"Worship that Unites" from 6/22/08

(This is a sermon wrap up from "Worship that Unites" (Eph. 4:1-6) that was preached at Cornerstone Baptist Church on June 22nd, 2008. To hear the message, go to the message page of our Church Website)

"Synergy" is a term often used in corporations to explain a phenomenon in which, as is explained on Wikipedia , "two or more discrete influences or agents acting together create an effect greater than that predicted by knowing only the separate effects of the individual agents." It's when the sum of two parts equals MORE than the sums of the parts individually. 2 + 2 = 6. It happens when team members draw off of each other's energies and passions and work so well together that amazing things happen.

It's a concept that I've been familiar with for some time. I teach it in project management courses and read it about in a number of sources. However, I only recently came to realize it was first coined by the Apostle Paul under the influence of the Holy Spirit (see the link above to the wikipedia article)! Yeah..."synergy" is God's word! How cool! And what was the Apostle describing with the word? The Church! Here's the idea....when God's people work together with a similar goal (His glory) and a similar task (making disciples) and they do it in a way God can bless, amazing things can happen! Think about that concept when you read this verse:

Eph. 3:20-21
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Amazing, mind-blowing things can be accomplished with godly synergy!

No wonder, then, the enemy of God is constantly attacking the synergy of the church! One of his oldest schemes is to divide God's people (read 1 Cor. 11 for more some examples). When we are bickering and fighting and refusing to work together, we experience antagonism, the opposite of synergy. We actually do terrific damage to God's name instead of accomplishing great things FOR His name.

And if there was ever a topic the church has been divided on it is music and worship. No matter where you land on the conservative to progressive scale, there is no denying that fighting over the issue has been horrific. Church history is pregnant with examples.

At Cornerstone, I'm realizing there is a quickly widening rift between our people over this very topic. That's why I felt it so important to preach a series entitled "Worship Acceptable to God." THE great tool that will unite us is proper biblical doctrine. It's my prayer that an exegetical and in-depth Bible study will heal the rift and bring us all under a banner of unity. On Sunday, we studied Eph. 4:1-6 to kick off our study and my prayer is that you were encouraged and challenged to have a worship that unites!

Diving a little deeper than I had time to on Sunday, I want to talk just for a moment about verses 11-16.
Eph. 4:11-16
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Here's the summary and the point, in my opinion.
My job as the pastor of Cornerstone is to equip the church to do the ministry so we are all built up. Our goal is Christ-likeness and we acheive that by learning proper biblical doctrine (orthodoxy) and then putting it into practice (orthopraxy). We do this in love with our focus on Christ. And this verse teaches a concept the world denies. We are often told that doctrine divides, but here we are told doctrine UNITES! When we have proper biblical teaching, we are brought together...and when each part does it share, the body will GROW. Numerically? Perhaps. But certainly spiritually. And it's all done in love!

So do you see the picture? Each part, working together in love for Christ-likeness and for His glory! That's biblical synergy! That's the reason the term was coined by GOD in the first place and it's the perfect example.

Now, to get there, we need to be sure we are practicing verses 1-6.
Eph. 4:2-3
2with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace

Grow Group Questions:
1. What is your favorite style of music, personally?
2. If you could have any kind of worship at Cornerstone, what would it look like?
3. In what other ways we are a diverse group of people? In what ways are we united?
4. Has there been times when you have NOT acted with lowliness, gentleness, longsuffering, etc. towards someone at church?
5. How can we be sure we don't do this in the future?
6. If you don't agree with all the musical selections at Cornerstone, how will you handle it?
7. Are you really and truly open to what the Bible says about worship? What if it's different from what you currently believe?

I'm an Optimist and I'm OK with that!

Pollyanna, Sunshine boy, happy-go-lucky....

These are some of the nicer things I've been called by people are less optimistic than I am. I would call them "pessimists"...but that's just not a very nice word for an "eternal optimist" to use.

I have to say their indictment of me is true. I'm definitely a "glass-half-full" type and more often than not I see the positive side of things. I'm not bragging but just being honest about how I look at life by default. For instance, this morning I was making blue-berry waffles for the kids...OK I had some too. My kids are beautiful! I was thinking, "There is NO better way to spend my morning! I'm so blessed!" But then I thought... "Hold on, Pollyanna. You need to quit being so optimistic." Why did I think that? Because I've heard it often from those name calling pessimists! I've been challenged more than once to "real" or to "get my head back in reality."

So here's my question for all you anti-Pollyannas...what's so wrong about being an optimist?!? What danger am I in for looking on the bright-side? What do you think will happen? Do you think that I'll be walking down the road someday and though I see the bus coming, think "It's a bright, sun-shiny day...that bus won't hit me..I'll just jump out in front of it!"??? Come on!

It's my habit do my daily quiet time with God during breakfast. As I was enjoying my blueberry waffle, I opened up my "Our Journey" booklet to today's page. I chuckled at the title... "God is God, Even When Life is Bad." Yes! A devotion on optimism! It was a great challenge from Daniel 1...and it was great reminder. It's OK to be an optimist! Having the view point that says "God is in control and He's good..so ENJOY life no matter what" is biblical a biblical way of looking at life.

Now, having said all that, this afternoon my optimism was put to the test. We have some folks in our church who are hurting and it's my privilege to minister to them in difficult times. One dear brother is with his mother who is very ill. As we spoke together I was shocked by his words. "Pastor," he said, "I want to be optimistic, but I just don't know if she's going to make it." Yeah...he even used the word..."optimistic." I love him and his family...and they needed something more than, "Look on the bright side, your glass is half-full." Sorry, but that doesn't cut it. Saying, "Be an optimist" would not only be trite, but hurtful! So I prayed one of the prayers I often utter, "God, please bring the right truth to mind." And did He ever! God brought back to my mind (He gets all the credit, mind you) a word that sums up biblical optimism to a tee...HOPE. Not a hope that is limited to our circumstances, but a hope that is founded on the goodness of God. It's not a "maybe" hope, but a certain hope that God is in control and He is good, even in those very tough moments of life. Hope that during the times when my glass is almost empty, I have God who is able to fill it to overflowing with His grace!

What a lesson. I needed the reminder today because I am called to share His truth. So I'll take the brunt of the verbal attack. I'll be Pollyanna, or Sunshine boy with gladness. I just have to stop talking to myself as I make blueberry waffles!

Quit Kidding Yourself (from 6/8/08)

(This is a sermon wrap up from "Quit Kidding Yourself" (James 1:22-25) that was preached at Cornerstone Baptist Church on June 8th, 2008. To hear the message, go to the message page of our Church Website)
I felt very strongly that this message was an important one for our church. Due to some changes in our ministry, some of our people are concerned about where we are headed. Not only do I understand this, I greatly appreciate it! God's people are not supposed to be mindless sheep following blindly. They are to be like the Bereans who diligently searched the Scriptures "to see if these things were so (Act 17:11). " As we continue to move forward, I believe it's vital that you and I are on the same sheet of music. How will we decide where we are headed? What will govern what we do and what we don't do? There is simply no better passage to summarize my heart than James 1:22-25.

James 1:22-2522 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.(NKJ)

There are a few important truths that I wanted to communicate clearly. My prayer is that you understood these points.

Critical Impact. James, under the inspiration of the Spirit, said "be doers." This is a state of living and that means it should define who we are. We are doers. It has HUGE impact.

The Word of God has commands and/or principles that impact every single aspect of our lives. There are principles that govern what we wear, what we eat, what we say, our demeanor...I mean everything. If we are are really going to get this down, it's going to mean big changes.

Let's just walk through a typical day and look at how impacting and practical God's word is. You wake up in the morning and just by opening your eyes, already there are principles that need to be followed.

Ps 63:11 O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.(NKJ)

Now, I'm not advocating you need to be up 4:30 AM, but I think this verse has implications on our heart's desire. It should first seek God. Our thoughts right away should be about Him!

So we get up head the kitchen and we are greeted by our family. As a husband and a father, there are principles that apply here...big TIME.

1 Pet 3:7 -Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.(NKJ)

Eph 5:25 -Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,(NKJ)

I have to be sure that I am "in tune" with my wife. I should listen to her concerns for the day and what she has to get accomplished. I'm listening and learning about her...after all I am called to dwell with her with understanding! I have to be "plugged in" to her needs!

And then there's the kids. There are principles that apply here too!

Eph 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.(NKJ)

I have to "plugged in" to them too. I have to be nurturing their thought patterns and pointing them to think on God's truth. I have to set the example of what living God's truth looks like in "real life."

Now, it's time to get ready. Will God's word govern what I wear to work? It should! There are principles on modesty and excellence! As I drive to work, God's word governs that as well! I am told to be in subjection to the governing authority God has put over me (Rom. 13). That means I have to actually OBEY those little white signs with the speed limit number...even if I am running late!

I could go on and on, but I hope you see my point. Being a DOER...being marked as a person whose LIFE HABIT is obedience... will change everything about how I live. I hope I communicated that well on Sunday.

Crucial Importance. I simply cannot emphasize enough how crucial this is. I want to share again this challenge verse...

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.(NKJ)

Our children are watching and they are learning from our example, whether it is a good one or a bad one. If we are lazy about this, it could mean their destruction. Sound harsh? Sorry...there's just no way to sugar coat this. It's life and death for them. We can't play with this.

The Hosea passage brings up an important point. Ignorance is no excuse! We simply MUST be people who study the Word and learn how it applies to our lives!

2 Tim 2:1515 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.(NKJ)

An area I wanted to dive further into is the matter of church attendance. I am simply amazed at the reasons some people will miss church! The reason church is so important is because we are teaching the Word of God! In every service, the Word of God is either being taught (Sunday School, AM Worship, PM Worship) or it is being applied (Grow Groups). If we really understood how important this command is, we would want to be under the teaching and/or application of God's Word any chance we got!

Imagine your family was just infected with a life-threatening disease. They were all going to die. But there was a class on how to give them the proper care to save their lives. Would you just skip it for a baseball game?!? NO WAY! What we teach here at Cornerstone is vital! It should be a priority.

Another thing I wanted to mention is this; the church is NOT the PRIMARY discipler of your children. That responsibility is given to the parents (Duet. 6; Eph. 6). We are here to simply come up along side you and teach you how to do that more effectively. And listen...we LOVE teaching that stuff!

Living God's Word is crucial. I hope you understood that from the message.

Church Implications. The command has big implications for our church and where our church is headed. We need to nail down the fact that we have one and only one source of authority...God's Word. We are be doers of God's Word....period.

That means the careful, exegetical study of His Word has to be the centerpiece of our ministry. We need to be studying it and how it impacts our lives. And we need to be teaching it in a very practical way showing people how to live it. That's why we have a Grow Group ministry. The ministry's purpose is to help you IMPLIMENT God's Word.

I wanted to assure you that I will never head down a path that down-plays God's Word. There are lots of ministries that do.

I came across a church a while back where the sermon series was "Everything I need to know about God I learned from 80's rock!" I have no idea about the content of the series, but that title communicates something. I used to play 80's rock in my bands. There's very little that glorifies God in that. We're not headed down that path.

I also wanted to warn that we cannot be legalistic and still please God. Matt. 15:1-9 communicates that clearly. Legalism is when we add rules and regulations that are not found in God's Word. It binds God's people and it creates a very critical and judgemental heart in people.

On vacation last week, I heard a message on Luke 6. It also "just happened" to be the text Steve taught in Sunday School and I believe he did a great job. I think after hearing it explained twice, I began to understand it more clearly. If you take the time to study it out, you will see that there are times when we are told NOT to judge and times when we are told TO judge. Lining them all up, you can see clearly what God is trying to say. Basically, a good summary is 1 Sam. 16:7....don't judge other people's hearts! The words "judge" and "condemn" in Luke 6 have important meanings. To "judge" is sit at the bench and cast judgement. "Condemn" means to sentence. Legalistic people often judge the hearts of others based on man's rules. Then, they will "sentence" those people. We are not headed there!

We will diligently study what God's Word says then we will cling to it's sufficiency! We'll accept by faith that God has said enough about a topic and we'll allow His Word to be our only guide.
That's where I am headed as the pastor of Cornerstone...and I hope I communicated that clearly on Sunday.

Application questions.
Here are a few questions to think about.
1. Getting very real with yourself, how often do you think about God's principles? Do you know what God has said about the areas of your life?

2. Are you a doer? Are you really applying these principles?

3. Do you have a critical spirit? Are you judging people's motives as if you can see thier heart?

4. Are you willing to allow God's Word alone to be your guide for life? for our church?

I typed way more than I intended to...but I hope my heart came through clearly. I am open your comments and am eager to see us all growing...to see us all being DOERS!

The Awesome Goodness of God

(This was actually posted on another blog I did in August of 2007. Reposted today on the new blog)

As I look at the weather map at weather.com it's a little intimidating. We are currently experiencing a tip of a stream of thunderstorms that stretches from northern IN to somewhere in CA...or so something close to there. As a father of three kids, I know it's going to be an interesting night. My wife and I decided not to fight it and we just brought all three into our room. She's on the bed reading, I'm blogging and the children are refusing to sleep. This is just too exciting!

There are lot of emotions that arise during a thunderstorm. But tonight it's a little different. It's not fear, or worry, or even excitement that I'm feeling. No, tonight I'm awestruck. And the thunder and the lightning have only a little to do with it. I'm awestruck by an awesome God! And I'm not using the word in the Bill and Ted's kind of way. I mean it as it should be used. I'm in awe of God.

As we were nestling down tonight, Courtney and I exchanged glances. I love being married for 11+ years. We can say more in glance than a lot of couples can say in hours of conversation. The glance tonight said "Holy cow...we have three kids!! How did this happen? How good is God is give us this?!?!?! We are soooo blessed." You see, the reality is we don't deserve this (well...I don't...Court's an angel...yeah she's a sinner but just barely). Somehow along the way God has given me a whole bunch of things I just don't deserve. My family, my ministry, the wonderful people in my church, my friends, and most of all the relationship I have with His Son. Just reading that line puts shivers down my spine! I can have a relationship with GOD (proof text is 1 John 1:1-4, by the way).

Today I mowed my lawn and that gave me a good hour to pray and reflect (what do you do when you mow the lawn?). Even before the thunderstorm I was thanking Him for not wiping my off the planet today (this, you see, would be what I deserved). As I was pushing the mower, God was with me...listening to my heart. He cared about what I cared about. He inclined His ear to me...He listened...and He will answer the concerns of my heart! Why? Because I walked in a way worthy of Him? Because I earned His compassion? Get real! It's only because of His goodness! His storehouse of grace that didn't run out for me today; and it won't tomorrow either. Grace that covers every one of my sins and failures...amazing grace...awesome grace...awesome God.They finally dozed off and now I can just look at their serene faces. Tomorrow I will worry about feeding them, getting them dental insurance, teaching them to love the Lord their God will all their hearts, souls, and minds (Duet. 6). Tonight I'll just sit and reflect on how good I have it and how good my God is...and I'll listen to the thunder...and watch out for stray lightning bolts!

To blog or not to blog...

To blog or not to blog...

It was actually a pretty hard decision for me. I have made stabs at the blogosphere in the past, only to pull down my posts and give up. Why? Well there are a couple of reasons.

1. Time. As a bi-vocation pastor my time is precious. Blogging takes time. However, I often teach time management courses and know it CAN be fit in with some discipline...and that may be a good challenge.

2. Ability. I don't write good :) . I would MUCH rather speak on a subject than write about it. However, I need to improve in this area and blogging may help.

3. Pride. I don't want the blog to be all about me...I need to be all about GOD all the time. But the very essence of a blog is "here are my thoughts." It would be a hard balance....though not impossible.

So I posted this very list in a forum and had some really encouraging and insiteful comments (http://sharperiron.org/showthread.php?t=7801). Before that, I was really challenged by an article I read on why all pastors should have a blog (http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1156_6_reasons_pastors_should_blog/). Considering all that, I decided to give it another shot! Bear with me...be patient. My prayer is that the blog will serve as an encouragement to all you and me.

I am going to create a couple of different sections...

Sermon Wrap-ups
When I was studying for the minsitry at FBBC, I remember thinking to myself "How in the world am I ever going to fill 30min. for a sermon?!?" HA! What a fool I was! The Bible is so incredibly packed, I now find it hard to keep a sermon down to 40-45 min. In any given week I am cutting important information out to keep the time under control. It's always very difficult!

One of the main reasons I decided to blog was to have a place to put in the extra stuff I didn't get to say on Sunday. These "Sermon Wrap Ups" will provide a place to fill the the gaps or to give that illustration I just couldn't fit in. There may be additional homework from time to time as well.

Pastor's Thoughts
God often blows my mind. When He does, I just want to share it! The blog will give me a chance to just that!

Current Events
I have to be careful what I say from the pulpit of Cornerstone. Here, I can share my personal take on the events of the day.

There may be more sections to come. My heart's desire is that this is a place where God is furthered glorified and His people can be furthered edified! Enjoy!