Vintage Jesus
Sep/100
I cannot wait for Sunday! We are kicking off a series that I've been looking forward to all year.
Our Creative Team sat down in February and planned all of our sermon series through Easter 2011. And this might be the one that I was the most excited about.
Why am I excited? Because we're going to spend the entire month of October talking about Jesus.
Actually, we talk about Jesus every single week at ACC. And that's never going to change. The day we have a service without talking about Jesus is the day we need to close up shop because we've completely forgotten what we're all about.
But this series is going to be special. A full month devoted to rediscovering Jesus.
Not the Jesus that most people believe in. Not the Jesus that people are familiar with.
There has been a lot of revisionist history when it comes to Jesus. There are a TON of teachings and traditions that direct us toward an image of Jesus that is, in reality, totally wrong.
We aren't going to listen to any of that. We are going to see Jesus…the real Jesus…as He was and as He still is. It's going to be challenging and uncomfortable because Jesus was challenging and uncomfortable. But when you get to know the real, authentic, vintage Jesus…you'll never be willing to settle for anything less.
Check out the link below for all the details, plus a preview video of the series.
Even To The End
Sep/100
For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. (Psalm 48:14)
At first glance, this verse appears to be contradictory. "God will be our guide even to the end."
Wait a minute…if God is our guide, then why would the end ever come? If we reach the end, doesn't that mean that we weren't following the guidance of God?
- If God is guiding your business, then your business should always flourish and never end.
- If God is guiding your vision, then your vision must become reality. It certainly can't end.
- If God planted a dream inside you, that dream simply must come true. If it ends, it was not of God. He couldn't have been the guiding force behind it.
That's the normal way of thinking. And, it is usually my way of thinking. If God is my guide, then the end will never come.
Sounds good…until you realize that it isn't Biblical. The Bible says that God will be our guide even to the end. It doesn't say that He will be our guide through the end or around the end. It says that He will be our guide to the end.
God can be guiding your steps right toward the end.
Maybe He is leading you toward ending a relationship.
Maybe He is calling you to begin worshipping and serving with another church, ending your time with your current church.
Maybe He is guiding you toward the end of a dream so He can give you another one.
We automatically assume this equation: the end = failure.
That is very presumptuous on our part. The end may be exactly where God wants to take us.
Parenthood Series
Sep/100
We wrapped up our Parenthood series at ACC yesterday. Wow. That's the only word I can think of. Just…wow.
I am blown away by how God has moved in the families of our church over the last month. It is mind-boggling. I have had so many conversations with people that have broken my heart…but also given me hope.
The entire series is on our website. If you missed a week (or if you just want to hear it again), check out the podcasts. (We did have a recording snafu on week 2, so there is no audio. The sermon script is still available, though.)
Up next…a new series called Vintage Jesus. I'll post more about that later this week. It is going to be amazing!
Parenthood Wraps Up This Weekend
Sep/100
Our Parenthood series concludes this weekend at ACC. And we saved the best for last.
I'm bringing what is, quite possibly, the most important message that any parent could ever hear. So many of us get this wrong…many of us because it was never modeled for us when we were kids.
It all revolves around this question: how do you react when your child fails?
The answer to that question will make or break everything else about your parenting.
Join with me in praying for God to refine the Word in me so that I can preach it in a way that will be fully received. It doesn't get more urgent than this.
And Yet Again
Sep/100
It has happened yet again. Another high profile pastor has been accused of sexual sin. As far as I can see, nothing has been proven. The pastor has categorically denied the allegations.
I don't pretend to know the truth of the situation. I'm not here to condemn or cast stones. I'm just here to say that, once again, we have a reminder of how critically important purity is.
To all my pastor friends…your purity is paramount. Guard your eyes. Guard your heart. Keep your pants zipped. And, if you need some help, GET IT! Please don't let me see you on the news tonight.
To anyone in church leadership…there is so much riding on your sexual purity. Not just your marriage. Not just your kids. (Although those reasons alone should be enough.) The reputation of the church is on the line. The Name of Jesus is on the line.
To anyone who claims to follow Christ…Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). His lies aren't packaged with warning labels. There is nothing to tip you off that the bottle you're about to drink contains cyanide. It is packaged to look harmless.
"You're just looking. No harm in that. You're not buying an entrée. You're just looking over the menu."
"It's just some innocent flirting. Everybody does it."
"It's not really sex if you don't go all the way."
"No one will ever find out."
By the time you figure out that you've been sold a pack of lies, the damage is already done.
I can't say it enough. Purity matters. There is NOTHING more important in your life and in mine. And if you don't believe me, simply look at the broken lives, shattered ministries, hurting churches, and a scoffing world…all created by our lack of purity.
Defining A Win
Sep/100
It's pretty easy to define a win in sports. Whoever has the most runs at the end of 9 innings wins. The teams with the most points at the end of the fourth quarter wins. It's not complicated.
Maybe that's part of the allure of sports. Winners and losers are easily recognized. It's cut and dry. Black and white.
In life, though, things can be a lot different. It's not as easy to recognize wins and losses. Especially for the Christ-follower. If you are a disciple of Jesus, then it gets even more difficult.
There are seasons when we see obvious victories in our lives. For example…you invite someone to church. They start attending regularly. They see their need for Jesus. They accept Him as their Savior and are baptized.
Win.
But flip it around. You invite your friend to church. They come once. And that's it.
Loss. At least that's how it feels.
But that's when we have to stop and remember how God defines a win. A win in God's eyes doesn't always mean success. Sometimes a win is simply defined as being faithful.
Think about what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3. "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers…" (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)
If your job is the plant the seed, then plant.
If your job is to water the seed, then water.
But God is the one that is ultimately responsible for the end result. We are, as Paul said in these verses, God's fellow workers. We partner with Him. When we faithfully do the task that we are assigned, that is a win…regardless of the final outcome.
He said that we would be rewarded according to our own labor. Not according to our success.
I love it when wins are easily recognized. But more often than not, the water is pretty murky. It's not easy to point to tangible victories in our walk with Jesus.
In fact, when you follow Jesus, wins are hard to recognize. But losses are as easy to see as the sun on a cloudless day.
I talk to people all the time who feel like they have lost.
Maybe you raised your children in the ways and will of God, yet they walked away from the faith in adulthood.
Maybe you have prayerfully worked to be the spouse that God wanted you to be, yet your husband or wife still left you.
Maybe you were a model employee, yet you still lost your job.
Situations like this feel like losses…and they make you feel like a loser.
That's when you have to remember that God never called us to be successful.
He called us to be faithful.
Blogging Break
Sep/100
I'm taking a little break from blogging this week. Next week, I'll get right back at it.
In the meantime, check out some of the blogs in my link section. Some great stuff there every week.
Week 2 of Parenthood
Sep/100
Do NOT miss this weekend at ACC. We're rolling out week #2 of our Parenthood series, and I've got a hot message cooked up for you.
We're talking about the "D word."
What's the "D word?"
Discipline.
It's going to be fun. It's going to be tense. It's going to be awesome.
Book Burning
Sep/100
It's all over the news. It has talk radio hosts going bonkers. If you're tuned in to current events, you really can't miss it.
The "it" I'm talking about is a certain Florida pastor and his plan to burn a copy of the Quran on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
I had planned to write a post discussing this issue, until I read a couple of posts that really say it better than I ever could. These posts will stretch you. They'll make you think.
And maybe even rethink.
