New Thru 30

Well, we’re about half way through the New Testament (in thirty days) at First Christian and it’s been a wild ride. If you’re not familiar with the New Thru 30 reading plan, you should check it out! The reading time is intense and demanding, but the benefits have far exceeded the burden. In fact, I don’t think anything has sparked more conversation in my Life Group than the great themes of the New Testament. Questions were flying everywhere as we walked through huge chunks of scripture together each week. In many ways, it has made me long for this kind of drive beyond the thirty days! I know, I know, most of you would probably die if you had to stay on this kind of reading plan forever, but I can’t help but desire to see the momentum it has created in God’s people continue to flow.

It’s this kind of seeking, knocking, and asking that causes us to grow close with God. When we’re experiencing new realities about His person, love, and grace through the scriptures every day we will be changed for the better. So, how are you/we going to keep it going after these 30 days church?

 

A New Prayer

About a year ago I came up with a short little prayer for our family to say together before our meals. I thought it would be a simple way to help my kids in their understanding of God as our provider and creator. So, before every meal we would say these words,

“Thank you God for this food.
Thank you God for our family.
Thank you God for Jesus.”

It was such a small part of our dinner time, but it seemed to have a profund impact. Even my one year old learned to bow his head, fold his hands, and mutter “Thank you God…” It didn’t matter if we were at home or in the middle of a crowded restaurant; my boys would belt their prayer to God before every meal. So, as we began 2012, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce a new prayer. Something that was a bit more rich in content and meaning.

Here’s what we’re praying in 2012,

“Thank you God for your many blessings.
Thank you God for our loving family.
Thank you God for grace and Jesus.”

Though they haven’t completely memorized the prayer yet, it seems that the concepts have already penetrated the hearts of my children. One night over dinner we asked them if they understood the new prayer, and as we began to explain each piece to them carefully the concept of grace became the focal point of our conversation. So, as simply as we could, my wife and I began to explain grace to our children. We told them that grace was like getting a gift you don’t deserve – like getting in trouble, but not being punished. Then, we talked about Jesus and how he made grace possible by dying in our place for our mistakes. I assure you that not all dinner conversation is this deep at our house, but this night was special.

Still, I was left wondering if any of the words we had said made any sense to my boys. I wondered how the conversation translated to their young and still developing minds. Then, as we were tucking them into bed that night my oldest boy said his own prayer, as always does. He thanked God for our house, cars, trucks, trains, windows, and water; all pretty typical things for him. Then, with a big smile, he ended his prayer by saying, “…and thank you God…for grace.”

It helped me to realize all the more that when we really grasp grace for what it is, we WILL be thankful.

 

Christmas Weekend at First Christian

Ready for Christmas? Well, this guy is. I am so excited for what God is going to do at First Christian this Christmas weekend that I can hardly stand it. Through all the preparation and prayer I feel like God is building this weekend into something extraordinarily special. So, make sure you’re there.

Candle Light Christmas Eve Service
Saturday, December 24 at 5:30pm

Sunday Morning Christmas Celebration
Sunday, December 25 at 10:30am

Get directions

 

Where Are You Taking God?

Do you know who Tim Tebow is? Well, if you’re a fan of NFL football, I’ll bet you do. I would also bet that just the mention of his name stirs up some specific feelings for you. For those of you that don’t know, Tim Tebow is the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, and in recent weeks Tim has become a point on contention between sports fans and analysts for two reasons.

#1. He wins football games. He doesn’t just win, but he wins with a less than stellar ability to throw the football (the main job of a quarterback). Yet, he has taken a team that was 1-4 and lead them to win 5 of their last 6 games for a current record of 6-5.

#2. He love Jesus Christ, and it’s obvious. It doesn’t matter whether he’s doing a post game interview or leading an overtime drive down the field. He never tries to hide his faith or throttle back his intensity.

These two realities alone have sparked great debate and controversy in the sports world, and as usual, sports columnists and bloggers have all thrown their two cents into the pile. The supporters have supported, and the haters have hated. Nothing you wouldn’t expect from the situation. But, among all of the opinions that are being thrown around there is one fact that is undeniable; Tim simply loves Jesus. In an article entitled “Why the heck do we hate Tim Tebow?” Fox Sports writer Jen Floyd Engel had this to say.

Tebow is proof that God goes comfortably into whatever arena of your life you wish to take Him.

This quote really got me thinking. Of all the things that someone could say about a follower of Christ, what could be a greater compliment? What this writer is really saying is that Tim Tebow is more than comfortable with taking God anywhere he goes.

So, here’s the question I asked myself, and the question that I will ask you. Where are you taking God? It’s not a question of where will God fit, but rather where are you choosing to take him. I’m not saying that we should all become Tebow fanboys, but what I am saying is that we should become more of a fan of is Jesus…in everything we are, everything we do, everything say, and everything we imply. So, where are you courageous enough to take God?

 

Your Support and Your Shoulder

To think that there are men and women who were fighting for my freedom long before my life began is a humbling reality. This morning as I made the drive to my office I drove past the local cemetery. Normally, the cemetery street is very quiet and thus, a great route for my morning commute. However, this morning the street looked much different. Cars lined the streets and people walked down the sidewalks on both sides. At first, I thought this was just a typical graveside gathering, but as I got closer to the center of the street I realized that it was a Veteran’s Day ceremony. They came to honor and remember friends, family, and countrymen who had served our country well.

Now, I could certainly tell you about how much appreciate all of those that have, and will in the future, serve our country in the armed forces. I could tell you how proud I am to have grandfathers who served our country before I was born. I could also tell you about men and women that I grew up with who made that same commitment, but what I want to tell you about today is what I learned as I drove away from that cemetery scene this morning.

As I neared the end of the street, a long way from where the ceremony was taking place, I saw a soldier and his wife getting out of their car. They were the very last car in a long row parked on the street, and judging by their age I knew that would be a long hard walk for both of them. Though I couldn’t clearly see why, it was obviously difficult for this veteran to walk. He was doing much more than just hobbling along. It actually looked painful for him to even be on his feet. I expected him to have a wheel chair or at least a cane, but he didn’t have any of those things. He simply made his way to the sidewalk and put his arm around his wife. Then, with a big smile and her support they started that long walk together; something I’m sure they’ve done a time or two before.

Sometimes the best way to show your love and appreciation for someone is to be there for them…To give them your support and your shoulder.

 

The Edge of a Cliff

Have you ever had one of those edge-of-the-cliff moments without even knowing it? You know what I mean….The kind of moment where you are hanging out there, completely exposed, vulnerable, out of position, and totally in harm’s way. Has that ever happened to you? Well, it happened to me just the other day.

Driving in Boca is tricky. I want to assume it’s because people are constantly distracted by the beautiful weather and scenery, but I doubt that’s the truth. More likely, it’s because they’ve had too much coffee. After all, there’s a coffee shop on every corner…but that’s not my point. My point is, simple maneuvers in the car need to be given extra attention in Boca; things like backing your car out of a parking spot. Yesterday, I was doing just that when I experienced an edge-of-the-cliff moment.

I began to back my car out of a tight little spot, but after moving only a couple of feet, my phone rang. I was on the phone for about three minutes. When the call was over I started to back out again, but as I eased off the brake I was met with an immediate and abrupt honking horn. I quickly turned around to see a woman in a brand new Mercedes Benz sitting sideways about six inches from my back bumper. She was trying to squeeze into the spot next to mine before the last parker had fully vacated the spot. Of course, me being the nice guy I am, I pulled forward and allowed her to complete the squeeze play before I made my final attempt to leave.

As I was driving back to my office I just kept thinking to myself, “I had no idea that woman was behind me. With one little move I could have just plowed right into the side of her very expensive car.” I was a little shaken by the fact that I was out there on the edge of that cliff, and I didn’t even know it. I believe the only thing scarier than being on the edge of a cliff is being there and not realizing it. Because once you discover where you were, and how oblivious you were to your location, the truth of the situation can hit you like a ton of bricks.

Here’s where I’m going with this…We all meet people every day who live on the edge of a cliff. They’re out there, just dangling by a thread, but they don’t know it. As far as their eternity is concerned, they are living without hope. Yet, they have no clue. Anyone who has made the transition from hopeless to hopeful through Christ knows the beauty of walking out of that feeling, but many won’t.

Someone sent me an email this week that should exemplify the feelings of every person who has been saved. The email simply said, “I never want to forget what Christ did for me; where I was when he came and got me.” We were all out on the edge of a cliff when Jesus came and got us. So, we should quit acting like we did something great, and start reveling in the beauty of a God who saved us when we were oblivious to the fact that we needed saving…when we were standing on the edge of a cliff.

 

Life Groups

This weekend (9/25) will be the final weekend to sign up for one of our new Life Groups at First Christian in Boca. I am SUPER excited about how God is going to use these simple, and small groups to radically change the community and culture in our church. I’ve been praying for the response to these groups for months and I’m ecstatic to say that 50+ people are already signed up to participate!

While this might seem like something that only pertains to those of you that live in south Florida let me tell you why I believe that everyone should be involved in something similar to a Life Group no matter where you live.

• Relationships matter to God. He wants us to know others, and be known by others. (Genesis 2:18)
• Without REAL relationships you will never really feel like a part of The Church. (1 Corinthians 12:24-26)
• Deep relationships lead to confession and accountability. Not everyone wants it, but God instructs us to do it. (James 5:16)
• When people walk in the Word of God as a part of their daily lives it changes things. (Acts 2:42-47)

These certainly aren’t all the reasons for being involved in this kind of community, but they’re some of my favorite.

At First Christian we very purposefully call our groups “Life Groups”. That’s because we believe that they will help to breath life into our faith when death hovers over us. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the source of our life and hope, but a community of believers that rally around one another when perspective for that truth is scarce really does make a difference.

 

Leadership and Ownership

This morning I got an email…from Reed Hastings, the Co-Founder and CEO of Netflix. It’s not because we’re friends from college, or because I’m their most important customer. It was because there was a problem that needed to be dealt with. The opening line of the email read,

“I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation.”

As I began to read this explanation about some of the recent changes that Netflix has made to their services one thing was obvious to me. The company had made some mistakes in their communication of these changes, and was now dealing with the backlash. Things had gone wrong, and their CEO had to own up to these mistakes.

To me, it didn’t really matter what the rest of that letter said. I heard all I needed to hear in the first line. This leader had messed up, and he was owning it. Beyond that, he was going to do what he needed to do to make it right. Now, I don’t know Mr. Hastings and I don’t know anything about the inner workings of his company. But, what I do know is that in this email he did something that some leaders would never do. He took ownership of key problems. It didn’t matter if he directly caused these problems or passionately fought against them behind closed doors. When they became a problem for his company they were his to own.

It doesn’t matter if you leading a giant company or the lunch line to the cafeteria. If you can’t take ownership of problems when they arise and admit when things go wrong, you shouldn’t be leading anything. So, swallow your pride, man up, and own your mistakes. The world won’t be surprised to hear that you’re not perfect, but they’ll think you’re a fool when you pretend you are.

 

You Need to Go (Part 2)

Continuing my thoughts on “Leaving Jerusalem” I want to talk about the first of several reasons we all eventually need to leave our immediate surroundings to bear witness to the work of Christ in our lives, as Jesus instructed his followers to in Acts 1:8.

Though we often think the main purpose for leaving what we know is to help OTHERS, I believe we first need to see how much it helps US. Your motives may be as pure as fresh fallen snow, but until you understand and surrender to God’s will, no matter what that means, you will never know what it means to truly follow him. That doesn’t mean that people who leave our country to preach the gospel in third world countries are holier that the rest of us, but in many cases it does mean that they have stepped out of what they knew and into what they didn’t. That not only takes courage, but it takes surrender and a realization that sometimes WE NEED TO GO in order to understand what it means to surrender our lives to God’s will…and not ours.

So, maybe the reason you need to leave Jerusalem isn’t that you’ve done all the work, it’s that you need a work done to all of you. As we step out of our comfort zones, God steps into our lives. The last five years of my life have been one continually lesson on this subject. In the last six months my family has moved from the comfort of the Mid-West to the unknown world of South Florida. We didn’t just wake up one day and say, “Gee, I’d really like to live 18 hours away from here…maybe somewhere near a beach.” We saw God moving and arranging THE opportunity he had prepared for us and we stepped out of what we knew and into what he was going to teach us through it all. It hasn’t been easy, but it has always been the right decision. What it has taught me is priceless to my pursuit of Christ.

What it comes down to is this. When we simple stay in what we know we struggle to grow. And according to Acts 1, we’re called to more than that.

 

Leaving Jerusalem (Part 1)

Sunday I preached about the pattern of movement that Jesus instructed his disciples to follow just before ascending to Heaven in the book of Acts. Before he left the earth he said, “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). It’s a powerful statement where Jesus clearly lays out a mission for those who had been with him during his ministry. They were to be his witnesses, telling people what they knew of him after he was gone, and this grass-roots approach is how Christianity spread across the world. There was no plan B.

As I said Sunday, the reality is that most of us read that statement and go straight to the “end of the earth.” For whatever reason, it’s often more enticing to share the gospel with someone across the world than across the street. Then, when faced with the difficulty of crossing cultures and countries we get discouraged and disappointed and don’t do anything at all, or we don’t find real worth in anything other than exotic outreach. We forget that Jesus told his disciples first to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, which is where they already were. You see, what is often overlooked is the fact that we are called to be witnesses of Jesus’ work in our life in our “Jerusalem” FIRST. Before we cross the state, region, or country we need to bear witness where were already are.

Because I purposefully over-communicated this reality on Sunday I’m going to write a series of posts this week with reasons why you need to eventually leave your “Jerusalem.” The early church followed these instructions carefully, but they didn’t stay in Jerusalem forever. Eventually, they left the city and changed the world. This week, my hope is to encourage you to do the same.

Sermon audio: “Witness” (Acts 1:8)