Creative Church

"It is high time that we saw resurrected an nurtured all that good, creative and powerful potential in the body of Christ which our Creator God put into all of us long ago and which has almost suffocated under too many layers of copied blessings." ~ Wolfgang Simson

Here's an interesting concept: Originality!

Here's something you need to understand about me: I'm not the most creative person in the world but I love being creative. I like to work on things (at my pace) using my hands...thinking through the process...and seeing the finished product. For a while I worked in construction - finishing log homes - and there was great joy in seeing the accomplishments that came about after a few weeks/months of work. Why have we been less than creative when it comes to church? Could it be that we have allowed traditional thinking (this is how church "looks") to stifle any type of creativity?

I'm not saying that we have to be original at everything but shouldn't the creativity of God flow through our churches? Think about it: We have been made in the image of a creating God. His creativity is a part of our DNA. Within each and every individual there is creativity whether you are artistic or not. I'm just questioning where we are in our society when it comes to church life. Every year there seems to be a new concept/idea about how we should grow the church. Many pastors go to conventions where they hear about this "new thing" and immediately begin copying the process without ever questioning if it's going to work.

Pastor Colton Wickramaratne of Colombo said, "How can I explode with someone else's explosion? Do I not sell myself too cheap by denying the creative and powerful potential God has given me - and each of us? As long as I am busy copying someone else, how can I be true to myself?"

The time has come for the church to be creative again. We must find out how God wants to impact our city and culture. We need to allow Him to be creative with us and refuse to settle for someone else's blessings. Sure...there are plenty of great ideas that we can borrow. However, I have never believed in a complete transfer of anything. Not everything that is being done in Florida, California, or elsewhere is going to work in SW Virginia. Not everything that is being done in church planting in D.C. is going to work in Max Meadows. How can we ever expect to reach our hometown by doing ministry with a Hollywood model?

Just last week I was having a conversation with my wife's grandfather who pastored for years. He said that he and another pastor once had a conversation that went something like this: "I almost hate coming to these conferences. You think you are doing pretty good in your church and come in hear to find out that you are doing it all wrong." I know how he feels. I'm not denying that God is blessing what some people are "selling"; I'm just saying that your blessing is your blessing. What I have to do is be willing to allow God to do the same with me in His way.

Why am I saying all of this? Because you need to know that I don't have a problem with churches being different. In fact, they should be different because of the different dynamics of the people and culture.

Think about this: If Jesus was incarnated NOW - would He be different than He was when He was in Jerusalem? In quality - NO! In style - Yes! Jesus' quality was a God quality. He lived out everything that was God. His style of dress, conversation, teaching was consistent with the times in which He lived. If He showed up in 2010 you can expect the same grace, truth, and love but the package would look differently. Get my point? The church should be a re-incarnation of a living Savior. Then, and only then, can we expect the church to be RELEVANT in the lives around us.

The Apostle Paul said: "...I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1 Cor. 9:19)

Do You Really Want to Hear?

After a week of rest and time with my family, it's time to jump back in. Hope everyone is doing well. Are you ready? Let's go!

(Word of Warning: Too much time to think leads to a serious unloading of TRUTH!)

Do we really want to hear TRUTH? Think about it before you answer. The knowledge of truth can set us free but Jesus never said that it would be easy to hear. In fact, the Word of God describes itself as Living, Powerful, and Sharper than any two-edged sword. However, if we want to be all that God wants us to be then we must allow the TRUTH of His Word to penetrate our lives and change us.

There was a time when I used to be bothered by the fact that unbelievers didn't want to hear the TRUTH. What I'm discovering now is that believers don't want to hear it! I cannot tell you the times that I have sat down with someone who was in need of direction/counseling - offered TRUTH to their situation - only to have them look at me like I was an alien. The attitude that is expressed is one of: "You don't really expect me to live that out do you?"

What has happened to the average believer today? Do we really expect God to be so forgiving and so understanding of our weaknesses that we don't have to live up to His standards? I'm not perfect here (I'm striving)...I'm just alarmed at how we handle/mis-handle TRUTH.

A couple is in trouble - TRUTH can set them free but it doesn't seem as appealing as being happy.
A person is struggling - TRUTH will allow them to break free but it isn't as attractive as following after their lusts.
A family is hurting - TRUTH can make all the difference to their situation but the time frame of applying it doesn't allow them to follow after all the other things in their lives.

When will we understand that TRUTH (God's TRUTH) is the only standard we should be concerned about? When will we stop seeking a life of personal fulfillment and start following the path of Spiritual Awakening?

Jesus said in Matthew 5:30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you..." As Oswald Chambers* says, "Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then 'cut it off.'" Chambers goes on to say that: "There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God's sight than to appear lovely to man's eyes but lame to God's."

Think about Jesus' teaching:
If your right hand causes you to sin - CUT IT OFF!
If your right eye causes you to sin - PLUCK IT OUT!
Jesus could have went on but the point of His teaching is that even our "best qualities" are nothing if they keep us from being who God wants us to be. Ask yourself if there are things in your life that God wants you to REMOVE.

This amputation process my be painful but it is necessary. You may have people in your life who give advice that sounds good, attractive, and pleasing to your ears; but if their advice leads you down the wrong path then I suggest either cutting off your ears or cutting off some relationship ties. The desires of you heart may seem good and right but if they are pulling you away from God's best then I suggest removing your heart and replacing it with one that seeks after God's.

The best thing that we can remember is that "WE ARE NOT OUR OWN - WE HAVE BEEN BOUGHT WITH A PRICE!" God's standard hasn't changed and will not change. We must never water down God's Word just to apply it to where we are in life. We must always be willing to face the undiluted sternness of what God says and deal with it as children of God.

May we be found walking in TRUTH.

Time for a Little R & R

Well Folks...it's that time of year again. Time for a little REST & RELAXATION!

I'll be away from the blog for a few days. Hope all your days are blessed while I'm away. I look forward to sharing with you when I return.

"How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139:17)

Giving Grace

I believe that most followers of Jesus Christ are thankful for the grace of God. Some of the most popular worship songs revolve around grace. Countless books have been written, poems inspired, and lives changed all because of God's amazing grace.

I'm not going to ask if you are appreciative of the grace of God. However, how good are you at giving grace?

Oswald Chambers said, "I have never met a person I could despair of, or lose all hope for, after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God." Is this statement true in your life or are you continually critical, judgmental, or condemning of others? Be careful: What you believe about the grace of God in others is the same way that you view His grace in your life!

Instead of being critical, why not take a stroll through the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and the rest of the New Testament to see what Jesus and the Apostles had to say in regards to how we view and treat others.

Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that you be not judged."

Matthew 7:3-5, "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye..."

Romans 2:1, "Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things."

Romans 14:4, "Who are you to judge another man's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand."

Jesus was very clear in regards to judging others. He said, "DON'T" Instead, why not be an extension of the grace of God to others. I understand that God's Word is very clear about how to handle those in sin (in the church), but if you will take a closer look you will see that God's plan is a plan of grace. It begins with a heart of compassion (to deliver someone) and ends with an acceptance through grace.

I'm amazed at our ability to RECEIVE grace without GIVING it!

We need to remember that the Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman who was caught in the act of adultery but He did not condemn her. Instead, he said, "Go and sin no more." Should this not be the same attitude that we possess? We need to cultivate a temperament that is never critical. How do we do that? By seeing the other person through the eyes of truth. Where would we be apart from the grace of God?

Religion Shattered

Thoughts for this blog came from a quote that I read earlier in the week: "Religion is for unbelievers; it's the business of the godless."

One of the best and accurate definitions that I can give of religion is that it is what man makes out of God. Due to our inclination to organize and structure, we have created a window through which we can view God and His characteristics. As long as we can keep the window clean and unobstructed, we will clearly see and understand all of God their is to know.

Here's the problem: Jesus shattered the window!

Jesus, God in the flesh, blew away the understanding of the religious leaders of His day. They expected God to send a Messiah in a particular way, through a particular "vehicle", and that he would do particular things. None of them expected a suffering Savior. No one expected Him to bypass the "center of religion" along with its leaders. But that is exactly what Jesus did.

Jesus came to earth through miraculous means only to be raised in an ordinary home. He lived among the common people of the world. He followed the standard path of righteousness. In fact, until Jesus was baptized, we don't hear much about His life. Once Jesus began preaching the Good News, He called 12 ordinary men to follow Him. And once they had this same Spirit come upon them on the day of Pentecost, they turned the world upside down!

Who are we to confine God to a religion? I have said it before, and I will say it again, if God isn't big enough to change your theology or doctrines then you might as well admit that you are no better than the religious leaders of Jesus' day. God is interested in a relationship with His people. This relationship will lead them to follow hard after God - not a system of beliefs.

The word 'religion' comes from the Latin religare, and literally means to ties yourself back, to rest a secure anchor at a safe place, so we are not swept away by the current of life into unknown and dangerous waters. What religion fails to see is that Jesus had already done that for us. We don't need better and more structured religion. What we need are more passionate followers of a God who called them out of darkness into a marvelous light!

Religion is for unbelievers...the business of the godless. Why is that? Because those who have God should run with Him as hard as they can. When you live in a relationship with God - religion only gets in the way.

Will you follow hard after Him?