A Conference for Pastors and Leaders

I wanted to make you all aware of a two day conference that my sending church the Summit is hosting this coming May 3-4 in Raleigh-Durham, NC. The conference is called the Gospel Summit and the focus will be on what Gospel-Centered ministry look likes in the day to day. Specifically designed for pastors and ministry leaders on how the gospel directs real, day to day ministry. The two days will consist of powerful worship, gospel-based church philosophy, practical breakouts, and life-changing conversations.

Being both a member of the Summit Church for a number of years and being sent out as an international planter by the Summit I can truthfully say that this is a two day event that pastors and leaders in the area will not want to miss. It is not often that a growing church body opens up themselves to the outside for the greater good of the Kingdom of God so you will not want to miss this opportunity. 

For more information on registration, travel, and schedule, check out summitRDU.com or theGospelSummit.com

Identity in Christ

The latest leadership coaching video with Mark Driscoll was focused on your identity not being found within your ministry but rooted in Christ as we read in the book of Ephesians. This goes against our culture as one typically thinks that they get to create their own identity, but this is no longer true for those that follow Christ. 

Driscoll points out three things that we tend to build our identity off, but he reminds us that although these things may help explain us, they are not where are identity is to be found.

1. You're not your gifts so you're identity should not be found there.

2. You're not your position whether that be pastor/elder, deacon, etc.

3. You're not ultimately your performance.

Piper on a Christless Heaven

I found these thoughts from John Piper's book, God Is the Gospel, to be both challenging and pointed at the commonality of the thought of heaven for many people in our churches and society today. Piper points to the reality that God is the Gospel and Christ himself will be the supreme pleasure of heaven. What he points to is both truthful and convicting in so many ways as to how we teach and prepare people for heaven.

"Would You Be Happy In Heaven If Christ Were Not There?" 

"The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied in heaven, if Christ were not there?" (15) 

"And the question for Christian leaders is: Do we preach and teach and lead in such a way that people are prepared to hear that question and answer with a resounding NO? How do we understand the gospel and the love of God? Have we shifted with the world from God's love as the gift of himself to God's love as the gift of a mirror in which we like what we see? Have we presented the gospel in such a way that the gift of the glory of God in the face of Christ is marginal rather than central and ultimate? If so, I pray that this book might be one way God awakens us to see the supreme value and importance of "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (15) 

"Can we really say that our people are being prepared for heaven where Christ himself, not his gifts, will be the supreme pleasure? And if our people are unfit for that, will they even go there? Is not the faith that takes us to heaven the foretaste of the feast of Christ?" (15-16)

"Nothing fits a person to be more useful on earth than to be more ready for heaven. This is true because of readiness for heaven means taking pleasure in beholding the Lord Jesus, and beholding the glory of the Lord means being changed into his likeness (2 Cor. 3:18). Nothing would bless this world more than more people who are more like Christ. For in likeness to Christ the world might see Christ." (16)

A Time for Everything

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

This poem in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, "A Time for Everything," has come as much encouragement to me recently as I have been dealing with different issues with other believers. Specifically as I focus on 5b, which says, there is a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. 

Although I will not go into the specifics of the situation here as I do not feel like that is either biblical or appropriate, I will say that I have recently been reminded that there is a time for everything and that it could come at any moment from anyone. Life is complex and it easy to get so caught up in what we are doing that we are surprised or taken back when certain events take place. 

This passage has helped me to remember that at all times to expect the unexpected, but within that it has reminded me to look to Christ for strength within one of my spiritual gifts of discernment. Facing issues and having conflict in life is easy because we are still two sinners even within the most godly friendships or relationships, but having the discernment to know what action is most appropriate within that conflict is the difficulty. 

Ultimately showing our dependence and need for Christ and his wisdom is the best action taken and allowing the Holy Spirit to change you or the other party within a given situation. Be open to admitting that you may be the one at fault and humble when approaching others about a conflict.

So is there a situation, decision, or conflict that you have been ignoring for sometime that you know it is time to embrace? Remember that there is a time and season for everything and perhaps today it is time for you to embrace it!

Church Multiplication with A Pioneer

The following video is an interview of former missionary, author and professor at Western Seminary, George Patterson being interviewed by George Robinson of Southeastern Seminary on issues regarding church multiplication, discipleship and education. This interview is special to me both because of my indebtedness to the work of one who has gone ahead of me in George Patterson and sitting under George Robinson during my time in seminary. The video is close to 45 minutes long, but it is well worth your time if you can listen to the entire thing as you are learning from a pioneer of church multiplication.

Jealousy Within the Body of Christ

And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”

(Matthew 20:9-16 ESV)

Most of us read the parable of the "Laborers in the Vineyard" in Matthew 20 and keep on reading as if we would not be like the first laborers and complain about the wages we received. The truth is that most of us if we are really honest are just like the laborers that were hired first. We think that we deserve more because we have put in more work. That is truly a man centered way of thinking that we all fall into.

Yes, this is a parable, but this parable is a picture of what the kingdom of heaven is like. As we see in verse 16 the last will be first, and the first last, which we as man do not like. This attitude of jealousy is often seen as God is blessing another church within our city. We quickly become accusatory towards this church and instead of thinking that it is God who is blessing we start to talk about how they are too seeker friendly, too charismatic, all about the money, etc. There may even be some truths to those accusing marks, but often time these come out of mouths way too early.

We also see this jealousy with others within any organization or business, especially Christian based ones. We tend to carry the attitude that if we have been with any certain group any amount of time longer that we should be the ones raised upon a petal stool, but we are quick to forget that the kingdom of heaven is vastly different than the way that man has organized their own structures.

We see a warning here to the early followers of Jesus' that they are not to despise those that came later or think of themselves as better because they are not. Unfortunately we all tend to forget this warning in this parable and fall into the entitlement trap of our culture. We are exactly like the first laborers and we need to stop! If we are honest with ourselves we have all been there but I must be honest again that I am tired of experiencing it from others. Be thankful for what God has blessed you with and what he has blessed others with and remember that you may have been first but the first will be last, and what you think you deserve may in actuality go to someone else. I will leave you with a challenging question, are you still going to praise God if he chooses to bless someone else where you think that you should have been blessed?

What Should We Teach About Creation?

I recently had a conversation with a couple of my colleagues that revolved around Creation and our views based on what the Bible says. This short clip below of John Piper on "What should we teach about Creation?" captures the essence of this conversation well. My two colleagues who I love dearly both held to a more six literal day creation, whereas I, like Piper, am more comfortable with John Sailhamer's view. His view is that all creation happened to prepare the land for man.

As Piper says in the video, "In verse 1, 'In the beginning he made the heavens and the earth,' he makes everything. And then you go day by day and he's preparing the land. He's not bringing new things into existence; he's preparing the land and causing things to grow and separating out water and earth. And then, when it's all set and prepared, he creates and puts man there."

"So that has the advantage of saying that the earth is billions of years old if it wants to be—whatever science says it is, it is—but man is young, and he was good and he sinned. He was a real historical person, because Romans 5 says so, and so does the rest of the Bible."