Hope Fellowship Community Church

Reading is very dangerous for me. The last few books I have read have really challenged me in how I view life and our culture.
My family recently drove 1200 miles to Indiana and then back to Florida. Crazy, right?! One of the things I did to stay awake was to listen to the book, Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. Another was to have Bev read to me. We started reading The Hole In Our Gospel and you want to talk about eye opening.

I am discovering just how unimportant "things" are in my life and how really important people should be. Bev and I have really been challenged in the way we think, the way we talk, the way we act, and the way we spend our money. We have committed to making some major changes in our lives to be able to do what it is that we feel Jesus is calling us to do.

What did Jesus say about how we should live our lives? Love God, Love people, right? He constantly modeled his love for people by doing, helping, and getting involved in peoples' lives. He was all about the business of God. He was so consumed that he couldn't help but follow through with God's purposes.

What consumes you? TV, Facebook, Work, Alcohol, Sex, Money, Knowledge, Being Good, living a good life?

We need to be consumed by nothing but God. It is a daily thing. Saying everyday, every minute, God I am yours…and then allowing him to lead us. Always looking for someway to show his love, to help someone, to share what he has given to us with someone else.

Here is a story about a man named Jimmy who was sponsored as a child. Jimmy starts sharing at 3:45.
http://vimeo.com/7072300

How many lives can you change? How many lives could you save? How much are they worth to you? How much are they worth to God? I read recently that people wonder where God is in all the sickness and disease going on, but do you ever think that God wonders where we are?

We are supposed to be his hands and feet in spreading his love and his truth.

Our church is doing something called Advent Conspiracy again this year. Putting Christ back into Christmas and really going against the mindset of consumerism and the "iNeed" mentality. Find out more about it at www.adventconspiracy.org.

Seeking God is not only about knowledge. It is not only about what we believe. It’s what we do with it once we know it. It is about the saving love of Jesus Christ.

What are you doing with what you have heard once you hear it? Once you believe it?

Wow! It has been a while since I have written something. I've been busy reading and thinking...a dangerous combination. I have been reading Good to Great by Jim Collins and The Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger.

Here are some of my latest thoughts...

So over the last few decades, the Christian churches have embraced something called "Seeker-Sensitive" or "Seeker-Focused" services. While I believe that we should be taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to people who do not know him(Seekers), I am not so sure that our churches should be full of people who don't know Christ. Put down the stones, I am going to try to explain myself here.

Some people will say that to have a seeker service, we need to have good music and a relevant message. Good music and a relevant message does not make something "seeker-friendly."  Music should be done well and the message should be applicable regardless of our style of service.

I think that the Church is here to disciple or teach people how to go deeper with Christ and then send them out into the world to lead other people to Jesus. I believe the Seeker Movement has made Christians lazy and indifferent about taking the Message of Jesus into the world and doing ministry. We rely on the Church to talk about Jesus. We rely on the Church to do the ministry. We need to quit expecting the Church to start a ministry before we can do the ministry. The Church should spend a lot of time training and empowering so that the people can do the work away from the church building. The Church cannot manage or fund every evangelistic program that people want to start. The Church needs to be the Church outside of the church.

Throughout the New Testament, we can see that disciples were sent out to make more disciples. Jesus in his Great Commission in Matthew 28 says that we are to make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching.

Acts 2:42(NIV)
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

These people were devoted to a process of making disciples and they did not sway from it. 

I am not trying to encourage an exclusive, members only social club that turns away anyone that doesn't think, act, or talk like me. I think it is alright to have people in church that don't have a relationship with Christ. I also think the Church should be doing something to help people who need help. I just think that we need to remember to train and equip the people we have to carry the Message OUTSIDE of the church walls.

Instead of being seeker-focused, we should try and be more intentional about being God-focused.

I was reading today and found an awesome passage. Proverbs 4:23-27

I think of the old song we sang in Sunday School so many years ago.

Oh be careful little eyes what you see...
Oh be careful little ears what you hear...
Oh be careful little tongue what you say...
Oh be careful little hands what you do...
Oh be careful little feet where you go...
Oh be careful little heart whom you trust...
Oh be careful little mind what you think...

That pretty much covers all the bases but isn't it just a kids song with no real application to our adult lives?

Check out this video from Casting Crowns: Slow Fade

When we make choices that compromise our integrity, that go against what we know is right, a part of our heart is hardened. Whether it is getting too much change back at the grocery store or telling that lie so that we don't stain our reputation, our heart feels those kinds of things and reacts or is desensitized to those acts. We slowly begin to accept those things as okay because we don't feel as guilty when we do them again.

"I am not as bad as __________."
"I am not hurting anyone."
"It's just a few dollars."

God does not "grade on the curve." If you will allow me to use that expression. God is concerned with our heart, our character, and our integrity. He is not concerned how it compares to the integrity of our neighbor or our pastor or our parents. He is looking at how you express your love to him and how you interact with and love his people.
Love God, love all. Comparing is a dangerous game because if I compare myself to the serial killer sitting on death row, I look pretty good. 

Guard your heart. Keep your focus on Jesus and don't be distracted by all the junk that is around us. Most of the time, we have the choice of what we put into our minds, where we go, and what we do. We make the choice to walk down the ice cream aisle. We make the choice to turn on that TV show. We make the choice to say those things about our neighbor. Our hearts are affected by each thing that we do.

How is your heart? Is it fading, crumbling? Are you making the choices that honor God? Are you making choices that build other people up? How can I live my life in a way that reflects the love that has been shown to me? How can I be all that God wants me to be?
Remember that "the Father up above is looking down in love..." He does not want to be the old man with the lightning bolt. He wants to be the loving Father that is proud of what his children do. He wants to be the one who says "well done." 

Wow!!!! I just attended a conference that was life-changing. Exponential Conference... http://www.exponentialconference.org/

I don't even know where to begin and I don't know that I have enough time or space to put everything that I learned from there so I will put down the biggest thing I received from the conference.

If we don't have God in our church, we might as well pack it up. If we are not Spirit-filled and Spirit-led, we are worshipping nothing. God should be the center and only focus of what we do. Also, if we only express our faith in the context of the church, we are limiting Christianity. If we do not show Jesus to people everyday, in everything we do, we are hindering his work. When we are Spirit-filled we show the fruits of the Spirit- LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL.
Are there one or two or three of these that you struggle with? Are you accurately representing Jesus in your words and your actions? Do you lose your temper easily? Are you rude to people? Are you kind and gentle to other people?
If we are filled with the Spirit and are led by the Spirit, these fruits should be evident in our lives. If not, we need to evaluate where we are, get off the couch and into the game. Pray, read the bible and seek God all the time. Allow God to fill you so that you can spill his love to other people.

It is all about God. Get it right with him and then work out the other stuff.

My wife, Beverly, and some of her friends were in the news this week. Check it out here. Be sure and watch the video too.

The story is such a great reminder of how much stuff we have here in America. My mother-in-law, Sandy, wrote an email to us about a conversation she had with a man from another country. He was surprised at how much we love things. He said that he doesn't love things. "I love my son and I love you." He was intrigued that we work so hard for our things but we do not always work to help people. 

I am guilty of loving things and that is something I really need to work on. I see how it affects the relationships in my life and I don’t like it.
Unfortunately things are much easier to love because they can’t hurt you.
However they also can’t tell you that they love you back; they can’t hug you and squeeze you and give you a kiss. They can’t hold you tight when something hurts and they can’t tell you how great you look or give you that smile that says I love you.

Love is a choice and where we direct that love, whether it is to people or things, is one of the most important decisions we have to make. 

Our church recently put in a new patio area for people to sit and eat and talk. It came as such a blessing because a crew of guys came down and did all the work for FREE! I just wanted to give a special thanks out to Ed, Homer, Gene, Phil, Ken, and Bryan for all the work that they put into planning and construction of this new patio. This is a great group of guys that are doing great things for people. They are doing things in the way the God has called us to help each other.

I have put in some before and after pictures of the patio area. Click on the images to see a bigger picture. While the area is still recognizable, it is definitely a new and improved look.

Just like when God starts working on us. I may still look a little like the old me. I may even sound a little like the old me. But things have changed, inside and out. God has challenged me and molded me in such a way that I am a new person. I no longer want to look and act like the old me but I want only to seek God and please Him as best I can. I may have to sweep off the stones everyday and make sure that I keep the area clean but if I do not have Him there, I am just like the Pharisees and teachers of the Law in Matthew 23:25-28; nice and clean on the outside but dead on the inside.

God has called us to a higher commitment level. He is not calling us to just get by and do the minimum.

I read an article by Francis Chan entitled "Gathering Force." I would recommend the read to anyone who wants to take a look at how the Church should be. There is just so much that I think that we could improve on. In the article, he quotes Acts 2:42-47. I look at this and wonder how easy and basic that this is. It is about the Truth of God's Word and the sharing of community. Love God...love all. Sound familiar? Family. Relationships. Loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and in that love, loving our neighbor as ourselves.

How can we change our attitudes and our schedules to fit into what God wants his Church to look like? When do we have time for other people? I am guilty of this myself. I get busy doing stuff and I neglect relationships with others.

I challenge you to take a look at this article and take a look at the passage. Read the passage everyday and see how God speaks to you about His Church. 

I recently took a class where we studied some of the different views of salvation and about sin.
I then took a survey of our church and found that most people in our church are pretty much in agreement with what our church and denominational views.
I think the problem comes in application or experience. "I really believe that God can heal but I am going to save prayer until I have exhausted all other possibilities." "I believe that God is all-powerful but I really think that I should take care of that little issue of smoking myself because God doesn't want to deal with that."
Do I struggle with this mindset also? Unfortunately, yes but we are talking about a God who spoke something into being out of nothing...nothing. We are talking about a God who healed people of terrible sicknesses, blindness, and even had power over death. That all sounds good doesn't it but how do I translate that power into my little melon-sized brain? Do I have to be so broken and hurting that God is all I have before I realize this power? Or can I live in that power today?
Gerry Coates, the executive director of Free Methodist Communications, sent out an email and had a letter in it entitled "Victory Over Sin." I have pasted that letter below and I hope that you are as inspired by it as I am.

Victory Over Sin
"There is no reason why every believer should not have immediate victory over sin. There should be no divorces among God's people ... because the incredible power of the Risen Christ who lives within us is present to give victory over all the difficulties that you are facing -- whether it is in the marketplace, in your marriage, with your children, in your church or community" (Henry Blackaby, "Prime Time America" aired March 27, 2008).
 
This quote was given in response to a question by the host as to the characteristics of the power of the resurrected life. Blackaby's immediate response was that the context tells us that Christ defeated sin, death and hell. He added the statement quoted above. The whole conversation was in the context of Blackaby's book, Experiencing the Resurrection, particularly in relation to Ephesians 1:18-21 (NIV):  "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."
 
I was half-tuned into the conversation until that moment. I thought of how far "the church" is from that reality. The local church I attend is far from that reality. The church in Corinth was far from that reality. Even the church at Ephesus was far from that reality. So is Blackaby promoting a pipe dream? One of the things he stated in the conversation was that "people know what to believe, but they often don't experience what they say they believe."
 
I can't transform the church, but I can do what Christ calls me to do. Pertinent questions for me are: Am I experiencing the reality of the power of the resurrection? Am I leading my family by that experience? Am I actively engaged with at least one other person who is not living in that experience? Can I be an encouragement to him or her?
 
Blessings,
Gerry Coates
Executive Director, Free Methodist Communications

How can I change my thought processes or my mindset to match up with the resurrection power of Christ?
Can we not be like the father in Mark 9:24?

"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Over the past eight years, the love I have for my wife, Bev, has been developing and growing. There are times of hurting, times of joy, and times of not so much of either. The love that my wife has for me is amazing. She has put up with my stubbornness, my grouchiness, and all the other "nesses" that no one else really sees. But I know that she loves me. I know that she will stand beside me no matter what. I know that she will be there with me because we have made that commitment to always work things out and never even mention the "d" word. Whatever it takes, whatever we have to do, we will be together. We will always strive to grow and be happy together.

I think about God and that is how I view his love for me. I know that through all my "nesses", he will be there and he will love me for who I am. Psalm 36 says, "Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies."

Does my love for God look like this? When things don't go my way, do I threaten divorce? Do I give him the silent treatment because I am mad and don't feel like talking it out? Do his "nesses" collide with my own and cause even more confusion and disruption in my life? His greatness and faithfulness overshadow anything that my humanity could wrap itself around. I do not understand his love and how he could love me, even though he knows me completely.

My wife and one of her friends have observed many people's "nesses" and have concluded that everyone has different ones and they don't always match up with everyone else's "nesses." We each have our different "nesses" and are unique in our own way. However, don't let your "ness" be an excuse for your sin. If your "ness" is grouchiness, and you know that it is, don't let it be a crutch to be grouchy...do something about it. Find your "ness" and if it is something that does not please God, change it. Let your commitment to him be an incentive to grow into a loving and obedient relationship with him.  

This Christmas we are trying something different. If you are interested, check out adventconspiracy.org and see for yourself. The basics of it is that you don't spend as much on useless gifts at Christmas and you give the money you would have spent to a worthy cause like building wells so people can have fresh water. Our family has decided to make all of our gifts and to support an organization called horizon international.

Consumerism hits almost every part of our lives. If it isn't new, it isn't good. If it's not the latest thing, it is ancient history. I read an illustration about this idea and how even when we go on missions trips, we try to ingrain that into the "poor" culture to whom we are ministering. Check it out here.

I was talking to my daughters on Thanksgiving evening about how much food we had consumed that day. I told them that we probably ate more in that one day than some people in the world eat in a month. Did you ever hear, "You'd better eat that, there are children starving all over the world." Maybe instead of stuffing our faces and trying to get the biggest and best of everything, we should do something to help some of these starving children. It's time for change.