Crazy People

I know we all know who Paul is in the Bible. So many of us think about how he wrote a good portion of the New Testament of the Bible, but i believe he did something more then all that. He followed his calling in life. He traveled started the first Church and stood up for what he believed in. Now I believe people thought he was a fool for believing what he believed. I knew that God could change people. I love looking into the history of the Church in Ephesus. These people were nuts. We are talking about witchcraft, serving other Gods, sexual immorality and tons of other stuff.. Now the reason I love this is because I believe it shows us the American Church. Now I know people we fight me on that one and say "it's not that bad" I would say just because we don't know, doesn't make it untrue." Look around at the world and I believe we can say hey it's messed up. Paul took these churches and towns and showed us that a change can take place. I serve at a Church that reaches out to the outcast and trust me we see some crazy things take place. What we must understand is that Christ didn't come for our building, clothes, or fellowship. Christ came to give the crazy people life. Where there is sin, we will see craziness....but also where there is sin we will see new life. I believe through out the Bible paul was showing people that there was a need for new life and for those who had new life there was a need to reach out.

Outreach is not an event or just telling people about Jesus. Outreach is about compassion and Grace. I hear about millions being saved at an even and I ask myself... Can this be true? Now I am not putting down these events, but I can't remember Paul ever giving a report back and giving a number of how many said a prayer. But I read about new life and Paul wanting to take care of Timothy.

1 Corinthians 16:10If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.

Philippians 2:22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.

Then when we read 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy all we see is love and concern for this young man. It seems like a great youth story, but I believe it's a great discipleship story. My prayer is that church and youth ministry would focus on the person and not the number or program. What if every church member stood up and said "This is the person I am discipling" and I am not talking about taking them to dinner and buying it. What if we took someone to dinner and shared our heart with them. Now I am thankful because I am seeing this taking place in our community for the first-time in a long time. I use to eat lunch with a group of students in lock-down at JDC. I remember eating what they would eat and them talking about their life and what they had done. It was amazing because it was us being real.

My prayer is that we would go where the people are at and make disciples. Not in events but as a lifestyle and out of worship for Jesus Christ. Paul’s love for Timothy with out of the love of Jesus Christ.

Worship

Worship has always been amazing to me and I remember when I first knew something about worship. It was an amazing feeling to me and I felt good. You have to keep in mind I was 20 when I gave my life over to Christ....I thought everything was going to be perfect from here on out. Oh boy was I wrong, this life is a struggle and anyone who pretends it's not will one day see that they have been fooled. In August our youth ministry was going well and I was all about it. A kid giving their life over to Christ, it was AMAZING! December came along and we started seeing some things take place. I wasn't sure how to take care of it, I read all the book, blogs, listen to all the podcast. Nothing would work and I struggled with that. To make a long journey short I believe for the first time we are seeing worship at it's best. When I look around do I see hands up? no, do I see emotions? no but I see people searching for something deeper in life. You see it's east to worship when life is easy, but the true test is in the middle of trials. There were days where I didn't know if I was going to make it. But my God is mighty to save and we sing about it every Wednesday. Everyone needs compassion and forgiveness and we sing about that. We serve a God that takes us as he finds us and we even sing about that. Worship is not just an emotion or a lifestyle. Now both of those play a role in the big picture....but what is the big picture? It's surrender and admitting you can do this thing called life on your own. I am seeing more and more that worship started at the cross. We focus so much on the death of Christ on that cross, but you see life begun in that same spot right next to Jesus. The criminal on the cross is the reason I gave my life to Jesus. Different events took place, but when I heard about Jesus taking that guy and giving him life I started thinking. Now it took me three years to give my life over to him. I believe has Christians and people we need to make sure we show that same type of compassion and love to people.

This is what we are doing different in youth now to help us truly understand what Christ has done. Instead of me just giving me a lesson, I am having students dig in the Bible and finding verses that catch their attention. I have them draw a picture that reminds them of that verse. Here are a few that I have been returned back to me on my desk.

James 1:22 (The Message) don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. 25But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

Psalm 27:3 When besieged, I'm calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool.

1 Corinthians: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

John 3:16 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Looking at these and then the pictures they drew, it amazes me to see a search taking place. Before we can ever be rescued, we have to know we are lost. My prayer for people now is for them to see that without Jesus they are lost. There is nothing that any pastor, friend, or family member can do about it. All that we can do is pray for them to see that they need a guide. So what does this have to do with worship? It's simple he has giving us his life and he is the king of this world and I believe allowing him to rescue us and searching him out can be the greatest acts of worship. It's not music, a service, works, or good deeds.... it's loving Jesus because he first loved us.

Knowing VS Living

The last few months it has been amazing for me to see what God can do. Now, hear me I know God is always moving and doing a new thing. I believe I knew that that, but I am not sure if I was able to live like that.

John 13-19 Now I'm returning to you. I'm saying these things in the world's hearing So my people can experience My joy completed in them. I gave them your word; The godless world hated them because of it, Because they didn't join the world's ways, Just as I didn't join the world's ways. I'm not asking that you take them out of the world But that you guard them from the Evil One. They are no more defined by the world Than I am defined by the world. Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth; Your word is consecrating truth. In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world. I'm consecrating myself for their sakes So they'll be truth-consecrated in their mission.

It's amazing how we all understand and know what John says. I mean I bet if I went on to I-tunes I could find several sermons on Joy, The godless world, the word is true, and missional living. Knowing that God is a God of our city and the world. Infact their is a popular worship song called God of this City. The story is amazing behind the song.

Pattaya, Thailand recently. In Pattaya, there are over 30,000 female prostitutes over the age of 18! (That is not counting the ones under 18, or even the male prostitutes there) While they were walking around the town, they walked into a local bar there called...."The Climax Club", which was looking ofr bands to play. They agreed to give it a try and asked how long the owner how long he wanted them to play. The owner said, "As long as your friends continues to buy cokes." So they ended up buying cokes for 2-3 hours.So for over 2 hours this band sang Jesus over these prostitutes who had no idea what they were singing! All of the sudden this song "came down from heaven," as one of the band members recalls. Then spontaneously they started singing:You're the God of this cityYou're the King of these peopleYou're the Lord of this nationYou areYou're the light in this darknessYou're the hope to the hopelessYou're the peace to the restlessYou areFor there is no one like our GodThere is no one like our GodGreater things have yet to comeGreater things are still to be done in this cityGreater things have yet to comeGreater things are still to be done here

I read that and listen to the song once again and it reminded me, it's one thing to say it, but to live it. I don't mean going out and trying to get all of your friends come to Christ or they will go to hell. I mean to love and have compassion on them. You see that has been my struggle for the last six months. I was trying so hard to show students and people that God was the God of this city that I stopped living it. I once was commpassionate and loving and then I started to become frustrated. You see it's not about how many people attend your church or my church. It's not about how man talks I give or better yet how many kids are saved in my youth group. How many am I loving like Jesus? How many do I truely care about? What about my co-workers?? Do I care? The 711 Clerk....do I care?

You see I am a pastor, the answer should be yes?? But then what about lying? I mean I am at a church that caters to the homeless and the down and out. I shouldn't ever get tired or burned out??? I have a quick answer for that....I am not Jesus. We all are a work in progress, I believe we're all hurting and we're in pain. We can all pretend but God is bigger then me and bigger then you. You see God is doing an amazing work in us, because he never stops. We are all running out of darkness into the light because of the cross.

My prayer for all of us is that we don't forget that it's not about status or doing the right thing. It's simple...it is living. Knowing all the right things does not bring you freedom. Worship and a relationship is what brigngs us freedom.