I am tired of church...Are you?

I am sure you are wondering just what I am talking about. I am talking about just that, “church.” I am tired of what we call the “church.” It has become either a “place” we go or “something” we do.

For so many it is just a place that we go to once or twice week to either feel a little better about our self or to seek some form of forgiveness for something that we did the week prior. We leave with no real change having taken place in our life and go right back to our same old life and get the same old results. Now the church that we go to has some responsibility in this as well…more on that later…

Yet, to others, church has become “something” we do. We stroll in on Sundays because, for some reason, it is something we are supposed to do and we feel good about it. We actually think we have done God a favor by merely showing up!

Some get involved in a ministry or service activity because they feel that they are supposed to as a “member” of their church or that is what it means to be a Christian because they have to “produce fruit.” We have all heard the “you gotta serve” sermon right?

I have learned (and am still learning) that a relationship with Christ is not about going to a building, not about being part of some denomination, not about serving in a ministry, it is about living a life like Jesus, it is about treating others the way Jesus did and about sharing His love with those that don’t know it. This is not an exclusive list, just the high points.

If we are serving in a ministry for any other reason other than to share the love of Jesus and give God the glory, it is the wrong reason. One of my favorite quotes is a definition of ministry by Warren Wiersbe. He says, “Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God.”

We are supposed to be the “loving channels” delivering the “divine resources” and giving God the glory. Does God need our help? No. Instead, He is allowing us to take part in His creation and to further His kingdom. It is a privilege and a gift to serve God and to serve others. These are lessons that I have learned (again, and still learning) in my walk. I have been guilty of wanting attention or praise for something I have done when in reality, I should have been doing it for God alone and giving Him credit. Don’t get me wrong, it is okay to be happy that you did something for God and to feel that blessing when you have helped someone…the difference is enjoying the blessing that came from serving God and not expecting something for what you did.

I have attended churches that “appeared” to be serving God and to be serving others but in reality, were just doing these things because they felt they were supposed to be done without any “real” compassion for the people or for serving God. I know that is a pretty harsh statement but it was something that I witnessed and experienced. I also attended a church were there seemed to be no service outreach or evangelism. There seemed to be no desire to reach the community.

On the other hand, I have attended churches that were always in the community doing service projects. One church skipped a Sunday service and had everyone involved in various community service projects! Another church adopted an entire under privileged neighborhood and served them throughout the year! Another has actually picked up homeless people and brought them to church and found them a place to live and given them food to eat.

Now before you think that my wife and I are “church hoppers,” understand that we have moved around a lot and I have worked all over the country so I have had the opportunity to visit and attend many churches and have learned a lot regarding ministry over the past few years. I also am blessed with some friends who are pastors and learn a lot of things on how they do ministry. Using only first names, thanks to Al, David, Bill, Steve, Mark and Dave!

I mentioned that I was tired of “church.” I guess I need to expand on that and give what I feel is an alternative to what is so common.

You don’t have to agree, my blog…my opinion ;-)

As I stated earlier, people go to church for different reasons: to learn more about God’s Word, to learn how to live like a Christian, to worship God, to fellowship with other believers in order to encourage and to be encouraged, etc. These are all good reasons but one thing that my wife and I have realized is that we have never learned how to truly reach our community and to serve others. Now that may sound weird coming from someone who is going to seminary and feels called to the ministry! But our idea of “service” was volunteering at church or having Christian friends over to our house. Those things are fine and good but who did Jesus spend time with? Of course, there were times when He was just with His disciples and times when He was just with His inner circle of Peter, James and John and sometimes just with Peter. But Jesus also spent time with those that didn’t know Him: tax collectors, prostitutes and other sinners.

I think the “American Church” is missing the boat when it comes to teaching people what it means to serve. I am not labeling ALL churches, I am speaking in a general sense (so don’t take this personally if you are a pastor reading this). You can make someone do something and you can convince someone to do something but teaching people HOW to do something and having their hearts prepared to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, now that is something!

Good deeds apart from the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit are just that…good deeds. Things that we did that provided some benefit to someone. Fine. But when a person learns to love others and whose heart is moved and inspired to help, that is a lasting change that will go with them forever and allow many lives to be touched and God to be glorified.

We need to find a church that isn’t just about “bells and whistles” or because they have this ministry or that ministry. Granted, some families need certain things and need to be ministered to in special ways. I get that. But we sometimes tend to look at a church in a way that asks the question, “What can they do for me?” instead of asking “What can I do for them?” or better yet “What can I do WITH them?”

If you are looking for a new church, a different church, or a better church, find one that first and foremost teaches God’s Word. Not one that waters it down or changes it to fit popular culture. Find one that teaches on sin and the need for salvation. Find one where the pastor and leadership live out what is being preached. What example do they set?

Is there a desire to reach the community? So many churches will claim to support missions and may have some missionaries in another country, which is great, but what are they doing in their own back yard? My wife and I know that we have a desire to share Jesus and to serve others but we asked ourselves, “How many people in our own neighborhood and even our own street have we talked to?” I won’t share our answer…as it is embarrassing. Things must change!

In the end, we all have certain things we look for in a church: youth group, men’s and women’s studies, good kids ministry, etc. Those things are fine but in the forefront should be 1) Do they teach solid biblical teachings? 2) Are they actually serving their community?

I asked a good friend of mine who is a pastor of a church that minister’s primarily to people that other churches in the area won’t let in their doors and focuses on feeding the hungry how he knew he was called to that kind of ministry. His response, “Mike, there really isn’t any other kind of ministry” He explained that both Jesus and Paul preached the Word and fed the hungry: Plain and simple.

In other words: Teach them about Jesus and love them like Jesus.

Why do we have to make it so hard?

HE IS RISEN

HAPPY RESURRECTION SUNDAY!

Today is the day we remember that Christ rose from the grave claiming victory over death and proving Himself to be God. Just two days ago we remembered His horrible death on the cross at the hands of the Romans and Jewish leaders. But the one thing that escapes many is the fact that it is true that the Jewish leaders handed Jesus over to the Roman authorities and it was at their hands He was crucified...BUT it was GOD that allowed it and it was GOD that ordained it.

God sent Jesus to the cross as a final sacrifice for all sin so that we may have a relationship with Him again. Because of sin, we are separated from God and need an atonement. In the past God allowed sacrifices to cover the sins of Israel and once a year allowed the high priest to ask forgiveness for the sins of Israel. This weekend we celebrate the final atonement, the final sacrifice...the final offering.

Jesus paid the price for our sins.

Jesus suffered for our forgiveness.

Jesus died so we could live.

Honor HIM today and remember HIM always!

Which Teaching Source Do You Use?

Here is another essay I wrote addressing the four sources of a communicator's message and which one I draw from the most when preparing messages. So my essay makes sense, here is a brief description of each:

1. Tradition: Bible truths
2. Observation: Needs of the students
3. Participation: Experiences of the teacher
4. Inspiration: Direction of the Holy Spirt

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            Of the four sources given: Tradition, Observation, Participation and Inspiration, I tend to use the Observation source the most. I fully believe that any message must contain elements of all these sources but I find myself asking, for the most part, the five questions that Andy Stanley asks in his book Communicating for a Change:

1.     What do they need to know?

2.     Why do they need to know it?

3.     What do they need to do?

4.     Why do they need to do it?

5.     How can I help them remember? (Stanley 2006, 186-190)

I can’t say that have always asked them in the same manner as Stanley does but I almost always start with “What do they need to know?” and “What does God want them to know?” That leads me to the second source that I feel is equally important: Inspiration. Standing up on Sunday morning and preaching a message that we like or are comfortable with may reach and touch the lives of some but how many have we neglected by not searching for what they need and for what God has for them?

I have had the privilege to teach kids at all ages in church. The age group that I feel drawn to is the 4^th – 6^th graders because they are at that age where they are old enough to understand biblical principles and young enough to enact change with little resistance. So I ask myself, “What is it these kids need to know to help them grow?” I kill two birds with one stone here because that question is asked to God; hence, the Inspiration source is tapped from as well.

Teaching a message that challenges someone to change some part of their life is vital and giving them something tangible that they can apply, helps them achieve that goal. That is why it is important to get to know the people you are teaching especially if it is on a recurring basis. Obviously this is difficult to do with a large congregation but still possible at some levels. I have spent time preaching and teaching in adult settings such as Sunday mornings, mid-week studies and youth groups but the majority of messages I prepare are for kids in the aforementioned grades. Getting to know them personally allows me to understand their needs and recognize the areas of their life that God’s Word can help change. By showing an interest in their life also establishes credibility with them because after all, if we don’t really care about them, why are we there?

Earlier I mentioned that Observation and Inspiration were the top two sources in my list but I also have to mention how I use the other two as well. Whatever message I prepare has to be grounded in the Word of God. The Bible is our source of information and a manual for life. Every message and precept taught has to be backed up and supported by God’s Word. The final source, Participation, is important but, in my opinion, needs to be limited when teaching kids because the last thing they want to hear for 30 minutes is “When I was your age…” With adults, it is different because you are sharing a life experience that they may relate to or may be currently experiencing but in my ministry with kids, I use it sparingly. I mostly use it to point out where I failed when I was younger and to illustrate a warning for them to not imitate that behavior.

In conclusion, while each message should draw from all four sources, observing the needs of the students/audience is most important to then be followed up with inspiration from God as to what message He has for them to meet those needs. To repeat the question I asked earlier, “If we don’t really care about them, why are we there?”

Why God Chose Ezra by: Mike Florant

This is an essay I just wrote for school after reading a chapter in a book called Go Make Disciples by Dr. Michael Mitchell
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God chose Ezra to bring spiritual reform to Israel because he “had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10 English Standard Version).  The preceding verse indicates the result of his devotion was God’s hand being upon him (Mitchell, 2).

Ezra sets an example for all pastors, teachers, leaders and disciples of Christ. As pointed out by Dr. Mitchell, Ezra devoted himself to the study, practice and teaching of God’s Word. The words used for “set his heart” can mean, “to appoint one’s soul.” Ezra knew his purpose was to study, live and teach God’s Law to the point that it was his life’s mission and “soul” purpose. As Matthew Henry stated, “If he was raised up of God, and qualified and inclined to do this, all generations have reason to call him blessed, and to bless God for him” (Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, Ezra 7:1-10).

Ezra also possessed a reputation among his peers as a student of the Law as evidenced by his commission from King Artaxerxes in Ezra 7 to travel to Israel to be a teacher of God's Word. If we desire to teach God’s Word then we must aspire to live a life that is a reflection of Christ and is proven to represent the principles that we are teaching. Knowledge of God’s Word is not enough; it needs to be visible in our lives (Mitchell, 5). James 1:22 tells us to “be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.” This was a principle that Ezra apparently lived by.

Ezra was chosen not only because he studied God’s Word and made it part of his life, but because he took on the responsibility to teach what he knew (Mitchell, 8). He was obviously a gifted speaker to have preached to and maintained an audience for over half the day as stated in Nehemiah 8. Ezra used the gifts that God had given him to teach God’s Word in a way the people could understand and apply to their lives (Mitchell, 9).

In conclusion, Ezra’s deep devotion to the study of God’s Word, the observance of it in his own life and the desire and dedication to teach others allowed him to be used mightily by God. If we want God to use us in a similar manner then we must apply these same three principles in our lives and follow the example that Ezra has set for us. Proverbs 2 encourages us to have a desire for understanding and to actively search for knowledge. First we must learn it and then apply it so we can “walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous” (Proverbs 2:20 ESV). Then we are to take that knowledge and our experiences with Christ to others so they may know and benefit from God’s Word as well.

Addictive Behavior

I am currently going through an online study with some guys around the country and we are going through a book that highlights twenty godly attributes of the christian man and this weeks chapter focused on addictive behaviors and I really felt led by the Spirit to share a portion of this week's post with everyone. The study of the Book of Colossians will continue next week.

--From the online study blog post--

This chapter is about being moderate in all things and does not just focus on drinking. It is a focus on addictive behavior. Alcohol is the dominant example because it is the probably the most visible area of addiction (next to drugs and smoking) that our society faces, but as Christians, we are to avoid ANY addictive behavior and I would be so bold to say, any behavior that does not bring glory to Jesus or any behavior that may cause someone to stumble no matter how innocent it may appear to us.

I remember back when I lived in Florida I used to play poker with some guys at work every couple weeks. I had fun and enjoyed the game of poker (taking 20 bucks from my friends wasn’t bad either) but after I got saved, I struggled with playing and justified it saying to myself that I would be a light to them because for awhile, they did ask questions about the Bible and Jesus and why I was now going to church. But after while, the questions stopped, I went from not drinking to “only having a couple” and finding myself engaging in the same conversations, jokes and mannerisms as I did before when I was in the world and I found myself no longer being a light. My light was being dimmed by the world around me. I was getting angry when others would get hammered and not pay attention to the game so I realized that this behavior was not glorifying God, was becoming sinful because of my actions and needed to be removed from my life. Jesus said to cut off your hand or gouge out your eye if it causes you to sin. We all know that He wasn’t referring to self mutilation, but referring to removing an area from our life that is causing us to sin so our whole life would not be destroyed.

I removed that area from my life and do not regret it one bit. Now I still had the occasional drink from time to time and the Lord really worked on me in this area to the point that I first gave up drinking in public (to avoid the appearance of evil and to not cause someone to stumble), then I gave up drinking in front of my kids (so as to not present a bad example) to eventually not drinking at all because it provided no positive effect on my life but could only hinder my spiritual growth.

I do believe that Christians should not drink or engage in any behavior that may be construed as sin because people watch us and will use our actions to justify there own. I know this because I used to do it a long time ago when I thought I was saved and going to church. I used to justify drinking and smoking and casual sex because if those around me that went to church to. I figured that if they were doing and were “Christians” then it must be okay.

I feel that we need to live to a higher standard and set the higher example to our family and the world around us and trust me, if we are sincere in wanting to live this way, God WILL help us. He did me.

Now, while some argue whether or not the Bible teaches total abstinence from alcohol (not the point of this post) it does teach abstinence from an area that causes you to sin. If we know we have a problem in a certain area, we avoid those areas. If it is alcohol, we don’t buy beer, we don’t hang around people that drink, we don’t go to places where we may be tempted to drink. If it is porn or lust, we don’t watch movies that contain that, we have our internet pages monitored by a friend for accountability or get rid of it, we don’t go to strip clubs, etc. These things may seem easy to say but I know hard it is but it is something we have to do if want to achieve the victory over this sin.

We can’t confuse “struggle” with “surrender.” We can say things like, “Well, God knows that I struggle in that area and  He forgives me and is working on me.” But if we are WILLINGLY putting ourselves in situations that allow us to sin, then we are not “struggling” anymore but are instead “surrendering.” We have two choices when it comes to sin, we can “struggle” and achieve “victory” or we can “struggle” and “surrender.”

When we let the sin control our lives, we are surrendering and admitting defeat. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says about achieving victory in Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

There are three things we must do:

1)    Remove the sin from our life and avoid the circumstance that cause us to sin

2)    Run the race with endurance using the strength and power of the Holy Spirit

3)    Keep our eyes on Jesus

I want to focus a little on the third one. It is easier to sin when we are looking away from Jesus. John 3:19-21 states:

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

When we are sinning, or have sinned, the last thing we want to is to study God’s Word, pray, talk to a fellow Christian. Why? Because we know that are deeds are (were) sinful and we would rather stay in that darkness where there is no truth and only lies instead of coming out into the light of God and exposing our sin so we can be convicted and let God work in us. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and on the cross to remember that He hung there and died for us so that we could have power over sin and that it would not reign over us any longer. One of my favorite verses is Colossians 1:13 and it says “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ” (NIV)

Jesus died on the cross so we could live in the light and no longer live in the darkness. Our flesh was crucified with Christ but yet we still let it have dominion over us. This is not what God wants. He wants us to live a life led by the Spirit and not by the flesh.  We need to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God that dwells in us to defeat the flesh and awaken the Spirit so we can live in VICTORY.

My final thought is for us to not deceive ourselves in thinking we are living for Christ just because we know His Word but to live His Word instead (James 1:22)

Colossians - Bible Study Week 8 "Rooted in Christ"

Colossians 2:1-10

“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. ”

There are four points I want to highlight in these verses:

1. Don’t be deceived by persuasive words

2. Rooted and built up in Christ

3. Established in our faith

4. Not being swayed with “knowledge” of the world

Don’t be deceived by persuasive words

The word used here for “persuasive” means ‘to entice’ and to ‘to lead into error’ which is exactly what Satan wants to do. He wants to confuse us and have us question our faith. 

Rooted and built up in Christ

We are to be moving forward in our Christian walk (that is why it is not called the “Christian Stand”) and increasing in our knowledge of Christ and the Scriptures. It is only with the true Word can we fight against heresy and false teachings.

Established in our faith

Paul uses military terms like “order” and “steadfastness” to encourage them to remain firm in their faith. There were was the constant threat of false teachings abut Christ during Paul’s day (just like today) and Paul wanted to encourage them to stand fast in the things that they had been taught which are the same things we are taught from the Bible today. The biggest threat was to remove the divinity of Jesus (just like today) .

Not being swayed with “knowledge” of the world

Today it seems people are more zealous to turn people away from God then we are to turn them to God. That means that we as Christians are failing in the Great Commission and lacking in our Biblical knowledge. Our children may grow up in church and belong to a youth group but when they get to college they are challenged with “higher learning” and philosophies that provide no use for the Bible and diminish the meaning and truths of it. Without a firm foundation of faith and how to defend it, they are helpless and will most likely fall victim of the masses and fall away from God and out of fellowship.

The interesting thing is that professors and atheists don’t attempt to prove the Bible wrong on a factual and archeological basis (because they can’t) but they ask difficult questions that if they cannot be answered must mean that the answer does not exists. The fact is that it does exist it is just not resident in the mind and heart. This is why Paul puts added emphasis on firm faith and being rooted in Christ. He concludes with telling them that in Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead and that the fullness of Christ dwells in us. We are complete in Christ.

So how do we apply this to our life?

1. In what ways are we building up our faith and knowledge of Christ?
2. Are we building up our children in the faith of Christ?
3. Are we teaching them how to defend there faith and to not just “take our word for it?”

Remember:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” 

Colossians - Bible Study Week 7 "Who Likes to Suffer?"

Colossians 1:24–29 (NKJV)

“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, ²⁵ of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, ²⁶ the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. ²⁷ To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. “

How can anyone rejoice in their sufferings? Who gets happy when they suffer especially if someone else is the beneficiary? I mean if I am suffering shouldn’t I at least get something out of it? That is how the majority of us think, but Paul was asking “How much more can I put into it?”

Paul suffered greatly by spreading the Gospel. Just read the Book of Acts some time (chapters 21-28 especially) to see just what he went through for the cause of Christ.  Paul shared the same feelings as Peter and the other apostle as stated in Acts 5:41 when they said they were “counted worthy to suffer the shame for His name.”

When he says that he fills up in his flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, he is telling them (and us) that he knows that there is much more suffering that he and others must endure to fully follow Christ.

 The next point he makes in these verses is the “mystery” that was hidden for ages and now disclosed. This mystery is the salvation of the Gentiles which he explains in the subsequent verses and is further explained in Romans 16:25–27:

“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began ²⁶ but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith”

You can also read his full explanation in his letter to the Ephesians starting in chapter 3. The gist of it is that God told Abraham in Gen 22:18 that “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” and as Paul would have said, before his conversion and along with the other Jews, is that the only way the Gentiles could be saved was through conversion to Judaism (called proselytes). The good news of salvation came to the Jews first then came to the Gentiles second. We are the wild branch that has been grafted in as explained in Romans chapter 11. This salvation of the Gentiles through Jesus Christ without having to be circumcised and without strict adherence to the ceremonial and sacrificial laws is the mystery that Paul is referring to.

I want to take a minute to explain that last statement. When Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 that he did not come to “destroy the law but to fulfill” He was referring to the ceremonial and sacrificial laws that were fulfilled by His sinless life and sacrificial death on the cross. The moral law is still in effect and is upheld in the New Testament. As a gentile, we are still obligated to uphold the moral laws as defined in the Ten Commandments.

Paul then gives us why he (and other teachers) preach Jesus. It is so every person can be presented before Christ in perfection. This won’t happen until we are glorified in His presence but being taught God’s Word and living by it is part of the sanctification (being set apart) process that will continue until the day of Christ Jesus. (See Phil 1:6)

It is interesting that Paul uses the words ‘warning’ and ‘teaching.’ Both words in the Greek mean “to instruct” but the word for ‘warning’ means ‘to admonish (caution or advise)’ whereas the word for ‘teaching’ means to “instruct by communication of information or skills.” What Paul is saying is that God’s Word contains information for both our sanctification (being set apart for holiness) and our edification (being built up in Christ).

So what is our application in all this?

Ask yourself these questions and you will find the application of this teaching:

1.     What am I doing for the cause of Christ? How am I suffering for Jesus and others?

2.     What is my attitude toward the Jewish people? Since they are the root that I am grafted into, how can I show them love and share the Messiah, Jesus with them?

3.     Am I allowing God to set me apart for holiness or am I still continuing to engage in sinful activities that is preventing my sanctification?

4.     Am I being edified by the Word of God by regularly attending a good Bible teaching church, attending a Bible study and studying God’s Word on my own?

I pray that you will be blessed and encourage by this weeks study!

In Christ,

Mike