I am soooo pumped

This is going to be one of the few time that I will write about my day to day life. I usually only write about stuff that I am working on or random thoughts. This time I want to fill you in on something very cool happening in my neck of the woods.

We have Hot Dog Lunch every Tuesday here at the church. Around 200 youth show up from Valley View Sec. just up the street from the church. We as a church have been doing this for almost four years and it has grown into this huge thing. The cool thing is the students feel safe here. They know that we just want to love them and not ram a Bible down their throats.
Well, about a month ago, the school had a bomb threat and it had to evacuate the students. All of the student stood out in cold (one of the few not so nice days here) for nearly two hours. Long story short, we ended up with 50-60 youth hanging out in out building for part of this time.

I say all of that to tell you about what happened today. Being Tuesday we had Hot Dog Lunch and this was our last week for the school year. We went through 45 large pizzas and had students that didn't even get a slice. There were so many students on campus today. I just kept thinking about our Wednesday night youth service called Core. A youth group of 200+ that would rock. I believe it is going to happen. Back to the story. While the students were woofing down pizza, three faculty members from the school came over to check things out. One of which was the principle of the school. They asked a few questions about what we do and if the student behave themselves while they are here. Now this is the part that gets me pumped up. They went on to ask if they could call a meeting with us to discuss options for us being a part of their contingency plan. They would like us to be a safe place to send students if there is a bomb threat, fire, or whatever would require them to evacuate the school.

They came to us! This is a big win in my eyes. We also told them that we want to make ourselves and the church available to them in other ways as well. PTA meetings, student life events, whatever they need I hope we can be there to give it to them. I am just so excited to know that we are making an impact on the school and it isn't just with the students. Teachers, parents, and students working with us. This is so cool and I had to let you all know about it.

If you think about it, pray that God would blow the doors wide open and that we would have the faith to walk through them. We want to walk in wisdom and love not only when it comes to these students, but the lives that can be impacted through them as well.

Thanks for letting me celebrate a little bit.

Do you own or rent your faith?

Sorry it is long, but it felt good to write. I think that it will feel even better to speak on Sunday. Thanks for taking the time to read it if you do.

Do You Own or Rent Your Faith

Intro:

When I sat down to pray and think about what I was to bring to you this morning, I asked myself, “how do I know if what I am bringing is what God wants me to speak about?” This to me is a valid question. My conclusion was, if I am walking through it, you will hear about it. In a sense I am preaching to myself.

Renting:

Dictionary Def.: A payment made by a tenant at intervals in order to occupy a property or a similar payment for the USE of equipment or service.

- We have use of faith, but at some point we will realize that it is not our own. A good example of this is the person that thinks they are saved because they grew up in a Christian home. No choice was made, but I was around it enough for it to rub off on me.
- The question of “once saved always saved.” This is a touchy one. But if we believe that God gives us free will and a choice to accept Him into our lives, then, we have the same rights given to us going the other way. We choose to remove ourselves from His hand.

Owning:

Dictionary Def.: To have rightful possession of and to acknowledge responsibility for.

When we realize that we can take ownership of our faith, we will truly live free lives. When we acknowledge that it is our responsibility to walk in that freedom, not God’s, we will truly own our faith.


Text: Acts 2:42-47

Background:
- The disciples are waiting in the upper room of this house in Jerusalem. They are waiting there, because Jesus said that someone was coming who would give them power to preach and make disciples. The Holy Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit shows up and the place is on fire. Figuratively and literally.
- Tongues of fire rest on all who were there and they began to speak in other tongues.
- The people think that they must be partying and drunk. I mean who has that much fun as a church.

Listen to what Peter, one of the disciples, says: “No, don’t mix things up. We are not drunk, but we have been the recipients of a gift that was promised us; the Holy Spirit.”
Peter goes on to preach his first sermon and 3000 people get saved.

One sermon = 3000 people get saved. God’s power was there.

What the early church, those 3000 +/-, in the next few verses will give us some markers or signs of what it meant to own our faith.

I want to go through 6 things that we can use to gage where we are at. Do we rent or own our faith.


Personal Devotion

Vs. 42

Last few weeks we have talked about “Biblical Stewardship”. Giving of ourselves for the purpose of building up of others and the Kingdom of God.

Investing

- The early church was wholly devoted to the life of the church. Not just the building, but the people.
- They saw that as they invested in prayer, teaching, and relationship that they were investing in themselves personally.
- It didn’t matter where, who, or what they were going, with, or doing; they were personally devoted to the cause.

Personally Devoted


Reverence

Vs. 43

I like to call it the awe factor. What is awe some?
I use the word awesome a lot.
- Your shirt…
- Your hat…
- You smell…
- Your car…
What is truly awesome? When I was a kid and was getting in trouble. My parents would say something like, “I am going to put the fear of God in you”. In other words, “I am going to remind you who is the boss”.

The fear of God or the Awe factor = the constant awareness of God’s Holy presence.

The Awe Factor


Going “All In”

Vs. 44

Who has played poker? Texas Holdem?
What does it mean to go “All In”? = You put all of your chips in.

When you go all in with poker you do so to intimidate the other players.

Satan will get pretty intimidated if we as individuals and as a church go all in. When we begin to look at things from the perspective of ownership:
- We are all in this together.
- Not one carrying it all, but many.
- No one saying, “This is my church, but I’m not really involved”. Rather “This is my church, where do I sign up”.
- Not mine or Len’s church, but God’s.
- Not my ministry, but our mission.

I’m All In


Generosity

Vs.45

3000 +/- people that called themselves the church.
3000 +/- that said, “Whatever you need we, the church, will take care of it”.

The federal budget just came out. We heard all sorts of responses to it from all sorts of people. “Where is my money?” “Why does Quebec get that and we don’t?” “We as a part of the opposition I will not support this.”

If we took on the mindset that the early church did, it would revolutionize the country over night. If we said, “You won! Congrats. The rest of us don’t like this term “opposition”. So we want to be called the assistants to the governing party. I know we won’t agree on everything, but that isn’t the point. That is not why we are here. The people need us and we will be your support. Let’s take care of the people, together”.
Having this mindset would turn the system inside out.

Generosity


Worshipping Together

Vs. 46a

Some versions use the term “one accord”. In music a chord is specific note put together to make a chord. They work together and it sounds good.

Have you been in a church service where someone in the band plays the wrong chord?

Piano player show us a good chord and a bad chord.

Good – We want to reach the lost
Bad – Me too, but I want to do it my way
Good – We are of the same mind and goal
Bad - Not just people in the same building
Good – I love coming together and worshipping at church on Sundays
Bad – It would be better if the music didn’t suck
Good – Kamloops is our mission field
Bad – But I can’t work with that other church

Our lives are the worship that we offer to God. Do we want God to hear…Bad or Good chords?

In One Accord


House to House Relationship

Vs. 46b

This one is the one I want the most.

There are three main parts to a house. These three parts are what people will see when they come over. Each one represents a deeper level of relationship we will have with another person.

Foyer
- Most formal
- Small talk or surface conversation
- Gives a filtered look into a persons life
- You don’t get to see the mess in the other rooms, but it is the starting point

Living room
- Less formal
- You visit here
- A little deeper conversation

Kitchen
- This is the least formal place
- Usually the room in the house that takes the most time to clean
- Messes can be put there and dealt with later
- Only good friends can help out in this room
- Intimate conversations
- Messes are cleaned up and meals are made here

The church in Acts saw the need to have their homes and lives open to all. Wee need people in our lives that will look past the mess and help us clean up. This is the hardest part. Allowing other people into our lives, to love us for who we are, and let them help us clean out our kitchen.

We need people in our lives and we need to be in other peoples lives.


Vs. 46c-47

When we choose to own our faith, when people around us see our devotion as individuals and as church for God and His mission for us, when we discover through our devotion that God’s Holy presence is in our day to day lives, when we choose to go all in and live lives of generosity, helping, loving, worshipping and when we allow others to help us better ourselves by experiencing and doing life together…

We will have great joy. Not a little bit of joy. Great joy! Not just enough joy. Great Joy! We will also find the favor of the people.

The early church knew what it meant to be others centered, choosing to help one another, and help them selves by allowing people to get into their lives. Those 3000 people knew that this was owning their faith. God has great things for this church, but we need to take ownership of our faith. Own your faith.

Here is a resent survey I did at youth and I love the answers I got. How about you? How will you answer? I want to hear from you, the public. Answer just one or all if you like and have some fun with it.

Twenty Questions?

1) Why do you think people date other people? Do you need to have a boyfriend / girlfriend?
2) Who is God to you?
3) What does it mean to you to be a Christian?
4) Why do you think people are bullies?
5) In your own words, how do you get to go to Heaven?
6) Why do you come to youth group?
7) Why do people become Christians?

8) What would you want more: self-esteem or $100? Why?
9) What do you think about church?
10) Do you have or have you had a really good friend? What made them a good friend?
11) What do you expect from a youth pastor or a youth leader?
12) What is your role in a youth group? Do you think you have a role?
13) What is the one thing that you like about yourself the most?
14) Who is your favorite person (famous or not famous)?
15) What kinds of movies do you like the most? Why?
16) Who rules your world? Is there people making you make bad choices?
17) Xbox 360 or good friends? Why?
18) What do you think youth group should look like?
19) Who is the most important person in your life? Why?
20) Why do you think we sing and have music at church or youth group?

Answer any one or all of the questions on my comments page.

Favorite Comments So Far

Here are a few of my favorite comments that I have received along the way. They aren’t meant to be funny, but I thought they were worth repeating.



Oops, I can't apparently spell my own name.

Worship is not just singing. I believe it's a mindset, one of gratitude to God and awareness of his love throughout our days. I believe we can worship God throughout our day whether we're digging ditches, wiping runny noses, playing an instrument, helping a neighbor, shopping for groceries, writing a book, or running a marathon. Yes, I believe we have the choice whether or not to worship--God never forces; we always have a choice - but ideally in anything we do, we should present ourselves as a living sacrifice.

I'm sad you deleted my comment. It's a compliment when I rib you to post more. It means I'd like to read more. Sorry. I have a sarcastic nature is all.
(Just for the record, I have never deleted a comment.)

I like to make a practice of taking time out of my day to sit with God, and just dream. B/c like I've heard before is that God will give you the desires of your heart, but as you continue to seek him, his desires become your desires.

Make you a deal. If you post again, I'll link you.


I like to here from you the reader. It helps me gage where I’m at in my thinking. Comment more I don’t mind. I might even do a year in review next year. Sounds like a good time.

Just needed to put a picture on here.

This is T-Bone, my m&m.

Do we have the right...?

An interesting topic came to mind today. I find myself wrestling with it and its really bothering me. I want to throw it out there; out to the world and see what kind of answers I get. Before I do that I want to give my take on it.

So, here it goes. The question is...as Christians, in the context of worship, do we have the right to say, "I don't feel like worshiping". Let me pause for a moment and let you think about that question. Here is some background to me and where I am coming from with this.

I am a pastor and I see that I need to be an example to the congregation. Like most leaders, the people around us will look to us and gage what they should and shouldn't do. Let me put it another way. If we want to have people celebrate, worship / enter in, pray or what ever it may be, then I think that we need to be the first to do those things. I have heard it called, "leading by example".

Now I know that being a pastor changes things a little bit, but 1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you." (The Message) When I see this verse, I think to myself "well that sucks". Not only am I a pastor, but even if I wasn't God still sees me as a leader. He has set me apart and requires that I live that out. That sucks sometimes.

Well, what if I don't feel like it? Is there a point that you are allowed say, "No. I don't want to worship". I like how Romans 12:1 says it, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship". (NASB) It seems to me that we don't have a choice. If we are wanting to move and grow in God we have to see that our worship to Him is a requirement of us. This is hard, because sacrifice is always hard. When we get to Heaven that is all we will be doing is worshiping God. Philippians 4:4 says, " Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!" (The Message) and in the NIV, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

Worship needs to become a major part of our day to day lives. Maybe even to the point that we can't function without it. God has given us the reason we need through Jesus Christ. Through the example of Jesus' life, His death and resurrection we have no reason big enough to hold back in our worship of God. "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." Isaiah 61:3 (KJV)

This is my little rant. Do we ever have the right to say I don't feel like worshiping? I can't make that call for you. God has saved me. So, my answer is no I don't have the right.

God loves losers

God Uses Losers

Dec. 3, 2006

Who am I?

Paul – I was a murderer, I persecuted the church and martyred people for clamming to be followers of Christ.

Peter – I am a ruff around the edges guy. Not much for patients, I once took a sword to a man’s head in defense of a friend. Although, later I told people that I didn’t know my friend that I had earlier tried to defend.

Billy Graham – I was caught on tape making anti-Semitic remarks. I said in a conversation with President Nixon, that the Jewish community had a strong hold on our country and that the country was going to be broken or go down the drain.

Jaret Kirkland – Born into a Christian family, I had an easy ticket as far as how Christian people should act and talk; or so I thought. My family went to church, we dressed nice for church, prayed at diner, we said and did all the right things that good Christian folk would.

I became actively involved in the life of the church at an early age. I started youth group at the age of eleven and by the time I turned thirteen I was on the youth executive. I was young and put in places of authority.

I had asked Jesus into my heart at a young age, but I didn’t realize that being a Christian was about relationship and not about doing and saying the right things. This made it easy to do what I wanted and cover it up. I didn’t worry about getting caught doing things I shouldn’t because people wouldn’t suspect a thing. I would act like a Christian and no one would think I was living a life that wasn’t living up to relationship that God wanted to have with me.

Jeremiah 1:5

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as prophet to the nations.”

As my life went on I found myself in greater roles of responsibility. I was the intern youth pastor at my home church and was making arrangements to head of to Bible school. I knew that God had a plan for me and that I was called to be a pastor in some way or another. That part of my life was known by my friends and family, but they didn’t know that I was living this double life.

Disclaimer: I only bring this up because if you can see a part of my life and catch a part of my heart, you will better know why and how it was that I came to Gateway City Church.

This also will serve as a mark or a sign of what this church is made of.

My double life was the fact that I was sexually involved with my girlfriend at the time. We were both youth leaders and our parents were leaders in the church as well. This relationship had gone on right up to the point of us both taking time away from each other and going to Bible school. For four years we had lived this secret life and no one knew what was going on.

Well, we went off to school and I surrounded myself with Christian people. I hoped that I could move past my sins and this secret life. I wanted to center my self in a right relationship with God. I wanted to change or so I thought.

But that life I had live was still a secret. I hadn’t spoken the truth about my life. We have all heard the saying “the truth shall set you free.” The only thing is that I hadn’t really wanted that part of my life to be gone. I liked it. It felt good. Why change? I liked it and it was easier to continue sinning than it would be to come clean.

During my fist year I met Kim. She had her hair bleached out and she was cute; at least I thought so. She was fun and she didn’t care about my past. She accepted me for who I was and she knew what I was meant to be. She made it really easy to fall in love with her. The only problem was I hadn’t dealt with my past and it soon repeated itself in our relationship.

In the summer of 2000 I was working as an intern at Heart Hwy. Church in Prince George. Things were going great, me and Kim had been really good when it came to the physical side of our relationship. We had made a choice to change what was happening in that area of our lives. We had talked about getting married after I was done school and I was going to take time away from our relationship to see that that could happen. I wanted to get my life on track and if we were to get married I wanted that to be perfect. I wanted our lives to reflect Christ.

Like I said the summer was going great and then our lives changed. I got a phone call half way through the summer and it was Kim. She was upset and crying. She went on to tell me that she went to the doctor. We were going to have a baby sometime in November. I resigned at the church and moved beck down to Abbotsford. We got married in October and Isaiah was born on Nov. 20. Our lives changed; everything for us had changed. All the things that I felt I was called to do were either not going to happen or were put on hold.

Jeremiah 1:5

1 – God knew us before we were born. He knew that we would mess up and sin. Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” God knew that we would sin. Yet he still loves us. He knew that we would mess things up for ourselves, but he still wants to use us.

2 – He had a plan for our lives all along. Jer. 1:5b “before you were born I set you apart.” God uses our sin and the times we fall short to make the changes He wants to see in our lives. I don’t think that I could have the same outlook on life and the relationship I have with God if my sin hadn’t found me out. For me having a kid changed my life. Yes it was hard but it is better for it. It gave me a testimony and something that I could share and maybe give someone else a chance to learn from my mistakes. I have, through God, a plan for my life.

3 – The plan God has for you will come to pass. Jer. 1:5c “I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Up until now I had no idea how God’s plan for my life would ever come to pass. Looking back it wasn’t anything that I really did. I was just willing to hold on for the ride.

Philippians 1:3-6

Final thought:

No matter what you have done or who you are; God’s plan for your life has always and will always be there. We just need to receive what God has for us.

Pray