Stuck in Transition

In January of 2014 God gave me a word that I was moving from the narrow place to wide open spaces. I thought that because that was my word for 2014 that by the end of the year I would be in my wide open space. Well, 2014 came and went and was an interesting year.  2015 came and went. 2016 came, rolled over me like a bulldozer, and went.  Here I am still stuck in transition. It's as if I've been camping out in a hallway for 3 years.  However, as I was praying and listening for what the Lord would speak to me about 2017, the word he gave me was "progression."

Now to be clear, right now my life seems to be the opposite of progressing. I've spent a lot of time in the last year grieving dreams lost and struggling to feel like myself - the person God created me to be. And yet, it the midst of it all, God continually reminds me of Isaiah 49 as a promise to me that the calling and purpose for my life are still progressing. Right now it may seem like I have spent my strength in vain (Is. 49:4) but in time I will look up from my bereavement to find myself surrounded by the harvest I thought I had lost. Then, like Israel in Isaiah 49:21 I will say, "Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these - where have they come from?" (NIV).

I have seen in my life that often what seems like crisis and retreat is merely the battering ram being pulled back only to be forcefully pushed forward into breakthrough. God has very clearly said that what I am experiencing right now is not a crisis but an opportunity. If you're feeling stuck in transition you are not alone. Right now we have the opportunity to believe what God has said rather than what we see with our natural eyes. We have the opportunity to dream in the face of disappointment. Hope in the face of grief. And move into the future where our wide open spaces are waiting.

Kingdom People: Part II

Through Christ we have been given a new nature (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:22-24) and everything we need to live a godly life (1 Pet. 1:3-4). However, we must choose to partner with the Holy Spirit in renewing our minds so that in every situation we know, agree with, and carry out God’s will. Throughout the New Testament Paul writes of the battle within people’s minds and contrasts it with the mind set on the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 2 he writes of how the Spirit makes the mind of Christ available to believers “so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.” Only through the ministry of the Spirit can we understand truth about the new identity God has given us in Christ. 

One foundational truth of our identity is that God has “made us to be a kingdom” (Rev. 1:6a). According to this verse, we are not just apart of the kingdom, we have not just inherited the kingdom, but together we are the kingdom. The realization of our individual identity in Christ is not an end in itself but rather leads us to an understanding of our identity as a community, as Scharen writes, “the aim is not to self-maximize or self-realize but to respond to God’s call to community in which a genuinely ethical and spiritual life can be lived.”[1]

Through knowing who we are and who we are to be together, we can know what we are to do as a kingdom community.  God has given us the same mandate in Revelation;  “…you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on the earth” (5:10) as in Genesis “…fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on earth… I have given you every plant... [and] everything that has the breath of life…” (1:28-30). 

The believer’s identity is as a new creation and our purpose as the kingdom community is to reign in life.  As our minds are renewed to align with this truth we will find ourselves living in a way that reenacts the ministry of Christ in every area of our lives. We cannot simply focus on what we are to do as believers but on who we are in Christ for this is our primary identity.  When we as believers and churches understand who God has designed us to be, we will consistently experience Kingdom mission in every area of our lives.

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[1] Scharen, Faith as a Way of Life, 468.

[2] Scharen, Faith as a Way of Life, 125.

Kingdom People: Part I

When I picture believers living out their faith as citizens of God’s kingdom I see the ministry of Jesus reenacted through his church; the lame walk, the blind see, the demonized are set free, the dead are raised and more disciples are brought into the kingdom.  In this picture kingdom equals mission. When we do the work of Christ we are living the kingdom life.  The problem with this scenario is that God doesn’t “do” mission – being missional is a part of his nature.  Giving believers a “to-do” list of principals to follow and good deeds to perform falls short.  If we are to live kingdom minded, missional lives we must first recover an understanding of our identity not only as created in the image of God, but as recreated through the blood of Christ.  Secondly, we must embrace the identity of the church as a kingdom community. Believers and churches must first be who God has designed them to be before they can consistently experience Kingdom mission in every area of their lives.

In his book, Faith as a Way of Life, Christian Scharen correctly gives the reason for our loss of identity being “that the spheres of modern life have semi-independence, each operating according to its own logic and values. Because we each live in and through them all, we internalize the value conflicts between them and compartmentalize as a mechanism for surviving the tensions.”[1]  Values and therefore identity are a result of exterior environments rather then inner knowing.  We are who our environment tells us to be. This leads even Christians to experience a fractured self.  Caring mother, charismatic church leader, shrewd businesswoman; the primary self is whoever is needed at that moment.

This kind of life is in direct violation of our design as believers. God desires to be the one who defines us and from that place of knowing who we are, we can do what he has prepared for us to do; “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life” (Eph. 2:10, NRSV).  He created us in his image to be stewards of his kingdom in every environment (Gen. 1:26-31). After the fall we became powerless to live up to the ideal design God had for the masterpiece of his creation. God’s goal wasn’t just to save us but also to restore us to his original purpose. This is why Jesus was incarnated and why “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Through Christ we can become who God has created us to be – as the saying goes “Jesus became like us so that we could become like him.”

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[1] Christian Scharen, Faith as a Way of Life: A Vision for Pastoral Leadership, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2008), Kindle E-book, Location 220.

What is a Pastor?

(addressed to Church on Fire)

        There seems to be some confusion in our western culture over what the word “pastor” relates to.  Is it a job title for the top dog in a local church? Are pastors those who are more spiritually equipped to lead in a church?  Are they God’s chosen authority figures? Here are some of my thoughts on the matter…

        “Pastor” can be just a general leadership title for those who serve a local church with their governance gift.  I don’t personally have a problem with this as long as there is a healthy understanding of what it means to serve the Body as a leader.  Church on Fire’s Philosophy of Leadership sums it up this way: 

According to Romans 12:8, leadership is a gift God has given to some members of Christ’s Body in order to be a blessing to the entire Body. The gift of leadership should be celebrated (as should all gifts from God) but should not be elevated in value above the other gifts. The call to leadership is a call to self-sacrifice, servanthood and love.

       Jesus didn’t seem to have a problem with titles either as long as his disciples understood that the call to lead is a call to serve.  After washing the disciples feet he tells them, “You call me Teacher and Lord – and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:13-14, NRSV).
        In a general sense “pastor” and “leader” are synonymous in our culture.  Not everyone with the title of “pastor” necessarily has a shepherding leadership gift, which is how the New Testament describes pastoring. Actually, the Bible doesn’t say a lot about pastors.  It does however, talk about shepherds.  The only verse in the new testament usually translated with the word “pastor” is Ephesians 4:11 which says, “The gifts he have were that some would be… pastors” (NRSV).  Even there it would make perfect sense in the Greek to put the word shepherd. 
        Shepherds in biblical times were not the CEOs or power brokers of society.  They humbly cared for, protected and fed the sheep. However, we see that God many times honored shepherds. King David was a shepherd as a boy.  When Samuel came to anoint a king for Israel his father didn’t even bother calling him in for consideration. Later on David writes that God is our shepherd (Psalm 23). It was to shepherds that God announced the birth of his Son in Luke 2.  And many times Jesus is called a shepherd or refers to himself as a shepherd (Matthew 9:36; 18:12; 25:32; 26:31; John 10; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:5; 5:4; Revelation 7:17).
        At Church on Fire we have nine people who share the responsibility of “senior pastor” by  nurturing the values and culture we desire to have as a community of believers.  We each carry the gift of shepherding, but some more then others.  It is the diversity of leadership gifts on the team that make it strong.  This in itself is unique among local churches and there are a lot of reasons, that I don’t have time to discuss now, why we have a team of leaders instead of just one person.  However, the Apostolic Leadership Team (click here to see why we call ourselves that) is not the only way to serve as a leader at Church on Fire.  In fact, there are limitless ways for you to lead based on your own calling, passions and gifts. 
        If God has given you a heart to shepherd people then there is room for you.  In fact, I am convinced our church will only grow numerically as much as we have people with a heart for nurturing others in this way.  I believe this because we have placed a priority on people over programs.  Growth for us isn’t about people in the seats – it’s about people growing in relationship with God and each other.  Shepherds are and will be the true spiritual fathers and mothers of Church on Fire.  They are the ones people call on when they are sick, hurting, or in need of comfort.  They are the ones that feed and protect the sheep by speaking truth into a person’s circumstances.  They are the ones that celebrate with deep joy when one of their sheep has a victory. 
        I would not trade my shepherd’s heart for anything.  It is a deeply fulfilling call.  If these ideas have stirred your heart in any way and you think the Lord may be speaking to you about shepherding his flock then let us know.  It is our sincere desire to partner with the Holy Spirit in helping you to become all that he has called you to be.

I dream of battles never fought...

I dream of battles never fought on fields of earth

or commemorated with plaques and books.

Awake I pray and serve and love.

But at night I dream

and wield my sword against the night

and that which has captured mankind’s soul

and kept it dark, and blind and cold.

I dream and fight, and dream and fight…

I am the shield, the spy, the go getter.

Sometimes a hero, sometimes unheeded,

always unseen, but never dissuaded.

I am happy to remain unnamed.

to serve beneath my royal title.

A messenger, an armor bearer,

yet first to run into the battle.

I dream and fight, and dream and fight…

The light inside me is not dimmed

by fear or threat or accusation.

I am not slowed by hesitation.

I know who I am though I am unknown

by all but one.

And it is His name I take for my own.

His reward I fight for.

I dream and fight, and dream and fight…

Until I lead some captured soul

from ever dark

to eternal light.

The land where freedom was hard won

by His spilled blood and life laid down.

And they can feel the light of the sun

for the first time.

And then I catch my breath…

I rest.

The Sun on my face.

His oil on my hurt.

His banquet feeding my soul.

I feast on Him

Until I am strong again.

Then I return.

And I dream and fight, and dream and fight…

…I dream of the day when all will be light.

Setting our Heart on Pilgrimage

"What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem." Psalm 84:5, NLT

Psalm 84 really is a beautiful picture of worship. Verse 5 talks about a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, which would have been very familiar to a Jew who would usually take at least a yearly journey during Passover. I can imagine them singing this psalm on their long journey, especially when the going got tough. "How lovely is your dwelling place O Lord Almighty. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord..." (84:1-2). The beautiful picture of the end of their journey was always in the forefront of the psalmist's mind.

The picture of worshipping on a journey is very different than how we see worship today. Our culture's picture of worship has us standing in one place. Often a distraction will come, hit us in the face and we stop worshipping. In fact, that's the way many of us live our lives. Life happens while we just kind of float along enjoying our surroundings. Then circumstances will hit us in the face. We get blindsided by a circumstance an endue sitting down in the valley for a good cry. Hopefully, we get back up again.

Psalm 84 gives us a different picture. In Psalm 84 the pilgrim passes through the valley of weeping with hope for what is to come. People with a pilgrim's heart know that whatever our circumstances, whatever we pass through, it has a greater purpose.

The Apostle Paul showed us his pilgrim's heart when he wrote, "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one ting: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us" (Philippians 3:12-14).

How can we have a pilgrim's heart like Paul? It starts with our PERSPECTIVE. It's hard to have perspective when your circumstances are overwhelming you. It's hard to see past the present pain to the hope of what lies ahead. This is why worship is so important. God is so good and faithful that when we worship Him, even from a place of desperation and pain, he changes our perspective. Tommy Tenney in his book God's Eye View writes... "Worship is the process of stretching your arms to the heavens in the universal sign of surrender and desperation. It is the way earthbound creatures rivet the attention of their heavenly Creator. When you worship, it is as if you look at your heavenly Father and say, 'I don't like the way things look down here, Daddy. Would you lift me up? I want to see things from your point of view.'"

I believe that is why Psalm 84 is so centered around worship. Without the perspective that worship brings us we will have little hope of making it out of the valley of weeping. 

The second key to having a pilgrim's heart is to find our strength in the Lord. Psalm 84 says "What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord" (84:5) and promises that they will continue to grow stronger (84:7). Even when we are at our weakest that we can lay hold of that promise. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 God tells Paul, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." Stop trying to make the journey in your own strength, with your own intelligence an your own conjured up joyfulness. Be humble and honest with God about your weakness. You'll find his grace in that place of humility and honesty.

The third key is to understand that the trials and sorrow in our journey can become the stepping stones to greater intimacy with God. And this is after all the reason for our journey. To know Him more. To live in His presence. There is something about our human nature that easily forgets or takes for granted the joy and glory of being in God's presence. Paraphrasing C.S. Lewis, God uses pain as a megaphone to get our attention. We hear God in our pain. We are purified in our pain as we learn to submit to God and die to our own selfish desires. And we come to know him in a deeper way. The more we know him the more the circumstances in our life lose their power to stun and immobilize us. Another quote from Tenney says, "There is a place in God, a secure path in the Living way, where you cannot be touched no matter how much Satan tries to reach and claw at you. It is a level of intimacy with divinity that would be fatal to anyone but God's children and the angels who serve him." 

For me, the greater depth of intimacy with God that has come out of my suffering has been like the refreshing springs that Psalm 84 talks about. ""What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping it will become a place of refreshing springs. he autumn rains will clothe it with blessings." (84:5-6).  I wouldn't have the refreshing springs without the valley of weeping.  When I read this psalm I imagine myself on a journey. I see myself passing through the valley of weeping, my tears speckling the dusty trail. But I press on and soon the specks of tears become puddles, then pools and then rivers as God sees me from heaven, hears me cry out to him in desperate worship and his heart is torn for his child. His tears rain down and join with mine creating rivers of renewal and intimacy with him.

You see our hope is not just the future hope of dwelling in his glory for eternity. We have a present hope of knowing him now in the midst of our journey. We can have his perspective through worship, we can know his strength in our weakness and in our suffering and pain we can come to deeper place of intimacy with our loving Father and Creator.