This past weekend, I said in my message that there were two types of people in this world: dogs and cats. Whether you are a dog or a cat will affect how you view faith, God, the church, and just about anything else in life.
A dog looks at his master and says, "Wow. This person feeds me, gives me water, shelters me, scratches me behind the ears, and provides for my every need- he must be god!" A cat looks at his master and says, "Wow. This person feeds me, gives me water, shelters me, scratches me behind the ears, and provides for my every need- I must be god!"
Which are you? Do you look at the cross, at Jesus' ultimate sacrifice and the gift of eternal life, and say, "Wow. Jesus loves me, died for me, and has given me eternal life- He must be God!" Or do you look at the cross and say, "Wow. Jesus loves me, died for me, and has given me eternal life- I must be God!" Is the cross an echo of your self-worth, is eternal life something you feel you deserve, or is it simply a gift God has given you because He is God?
We have lots of cats in churches and Christian circles today. Cats feel entitled to grace, entitled to answered prayers, entitled to a place in heaven, and when it doesn't happen, get offended and mad. They sulk and pout. They may even criticize God for not giving them what they "deserve". Dogs, on the other hand, are just happy to be with the Master. Dogs feel it is a great honor to live in the home with the Master.
Though I deserve nothing, I have everything. Thanks to God, that is. Woof.
Worship Night
Catalyst Christian Church, Nicholasville, KY
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Heaven
I was watching a movie called "The Ultimate Gift" a few nights ago with my wife (if you haven't seen it, it's worth watching. It's very good). It's about a spoiled rich kid that has to go through a series of tests to get his inheritance.
One of the tests is that he is to make one true friend. As soon as he is given this challenge, his credit cards get cancelled, he loses his corner penthouse apartment, his car gets towed, etc. He has nothing. The next scene shows him calling all his "friends" to help him out, and none of them want anything to do with him.
What he found out was that his friends were only his friends because they could benefit in some way from him- they liked his parties, liked his apartment, liked his car, liked the money he spent on them, etc. When that was no longer an option, they didn't want anything to do with him.
I started to wonder if Christians are the same way with God. Are we "worshiping" God because we want the good things He offers? Or, like true friends, do we worship God because of who He is, regardless of how it might benefit us? What if the promise of heaven or the threat of hell were not in the equation? Would our churches still be packed with people? Would they be packed with people, not looking for anything in particular, but simply adoring and worshiping God because of how glorious and beautiful, almighty and wonderful He is?
I doubt it. I wish I could say otherwise, but I know my heart, and I know the hearts of people. That's why there are so very few real friendships we ever have in life. That's might be why the Scriptures tell us that the road to heaven is narrow and few find it. So let me put it this way, "If you could have heaven- no pain, no suffering, all your needs taken care of, beautiful paradise, etc- could you be happy if God wasn't there?"
One of the tests is that he is to make one true friend. As soon as he is given this challenge, his credit cards get cancelled, he loses his corner penthouse apartment, his car gets towed, etc. He has nothing. The next scene shows him calling all his "friends" to help him out, and none of them want anything to do with him.
What he found out was that his friends were only his friends because they could benefit in some way from him- they liked his parties, liked his apartment, liked his car, liked the money he spent on them, etc. When that was no longer an option, they didn't want anything to do with him.
I started to wonder if Christians are the same way with God. Are we "worshiping" God because we want the good things He offers? Or, like true friends, do we worship God because of who He is, regardless of how it might benefit us? What if the promise of heaven or the threat of hell were not in the equation? Would our churches still be packed with people? Would they be packed with people, not looking for anything in particular, but simply adoring and worshiping God because of how glorious and beautiful, almighty and wonderful He is?
I doubt it. I wish I could say otherwise, but I know my heart, and I know the hearts of people. That's why there are so very few real friendships we ever have in life. That's might be why the Scriptures tell us that the road to heaven is narrow and few find it. So let me put it this way, "If you could have heaven- no pain, no suffering, all your needs taken care of, beautiful paradise, etc- could you be happy if God wasn't there?"
Friday, August 20, 2010
What Can I Get?
Check out this killer quote from John Piper's "When I Don't Desire God":
"If Christ is followed only because His gifts are great and His threats are terrible, He is not glorified by His followers. A defective lord can offer great gifts and terrible threats. And a person may want the gifts, fear the threats, and follow a lord whom they despise or pity or find boring or embarrassing, in order to have the gifts and avoid the threats. If Christ is to be glorified in His people, their following must be rooted not mainly in His promised gifts or threatened punishments, but in His glorious Person. Oh, it is true that "Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them (Psalm 111:2). I do not minimize the joy of seeing the works of the Lord. But His works are great because they point us to the Lord Himself as our highest delight. The faith that honors Christ is the faith that sees and savors His glory in all His works, especially in the Gospel." (John Piper, "When I Don't Desire God," p 36)
Why follow Christ? Is it because we fear His threats or want His gifts? A faith based on either of those things is a faulty faith. I didn't marry my wife because of the good things I could get or because I was afraid of being lonely- I married her because I love her. We, therefore, follow Christ because we love Him and seek to see and savor His glory- to see Him high and lifted up as the most infinitely valuable, infinitely beautiful being in all creation. You know your faith is happening when you would desire this even if there was no promise of heaven and eternal life, or threat of hell and death. We worship God because it is the right thing to do- not because there is something in it for us.
We, as a church, need to get back to the absolute magnification and glorification of Jesus Christ and move away from the self-centeredness that marks the lives of so many believers. God is amazing.
"If Christ is followed only because His gifts are great and His threats are terrible, He is not glorified by His followers. A defective lord can offer great gifts and terrible threats. And a person may want the gifts, fear the threats, and follow a lord whom they despise or pity or find boring or embarrassing, in order to have the gifts and avoid the threats. If Christ is to be glorified in His people, their following must be rooted not mainly in His promised gifts or threatened punishments, but in His glorious Person. Oh, it is true that "Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them (Psalm 111:2). I do not minimize the joy of seeing the works of the Lord. But His works are great because they point us to the Lord Himself as our highest delight. The faith that honors Christ is the faith that sees and savors His glory in all His works, especially in the Gospel." (John Piper, "When I Don't Desire God," p 36)
Why follow Christ? Is it because we fear His threats or want His gifts? A faith based on either of those things is a faulty faith. I didn't marry my wife because of the good things I could get or because I was afraid of being lonely- I married her because I love her. We, therefore, follow Christ because we love Him and seek to see and savor His glory- to see Him high and lifted up as the most infinitely valuable, infinitely beautiful being in all creation. You know your faith is happening when you would desire this even if there was no promise of heaven and eternal life, or threat of hell and death. We worship God because it is the right thing to do- not because there is something in it for us.
We, as a church, need to get back to the absolute magnification and glorification of Jesus Christ and move away from the self-centeredness that marks the lives of so many believers. God is amazing.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Upcoming Fusion Series
Hey people,
Sorry it has been so long since I wrote- things have been pretty busy lately, but most of all, I've just been negligent. We are getting ready to start a series that will take Catalyst to the next level of reaching new people- a series about the church.
Back in the 90's, when I was in seminary, I was thoroughly schooled in the "seeker sensitive" church thing- you know, where churches needed to tailor messages and worship to people who were clueless about Christianity. A few years ago, Willow Creek Community Church, which was the most prominent proclaimer of this philosophy, publicly stated that the seeker sensitive movement was a failure. They had failed to create disciples.
First of all, what guts. That's pretty impressive to admit that. Second, I don't think it was a total failure. They did a great job of getting the church's focus off of itself and onto the people we need to be reaching. They just did it in the wrong way.
The reason why the seeker sensitive movement didn't work is they put the emphasis in the wrong place. They tailored the sermon and worship and everything else IN THE SERVICE towards new folks. The problem is- the new folks had already decided if they were coming back BEFORE they ever heard a word preached or song sung.
The part of church that needs to be seeker sensitive is the first seven minutes of the guest's experience at your church. Research has shown that the ease of finding parking, the ease of finding their way around the church, the friendliness of the first people they meet, the atmosphere BEFORE the service, hospitality such as donuts and coffee, and overall "feel" of the time before the service determines whether a person will return after a first visit. This is also the part of church that ministers neglect the most.
Most ministers spend hours and hours on a sermon. Worship teams practice throughout the week to be ready for Sunday morning. Tech teams rehearse sound, lighting, and presentation software for excellence in their areas. All of that is great. However, the church needs to be as focused on the pre-service greeting and warmth and the post-service follow-up as it is on the service itself.
That's what the Fusion series is going to be about. We are going to train our people to open their eyes to the first seven minutes of a guest's experience. What happens in the first seven minutes forms the lens through which they will view everything. If the sermon is on love and community, but the new folks were ignored in the first seven minutes, they will figure the minister is full of it.
I am excited about this series- I am excited about unleashing the power of hospitality at Catalyst. I think we do a decent job, but we haven't been intentional about it. Catalyst's hospitality has a great deal more to do with the wonderful laypeople living their Christian faith than it does with anything from the leadership. Looking forward to it!
Sorry it has been so long since I wrote- things have been pretty busy lately, but most of all, I've just been negligent. We are getting ready to start a series that will take Catalyst to the next level of reaching new people- a series about the church.
Back in the 90's, when I was in seminary, I was thoroughly schooled in the "seeker sensitive" church thing- you know, where churches needed to tailor messages and worship to people who were clueless about Christianity. A few years ago, Willow Creek Community Church, which was the most prominent proclaimer of this philosophy, publicly stated that the seeker sensitive movement was a failure. They had failed to create disciples.
First of all, what guts. That's pretty impressive to admit that. Second, I don't think it was a total failure. They did a great job of getting the church's focus off of itself and onto the people we need to be reaching. They just did it in the wrong way.
The reason why the seeker sensitive movement didn't work is they put the emphasis in the wrong place. They tailored the sermon and worship and everything else IN THE SERVICE towards new folks. The problem is- the new folks had already decided if they were coming back BEFORE they ever heard a word preached or song sung.
The part of church that needs to be seeker sensitive is the first seven minutes of the guest's experience at your church. Research has shown that the ease of finding parking, the ease of finding their way around the church, the friendliness of the first people they meet, the atmosphere BEFORE the service, hospitality such as donuts and coffee, and overall "feel" of the time before the service determines whether a person will return after a first visit. This is also the part of church that ministers neglect the most.
Most ministers spend hours and hours on a sermon. Worship teams practice throughout the week to be ready for Sunday morning. Tech teams rehearse sound, lighting, and presentation software for excellence in their areas. All of that is great. However, the church needs to be as focused on the pre-service greeting and warmth and the post-service follow-up as it is on the service itself.
That's what the Fusion series is going to be about. We are going to train our people to open their eyes to the first seven minutes of a guest's experience. What happens in the first seven minutes forms the lens through which they will view everything. If the sermon is on love and community, but the new folks were ignored in the first seven minutes, they will figure the minister is full of it.
I am excited about this series- I am excited about unleashing the power of hospitality at Catalyst. I think we do a decent job, but we haven't been intentional about it. Catalyst's hospitality has a great deal more to do with the wonderful laypeople living their Christian faith than it does with anything from the leadership. Looking forward to it!
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