Connection Points

A church and its people will either be known as a church that is a part of the community, as a church isolated from the community or as a church that is in opposition to the community. Being a part of the community will open doors for evangelism and church growth. I believe that God wants Christ-followers (A.K.A. “the church”) to be in their community shining our light in the darkness.

God creates “Connection Points” for us to share the gospel to our surrounding community. A connection point can be a city council’s meeting, PTA meeting, and/or Chamber of Commerce meeting for pastors and church’s leadership to see what the needs of the community are to see if the church can meet any of them to show the community that we care.

God can use a Christ-follower’s interests to create connection points. If a person is into working out, God can create a connection point to reach the members of the gym you attend. If you play sports, your team will be a connection point. Your place of work, school, and even your home all can be connection points that God can create opportunities for you to share the good news of the gospel.

God created a “Connection Point” for Paul in Athens on Mars Hill. God used Paul’s knowledge of the Truth and Paul’s knowledge of the current thinking of gods and philosophy to reach the “educated” people of Athens. Not all those present received the truth, but some did. That tells us that we should be willing to be used. God is the One who draws people to Himself.

We can’t reach all people. God can. God uses our interests, abilities, personalities, heart, and our experiences to reach those people He has for us to reach. Be mindful of possible “Connection Points” that God can use to use you to reach the dieing around us.

Thanks for reading, and until next time grow where God has you.

Forming God's Team

According to the book “S.H.A.P.E.: Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose in Life” by Erik Rees, a Christ-follower has a better chance to be used to their fullest by God if he/she knows their “S.H.A.P.E.” I agree with this, and feel each of us needs to discovery how God can use us in our uniqueness. S.H.A.P.E. stands for Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. God, in His greatness, has given each of us gifts to use along with the abilities and experiences that have fine tuned these gifts. Along with the abilities and experiences to use the gifts He’s given, God has also uses our heart and personalities to fulfill His purpose in our lives. All the experiences, good, bad, or indifferent, have added to who you are at this time in your life.

God puts Christ-followers with different S.H.A.P.E.’s together to form a body (or Church) that will fulfill the purpose He has them to complete for His glory. With the idea of Church Planting, God will put people with the skills, experiences, abilities, and knowledge together to establish a body of Christ-followers to go and reach out to the community around them and share the good news of Christ.

God knows what is needed to establish a church in any country, state, city, or community. He knows the types of people that will be needed, and He works everything out to bring these people together in His time. According to the book of Ephesians, God knew us even before He created the universe, and He has already established works for us to accomplish in our lives for His glory. It is He who has formed us with the Heart, the Personalities, and the Abilities we have. He’s the One who has given us the Spiritual gifts we have. And He is the One who has either put us in or allowed us to go through the experiences, good, bad, or indifferent, to make us the people we are and are growing into be.

With this in mind, I pray that God shows me the people whom He wants to join us in the planting of the church in Suffolk. I’m only one person and am in need of help. God knows who I need and the S.H.A.P.E. these people will have to have to join me to establish Level Ground Church. I know that whatever will be, it is He (God) who will do the work. He is the “Hand” and I’m merely the work glove.

Thanks for reading, and until next time grow where God has planted you.

Parallels

When I started looking into having Superlasik eye surgery, I couldn’t help but see parallels of man made eye correction (wearing glasses or contacts) versus “Light” correction (Superlasik), and man made religion versus a relationship with Christ.

Wearing glasses or contacts is a temporary solution that has a person continually doing maintenance in order to see better but never perfectly clear. Just as “religion” has people doing things to earn favor to a god or even thinking to God, but never giving perfect peace.

Where the Superlasik surgery uses light (in the form of a laser) to permanently reform the eyes to clearly see things around us, just as the true “Light” Jesus permanently reforms us into children of God.

I thought the parallels were interesting so I thought I’d share them with you. Thanks for reading, and remember to serve where God has you.

Biblical Leadership

Pastors are like everyone else who confess Jesus as Lord. The men who have been called to lead a body of believers are just that, men with the same temperament, faults, fears, and strengths. Granted, a man who feels the calling to pastor people must meet all the requirements listed in First Timothy chapter 3. Since it is God who calls a man to pastor His people, He is the One who makes a man worthy to be a pastor. As a natural man, a pastor has nothing to offer God. It is because of God’s gift in the person Christ Jesus, we are made worthy.

As a man who has the calling to lead a body of believers, I know that my calling is to copy Christ. To do what He showed in the New Testament. Not to direct my agenda, but to follow the agenda God gives me.

Reading through “Summer Church Pre-Launch” training material by Dr. John Worcester, I came across the below list on how to lead a church plant or how a pastor should lead his people.

1. Lead like a shepherd not like a cowboy

2. Build a trust based relationship not FEAR BASED relationship

3. Persuade them do not THREATEN THEM

4. Go before and set the example rather than STAY BEHIND and crack the whip

5. Care for and love them. Don’t USE AND ABUSE THEM

6. Lead them don’t DRIVE THEM.

7. Develop followers through delegation and doing ministry together

8. Delegate to those with the right attitudes and develop skills on the job

9. Look for leader types who will also follow

10. Negotiate everything up front and make authority boundaries clear

11. Keep all your promises

Being a pastor in an established church or church planter, the man of God must be a servant first. People will be willing to follow a person they feel cares for them.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, continue to serve God where He has put you.

Lessons Learned

Being a Go-Getter can be counter-productive sometimes. My eagerness to hit the ground running with the church plant has caused my head to spin. I know that I have a year to learn the ins and outs of properly planting a church that will last. I have no clue to where to start; however, God in His great wisdom has put me with an organization that is focused on planting churches to reach the lost. The SBCV has a program that equips CPA’s as me with the knowledge and network to establish God following churches that will reach out to the community.

This past weekend, I relearned a very old lesson that I had forgotten; to wait on God. I have read (through my life) of the men of God who waited for Him to use them. Moses waited 80 years to fulfill his calling to deliver Israel from Egypt. John the Baptist began his ministry at the age of 30 which lasted maybe 6 months to a year before King Herod had him beheaded. Paul waited 7 years after his conversion to be set aside to be the one to go and preach in other lands and to write letters that became part of the New Testament. God’s timetable is not our own.

I can see how God is molding me and those around me to accomplish this task of planting a church for Him. God is showing men the vision and they are praying about joining in this adventure with us. I know that as He gives me to tools to do what He has called me to do, everything will down into place. I am called to serve God in whatever He calls me to accomplish for Him. He knows all the days I have left on this globe, and He knows the wheres and the whens, the whys and the why nots. I only need to be faith to Him. He will do everything, and is doing everything. He is the hand, and I’m only the work glove.

Thanks for reading. Until next time.

Field of Dreams

As 2006 comes to an end, I ask myself what 2007 will hold for me. I know that this year will be a start of planning for the church plant in Suffolk which makes me think about how I feel churches should be going out to reach the lost. With this in mind, I feel strongly that the church is to be an outreach center reaching the community. That’s why I feel that the last half of the church’s name will be “Outreach Center.”

I think today, some churches have the wrong thinking of reaching the community. They seem to have the “Field of Dreams” mentality. This is based on the movie. They think, “If you build it, they will come.” The leadership of churches feels that if they build a new nice building, the people will come to them. The only people that tend to come are disgruntled members of other churches visiting to see what’s going on. The lost person may see a new building and wonder what’s going on in there but will not visit unless Christians go to them and invite them.

Jesus never said, “If you build it, the people will come to you.” He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” We should have the mindset of going to our family, friends, and co-workers with the good news of Christ. Just invite them to church with you. That’s a start.

Use 2007 as a start of going to your family, friends, and co-workers and share the light that God has given you in His Son, Jesus. Thanks for reading and have a happy and safe new year.

Merry Christmas

When I was a little boy, I truly loved the Christmas season. I still do in my own way. Christmas has changed to me since I’ve grown into a man. My mom told me this would happen when I was in the beginning of my teen years. One reason is that since I’ve been working at Dollar Tree Christmas seems to come faster each year. The demand and volume we have to ship to our stores seems to double, so when it all settles back down its Christmas. Another reason Christmas has changed to me is the way the world looks at it. Heaven forbid that you sing songs that have the word Christ in them or say Merry Christmas. The world has turned this season into “Happy Holiday.” The world is clueless in that when you have holiday, it’s a word meaning “Holy Day.” I do feel that the main reason Christmas has changed to me is me. The more I’ve learned through studying the Bible, the more the truth is clear, and traditions (even though nice) aren’t what Christmas is about as we know it to be.

When I was a child, I enjoyed the traditions of what Christmas brings; the idea of baby Jesus in a barn with the shepherds and wise men with Him. The truth is that Jesus was born in a cave (caves are where people kept their animals safe), and that the wise men weren’t at the birth of Jesus. They came when He was a little child. The Bible is clear on what type of offerings to give, and the type Joseph and Mary offered was for the poor people. If they had the gold from the wise men, they would have done another type of offering. Must likely Jesus was born in early spring (March or April) because the shepherds were keeping their folks by night. In December, the weather in the middle east is too cold to sleep outside. We celebrate Christmas in December because the Catholic church chose this month. The idea of Christmas is what I love the most. Not the traditions or gifts but what Jesus is. Jesus is a gift that God offered to deliver us from an eternity in hell.

Since God gave us His Son, the idea of Christmas is to give and not to get. This year especially, I’ve told my loved ones to not give me anything but to give to others. The real reason for the Christmas season is Jesus and not Santa Claus or any other symbol the world is using these days. Christmas is the spirit of giving.

My final thoughts on Christmas is that Jesus didn’t come to earth for Christmas. He came for Easter. This means that Jesus didn’t come for the manger. He came for the cross. He came to die in our place, and He redeems us.

Have a Merry Christmas, and a safe New Year. Thanks for reading.