have suffered blatant abuse or neglect. Overwhelmed and underfunded, the state is ill-equipped to deal with a problem of this magnitude.
Without assistance, many of these families will find the issues in their homes escalating to episodes of abuse and/or neglect with long lasting consequences for not only the child, but also for our communities as well.
Since 2005, Safe Families for Children has offered sanctuary to thousands of children, minimizing the risk for abuse or neglect and giving parents the time and tools they need to help their families thrive. The ultimate goal is to strengthen and support parents so they can become Safe Families for their own children.
Safe Families for Children strives to meet three objectives:
Child Welfare Deflection: Safe Families provides a safe alternative to child welfare custody, thus significantly reducing the number of children entering the child welfare system.
Child Abuse Prevention: Providing an overwhelmed and resource limited parent with a safe, temporary place for their child without threat of losing custody. By offering support, the goal is to avert potential abuse/neglect episodes.
Family Support and Stabilization: Many parents struggle because of limited social support and unavailable extended family. Many Safe Families Volunteers become the extended family that a parent never had.
A couple weeks ago we held a breakfast for people to hear how they could get involved and over 50 people showed up representing seven different churches and a number of social service organizations. God is at work!
Then there is Grant. Grant is a detective with the City of Minneapolis police department leading their efforts to fight against juvenile sex trafficking. Here is a video of Grant speaking about the subject on Minnesota Public Television.
It’s amazing how after praying about impacting the oppressed in our culture that the Lord brought Grant to WCC. Earlier this week Grant and I filmed a video about how the church can get involved in the fight against human trafficking, which is really modern-day slavery. The problem is immense, but it’s not too big for God to solve as His people get involved. Grant, Cory (another member of WCC) and I are a part of a human trafficking task force that is meeting monthly in the Twin Cities with the purpose of eradicating this insidious problem.
Then there is Scott and Bob. For the past four years Scott and Bob have led the Refugee Life Ministry team at Woodbury Community Church. We’ve partnered with World Relief Minnesota and a couple dozen other churches to welcome the stranger with the love of Jesus here in the Twin Cities. Over the past fast four years the Lord has allowed us to welcome three families from Myanmar to the Twin Cities. We’ll be bringing our fourth family in later this year. I can’t wait!
Those involved in Refugee Life Ministry are seeing their eyes opened to a global issue in a local way. The relationships between WCC families and their new friends from Myanmar is a beautiful thing to watch. What started out as supplying furniture and household goods to a refugee family quickly became tutoring, game nights, a trip to the zoo or for ice cream. Many of the families that we work with have waited almost 20 years to get out of the refugee camp and begin a new life in America. It is a beautiful thing to see God work through.
I could go on and on . . .
There is Pam who has a passion for coming alongside of widows and widowers who are residents living in government subsidized housing in Hastings. She is working to provide them with basic household essentials that they don’t have the funds to purchase. Pam has already organized a couple of donation drives that have resulted in practical blessings to the residents.
There is Sue, who on her own serves the elderly by helping them run errands, befriending them and being a listening ear.
There is Alisa who is serving as a liaison between Woodbury Community Church and the Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf. She is encouraging our congregation to engage in generous giving to help this organization that serves as many as 100 households each week. Each one of these households receives four or more grocery bags of food depending upon the size of the family. The food shelf also provides over 300 households with traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and 650 children with Christmas gifts.
I know that I am just hitting the tip of the iceberg.
So, my challenge to you today is to get involved in something.
Over the next four weeks, our church will be going through a series entitled, Justice. We’ll hear about God’s love for the city, the widow, the orphan, the refugee, the poor, the oppressed, and the prisoner. I’d love to have you join us. We meet at 9:00 and 10:30 each Sunday. It all starts this week with a Minnesota guy who moved his family to one of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago to be part of transforming his community through the Gospel. His name is Joel Hamernick and he serves as the Executive Director of Sunshine Gospel Ministries in Chicago. You won’t want to miss his message as he talks about God’s heart for the city.
On September 15, I’ll be talking about God’s heart for widows and orphans. After the service we’ll be taking an all-church field trip to the Midtown Global Market, Karmel Square and Mercado Central in the Midtown Section of Minneapolis. This little corner of the cities is like taking a trip to a different world. We are encouraging all families and individuals to plan on taking this field trip, which will include lunch at the Global Market . Here, you will be exposed to a number of different ethnic groups and see just how great our opportunity is. We’ll also hear about the real life stories of human trafficking that happen in this part of the cities every week.
Randy Mortensen of World Wide Village will be speaking on Sunday, September 22. He will be talking about human trafficking and how the church can respond to modern day slavery.
Then I’ll conclude the series with a message on how the church should respond to prisoners.
Justice Series
September 8: God’s Heart for the City
September 15: God’s Heart for the Widow and Orphan
September 22: Unacceptable – Modern Day Slavery
September 29: Loving Society’s Throwaways
In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about the final judgment. He said:
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
I want to be among those whose heart beats for that which Jesus heart beats for. I hope you do too!
I want to leave you with a video from this year Q Conference. In it, Richard Stearns presents how the church could help solve the issues of clean water, starvation, education and a host of other issues in our generation. I encourage all of you to take the time to watch this. It is a life-changing and paradigm shifting video.
Randy Mortensen, the President of Worldwide Village will be our guest speaker on Sunday, February 3. I recently had a chance to visit Haiti with Randy and Worldwide Village.
Randy will be sharing his amazing story of God’s grace in his life. For years, Randy searched for meaning in life. Outsiders looking in would have thought that Randy had it all — a great job, wonderful family, prestige. But inside, Randy was searching.
You can read more about Randy’s remarkable story here.
This is a Sunday you won’t soon forget. Invite some friends and prepare for God to speak to you through Randy’s story.
The work that Randy and his team are doing in Haiti today is truly extraordinary. If you are a Senior Pastor, I’d highly recommend the vision trips that Worldwide Village offers for free for pastors. You can find out more about the two trips planned for 2013 right here.
Here are the trends in churches that he is noticing.
Innovative use of space. More and more churches are not letting the lack of space keep them from ministering to great numbers of people. It used to be that a church sitting on 3-5 acres could expect to grow to about 500 people maximum on that property. Ranier states that the younger leaders that he is working with say that they can see a church growing to 2,000 in such a space, because they are using the space creatively, offering services at multiple times and in multiple ways. Millennial pastors are not as tied to traditional service times and this opens up opportunities to use space in new and innovative ways.
Heightened conflict. As younger leaders continue to assume leadership roles in more and more churches, the conflict between the needs of generations emerges. Ranier attributes this in part to those in the Millennial Generation asking tough questions that people in the the Boomer and Builder generations did not want to address. I am challenged and inspired by some of the difficult questions that folks coming into our church ask on a regular basis.
Adversarial government. Ranier believes that churches will have less access to public schools and other public facilities. He has noticed that some local governments around the country are governments are “resisting approval of non-tax paying congregations expanding their facilities. New churches and existing churches that are expanding their venues will be forced to become more creative as they look for new locations.”
Community focus. Ranier feels that one of the most positive changes in the younger generation of church leaders is a focus on community needs. Churches are increasingly getting away from programs tied to the church building to engage the community where they are at.
Cultural discomfort. Ranier speaks of the growing divide between the value of culture and the traditional values of the church. This is a divide that will continue to grow in the 21st Century. I view this as a great opportunity for the church of Jesus Christ to shine bright in our day and age. The early church was radically counter-cultural. Somewhere along the line we became so culturally sensitive that we began to look a lot less like the “aliens and strangers” of Scripture and a lot more like the Joneses.
Organizational distrust. Ranier speaks of the growing distrust in our culture towards the institution. We live in a day and age when distrust in government, business, and the church is very high. My prayer is that we as the church won’t give people a reason to distrust us. We ought to be the model for what it means to conduct ourselves with the utmost of ethics.
Reductions in church staff. In a difficult economy, more and more churches are not hiring new staff when a position becomes vacant. On a positive note, Ranier writes of the fact that “in many congregations there is a greater emphasis on laypersons handling roles once led by paid staff.” That sounds a whole lot like Ephesians 4:11-16 to me. In other words, “It sounds biblical, and that is good!”
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on Ranier’s trends and see if you have any more that you would add.
Yesterday, I preached a message at Woodbury Community Church entitled, “The End is Only the Beginning.” It was the conclusion of our year long series “The Challenge,” in which our congregation was encouraged to read through the Bible in a year. Today, many of the people in our congregation are finishing their year of Bible reading with the last chapters of Revelation, including Revelation 22:20, which says:
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The last five words of Jesus recorded in the Bible are, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Jesus actually says, “I am coming soon,” three times in the last chapter of the Bible (Revelation 22:7, 12, and 20).
I am convinced that Jesus doesn’t make mistakes. He wants us to understand that our lives are to be lived in light of the fact that He is coming back one day for His bride. Our job is to be ready. We are to live our lives with eternity in mind.
I closed yesterday’s sermon with a video illustration from Right Now Media entitled, “Are You a Trader.” I promised to put that video on this blog. In the coming weeks we are going to be examining what it means to live the blessed life. That life cannot happen until we trade the “American Dream,” for the life that God dreams of for us.
In January, I’ll be preaching a new series at Woodbury Community Church entitled, The Blessed Life. As we near Christmas, one of the things that I continually notice is that everyone is looking for happiness. If happiness was a product that could be purchased and given to someone as a gift under a tree, then whoever sold that product would be the wealthiest person on planet earth.
Pursuing happiness takes work. It’s tough to find and even harder to hold. Ever want more than that for your life? God does. He wants us to be blessed. Discover what the Bible says about living The Blessed Life.
January 6 – A Heart of Generosity
January 13 – The Blessed Test
January 20 – The Generous Eye
January 27 – The Heart of Serving
Lifechurch.tv has provided the graphics and videos for this series. I’m grateful for their ministry and heartbeat for giving their resources away to other churches for free.
Several are blogging about this today. Transparency International just published their annual list of the perceived level of corruption in the governments of 176 nations around the world.
Our recent trip to Haiti revealed that many of the problems within the country stem from a corrupt government. The nation has not experienced a healthy government, perhaps ever. It is sad that Haiti experienced it’s greatest prosperity while underneath an oppressive dictatorship, and that the resulting coups and hopes of a democracy have only brought about corruption. There were 19 presidential candidates in the last election. Haiti is a divided country.
Today, Somalia is the most corrupt nation in the world. Many of my Somali friends dream of one day returning to their nation, but cannot as long as the corruption exists. International aid, meant to help those experiencing the worst famine on earth today often doesn’t get to the intended recipients because of governmental corruption.
North Korea is perhaps the most closed country in the world. The stories of the atrocities committed against the citizens of the nation by the government are heart-breaking. Many nations are on edge as they see North Korea’s government continue to experiment with long range missiles capable of carrying biological or nuclear warheads.
Woodbury Community Church has a special relationship with many refugee families who have fled the persecution of Myanmar’s government. Over the past three years we have teamed up with Refugee Life Ministries of World Relief Minnesota and brought precious families from this country to the Twin Cities. (In 2012 Myanmar moved up two spots as the government began to open up relationships with other nations, even prompting a visit from President Obama. This was the first visit of a sitting U.S. President to Myanmar. For more information on Woodbury Community Church’s refugee life ministry click here).
When I look at this list, and when I think of Christmas, I am reminded of the fact that one of the names of Jesus is that he is our Prince of Peace. The Messiah, Emmanuel God with Us comes to bring peace between man and God. I’ve often times said that the answer for America or any other country isn’t the government, it is the church of Jesus Christ, standing up and being counted as His hands in feet in our generation. It would be nice to have Christ followers serving the public good in governments all over the world. But, it’s never going to happen in some countries. In our own nation, we have seen that just being a Christian in the government doesn’t solve the greatest needs of humanity Christ’s answer was never government. It was the church, pointing people to the Savior of the world.
In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus said:
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
May you live as salt and light today!
For more information on this study, check out the Washington Post’s article here.
You can read Ed Stetzer’s thoughts about this information and some expanded views on the Pew Forum’s recent look at the Global Religious Landscape here.
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It’s easy to look at today’s headlines and wonder, “What in the world is going on?” We are certainly living in times of change. Many believe that the moral compass of America and much of the world has been permanently reset. It would seem that God is nowhere to be found in the thoughts of much of the world’s population.
Brian Schulenburg 