Together

“High atop the Andes Mountains, the rays of the sun strike ice, and a single drop of water forms. It begins to trace a hesitant course downward, gradually joining with other drops of water to become a steady stream. The stream gains speed and strength. Thousands of feet below and hundreds of miles later, what were once single drops have converged to become the mightiest river on earth: the Amazon. Flowing into the Atlantic Ocean at a rate of more than seven million cubic feet per second, the Amazon is more powerful than the next ten largest rivers in the world combined.”

This is how David Platt opens his book, Radical Together. The best selling author of the eye opening and incredibly challenging book, Radical, follows that work with an amazing look at the call to unleashing the people of God for the purpose of God. As we have been talking about the last few weeks at Resolution Church, life was meant to be lived together with others. We are better and more powerful together. We experience the supernatural when we come together. Jesus prayed that we would learn how to walk together. Simply put: God loves it when we walk together.

How did the early church do it? Acts 2:42-26  42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” The gospel was central. It produces new hearts who dwell together in renewed community. The love they experienced from God in Christ resulted in a love response to God and to others.

43 “Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.” There was an expectation within the church to believe God for miraculous answers to prayer. And there was an expectation in the surrounding community to seek out supernatural answers among the fellowship of believers.

44 “All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” Life took on new meaning for everyone. People were not an interruption but a gift. Possessions were no longer a source of pride or comparing, but a means of grace to demonstrate the reality of the gospel to a self centered world. Generosity flowed from hearts broken open by the extravagant love of God to broken, undeserving and sinful people.

46 “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…” The priority was not just to experience God, but to experience God together. To consistently and intentionally share the love and life the gospel brings to us.

“Together” was radical then and it still is today.

Lead Now

After long last, I have decided to return to the blogsphere! After much thought, prayer and introspection, I have adopted a new focus and theme for this little corner of the world (wide web).

The inspiration of which derives primarily from three places. First, after meeting with the KSU women’s basketball team over the course of several months doing leadership/character coaching. After each session we would break down in the middle  with a challenge to “lead now!”  I left one of those meetings with this thought bugging me: wait a minute…that’s a message to myself…and to many others!

Secondly, it was also partly inspired by the truth of the statement: everyone is a leader, it’s simply a matter of where & how you’re leading others. Rich or poor, young or old, I believe every single person alive has massive influence and our lives will in many ways be judged by how we steward that influence. In fact, leadership gurus contend that even the most timid person will influence 10,000 people over their lifetime. Wow…that’s huge!!! We encourage our children to “be an example to others” because even at a young age, they are leaders. I challenge men around me all the time to lead others by following Jesus. The fact is, you have people who are watching your example, taking cues from your attitude and behavior.  They are interpreting the world around them based on your ideas, words, actions and relationships. All of this is influence. And influence is leadership.

And lastly, it came from my personal struggles with the idea of leadership. To be honest, I have wrestled with this for a long time. I have read many books. I have been to Leadership conferences, Catalyzing conferences, Multiplying conferences, Equipping conferences, Family leadership conferences, and so on… I have been told “you’re a great leader” and I have been told “you’ll never make it as the leader.” I’ve been told “you’re the best dad ever!” And I have wept, alone with my own conscience, feeling the weight of falling short of the standard of Father God. I have asked the questions, and believe I have gotten an answer.

How can I become a better leader? Was the question I was asking. When I should have been asking how can I help you become a better leader? I may have been more effective over the years. And I also realize that, whatever anyone says, thinks or does, that doesn’t excuse me (or you) from the fact that God has given me leadership, and one day he’s gonna ask me about it. Maybe you heard the old song that goes “I have decided to follow Jesus…no turning back, no turning back… Though none go with me, still I will follow. No turning back, no turning back.” Maybe everyone won’t read my blog, but everyone will lead.

All of that has brought me to this one simple idea: God made you to lead. That is a message to myself. And it is a message to you. So do it now!

What Is “Good” About Friday?

What is good about betrayal? A friend selling out his brother for some kind of selfish gain. What about execution, torture, mocking, abuse? You have watched televised violence, and wanted to turn your head. You’ve felt the knot in your stomach at the sight of someone hurling blows upon another who lies defenseless. And for some of you, the mere thought of blood spilled upon the ground causes a violent reflux reaction. What is good about rejection, lies and false testimony? Remember what it was like when your friend lied about you? Or your brother or sister said “it was you” when it really “was them!” That wasn’t good at all. What possible good can gossip, secret alliances, mob incited violence and hatred bring about?

None.

We would be crazy to think all of these things do anyone any good. You would be an utter outcast for thinking this leads to any human progress. No matter what your creed, philosophy or religion, something inside you knows this is no path to peace. Schools would shun you, your boss would fire you, your spouse would leave you and children would run from you If you lived your life as if this kind of treachery would bring you into social graces.

No, I would say there is nothing good about this at all.

That is, until we consider “Good Friday.”

The words of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 53, more than 700 years before Jesus…

5  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth…

10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

So if this is a day where we are reminded of treachery, rejection, unimaginable torture and execution, why then do we call this “good” Friday? For one reason, and one reason only. Christ went through all of that, not because he had sinned. But because we had sinned. He was betrayed by man because we betrayed our God. It may well have been me to lead the charge into the garden, lay a kiss on his cheek and walk off with my pockets full and my heart empty. All the ensuing punishment I would have duly deserved. However, the Gospel says this: The punishment He endured purchased our peace with God. His rejection is our acceptance!

Now I say there is nothing “good” about betrayal and violence with this exception. In Christ, it brought me freedom.

Thank you Jesus for suffering unthinkable evil and being brought down to death, so that I could enjoy the blessings of peace with God and be raised to Life forevermore!

That is very good.

Merry Christmas 2009

Sometimes we can be so familiar with something that we miss it entirely. Ever stop and think about what this day is really celebrating?

- A young, engaged, likely middle school aged virgin, comes courageously to her fiance saying “no, I didn’t sleep with anyone…but I’m pregnant. And in fact, the Father is Almighty God.” – A man decided to put his name and reputation on the line to go along with this…all because an “angel” said so.
- Shepherds come out of the wilderness, much like the guys in New Mexico talking about aliens visiting them and abducting their dog. Only this time their story is this: “angels visited us, and we saw all the host of heaven and heard them singing. They told us that the one and only, creator God has came to earth…as a little baby.” – “Wise men,” or should I say, pagan astronomers who had virtually nothing to do with the Hebrews or vice versa, come saying “A new star appeared in the heavens, and we know that the Christ is born!”

As if this has ever happened in the history of the world before or since. Where were the kings, or religious leaders, or teachers or priests? It’s amazing what the God of the universe has done…it’s almost unbelievable how he has chosen to do it. The whole thing sounds rather scandalous wouldn’t you say? God came to earth that, by the Good News, to elevate the poor, the oppressed, the working man, the young woman, the crazy, drama stricken family and the sincere, spiritual seeker. Christ has come for us all. That is really worth celebrating.

Well, I hope your Christmas is awesome! I hope your Christmas is filled with peace, love and joy from the One who fought off hell for you and I. He overcame hatred personified and the evil in the heart of every man and woman. His joy carried him through pain and His love conquered all.

With love. Sterling

Going On The Offensive

In sports, everyone knows the “prevent” defense never works. Last year’s Superbowl showed us that. After scoring a touchdown with less than 2 minutes to go, the underdog Cardinals looked to be a lock to become the 2009 Superbowl champions. But then it happened… It seemed to those of us watching, the Cardinals went into the “prevent” and it was all over. At the end of the day it was the Pittsburgh Steelers, not the Arizona Cardinals who carried the day and hoisted the trophy.

Acts 4:18-20 says – So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”

Obviously, the apostles did not believe in playing “prevent.” They weren’t willing to take the path of least resistance. They weren’t willing to sit back and react to the whims and desires of others. Had they done that, we might not have any Christian churches today. They were willing to step out and be “offensive!”  All that to say, I want to go on the offensive in life. I spend too much time reacting to life’s happenings rather than being proactive, taking charge and leading my life.

What about you? Are you playing prevent, hoping to avoid loss, trouble and pain? What does it mean for you to go on the offensive? What are you going to do about it?

Do All To The Glory Of God

Check out Ravi Zacharias talking about the meaning of worship and the movie “Chariots of Fire.”

Whatever station of life you hold, live your life as an offering of worship. Romans 12:1-2.

7 Principles on Cross-Cultural Mission

I recently attended The Every Nation North America Conference ’09 in our nation’s capital. It was a great time of encouragement and inspiration, reconnecting with old friends and hearing stories of what God is doing around the world. Stephen Mansfield gave the talk on Thursday morning and gave 7 principles in effective cross-cultural missions. This post is a combination of Stephen’s 7 principles along with my own thoughts and musings to help each of you live as a missionary in your context and point people to Life in Christ.

1. Tap into peoples’ sense of destiny

Somehow, we instinctively know we are created for more than just earning a living or getting our needs met. Jesus called Peter and his brother out of his fishing job by speaking destiny into his life: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt.4:19).

2. Identify with their pain

All around us people are hurting for all kinds of reasons. The sad truth is, however, people don’t believe the church is a place their pain can be healed. Or worse, the church has been the reason for their pain. Isaiah 63:9 says “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them…” Thankfully, our God has come and identified with our pain. Identify with peoples pain and watch your influence grow

3. Affirm their righteous hopes

There’s a reason more people today are searching the internet and reading books for spiritual answers. People want to find God. But the good news is this, God really wants to be found! Jeremiah 29:12-13 “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

4. Serve them in crisis

Check out the Message version of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah!…He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” Need I say more?

5. Create a vehicle for relationship

The church at large offers “structured encounters” while people are starving for real relationships. Jesus was criticized for being “a friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19, Luke 5:30). Now, unless he took time, ate, and hung out with, people who were considered “sinners,” do you think this epithet would have stuck? So here’s a question: who are your friends?

6. Pray!

Great news: Romans 9:16 says “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” One prayer answered is more effective than a thousand hours of work. So, while you work like it depends on you, pray like it depends on God…because it does!

7. Lovingly, courageously & boldly proclaim your truth

St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) said “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” A great sentiment, and the point is well taken. However, it is always neccessary to use words. As Paul said in Romans 10:14 “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” I’ve heard it said that it takes around 7 times of someone hearing the Gospel before the penny drops along with their defenses. Maybe the next time you share what Jesus has done in your life will be the next time someone else comes into a relationship with Jesus. And if not, the pressure’s off anyway (see point 6).

Lord, let our actions, our words and our prayers, be to the glorifying of Jesus and the spreading of your wonderful news! Amen.

The Greatest Revelation

For thousands of years God was known as many things: Creator,  Almighty God, Lawgiver, Judge, etc. And all of these are true of Him. But with the coming of Jesus, we learned something different about God. The greatest revelation, the thing that God desires to be known as by each of us, is that of a loving, intimate, forgiving Father.

With the exception of one time while hanging on the cross, whenever Jesus referred to God it was as “Father.” In fact, the word he used was “Abba,” the intimate equivalent of Daddy or Papa. Of the many roles Jesus filled in his earthly ministry (prophet, teacher, healer, etc.), his primary concern was walking out his relationship as a loving, obedient Son (John 8:28-29,Heb.5:7-8).

One of my favorite stories that highlights this is from the Gospel of John, chapter 11. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died, he walked in on a scene of great grief and mourning. For four days this man had been dead. And as he approached the tomb where the body was laid it says this…

⁴¹So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”  ⁴³When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Wow! How’s that for confidence? In the middle of tragedy, Jesus looks up and confidently declares that his Father is still there, listening to his prayers. He states that his desire was not just to do miracles, but for people to know he was God’s Son. He demonstrated that his power came not just from his own ability, but from his prayerful dependence upon his Father. And we see that this great victory, raising a man from the dead, was for us just another reaffirmation that God is an ever present, intimate and powerful Father.

What about you? When times are tough, where do you turn for strength? When things are going well, what do you you take pride in? With your roles and responsibilities, even with life’s challenges and difficulties, I encourage you to remember this one thing…the greatest thing:

“You, O LORD, are our Father,
our Redeemer from of old is your name.” -Isaiah 63:16

Men, please read…

Last week a prominent pastor in town stepped down from pastoring his church after admitting to an adulterous affair. While I do not know him, I have tried to learn some from him. And like so many, my heart breaks for him and everyone affected. And while I hope everyone prays for him, I do hope we can all learn from this. Geoff Surratt of Seacoast church has written a great response to this entitled “An open letter to pastors” from his blog “Inner Revolution.” And while he has directed it to ministers, I believe it is appropriate for all Christian men to read and take to heart…

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This weekend Gary Lamb, one of the more popular pastors in the social networking world, admitted that he has been in an ongoing affair with his assistant. Following the direction of his church Overseers he resigned from the church he planted five years ago effective immediately. The damage his actions caused will continue for many years in the lives of hundreds of people. I do not know Gary personally but I have followed him on Twitter for the past year and have read his blog occasionally. I have no comment on his specific situation other than to say I am praying for his family, his church, the woman he has been involved with and for Gary.

I do, however, want to comment on pastors shipwrecking their lives and the lives of their families. I have been involved in ministry all of my life, the past 27 as a staff member or pastor at three different churches, and I have seen stories like Gary’s over and over. The details vary, but the end result is the same; total devastation. The key question is not what happened, but rather how can we avoid the same fate. Here are some random thoughts:

1. If you think you aren’t vulnerable, you are already toast
   I had a counseling professor in college who said that the pastors who are in the most danger of a moral shipwreck are the ones who think it will never happen to them. If you think you are too honest, too faithful, or too transparent to ever be involved in an affair you are skating on very thin ice. David never thought he’d sleep with Bathsheba until he saw her naked; then he couldn’t think of anything else. You can steal money, you can get involved in pornography, you can cheat on your spouse, and you can lie to your family. Every day of our lives we have to remind ourselves we are vulnerable to complete moral failure.
2. If you think you can burn the candle at both ends, you are already toast
   There are no super humans in ministry. When I read twitters of pastors who get up at 4:00 a.m. every day, who work seven days a week, who counsel people at night and on their “day off”, I know that they are headed for a fall. God took a day off when he was creating the world, Jesus took a beach trip to Tyre and Sidon (Mark 7:24) during his ministry. Unless you know something God doesn’t know you are headed for a major fall without regular downtime.
3. If you think you can do ministry without accountability, you are already toast
   The only “conversation” I ever had with Gary Lamb was a Twitter exchange over the importance of an accountability group. Gary felt that the Overseers of his church provided all the accountability he needed. My contention is that we need people who are face-to-face with us on a regular basis, who know our wives and our assistants, who can ask us the really tough questions. I don’t know if the Overseers provided that for Gary or if a local group would have prevented his fall, but I do know that I need that kind of scrutiny in my life.
4. If you think you don’t need safeguards, you are already toast
   Filters on internet access, never handling cash for the church, never meeting with someone of the opposite sex alone, letting others have access to your email; these are such a pain and to be honest I don’t always have all of them active in my life. The reality is that safeguards will not keep you from doing what you have already decided to do, but they can give you enough margin to change your mind before you act.
   
5. If you think it’s about you, you are already toast
   Failure begins with ego. When you begin to think that success is because you are smart, funny, talented, cool or a 100 other adjectives and not simply because God is God and has chosen to bless you; you are headed down a very dangerous path. When you being to think the ministry will crumble without you and that you have to work 24/7 to make it happen you are headed toward destruction. When you think the rules stop applying to you and you can cut corners and you are above it you are on a crash course for disaster.
   

As ministers we are in a marathon. If you do not pay attention to the danger signs along the way you will crash before the finish line. Your crash may be a spectacular moral failure like Gary’s, it may be the slow destruction of your marriage, or it may be the rotting of your soul; but Satan will use ministry to destroy you. And God will not say to you in Heaven, “Too bad about your family, but awesome job building a great big church. Fist bump, dude.”

Three things every pastor needs to do:

1. Slow down
   You will not change the world today and tomorrow isn’t looking good either. There is plenty of time to hang with your wife, play with your kids, play golf, relax. God was at work long before you showed up and He will be at work long after you are gone. You cannot live on adrenaline all of the time. You cannot be pumped up about every weekend. If you live that way for an extended time you will crash.
2. Open up

   You need someone in your life who knows you inside and out; someone who will ask the hard questions and know when you are ducking the answers. It is difficult as a pastor to find someone you can be truly honest with, but it is essential that you find that person. Another pastor who does not attend your church might be ideal.

3. Count the cost

   Every time you are tempted to break a rule, to cut a corner, togo somewhere you shouldn’t go consider what it will cost you when it all comes to light. What is going to happen when your wife finds out? How will she feel? What will it do to your children? What will this do to your church? How will it feel to write a letter like Gary had to write?

You don’t wake up one day and decide to shipwreck your life. You do it one stupid decision at a time. As someone who has seen this happen again and again and again I am begging you to take action today because it will happen to you.

Fruit vs. Work

I don’t think I can justify calling this blog “walking in the light” without a regular dose of in-your-face honesty. So here goes…

When we were starting this church, I was desperate. I spent hours in prayer, searching the scriptures for wisdom, crying out for God’s help. It’s amazing how times of crisis and heightened stress can drive us to our knees. During that time, I felt like all the progress we were making was simply a result of God mercifully answering our prayers.

Recently I was on a pastors coaching call where I had to discuss my weekly schedule. And, breaking down my last week of work into 15 minute blocks, it was like when our whole team had to watch film after football games…very telling. Now, as I look over my schedule I find some things glaringly absent. Not as much time set aside for nothing but prayer. Not planning. Not strategizing. Not meeting or making phone calls. Just prayer. I don’t see as much combing the scriptures looking to apply the Gospel to my life. Is there studying and sermon prep? You bet. But not as much hunger to hear from God for me, my wife, my kids, my own character.

In John 15:5, Jesus says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” And while, of course, we have to work (and starting a church is hard work!), I want to remain so connected to and dependent upon Christ, that my life and this church grows out of the fruit he brings. Rather than work to make things happen in my own strength.

What about you? Are you working on your own or trusting in him to live through you? Only one will produce lasting results.