Why should I be in a Small Group?

          We all struggle with the demands of careers—the frustrations and stresses placed on us, including goals, deadlines, work flow, and office politics.  Our family obligations are important; many of us have children who need us.  Maybe you are already volunteering in the church or community.  Perhaps you are juggling work, school, and family to the point that there is not a free minute.  When you are asked, “Why don’t you join our small group?”, your reply may be, “What?!  I do not have the time!  I cannot possibly commit to anything else.  I am overloaded and overwhelmed!”  To be honest, you are the person who needs to be in a small group the most!  

Why?  It is God’s plan for you to be in quality relationships to Him and with to others in the confines of a loving community--the definition of “church.”  We all need a place to belong and work through the issues of life.  We need to be loved and give our love.  As Christians, our primary thrust is to know and grow in Christ, surrendering and giving to Christ’s glory (John 14-15; Gal. 2:20-21; Phil. 3:10). How can this be accomplished when all aspects of our life are riddled with stress? With small group study, learning spiritual discipline and receiving the discipleship, relationships, and encouragement that small groups offer.  We need a place to grow and we as humans in relationship to Christ grow best in community with people who love and care for you!  

Why?  We are called to be Fruitful.  This is a call to be obedient, to multiply the seed given to us.  We are to make disciples of His Word. We are to point to Christ, never to ourselves!

We need to be disciples of Christ, not of people like ourselves!  This is a standard call of God to do something productive and effectual with our life and faith.  To have this wondrous gift of salvation and do nothing with it is a great insult to our gift Giver, God; it is a proof of ingratitude and nonuse, which would prove that one is either not saved or highly disobedient and foolish (Isa. 27:6; Hos. 14:4-8; John 15). 

Why?  We are called to bear fruit, referring to a growing faith that is fed and focused on our response to Christ that motivates the Fruit of the Spirit and moral and virtuous thinking and action because of God’s love to us and our gratitude and love back to Him.  This is God's love and work in us that flows in through His Holy Spirit and out of us to others around us because we have a personal relationship with Christ.  We have God's living presence in us, living in us (Matt. 6:10; John 15; Rom. 5:1-5; 12:1-21; 1 Cor. 12:1-14:40; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 4:1-6:20; 2 Peter 1:3-9).

What does it take to be a faithful and fruitful Christian, to be attached to Christ as His love and work flows in and through us?  If we claim to know Christ as Lord and hang in His Church, we must yearn to imitate Him and follow His precepts, especially when we lead others!  This happens when we show the faith to permanently leave our sinful lives—and, with overwhelming gratitude--follow Jesus.  Small groups are the prime platforms for us to learn, grow, and to share.  We must follow before we can lead.  We are never to be isolated from one another as this will lead us to be unfaithful, prideful, manipulative, or abusive to the people God gives us to care for; such acts are wicked, and we will be held to a strict accounting (Jer. 23:1-2; 31:34; Ezek. 34:11-31; Mic. 5:4; 6:8; Hos. 6:6; John 15 and16; 17:21-23).

Small groups will help us produce faithfulness, which comes when we are in a state of right being; this can only come about from a right, growing relationship with God; this comes by accepting what Christ has done for us and applying it to our lives--by faith. 

And it is out, checkout  my latest book. It is about small groups, all you need to know and have to start, lead and build them or God’s glory. Over 30 years of research and experience went into it. It is simple to understand yet comprehensive. Originally developed for Campus Crusade for Christ, it has been fully revised and it will be an excellent tool for you and your church. Every small group leader should have one, it is your training manual and you one stop all you need to know and it is inexpensive. The Kindle and eBook versions coming out soon…

http://www.amazon.com/All-about-Small-Groups-Purpose/dp/1468111388/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327343072&sr=1-4

Face Time with God!

How to be a Capable Bible Student

There is no substitute to time spent in the face of our Lord!

The capable Bible student is rooted and grounded in the spiritual disciplines of the faith, whose drive is their passionate love relationship to the Lordship of Christ. And what flows out of it is the desire to love God’s people, to herd them with love into the pastures of maturity. To lead where the leader has been before, and the people have not been. The mature Christian or leader must exhibit the maturity of the Christian life as the result of their growth and experience in the faith. An effective leader cannot be new to the faith. Even the Apostle Paul spent three years being discipled by Barnabas, and he received his call and was empowered directly from Christ Himself. I have seen too many immature Christians who lead by who they are in society, and not who they are in Christ.

A few years ago while on staff at a church, we received a family who came to faith at a crusade, and the father was the founder of a major fast food franchise. So in less than a year he was my boss, and the president and ruling Elder of the congregation. Now he was a great guy and very successful in business, but he did not know how to run a church. So he instinctually ran it like a business and his policies failed. He did not know how to lead in a church, which is different than in a corporation, even though a lot of the principles are transferable. After several years he did become a good leader as he matured in the faith. But the church suffered during his learning curve needlessly.

There is no substitute to time spent in the face of our Lord, with a surrendered heart and a learning will. We must be willing to be humble no matter who we are and our experience. I had to learn this lesson a few years back when I went from being on staff at a large and influential church to a small church in a small town. My first thought before accepting the call was that I was too good for it. But God wanted me there to teach me to walk closer to him, and not walk in the position that I held. So I did, and I experienced humbleness. Nobody knew me as the conference speaker or author or big position in a big church, but just a youth pastor in a small church. But this is where Christ wanted me, and I learned a lot. It prepared me for the road He had for me. And I’m glad I went there because I learned things in a broader context, that I could not have in a large "mega" church.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."(II Timothy 2:15-16; 22-24)

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."(II Timothy 2:15-16; 22-24)

This passage is a testimony to the importance of holiness, and to keep ourselves growing in our spiritual lives so that our emotional selves are impacted and grow too.

Spiritual maturity will lead into emotional maturity most of the time, unless there is some physiological or psychological problem, or deep stress that has never been resolved. It is imperative for the leader to be in control of their emotional health. If not, they need to step down and seek help both spiritually and psychologically. If the leader is given to fits of rage or is just overly emotional, they cannot set the example that Christ has. We are not to be Vulcan’s exhibiting pure logic and no emotions, absolutely not. God created us as emotional beings, but as with anything we must have control of the excess and the potential for rampage.

What gets in the way of being an impact?

          The problem as I have been hinting at for most of my thirty years in ministry, is weak faith and prideful Christians who are shallow, selfish and haughty are the biggest obstacles to the Church and to the Kingdom.

         Because they stagnate the Church, suffocate its growth and work inside and out. Too many of us are so wrapped up in our own needs, hurts, desires and wants we fail to see our Lord or respond to His call. So we hide it in our pride or become lazy and feeble. Thus, our churches instead of stables of majestic stallions are mere empty stables with dried excrement and old hey, the horses are starved and got out and the saddles are hard and cracked. We have to get our act together, clean up our mess and fix our stable, repair and oil then mount our saddle, and take care of our horse of faith by feeding and crafting our relationship to Christ.

This is why this is radical now, because we need a call out for a radical, cross-cultural step of being trusting and committed to Christ and follow-through with our Christian faith. Not the step of overcoming the liberal politics, or the growing hostility many of us face in our secular community, yes we need to do that too. But, but, even more so, cross our own church culture filled with empty trends and prideful leaders puffed up with empty platitudes and nonsense. And surrender our will and plans to His Lordship, be radical for Christ. Not self, not desires, not some trend, but learn and grow in Him, to be the person He called us to be. Then we will see our society start to change for the better. To not ask what the church can give me, but to serve selflessly. To not be just a taker but a giver, not just a complainer, but and go-getter, to boldly go and do as Jesus Christy has gifted and called to do. 

All Jesus asks of us is to receive Him and His love so we can pay it forward to others, to show His love by our display of love so we succeed at His will. Jesus’ love is the sap that flows and what causes us to know Him and have His love working in and out of us; it causes us to make Him known to others even more diligently. We were sinners; now, because of His love, we are His people-united to Him, reconciled to God, and filled with the Spirit. This love now becomes the process of continued blessings for us and others. All it takes is our dedication to Christ, so we can respond by faith, worship, and spiritual formation to carry on His love. Growing in Christ is what the Christian life is all about. It is the life-long process of discipleship and spiritual growth that builds our faith and knowledge in Him so we can take hold of His love and produce even more of it, giving it back to Him and onto others. This helps us with our assurance, maturity, character, and spiritual formation. We become changed because we have received Christ and we can keep on loving. If this is not so, there is something fundamentally wrong in our Christian operating system, because love helps us have more hope and reassurance of faith. Why is this radical? Because few do it, and more fight against it, even those who say they are His (Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 5; Heb. 10: 26-39; 12:14; 2 Pet. 1: 5-11).  

With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:6-10

Why no post for so many months?

Overly busy with managing family, crisis’s in ministry and family and financially, ministry travel and being sick.

You may not know (unless you read our newsletters-lol) that I suffer from a potential life ending illness (an autoimmune disease, ‘Hashimoto's Thyroiditis,’ where my immune system attacks my own body. It is not fun, I am in constant pain, I have frequent migraines that cripple me, brain fog, loss of energy, insomnia which makes it very difficult to write and work. On a good day, it is like I’m always tied, like I have been up for 30 hrs. On bad days, it is extreme pain at times, and other annoying stuff). Is it fatal? Well life is isn’t it? Until we are called home. But at this point I am a few years away, but almost died last Nov… so I never know.

So I need your prayers for health, for support for the ministry and family and to keep the up the fight as long as I am given…for our Lord’s glory!

Hebrews 10:32-39

32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For,
“In just a little while,
he who is coming will come
and will not delay.”[a]
38 And,
“But my righteous[b] one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”[c]
39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

Restoration Point!

After Jesus rose from the dead in John 21:1-14, a contrast was presented of working with versus doing so without the Lord. If we work without Him, we will catch nothing and our work is in vain. If we work for Him, we will see failure turned into success because of the great catch. This is all about loyalty versus disobedience as well as about God’s enablement. Peter perhaps felt that he betrayed Jesus beyond the restoration point; perhaps he did not know what else to do. Thus, he returned to his old ways when he already had something so much more—his witnessing of the Lord’s resurrection! Let’s be careful not to forget what we are supposed to do (John 15:5)!

This passage continues to show us the heart of Christianity—the resurrection. It is interesting to note that many liberal, higher critics have determined that this passage is a postscript—true, but not a part of the original text. Most Jewish and Greek writings did not use postscripts because they considered them to be anticlimactic. Not so, according to ancient manuscripts. This passage also follows the ending of the most popular ancient work of all time, the Iliad that also had a postscript as does Romans 16; thus it does have harmony and great value. So, when these higher critics cry “foul,” tell them to read the Iliad. In spite of all the criticism, this passage was the most circulated of the passages in John, shared apart from the rest of the Gospel for cost savings and for evangelism. This early church track gave hope and a reason for faith!

This also refers to the vindication and triumph of the person suffering; Jesus was proclaiming victory, not just agony! Why? God cannot be touched by sin; Jesus took our sin upon Himself and God turned His head as Christ absorbed and bore our sentence of guilt and death. Now, grace is offered, and we, by faith in Him, have salvation by the work He did on the cross! He endured real suffering that we cannot fathom; beyond the physical agony was His separation from the Father and the wrath from our sin for the first time in eternity (John 16:7-11; Rom. 4:7-8; Eph. 1:7)!

Without the resurrection, we would not have Christianity—as in saving faith. We would have no salvation, no connection to God, no remission from sins, no purpose for life, no hope, no reason for living, and no reason to do evangelism, discipleship, or missions or any other kind of ministry as it would all be futile and meaningless.

Without the resurrection, we would have no reason to meet for worship or have a Church, as we would have no message or meaning or ministry; all we would have is futility, a life of emptiness, vanity, and senselessness. We would just have some great rules and precepts to live by. Well, so do the Buddhists (1 Cor. 15:1-19)! A former Buddhist once told me why he converted to Christianity. I was at a turn in the road; who do I follow; the man who is dead or the man who is alive? I chose the One who is alive! A dead man, no matter how good and great, cannot save anybody. Buddha has saved no one! The difference is with the resurrection; we are transformed, and saved for eternity—not just for here and now (John 10:4; 16:10; 2 Cor. 5:20). We are not called to save souls. That is the role of the Holy Spirit. Rather, we are called to help the “soul bearers” to learn and grow (Rom. 4:25; 14:8; 1 Cor. 15:13-14; 2 Cor. 5:20-21; Phil 1:23; 2:6-11; 3:10-14)!

We are chosen by God and by God alone for our Christian journey, because we are not at our final destination. Rather, each of us is in a process in life and faith. As long as we have breath, God is not finished with us yet; He is still at work in you, He deeply loves you, and wants you to draw ever so nearer to Him. We need to avoid slipping into unbelief and cynicism just because we can’t wrap our minds around it or because we are disappointed. Yet, this is where we all can easily live, because life can be so hard and confusing. We can learn from it, no matter what, so we can have joy and praise Him for His guidance from His Word and Holy Spirit, and, as we walk in Christ, we can always know God was the One who created us to walk and continues to teach us. "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." (Phil. 1:6)

The true mark of a mature Christian is obedience and submission, the ability to totally surrender it all to Him as LORD, and to be as the Epistle writers demonstrated, His slaves. By so doing, He lifts us up to be His friends. Real friends listen, forgive, and love, and are there for one another no matter what; Christ is all this to us! Thus, it is imperative to have the commitment to build effective relationships (Prov. 18:24; 27:17; Matt. 5-7; Luke 15:1-2; John 15:1-15; Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2; I Pet. 4:9).

Show-and-Tell!?

What can you do with the fact that in Christ, you have hope for today and everlasting life for eternity?

After Jesus arose from death in John 20:19-31, He went into a show-and-tell mode! He presented proof of who He is and what He came to do; He then told His followers to go and tell the Good News to others. The Bible describes their seeing Jesus resurrection for the first time as “rapturous!” Basically means very excited for who Christ is and what He has done for us, thus giving great joy and gratitude through our commitment to God and, in context, the courage to witness. This joy means our faith and fruit will overflow from us to others around us! This joy grows in us as we mature in the faith and as we are filled with His Word. It is also the power to enjoy Him in worship and as a lifestyle that will affect all aspects of our lives as well as that of others around us in His service and glory. Because of Christ, His Word will bring us joy. (Ruth 3:2-7; Isa. 9:3; Neh. 8:10; Eccl. 2:18; Matt. 24:21-22, 30; Luke 15:7-10, 32; 17:30; John 14:16-26; 16:12-15; 17:17; Acts 28:16-30; Rom. 13:11-14; 1 Cor. 7:29; 2 Cor. 2:15-16; 4:7-12; Eph. 1:13-14; 6:16; 4:30; Phil. 2:12-13; Col. 3:15-16; James 1:2; 1 Pet. 5:8-9).

What does a life filled with joy and praise for Christ look like? What can you do to look to His guidance from His Word and Holy Spirit, and walk in Him?

The ultimate victory has come: Jesus is risen; He is risen indeed! Halleluiah! Christ’s agony and death are now turned into victory—our ultimate triumph! Do you fully realize what Jesus did for you? Christ took this punishment for us; our fears (as in scared to death, not fear as in reverence to Him) have been borne on the cross, while the fear and awe of our Lord and Savior helps us see what He did for us (Prov. 3:5)! Every time we sin, we incur greater guilt, and we deserve punishment (Gen. 3:1-24; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 2:1-11; 3:10-26; 5:12-19; Titus 1:15; James 1:12-15; 1 John 1:8-10). But, the incredible miracle here is that we are set free by His work on the cross, by His death and resurrection (Rom. 5:10; 6:22). We have salvation by Jesus’ sacrificial death (John 19:30). How now will you live your life?

Why did Thomas doubt? Perhaps the magnitude of Jesus’ resurrection was beyond comprehension; without seeing it for themselves, as Thomas asked for and received, many refused to believe. Others truly believed by faith and worshipped Him. Although we do not have physical sight of Jesus’ hands and feet, we do have the Spirit who reveals the truth to us. Jesus did not fit the expectations of the people, the religious leaders, or even the disciples. A total change in worldview had to occur before He could be fully accepted. We have to be careful we do not jump to conclusions with little more information than our feelings and a “sound bite.” Know this: our opponents will see our hypocrisy and lack of Fruit and faith (real or not) –over-compensation for a misguided theology out of the rubble of our pride or lack of explanation.

Thomas after getting his verification gave a clear and powerful climax and confession of faith that Jesus is Yahweh, Lord God, Creator of all things, and Sovereign Lord over all. He made the universe and He gets to run it, including you and me! This also refers to Jesus being fully God, Immanuel, which means “God is with us” (Ex. 15:11; Isa. 6:3; Matt. 1:23; John 1:1-7Rev. 1:6; 4:11; 19:10; 22:9).

Refusing to acknowledge or believe will cut one off from our Lord and the faith and love needed for living. It is God's role and work that are empowering and saving; we merely respond. Our faith is a response, not a work; we recognize Christ because He reveals Himself to us. All the blessings and wonders that we experience are in Christ and He gives us faith that we can turn into more faith by our commitment and obedience (John 3:30; Rom. 6:12; Gal. 2:20-21; Eph. 2:8-9; 5:15-17; Phil. 3:1-21; Col. 1: 3-6, 10-12, 15-29).

What can you do to live for Christ? What would that mean and look like? How now will you live your life?

Be a Doorkeeper?

What would your life look like to know Christ more, grow in Him more, and make Him known more? What are you going to do about this?

In biblical times, the Doorkeeper was a very important and privileged job only entrusted to the most capable, loyal, and trained priest. His job was to make sure that no one who was unclean or undeserving would be allowed to enter the Temple of the Lord. In this way, God’s house would not be defiled. He also made sure those who were able to enter did so rightly and were properly purified to enter the Lord’s presence and then properly paid their tithe and reverence. If he did not do his duty, the Temple would be defiled, and this would be a heinous act before a Most Holy God. He had to have incredible character so he could not be bribed or be lazy and so he could do his job appropriately. The incredible honor for this priest was that he had the incredible position to be in God’s “approximant presence,” not intimacy, but just so close to it that only a small fraction of humanity could ever experience. As Christians, we have this now, we have so much more now, so much deeper and truer (see the contrast in Psalm 84). I would rather just have a glimpse of God for one day than live it up elsewhere for eternity (Lev. 4:1-3; 5:4-16; 16:2; Num. 18:1-7; Psalm 84:10)!

Do you realize the magnitude and wonder, the incredible gift beyond measure that we have by our Lord’s work and sacrifice?

The ultimate victory has come: Jesus is risen; He is risen indeed! Halleluiah! Christ’s agony and death is now turned into victory and become our ultimate triumph! Do you fully realize what Jesus did for you? Christ took this punishment for us, our fears (as in scared to death, not fear as in reverence to Him) have been borne on the cross, while the fear and awe of our Lord and Savior helps us see what He did for us (Prov. 3:5)! Every time we sin, we incur greater guilt, and we deserve punishment (Gen. 3:1-24; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 2:1-11; 3:10-26; 5:12-19; Titus 1:15; James 1:12-15; I John 1:8-10). But, the incredible miracle here is that we are set free by His work of on the cross (Rom. 5:10; 6:22). By His death and resurrection, we are set free; we have salvation by Jesus’ sacrificial death (John 19:30). How now will you live your life?

We are given a prize that only one high priest was able to have only once a year for a brief point of time—to be in God’s presence. This Doorkeeper, in Jesus time, would do all he could for that position to only gain a glance of the inner door by the Ark and never even see inside that inner chamber of the Temple. However, we have Him inside of us here and now! We have grace, forgiveness, and a personal relationship with God the Creator and Savior. We have life and purpose, meaning and hope! We are indeed fortunate to have this, and by no work or effort of our own. The question is what we are doing with Christ in us so He is shown outside of us? So go, and be trusting of His wonder, faithful to His plan and percepts, and know Him more, grow in Him more, and make Him known more (2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9-10)!

How can you be set apart to promote our Lord’s Kingdom and Grace? What does it take for you to live a life of distinction, a life that honors Christ and motivates and encourages others?