So the Lord has been hitting me upside the head the past few weeks like crazy on the subject of not getting caught up in numbers. The Gathering is the area in my life, where I stress most when it comes to people attending. Yes, I should care about people coming so that they can hear the gospel. But at the same time, it does not mean if you are successful or not. The Lord has showed me how its more important to follow God and be biblical than to have a large crowd and having the Gathering become extremely popular.
Jesus was not very popular at times in His ministry. In fact, He dwindled it down to 12 because of His harsh statements He made about what it means to truly follow Him.
I also look at the apostles and great men of God in our history, and I see a lot of failure when it comes to people increasingly coming. Adoniram Judson was a missionary who went to an unreached people group and translated the Bible for the Burmese people. He did not experience a single profession of faith until 6 years into his ministry. He was obviously fruitful in his work for the Lord before that person came to Christ.
So God has been humbling me to realize that success is based off of preaching the Word for what it is, and doing everything for the glory of God. If that means a lot of people come, praise God, if a lot of people don't... Praise God!!!
I leave you with a quote that has changed me a lot this past week.
"To evangelize does not mean to win converts... but simply to announce the good news, irrespective of the results" - John Stott
Monday, November 8, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Thankful!
If I have learned anything from being away from my home, is that I should be so much more thankful than I really am! I really miss my close friends and family back home, and they have done so much for me!
Specifically Jordan: Jordan has been so amazing through this whole thing. I keep hearing how tough it is to have a long distance relationship, but Jordan and I are doing so great! Its been such a blessing to get a word of encouragement from her daily, and it is so noticeable how much more she has gotten into the Word. This being away thing has been the best thing for us. Its taught me personally, how to be a lot more thankful than I ever was. I never recognized how much of a servant's heart she had, until I left. She is willing to do so much for the body of believers, and its such an encouragement to me. Although I have been a believer longer than her, she continues to teach me so much every day. This also has created both of us to seek God even more through this trial. Trials are always used by God for our good, and I can definitely see that evident in our relationship. We have both grown individually with God through this, as well as a relationship. Our prayer's every night has really been a huge factor in keeping me positive in this entire experience.
She is so awesome!!! I am very very lucky :)
Specifically Jordan: Jordan has been so amazing through this whole thing. I keep hearing how tough it is to have a long distance relationship, but Jordan and I are doing so great! Its been such a blessing to get a word of encouragement from her daily, and it is so noticeable how much more she has gotten into the Word. This being away thing has been the best thing for us. Its taught me personally, how to be a lot more thankful than I ever was. I never recognized how much of a servant's heart she had, until I left. She is willing to do so much for the body of believers, and its such an encouragement to me. Although I have been a believer longer than her, she continues to teach me so much every day. This also has created both of us to seek God even more through this trial. Trials are always used by God for our good, and I can definitely see that evident in our relationship. We have both grown individually with God through this, as well as a relationship. Our prayer's every night has really been a huge factor in keeping me positive in this entire experience.
She is so awesome!!! I am very very lucky :)
Encouraged
Okay, so the past week or so I have sat down to type my blog, and I do not even know where to begin. Instead of trying to figure out how to structure it all, I just decide to do it another day.
Well, I finally want to take this time to write down all of my thoughts. If I pontificated on every thing that God has done in my life since I have been to CBU, this would be pages long... We all know I am not that captivating at writing, so I am just gonna type it out in short form so you get the gist of it.
- God has taught me about caring for others a whole lot more. Queen Creek does not have community the way CBU does. Of course a lot of it has to do with a lot more believers being here, and it automatically evokes encouragement. But what I have learned a lot here, is that we should care for each and every person. Don't get me wrong, I believe that I cared for each person while in Queen Creek; but my mentors here have taught me a lot on how to constructively care for someone.
Its as simple as a one on one lunch. I have been so blessed by doing this, just asking them how their life is, what God has been doing for them. Its insane to hear their responses, and its even more insane that it encourages both parties SO MUCH!
Its also as simple as a phone call, keeping them accountable with their walk with God in an encouraging way!!
- I was blessed today by sitting in a "Intro to Pastoral Ministry" class (a class I will take my sophomore year). It was presentation day, and I was blown away by my fellow students and how they dissected God's word. One group looked at Paul in the book of Acts. They revealed to the class how effective he was as a pastor, and what we should learn from him. I was encouraged to see how Paul preached publicly, but also from home to home! He did life with everyone!
Paul also had the spirit of humility when it came to the pastor's position.
In other words, we must continually remind ourselves that while we hold ourselves to be above reproach, we must never forget that we are not above anyone.
As pastors we should live a life that is above reproach, but with a humble attitude knowing that we are sinners just as much as anyone in the crowd.
The second group worked through 1 Timothy.
Key points I gained from the presentation:
1. Pastors should: - preach the Word of God AGGRESSIVELY
- Raise up other leaders (at least 2 at a time)
- Serve ALL people
- Expositional teaching
- Be servant of men, and a slave to God
- Hold the church accountable. .
- Defend the doctrine!
It was so encouraging to hear fellow peers who will be pastors one day, have this so right.
God has been doing amazing things in my life.
I pray that He is impacting yours.
I leave you with a passage to MEDITATE over.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
Well, I finally want to take this time to write down all of my thoughts. If I pontificated on every thing that God has done in my life since I have been to CBU, this would be pages long... We all know I am not that captivating at writing, so I am just gonna type it out in short form so you get the gist of it.
- God has taught me about caring for others a whole lot more. Queen Creek does not have community the way CBU does. Of course a lot of it has to do with a lot more believers being here, and it automatically evokes encouragement. But what I have learned a lot here, is that we should care for each and every person. Don't get me wrong, I believe that I cared for each person while in Queen Creek; but my mentors here have taught me a lot on how to constructively care for someone.
Its as simple as a one on one lunch. I have been so blessed by doing this, just asking them how their life is, what God has been doing for them. Its insane to hear their responses, and its even more insane that it encourages both parties SO MUCH!
Its also as simple as a phone call, keeping them accountable with their walk with God in an encouraging way!!
- I was blessed today by sitting in a "Intro to Pastoral Ministry" class (a class I will take my sophomore year). It was presentation day, and I was blown away by my fellow students and how they dissected God's word. One group looked at Paul in the book of Acts. They revealed to the class how effective he was as a pastor, and what we should learn from him. I was encouraged to see how Paul preached publicly, but also from home to home! He did life with everyone!
Paul also had the spirit of humility when it came to the pastor's position.
In other words, we must continually remind ourselves that while we hold ourselves to be above reproach, we must never forget that we are not above anyone.
As pastors we should live a life that is above reproach, but with a humble attitude knowing that we are sinners just as much as anyone in the crowd.
The second group worked through 1 Timothy.
Key points I gained from the presentation:
1. Pastors should: - preach the Word of God AGGRESSIVELY
- Raise up other leaders (at least 2 at a time)
- Serve ALL people
- Expositional teaching
- Be servant of men, and a slave to God
- Hold the church accountable. .
- Defend the doctrine!
It was so encouraging to hear fellow peers who will be pastors one day, have this so right.
God has been doing amazing things in my life.
I pray that He is impacting yours.
I leave you with a passage to MEDITATE over.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
God's Lessons In My Life
Luke 14:27 "And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple"
Have you ever had those weeks where you know God has His hand completely on you? Where it seems that every minute, is a lesson God is teaching you something? From July 25, to now, I have been having those weeks!
God recently, has opened my eyes to the gospel in a way I have never fully understood before. And it all started with Luke 14:27. When we think of the cross, we think of what we put on the rear view mirror of our vehicles, the necklaces we wear, the pictures we put up in our house. And in a sense, we do love the cross because its what saved us! But because of this, we forget what the cross means in the culture where Jesus spoke these words. Back then, He was saying pick up your instrument of torture and follow me. In today's terms, pick up your electric chair, and follow me. That is radical! And its not the gospel we are parading today. Today we just ask, "do you want love? Pray this prayer, and your life will be so much better". We never tell them that the gospel will cost you your life, and because we do so, they never receive life in the first place.
Because of this I have really looked into the gospels, to present to my Heart Cry family what the gospel is according to America verses what the gospel is according to the Bible.
If I were to have never been around today's church, and all I had was the Bible. I would think the gospel is totally different than what many preach today. So I presented this to Heart Cry on August 1st, and it was amazing to see God speak to the congregation. you can find it here: http://www.messageshare.com/messages/memberID483/Follow%20Me.mp3
But parts of my message was about how do we disciple? How do we make disciples? And our culture is wrapped up in the idea that the next program is the key to success in making disciples. But I preach that Jesus laid it out to us clearly in Matthew 28:18-20.
We make disciples by:
1. Share the Word. Going.
Our strategy is dependent upon the best lights, speaker, band, and building. While God's strategy is dependent upon people!
We are all preachers of the word, not just the pastor twice a week!
2. Show the Word. Baptizing.
We are baptized to identify ourselves with Christ. But from then on, we show this identity.
Read 1 Cor 10:31-33, Phil 3:17. Phil 4:9.
Paul is exclaiming to follow his walk, and in so doing, you will get closer to the Father. this is great pressure.
We have become so individualistic, that we do this walk for ourselves. But in fact, its biblical to say that we are to live for others. In other words, my holiness has a direct effect on others Christianity. We tell the ones who follow us, to watch us and do what we do. This brings true accountability, causes you to grow, and also causes other to grow.
(Listen to message for this to make complete sense)
3. Teach the Word. Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
Does the word stop with you, or spread with you?
Stop listening to messages without a pen and paper. That means you are listening just for your own health. Rather, take notes for those who aren't listening to the message. so that you may share that word with your neighbor.
Challenge: every time you read something in the word, share it with at least one other person.
4. Serve the world.
Invest in 1 or 2 people, do these 3 steps, and they will begin serving with you. They will impact the world.
Then you go get 2 others to disciple, and the one you just discipled gets 2 of their own.
This will begin to multiply into strong disciples!
Please take this message, and apply it to your life. For the sake of the gospel!
The other thing God has taught me these past weeks, is through others lives.
I will not mention their names, but I have been radically impacted by 2 guys who have poured their life into me. They have shared with me their life story, their sins, their punishments of their sin, and the precious gospel that has liberated them.
Hearing stories about prison, not having much, living in a homeless shelter, is very humbling to say the least. These man have impacted my life the 2 past weeks, more than a Sunday school teacher ever has.
Doing life together, sharing experiences, and learning about other people's mistakes is such a blessing.
I have gone to sleep every night, just so thankful for the gospel. So refreshed and re-energized knowing that God saves the worst, uses the lowly, and has His hand on His sheep wherever they are.
Please. Please. Please. Invest your life into someone. Show them what you have learned so far, and look for someone to invest their life into you. That is what the early church did, we must go back to it.
I have seen the positive results first hand.
Summer Trips
Wow. What a summer I have had, and it has been so busy that I have had no time to blog whatsoever!
But I would love to use this post, just to catch up with the summer trips I have taken.
Virgina/Tennessee:
In June, my family and I were blessed with the opportunity to go to the "South" and enjoy some family time while celebrating my Papa and Grandma's 50th Anniversary of their marriage. God really worked on my heart the week that we were there. It was just so refreshing to see churches there, passionate about the gospel of Jesus. I loved seeing the Tuttle family (my relatives), doing so much for Christ. We rarely ever have the time to connect because they move all around the world for the gospel.
I particularly needed the time I had with my cousin Jace. It was very encouraging to see his willingness to help me with my church plant in Arizona. He offered so much of his time to help the Gathering, and it was so apparent to see it was because he is so hooked on the love of Jesus and pursuing Him.
Georgia Team:
Once I left the south, the south came and visited us with a mission team from Georgia. My previous post explains in further detail about their visit, but please keep them in prayer as they present and live the gospel in Lavonia Georgia.
San Francisco:
God richly blessed Heart Cry Church's youth by financially providing our way to San Fran to spread the precious gospel. Powerplant was the name of the organization that held the mission trip/camp experience. The staffers their were amazing, and it deeply encouraged me to see fellow young people serve the gospel with their entire life!
The best part of the trip, was the mission aspect! We helped a new church plant called, Ministerio Hispana, in Richmond, CA. For those who don't know where that is, its very close to San Fran but also known as the "gangster area". We were in the hispanic region, with many of them only speaking spanish. But the language barrier did not stop us a bit.
We helped the church by doing a VBS event for the children of the area. I taught the 5th and 6th graders, and they were such a blessing. We had 10 kids consistently for my grades, and they heard about Jesus every single day! 2 of them surrendered to Jesus, through the preaching of the gospel to them. The others claimed that they were followers, but realized they need to sacrifice more to God. They probably impacted my life, more than I impacted theirs. It was amazing to see their happy spirits, knowing someone cared for them. All they need is hope, and thats all any community needs. And that hope is found in Jesus Christ!
Please pray for Richmond, CA. They are a desperately wicked community that has fallen into the fascination of gangs and violence. Pray for certain teenagers at the church, who recently gave their life to Christ and trying to get out of their gang without getting shot!
Through these trips God has humbled me, broadened my horizons, and assured me that there are disciples of God's word out there. They just need to be reminded, and trained to spread this gospel to others in their community. I love that God hears every language, I love that God can bless me through a homeless man just as much as a youth pastor can. It doesn't matter what walk of life, you can still gain wisdom, knowledge, and encouragement from them.
But I would love to use this post, just to catch up with the summer trips I have taken.
Virgina/Tennessee:
In June, my family and I were blessed with the opportunity to go to the "South" and enjoy some family time while celebrating my Papa and Grandma's 50th Anniversary of their marriage. God really worked on my heart the week that we were there. It was just so refreshing to see churches there, passionate about the gospel of Jesus. I loved seeing the Tuttle family (my relatives), doing so much for Christ. We rarely ever have the time to connect because they move all around the world for the gospel.
I particularly needed the time I had with my cousin Jace. It was very encouraging to see his willingness to help me with my church plant in Arizona. He offered so much of his time to help the Gathering, and it was so apparent to see it was because he is so hooked on the love of Jesus and pursuing Him.
Georgia Team:
Once I left the south, the south came and visited us with a mission team from Georgia. My previous post explains in further detail about their visit, but please keep them in prayer as they present and live the gospel in Lavonia Georgia.
San Francisco:
God richly blessed Heart Cry Church's youth by financially providing our way to San Fran to spread the precious gospel. Powerplant was the name of the organization that held the mission trip/camp experience. The staffers their were amazing, and it deeply encouraged me to see fellow young people serve the gospel with their entire life!
The best part of the trip, was the mission aspect! We helped a new church plant called, Ministerio Hispana, in Richmond, CA. For those who don't know where that is, its very close to San Fran but also known as the "gangster area". We were in the hispanic region, with many of them only speaking spanish. But the language barrier did not stop us a bit.
We helped the church by doing a VBS event for the children of the area. I taught the 5th and 6th graders, and they were such a blessing. We had 10 kids consistently for my grades, and they heard about Jesus every single day! 2 of them surrendered to Jesus, through the preaching of the gospel to them. The others claimed that they were followers, but realized they need to sacrifice more to God. They probably impacted my life, more than I impacted theirs. It was amazing to see their happy spirits, knowing someone cared for them. All they need is hope, and thats all any community needs. And that hope is found in Jesus Christ!
Please pray for Richmond, CA. They are a desperately wicked community that has fallen into the fascination of gangs and violence. Pray for certain teenagers at the church, who recently gave their life to Christ and trying to get out of their gang without getting shot!
Through these trips God has humbled me, broadened my horizons, and assured me that there are disciples of God's word out there. They just need to be reminded, and trained to spread this gospel to others in their community. I love that God hears every language, I love that God can bless me through a homeless man just as much as a youth pastor can. It doesn't matter what walk of life, you can still gain wisdom, knowledge, and encouragement from them.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Georgia!
This past week I have been extremely blessed by the mission team from Georgia. It is amazing to see God work through people's lives of all ages, and of all different cultures. It was great for me specifically, because it was encouraging to know that we are not alone. Sometimes I get into this mode of thinking that there are not many out there who want to give God everything anymore. But this week, God reminded me that He has his people throughout the world, living to glorify the Father. It reminds me a lot of the prophet Elijah, when he felt that he was the only one left for God, but found out that there were seven thousand that still worshipped Him in his his area. (1 Kings 19)
I loved serving with them by passing out flyers to the surrounding neighborhoods of the church. We passed out 3500 flyers in 3 days!! They did so with such a happy heart. We also had a great conversations together about so many different aspects of life. It really felt like they were family, which they are! The family of God is so powerful.
I am looking forward to the friendship that I will have with them in the future.
They are in my prayers daily!
Thank you God, for your blessings.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Hospitality to a stranger - God's call for us to do
God has been working on me a lot lately. He has been revealing to me what the church is, and what it should be. I have been so blessed to take in what God has told me, and I feel that if I don't apply it I am a hypocrite.
Well God put me to the test today. I went to Subway with my mom for lunch today. As we were standing in line, I saw a man named Scott (about my age) just sitting there with a look of anticipation. After we had gotten the food, Scott stood up and went to the counter. He asked for an application. But the manager told him that there were none left, and that he can go online to get it. The look on Scott's face was heart breaking. I saw him walk out of Subway and go to his bike. He just stood there for awhile, as if he were thinking of a way to get that application. So my mom and I walked to the car, and right when I got in I felt so tense. I knew that I just learned about how the church is supposed to get out in the community and serve. So I got out of the car and walked towards this gentleman. Not knowing his name yet, I said, "hey man. I am gonna get you your application, if you just wait here. I'll see if the one a few miles down has it, and if not I will print one off of my house". I could not believe the joy I saw in this guys face, but it was a humble joy. And realizing he did not have any money, I gave him a few bucks to get a drink while he was waiting for me.
So mom and I drove to the next Subway to get an application, and sure enough there were none. God wanted us to work for this :) So we ran home, I got out of the car quickly and printed off an application for him. But before I ran out, I got a Bible (one of my favorite ones) and I put the bookmark on John 3:16. We took off and got there, and sure enough Scott was standing there with a drink in his hand. (I appreciated that he used the money the way I asked him to). So I gave him the application, but insisted that in order to take the pen to fill it out, he must take this Bible. I explained to him that I am not pressing a religion down his throat. But that I am totally in love with Jesus and His word, and I promise you that if you take this book and read it you will never be the same again.
I then asked his name, and I told him I loved him and was praying for him. As we said bye, he said thanks again for the bible. How cool is that?! Not thanks for the application, but thanks for the Bible.
I was so excited. I am praying that Scott finds eternal life and the King of Kings through reading God's word. Pray for him.
Well God put me to the test today. I went to Subway with my mom for lunch today. As we were standing in line, I saw a man named Scott (about my age) just sitting there with a look of anticipation. After we had gotten the food, Scott stood up and went to the counter. He asked for an application. But the manager told him that there were none left, and that he can go online to get it. The look on Scott's face was heart breaking. I saw him walk out of Subway and go to his bike. He just stood there for awhile, as if he were thinking of a way to get that application. So my mom and I walked to the car, and right when I got in I felt so tense. I knew that I just learned about how the church is supposed to get out in the community and serve. So I got out of the car and walked towards this gentleman. Not knowing his name yet, I said, "hey man. I am gonna get you your application, if you just wait here. I'll see if the one a few miles down has it, and if not I will print one off of my house". I could not believe the joy I saw in this guys face, but it was a humble joy. And realizing he did not have any money, I gave him a few bucks to get a drink while he was waiting for me.
So mom and I drove to the next Subway to get an application, and sure enough there were none. God wanted us to work for this :) So we ran home, I got out of the car quickly and printed off an application for him. But before I ran out, I got a Bible (one of my favorite ones) and I put the bookmark on John 3:16. We took off and got there, and sure enough Scott was standing there with a drink in his hand. (I appreciated that he used the money the way I asked him to). So I gave him the application, but insisted that in order to take the pen to fill it out, he must take this Bible. I explained to him that I am not pressing a religion down his throat. But that I am totally in love with Jesus and His word, and I promise you that if you take this book and read it you will never be the same again.
I then asked his name, and I told him I loved him and was praying for him. As we said bye, he said thanks again for the bible. How cool is that?! Not thanks for the application, but thanks for the Bible.
I was so excited. I am praying that Scott finds eternal life and the King of Kings through reading God's word. Pray for him.
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