Unbelief

If you have been following along this last week you know I have been talking about the differences with Faith and unbelief and can someone have Faith yet have unbelief. I know this is very different from my normal post on church ministry and leadership however I have found this to be a great topic and study to think about and dig into the Word of God with. I think once we understand what are the differences and how can we stop and destroy the unbelief in our lives we can see our faith do great things. I will try to hit on some more things this week. But for now its VBS time!

In His Grip,
Pastor J

~Differences~

I’ve been thinking about what it means to live by faith.  Saying that you believe in Jesus is one thing.  Exercising faith in Christ through the challenges of life is another.  It’s easy to confess faith but then to speak and act in unbelief. Here are just ten distinct differences I have noticed about the two.


1. Faith sees more in a promise of God to help than in all other things to hinder. Unbelief sees more in the things that hinder than in God’s promise to help.
2. Faith sees love in the heart of Christ when He speaks to reprove us. Unbelief sees anger in God’s heart when He says that He loves us.
3. Faith gives comfort in the midst of fear. Unbelief brings fear in the midst of comfort.
4. Faith helps the soul to wait, when God defers to give. Unbelief takes the huff if God makes us tarry.
5. Faith will suck sweetness even out of God’s rod, but unbelief finds no comfort even in His greatest mercies.
6. Faith makes great burdens light. Unbelief makes light burdens heavy.
7. Faith lifts us up when we are down, but unbelief throws us down when we are up.
8. Faith brings us near to God when we are far from Him. Unbelief puts us far from God when we are near to Him.
9. Faith purifies the heart. Unbelief keeps the heart impure.
10. Faith finds the ways of God pleasant and admirable. Unbelief makes them heavy and hard. “Lord, I believe. Help me overcome my unbelief, (Mark 9:24).


In His Grip,

Pastor J

~Whom Shall I Fear~

You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light
Whom shall I fear?

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though trouble linger still
Whom shall I fear?

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies is always by my side

My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
I'm holding on to Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful

 

 

Dominating Unbelief

A fellow pastor and good friend  gave me a podcast to listen to by a local GA Pastor. After listen only half of it and waiting for the other part to come out in the coming days my mind is blown away.. How is it I missed this simple truth over all these years. The difference between having Faith and Unbelief. I am digging deep in to the word studying this simple truth. Maybe its not that we have lack of Faith as its we have Unbelief that He is going to do something or something will happen. My mind is still going crazy over this fact and how I missed it in all these years. I am sure I will post more in the next few days as I listen to the rest of the podcast as it comes out. Until then I will dig and do a study of my own on just this topic. "Maybe it's not that I need more Faith but I need to decrease my Unbelief." Here are a few powerful truths I found on it so far.


- Faith believes the Word of God; but unbelief questions it (Psa 106:24).
- Faith holds fast to a promise of God to help; but unbelief says, “How can these things be?” (Rom 4:19-21; 2 Kings 7:2; John 3:11,12).
- Faith will make you see love in the heart of Christ; but unbelief will imagine wrath in his heart (Matt 15:22,28; Num 13; 2 Chron 14:3).
- Faith will give comfort in the midst of fears; but unbelief causes fears in the midst of comfort (2 Chron 20:20,21; Matt 8:26; Luke 24:26,27).
- Faith will suck sweetness out of God’s rod; but unbelief can find no comfort in his greatest mercies (Psa 23:4; Num 21).
- Faith makes great burdens light; but unbelief makes light ones heavy (2 Cor 4:1; 14-18; Mal 1:12,13).
- Faith helps us when we are down; but unbelief throws us down when we are up (Micah 7:8-10; Heb 4:11).
- Faith brings us near to God when we are far from him; but unbelief puts us far from God when we are near to him (Heb 10:22; 3:12,13).
- Where faith reigns, it declares men to be the friends of God; but where unbelief reigns, it declares them to be his enemies (John 3:23; Heb 3:18; Rev 21:8).
- Faith puts a man under grace; but unbelief holds him under wrath (Rom 3:24-26; 14:6; Eph 2:8; John 3:36; 1 John 5:10; Heb 3:17; Mark 16:16).
- Faith purifies the heart; but unbelief keeps it polluted and impure (Acts 15:9; Titus 1:15,16).
- By faith, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us; but by unbelief, we are shut up under the law to perish (Rom 4:23,24; 11:32; Gal 3:23).
- Faith makes our work acceptable to God through Christ; but work done in unbelief is sin. For without faith it is impossible to please him (Heb 11:4; Rom 14:23; Heb 6:6).
- Faith gives us peace and comfort in our souls; but unbelief works trouble and trial, like the restless waves of the sea (Rom 5:1; James 1:6).
- Faith makes us to see preciousness in Christ; but unbelief sees no form, beauty, or comeliness in him (1 Peter 2:7; Isa 53:2,3).
- By faith we have our life in Christ’s fullness; but by unbelief we starve and pine away (Gal 2:20). - Faith gives us the victory over the law, sin, death, the devil, and all evils; but unbelief lays us obnoxious to them all (1 John 5:4,5; Luke 12:46).
- Faith will show us more excellence in things not seen, than in them that are; but unbelief sees more in things that are seen, than in things that will be hereafter;. (2 Cor 4:18; Heb 11:24-27; 1 Cor 15:32). - Faith makes the ways of God pleasant and admirable; but unbelief makes them heavy and hard (Gal 5:6; 1 Cor 12:10,11; John 6:60; Psa 2:3).
- By faith Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob possessed the land of promise; but because of unbelief, neither Aaron, nor Moses, nor Miriam could get there (Heb 11:9; 3:19).
- By faith the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea; but by unbelief the generality of them perished in the wilderness (Heb 11:29; Jude 5).
- By faith Gideon did more with three hundred men, and a few empty pitchers, than all the twelve tribes could do, because they believed not God (Judg 7:16-22; Num 14:11,14).
- By faith Peter walked on the water; but by unbelief he began to sink (Matt 14:28-30).

Also something to think about is this. Many times when we don’t see the answer to our prayers, we believe we lack faith. However, at the point of salvation, every Christian received THE measure of faith. (That's a topic in it's self as the Greek says "The" not "A") The issue is not a lack of faith but the presence of unbelief. Unbelief cancels out faith and renders our prayers ineffective.

In His Grip,

Pastor J

Church? or Community?

Have you ever noticed when you see churches become larger their communities in which they serve don't seem to change much. Why is this?!?! What is the difference between being focused on church growth and being dedicated to influencing community. Well here are a few things to look at.

You grow a church with talent and leadership Vs. You impact a community with compassion    Churches that are blessed with talent (musical or otherwise) and great leadership are likely to grow. Most of these churches are considered good churches and in many ways they are. But that doesn't mean the community has been changed - which for me is the mark of a great church. In my thinking, it is impact that matters. This does not discount the huge significance and eternal value of growing churches that are big because of new things. I'm talking about a kind of impact that not only wins people to Christ, but that does so with such impact that the community takes notice and is changed. I'm all about people coming to Christ. But there is a corporate force that will enable us to ultimately win more to Christ if we have better served our communities. This means we must get involved in things that the community values, not just what we care about. I believe this all begins with compassion. Churches who reach out with servant oriented efforts that will not ultimately result in anyone coming to their church demonstrate compassion that has true impact. I believe that the best way to do this is to prayerfully think through the various services in your community that did not originate from your church, and choose to serve and be a resource to them.

You grow a church on your terms Vs. You reach a community on their terms
  Who sets the "terms" matters. If your church insists that everyone you connect with must do so on your terms, you may grow your church, but you won't impact the community. This is not about sloppy theology, going "liberal", or abusing grace. It's about a willingness to adapt your church's attitudes and behaviors, including receptivity to people who aren't like you, in order that more unchurched people may be willing to try you out and even come back.

You grow a church by offering good "programs"  Vs. You reach a community by offering good relationships

Good programs are important. Especially, a strong children's, and Student program. But if programs are the focus, people will come and people will go. You can test if you are program oriented or relationship oriented by the decisions you make and the actions you take. When you emphassize relationships and extend yourself to the community, you have potential to change the community. I like to see churches not about programs but steps. This is something I have talked about many times in the past.

You can grow a church on history and tradition Vs. You must become relevant to impact a community
    Let me close with a few thoughts on relevance versus history and tradition. We know history and tradition can be good. Some of the church's most sacred elements come from the richess of history and tradition. The point is not to throw them out, but first be relevant in order to reach the community. I don't mean to pick on any churches her (okay may I do), but some of the sermon titles I see on church signs out front of churches are just embarrassing. We are not connecting with people when we communicate in church "code" about things that don't matter to peoples lives. Then when some churches do get people in the doors they hear sermons about Paul's missionary journeys and some obscure law in Leviticus. These people have gotten out of bed, fought to get the kids ready, sat in an unfamiliar setting, and we give them stuff that has nothing to do with their life. (Not to say that learning about Paul's journey would be a great small group or bible study to have elsewhere in the church) That is what I call a perfect description of "irrelevant." speak on a relevant topic. We must be relevant to reach and impact our community. A side note on this: people don't always want to hear over and over again each Sunday how sinful we are and how everything ends in Hell if one is not driven to the front of the church to "repent" each Sunday. Bring a message of hope and grace. As well as how to grow in our walk for those who have accepted Christ. Have a healthy bounce for both.  

In His Grip,

Pastor J  

Going Social

Once again not my own post however my friends over at Lifeway shared this great info about social media. Also to put in a short plug for my cousin Terrace Crawford who wrote #Going Social. Check out this great book for any church ministry or leader.

If your church uses social media or is thinking about social media, here are 5 things to keep in mind:

1.Your audience. According to churchleaders.com, church websites should be geared toward new people, church/ministry social media should be geared toward people who are already involved. Keep your audience in mind when composing messages; update frequently, and promote your social media networks in church bulletins, newsletters, etc. If you plan on using social media as a primary means of communication, make sure church members know where to find those announcements.
  2.What you’re sharing. This is especially true for children’s ministries. Be careful when posting pictures and/or names of kids in your ministry, especially if your ministry page is set to public. The safety of those kids should be a very high priority. If you’re thinking about posting pictures, make sure you have parental permission. It’s probably a good idea to have parents sign a photo release form just incase. And if you’re going to share meeting locations where children will be present, (parks, playgrounds, etc.) be sure your Facebook page or Twitter feed is set to private to prevent unsafe people from acquiring that information.
3.How often you update. Social media is a weird thing– it’s only effective if it’s used consistently. Once you’ve gotten everyone on board and they know to check your pages for updates, make sure you actually post them! Facebook pages are great tools for communicating ministry events and updates if you use them consistently.
4.Grammar, composition, and accuracy. This should go without saying, but sometimes it must be said! Your social media outlets represent your church. Make sure the updates are grammatically correct, composed in a way that is easy to understand, and contains accurate dates, times, and locations.
5.Who runs the account(s). When you hold the password to a social media account, you hold a lot of power. Be wise in selecting the administrator for your social media accounts. It’s a good idea to choose one or two trusted people who can keep up with your ministry’s happenings and who can communicate with one another about what gets posted.

Some simple but yet great things to keep in mind when starting or running your site or sites.
I hope this helps one step to bettering the ministry God has created for you!

Don't forget to "Reach"

In His Grip,
Pastor J

Connent for Change

I wanted to share this great post by friend and Pastor Chuck Bomar:
  
As a leader, we want to get people connected into what we are doing. The question is, how do we define connected?
Well, practically speaking, this is often defined by physical involvement. If there are large numbers of people coming to what we are doing, we assume people are connecting. However, just having people show up in the same room at the same time doesn’t mean they are connecting with one another—especially across generations. And that’s important to differentiate.
It’s one thing to get people to something and even have them serve in some capacity. But it’s an entirely different thing to help people connect inter-personally with others and bridge the generation gap. This is more difficult to do than just having people show up. It takes more time and an entirely different strategy.
Here are THREE practical ways you can work to become a connected church across generations and do so in sustainable ways. I will categorize these into Long-Term, Mid-Term and Immediate ideas to keep in mind and implement.

Long-Term. To build a culture that is connected inter-generationally, the people involved must be motivated by the gospel. I’m not trying to sound over simplistic or super spiritual. I really mean this. The reality is, people who have only accepted the benefits of the gospel and have somehow missed the call of the gospel will only serve as a hindrance to becoming a truly connected church.
The gospel, at its most basic level, calls us to be selfless (Mark 8:34), with a unique focus on Jesus and others knowing Him. The gospel motivated Paul to use his personal liberties for the sake of others (1 Corinthians 8:13) and it led him to give up his personal preferences so that others might come to a saving faith in Jesus (1Corinthians 9:22).
This is the mentality that feeds relational connectivity. True and sustainable connectedness will be robbed unless the most basic principles of the gospel are serving as the motivators for the people involved. Our gospel presentations, then, must include both the benefits and the call of the gospel.

Mid-Term. Be very intentional with the terminology you use. Whether it’s in a one-on-one conversation or from a massive stage in front of thousands of people, we must talk about the unifying aspects of everyone involved.
For instance, when we use the word “family” in church contexts, we are most often referring to individual family structures. Our motivations are good, but if we are not extremely careful we can alienate college-age people, anyone else that is single and possibly someone that comes from a broken family.
To be a connected church we ought to redefine words like family, as the “family of God,” which allows everyone to have common ground. It’s in little nuances like this that change a culture and lead to being a connected church.
Another facet is to stay away from terminology like, “Big Church” because it inherently carries an “us and them” tone.

Immediately. Actually connect two people on some sort of common ground. This can be any facet of life, really. Take vocation, for example.
Consider connecting two people from two different generations for one cup of coffee and do so over the common interest in a particular industry. Maybe an older woman in your church is an engineer and you know a college student who is interested in engineering.
Ask the older individual if she would mind sitting down with a younger woman who is interested in this field of work just to “talk shop” and be available to answer any questions about it. This type of inter-generational exposure to people is what cultivates a connected church. Not every one of these connections will become an intimate relationship, but many of them will. And if connecting people like this is a pattern in your life it will, in fact, lead to your church being a connected one.

Happy Father's Day!

~2 Chronicles16:9~