Preparing for Worship...

Worship is an act of the understanding, applying itself to the knowledge of the excellency of God, and actual thoughts of his majesty….It is also an act of the will, whereby the soul adores and reverenceth his majesty, is ravished with his amiableness, embraceth his goodness, enters itself into an intimate communion with this most lovely object, and pitcheth all his affections upon him 

- Old School Guy, Stephan Charnock 1628–1680

Preparing to Gather

Saturday evening, as you day ends it is good to prepare your heart to gather with the church on Sunday morning.  When going to bed thank God for his grace in your life and opportunity to worship in the morning should he grant you life and opportunity.  Confess any known sin in your life and receive his forgiveness.  Come with a clean heart.   Have Sunday morning be less cluttered than other days.  Get up in time to not feel rushed and crazy.  Our kids watch cartoons on Saturday morning, but we don’t do any media before gathering with the church as a way to make the morning different than other days. We should come anticipating encouragement from the church family a challenge from Scripture and an opportunity to thank God in the gospel.  Also, prepare to serve others and give to them in friendship as well. If you are in a season of difficulty and struggle bring that with you and come before God as you are.  Never give up hope but realize its OK to not feel OK. Come as you are but always try to remember God’s kindness to us in Jesus locks us on to gospel hope in a cynical world.

Singing Together

• Offer a sacrifice of praise—when we are thankful people for what God has done for us in Jesus we desire to give him praise (Hebrews 13:15)
• It is not about the music, but using the music to give praise to God (Psalm 33:1-3, Psalm 150)
• Singing with one another, to one another (Colossians 3:15-17)
• Sing out of gratitude and faith (Ephesians 5:18-20)
• Rejoice in the truths celebrated focusing on our saving God and the gospel (Psalm 20, Hebrews 7:22-28)
• Have the holiness and attributes of God before you.  We are praising God for who he is and what he has done.  The notes from the Jacob’s Well Gospel Class has an extensive section on the attributes and works of God

Receiving the Word of God

But he [Jesus] answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:4 ESV

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 ES

Our Posture in Hearing

• Come with an open and teachable heart to hear the Word of God on Sunday morning.
• Desire to receive from the Word of God—come with a heart ready to receive, not proud feeling you know it all.
• Come ready to repent and change—our first response when Scripture calls us to account is to repent of sin and trust Jesus to change us.
• Come to see Jesus through God’s Word—The Scriptures from beginning to end have one goal—to reveal Jesus Christ.  We should expect to meet him through its pages.
• Focus on the Word, Not the Preacher—we are receiving the Scriptures as the Word of God, let us not get caught up or dependent upon the messenger.
• Hear in order to Heed—Jesus told us if we love him we will keep his commands.  The book of James tells us not simply to be hearers of the Word but to do what it says.  So many times we are content to hear a good message and do nothing different in our lives.  We provide questions for meditation and application so that we can put into practice what we see in the Bible.

AWOL Ambassadors?

One of my favorite passages in Scripture comes at the close of the fifth chapter of 2 Corinthians.  It highlights both God’s transformative work in our lives and his missional calling on us in the world.

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

I have always found it a bit amazing that God chooses to transform rebellious, sinful and wayward people into new creations who he then calls to be his ambassadors. An ambassador is one who both represents for a kingdom or nation and carries the message of that realm to others.  As Jesus’ church we represent the Kingdom of God while living among the kingdoms of this world and we bring the saving gospel message to those around. That message is that God forgives sin, removes guilt, turns away wrath, frees us from his just condemnation, makes us clean and makes us part of his family. This is all through the work of Jesus on the cross.  God saves us from sin, death and hell and creates a new community out of such people.  In light of our calling and message, I find it puzzling that Jesus’ followers can sometimes be AWOL from this mission. The following are seven simple ways I think we can become AWOL Ambassadors.

We Won’t Leave Our Own Country

First, if we won’t leave our comforts to go to others we will be AWOL Ambassadors. We can like it too much at home, where we think it is safe, where we don’t have to leave our preferences, our comforts and actually be among people who are different from us.  We like our world where everyone looks the same, talks the same and is easy to be with.  We would rather stay here than go there for the sake of the gospel. AWOL.

We Don’t Like Other People

Second, if we don’t love other people we will remain AWOL from our calling.  After all, “they” have different beliefs, opinions, and habits than we do.  “They” might offend my sensibilities and their lives are messy; I really do not want to love them. In fact, I pretty much don’t like those folk.  If we become involved with those outside of the church they might inconvenience us and mess up our world.  Thank God Jesus did not think this way or he would have never taken on flesh, walked among us and died for us.

We are Bringing the Wrong Message

Third, if an ambassador brings the wrong message, she will be AWOL from her duty.  So many people are hearing a message from the church that is not the message of the Bible. God doesn’t like people, neither do we, we want to take over the government? This is what some people “hear” from the church today in America. Is that really our message? Or others teach that God is open minded, tolerant and doesn’t care about sin and evil doing. Is this really our message? Our message is that God is holy and is the righteous judge of sin and sinners AND he saves them by his grace through the work of Jesus on the cross.  Are we bringing the wrong message? If so, we are AWOL in our ambassadorship delivering the messages of men as if they were the message of God.

Representing the Wrong Kingdom

Fourth, an ambassador for Jesus represents his Kingdom not the Kingdom of George Bush or Barak Obama.  Christians can become AWOL when they represent for party politics as if that was the Kingdom of Jesus. I am not saying that our message and allegiance to Jesus will not have implications for our political philosophies and involvement. I am saying that an Ambassador who thinks Jesus would only vote Republican or Democratic or Libertarian or Green or whatever is already AWOL.  Remember what our King said to us “My Kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:33-38)

We Fear Peoples’ Opinions

Fifth, Ambassadors who grow fearful of people can start changing the message and misrepresenting the King.  There is a reason why the saying “don’t shoot the messenger” has become a bit proverbial.  Messengers do get shot you know.  Throughout the ages Jesus and his gospel have been polarizing eliciting joy and wonder as well as ridicule and guile.  When people mock you as a messenger or disregard the message you preach will you adjust the gospel to tickle the ears of this world? (2 Timothy 4:1-5) Will you continue to reach out to others and share the gospel? If you give way to fear, you will go AWOL.  Jesus told us that all authority on heaven and on earth have been given to him and that we preach good news on his orders (Matthew 24:14, Matthew 28:18-20). We need to put a cup on and stay in the fight even when it gets tough; we must not compromise.

Not Realizing the Importance of Our Call

Sixth, an ambassador who does not realize the importance of his call will neglect it and go AWOL.  God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the wise.  God has chosen us for this high calling to be his ambassadors.  This was his choice to use us. God does not have a “B team” in his Kingdom and calls all his people to represent him and share the gospel.  If we forget this we might despise ourselves and feel unusable by the King.  This might just keep us out of the game.  God in his wisdom saves and calls whomever he chooses; we should joyfully respond and stay in the game.

We are not Equipped and Trained

Seventh, ambassadors can be AWOL when they simply do not know what do to in the mission.  Thankfully, God has given us apostles, prophets, pastor-teachers, evangelists to equip the church for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16).  A church should always be training ambassadors to represent the King and preach his message. We should be a people proclaiming the gospel with our lips and refelcting it in good works.  Churches which leave this calling are themselves AWOL.  When a church no longer believes that Jesus is King and that his gospel is the only hope for sinners then it is no longer an embassy or outpost for Jesus. It is sadly a dying relic of a bygone age.  Church leader, don’t be AWOL, the implications are massive and you are accountable to the King (Hebrews 13:17, James 3:1).

Today, I pray you walk in the conscious realization of your ambassadorship and that you joyfully represent for Jesus.  As we share his message we will see the gospel’s power to save. God is faithful and is always calling new ambassadors to his team who wish to live for his glory and the good of others by extending hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Are you in? Are you AWOL? Let’s repent and get back to work.

Living on Mission with Jesus

Sharing the Gospel - Our Words

Sharing the gospel that saves us from sin, death and the just wrath of God always involves bringing a message to others.  The gospel is spoken in words. To share the message we must know a few things well.

Know God’s Story Well—The Big Picture Narrative of Scripture

• Creation—God created all things and human beings in his image for a relationship of love and worship
• Fall/Sin—We turn aside and go our own way in rebellion against God and his ways for us
• Redemption through Jesus—Jesus lived, died and rose from death to bring us back into relationship with God
• Restoration of all Things—God will restore all things into harmony with himself under the good and just rule of Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven

 Know What Jesus’ Death and Resurrection Accomplishes

• Adoption—We become children of God
• Justification—We are forgiven, made right with God, declared not guilty
• Expiation—Our sins are taken away
• Propitiation—God’s wrath was diverted from us
• Redemption—Our sins were paid for and we now belong to God
• Reconciliation—We are brought back into relationship with God

Know How People Should Respond

• Repentance—By God’s grace, we must turn from sin to God
• Faith—We must trust in Christ and his work alone to make us his people

Tangibly Expressing the Gospel—The Role of Good Works

Jesus taught us to let our light shine before men so that they might see our good works and give praise to our Father who is in heaven. Our lives and works either reflect and point to the gospel or our lives will contradict the gospel. This does not mean we are perfect—nor do we preach morality.  Yet we must live lives of repentance, faith and good works with others so that our message is reinforced and see in our community. 

Our motivation in doing good works is not simply to prove the message, but flows out of love for God, love for others and a joyful response to the gospel. It is our privilege to both preach the gospel and to serve in Jesus name.

Elders, Deacons, Members

It is clear from Paul’s letter to Titus that the church was not to be a chaotic mass of people without guidance or leadership.  In fact, Titus’ very mission on Crete was to “set what remained in order and appoint elders in every town.” (Titus 1:5) God has graciously gifted his church with leadership so that there might be a proper order to its life together.  Although the size of a church dictates how structures are functionally arranged, the Scriptures give us a simple order for the church—elders, deacons and members.

The New Testament prescribes two offices for the church, that of elders (pastors, bishops, overseers, Acts 11:30, 14:23, 15, 20:17-38, 21:17-26, 1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 5:1-5) and of deacons (servants/ministers, Phil 1:1, 1 Tim 3:8-13). These are people who are called to lead, teach and shepherd (elders), and to serve particular needs of the local body (deacons). However, the New Testament also demands that the church, the assembly or congregation (the ekklesia, ) also function in certain roles directing the life of the community.  The following describes the various roles and responsibilities of elders, deacons and members of the congregation.

Elders

God entrusts leadership in the local church to mature, biblically qualified men who are called by God to follow Jesus as under shepherds (Titus 1:5-9, 1 Timothy 3:1-8, 1 Peter 5:1-6). There are two words which are used in the Scripture to describe this office: elder (presbyter) and overseer (bishop).  The more common term in our culture of “pastor” is used mostly as a verb to describe what the elder/overseer does; he shepherds or pastors the church.  New Testament scholar DA Carson said it this way. Eldership was their place in the community, oversight their responsibility.¹  In summation an elder is a mature Christian who gives oversight to God’s church to shepherd the people in the mission of God.

These elders submit to Jesus Christ, the chief shepherd of the church and trust the Holy Spirit to lead God’s people.  A mature church will have a plurality (more than one) of elders who serve and lead together. This means that certain vital decisions will remain with a plurality (so leadership is not in one man), of qualified (humble, biblically mature and prayerful) men who together seek the will of Christ for his church. This assesses the weakness of the immature or spiritually naïve making decisions for the church or even causing schism and factions in the body. On the other hand, the elders must not seek to have all power in the church, denying rightful congregational responsibility and the headship of Christ. In fact such men are disqualified for the office in seeking to control the church which belongs to Christ alone.  The following are the primary roles of elders.

The Roles of an Elder:

• Walk with integrity and lead their families as humble, godly men (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)
• Prayer and ministry of the Word (Acts 6:1-7)
• Shepherd the church of God (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
• Teaching truth and guarding against false doctrine (Titus 1:5-16)

Deacons

The word deacon comes from the Greek term diakonos, which means servant.  Simply put, the deacons are meant to serve the church by handling various tasks so that the elders may more fully devote themselves to prayer and to teaching the Word.  A deacon’s task could be anything that the church needs.  It is a dynamic position, and one that comes with responsibility to the elders of church to fulfill a need in the body.  The duration of a deacon’s service could be long or short term depending upon the need and is a position of service. The New Testament exhibits both women and men serving in this type of role (See Romans 16).

Some Possible Roles for Deacons at Jacob’s Well:

• Ministry with the poor
• Community development
• Graphic design
• Videography
• Helping with Weddings and Funerals
• Serving with children
• Technology and Internet service
• Pastoral/Elder assistants
• Hospitality on Sundays
• Helping with Music
• Research and writing
• Leading/Co-leading Missional Communities
• etc. etc. etc.

The Congregation – Covenant Members

Covenant members are those who have committed themselves to a local church and its mission.  They serve Christ under the leadership of elders, agree to the church’s doctrine, and take responsibility to work together and live out the mission of Jesus. There is a resounding clarity in the areas in which the Scriptures call the congregation to be responsible. These areas are as follows:

The Roles and Responsibilities of Covenant Members

• Matters of church discipline, faithful membership and resolving conflict with one another (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 2:1-11)
• Matters of doctrinal fidelity (Galatians 1) – to personally and diligently hold to the biblical gospel and teaching
• Matters dealing with the calling and confirmation of Servants/Deacons and Elders (Acts 6:3, 1 Timothy 3:10, Titus 1:5-9)
• The church is not only ordered it is also gifted by God to do the work of the ministry (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4:7-16)
• Sending delegates to councils and gatherings with other church leaders (Acts 15)

These areas of responsibility, though they may be led and guided by elders, are the clear responsibility of the congregation. One note should be made at this point.

Leadership in Christ’s church is an act of service and should be exercised in the way of Jesus. This means two things.  First, the exercise of authority should be carried out in the manner of a servant. Many pastors and leaders today are passive and will not exercise humble, godly authority. They will not preach and teach the truth, confront sin or guide others because of a fear of people and a need to be liked. Second, some church leaders today act as if they are little gods wearing CEO hats and do not see their role as servants of the people. The apostle Peter’s exhortation to church leaders is so needed in our day; I’ll simply quote him here:

¹So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ²shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. ⁵Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  —1 Peter 5:1-5 (ESV)

At Jacob’s Well we want to reject the model where “the pastor” does all the work and the church is sitting around like spectators.  The Scriptures call each of us to be involved using our various gifts and abilities to move forward Jesus’ ministry on the earth.  The first step is to become a covenant member of a local church and get in the game.  Give of your time, talent and resources to fulfill Christ’s mission.  Some will be elders, some will be called as deacons, all of us are called together to do the work of the ministry.

NOTES

1. D. A. Carson, ed., New Bible Commentary, 21st Century Edition, Rev. Ed. of: The New Bible Commentary. 3rd Ed. / Edited by D. Guthrie, J.A. Motyer. 1970., 4th ed. ed. (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994).

2. For additional reading see Alexander Strauch, Biblical Eldership, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears Vintage Church—particularly Chapter 3, Gene Getz, Elders and Leaders, God’s Plan for Leading the Church, Phil A. Newton, Elders in Congregational Life—Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership.

Jacob's Well Rolling Out...

We will soon be launching six missional communities, small formations of our church, throughout Central New Jersey.  We are humbled and thankful for what is going down here in the early days of Jacob’s Well.

Ambition - Acts 29 Boot Camp in Louisville, KY

Sojourn Community Church is hosting the final Acts 29 bootcamp of 2009 November 10-11.  If you are interested in church planting this would something you would want to check out.

Here is a little 411 from the boot camp web site. You can register online if interested.

—————————-

“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not known.” Romans 15:20 NIV

____________________________

AMBITION. Simply knowing how to plant and lead a church is not enough.  Knowledge must come hand-in-hand with God-given ambition.  The Apostle Paul responded to God’s call to make the gospel known among the Gentiles with zealous determination.  Paul, empowered by the Holy Spirit, made it his ambition to take the gospel to those who did not have it even if it cost him everything.  He proclaimed the gospel, gathered believers into churches, established elders, and discipled believers; and he did all this with zeal and passion.  In the hope of this type of ambition overflowing in the Church, we would like to invite you to the Acts 29 Network Ambition Boot Camp, November 10-11, 2009, which will focus on planting and leading churches with God-given ambition.

LEAD09

My friend Owen Strachan sent me some info on a conference going down in October up in Maine. Here are the details from Owen’s blog (which is quite good - check it here)

---

I wanted to give you more info on the LEAD09 conference I mentioned yesterday in my links.  Here’s a little more from the conference website. 

Here’s what conference organizer Ramsey Tripp says about it:

“Lead09 is designed to promote the gospel, community and mission of the Church—to answer the questions many of us have been asking about what the Church is, how we fit into the Church and the mission of the Church. The best way this is done is through attending in a group.  We are excited for your Church to attend and want to extend a group discount to make is easier on your pocket.

For all groups of 5 or more your registration will only be $60 a person. If you have a group please email our group registration services at info[AT]atmospherechurch.com.  We look forward to seeing you this October.”

More info:

October 9th & 10th 2009
Auburn Maine

560 Park Ave. Auburn Maine 04210

Cost: by September 18th -$75ea | after September 18th $100

And here’s some stuff on the material and speakers:

Windham Baptist Church is partnering with Atmosphere Church (of EABC) to host a conference October 9-10 that we hope God will use to bring about gospel renewal throughout Maine, New England and beyond. It’s called Lead ‘09 and the theme is Gospel, Community and Mission.  This two-day conference is a call to each of us and our churches to take Jesus seriously–to radically reshape our lives around the gospel word so that we can truly be his gospel community on God’s mission.

Our two speakers are both God-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-dependent leaders who teach the Word of God  faithfully with passion, humility and urgency.  Tim Chester is a writer, Bible teacher and church planter in Sheffield, UK. An author of many books, Tim is also the co-author of Total Church, a biblically-rich book on what it means to BE the church. Jonathan Dodson is the lead pastor of Austin City Life in Austin, TX. His articles have often blessed our church family, especially “Fight Club” and “Anger: the image of Satan.” On a personal note, Jonathan is a treasured friend. Having served with him in both the local church and in global missions, I can tell you without hesitation that you will be blessed by his teaching.

 

What is the Church?

Church. A short word, a simple word. Yet it can conjure up all manner of ideas, emotions and imagery. There are book length treatments on the church so today I just want to focus on some simple basics—what the church is. It can be easy to think of church as a building, a religious service, a denomination or formalized institution but the biblical definition of church is a bit simpler and a bit more wonderful. The basic word for church in the New Testament is ekklesia, which simply means an assembly of people. So this gives our first little hint in our exploration. Namely, the church is a group of people gathering together for something…or someone.

In this essay we will only attempt to answer a few questions about church. First, we will look at the nature of the church as a community of people called by Jesus through the gospel. Second, we’ll track a little about this community living with Jesus as a people being transformed to be more like him. Third, we will look at how this community is a sent people into the world with message and mission. Finally, we close by seeing the church as a community that represents and reflects something about the goodness and glory of God.

The Church— A Community Called by Jesus

The first thing we learn in the book of Ephesians is that the church is made up of people who have been called by God through the gospel. God purposed before the world began to save his people and adopt them as his children. This would be accomplished by redeeming a people for himself by the work of Jesus on a cross. This would be a people called by Jesus, given a promise in the Holy Spirit and an inheritance with God forever. The church is reminded that prior to Jesus saving them they were dead in sin, separated from God and under his wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). Furthermore, they were separated from the promises of God that came through Israel and described as without hope and without God. Yet, in his grace God saves them, Jew and Gentile and makes them into a new community of people. Steve Timmis and Tim Chester describe this well:

We are not saved individually and then choose to join the church as if it were some club or support group. Christ died for his people and we are saved when by faith we become part of the people for whom Christ died. ¹

The book of Hebrews also describes these people as those whom God has made a “new covenant” with through Jesus Christ. They become a community of faith comprised of worshippers that the Father has sought out and saved (see John 4). They will worship God together in gratitude because of his great mercy and love for them (Ephesians 2:4). Yet the church is more than just a forgiven people called together by the gospel to sit in seats on Sunday mornings. The church is called together to live life with Jesus and see our lives changed by Him and sent to be active players in his mission and purposes on the earth.

The Church— A Community Together with Jesus

One of the most amazing metaphors in Scripture for the church is that we are the body of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:12; 5:23, Colossians 3:15). We live in relational union with Jesus as he works in us to transform us throughout our lives. Ephesians 2:22 talks about us being joined together and growing as the people of God. We are being changed, we are being set apart by God (sanctified) to be made more like Jesus. The biblical doctrine of sanctification is that we are now being changed and conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. This transformation happens as he works in us and as we obediently follow him. We repent of sin, love others, fight temptation, grow in humility, walk in friendship in the church and follow God’s word together.

Furthermore, our the church is shaped by spiritual practices that Jesus left for us as means of his grace and transformation. The church therefore hears the Bible and heeds it together. It reads, studies, preaches , meditates upon God’s holy Scriptures. New members of the family are united with Jesus and his church by the outward sign of baptism and the church continues in fellowship with God and one another at the Lord’s table. The church prays together, sings together, serves together and as she sins—the church repents together. Jesus has given us the Scriptures, spiritual practices and life together to shape us into different people. The church is a transformational community of grace due to its union together as the body of Christ.

Accordingly, the church is a people both saved by the gospel and changed by the gospel and it is also a people sent into the world on gospel mission. To this “sentness” of the church we now turn.

The Church— A Community Sent by Jesus

All too often the church can simply remain a group of huddle followers of Jesus who are AWOL from his mission in the world. The church is not a religious club or cloister but rather a sent people in the world so the world might hear and see the gospel through their lives together. Furthermore, many Christians see “the church” as a dispenser of religious goods and services that accessorize their lives and even shop for these services. Rather than asking “what does this church have to give me” we ought to ask how we might be sent together on Jesus’ mission in the world. We are called together to serve together and be a blessing to others ,not to simply ask “what’s in it for me.” Darrell L. Guder questions this view of the church in his book The Missional Church — A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America. He writes the following:

Does this image of church correspond to the cluster of images found for the church in the New Testament? Does it correlate with the New Testament speech about the nature and purposes of the church? At the very least, this producer-consumer model separates its notion of church (a religious firm producing and marketing religious products and services) from its members (potential and hopefully committed customers consuming those products and services). Members are ultimately distanced in this model from their own communal calling to be a body of people sent on mission.²

A metaphor used in the New Testament to describe this “sentness” of our lives as God’s people is that of being Christ’s ambassadors. As ambassadors we have a two fold role as the church sent into the world. First, we proclaim the gospel and urge others to be reconciled to God through Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 describes this well:

¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (ESV)

The church is not out to promote itself or proclaim its own majesty, but rather we “proclaim him” (Colossians 1:29). Second, we represent and announce the reality of the Kingdom of God, the rule and reign of Jesus, in the midst of a dark world. We’ll cover that a bit more in the next section. At the close of the apostle John’s writing about the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus, he records the following words of the Lord:

¹⁹On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

John 20:19-21 (ESV)

Jesus came into the world, sent as a servant from the Father. He gave his life for others and loved them so that they would be reconciled to God. He now sends us to people in the world to model his sacrificial life for others and to proclaim his gospel so that many more will be saved and added to the family. His final words, often called a great commission, gives us instructions as his people:

¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

To simply come together without the mission of Jesus is to ignore the teaching of Jesus. It is a self-absorbed enterprise that ironically leaves many Christians weary and bored with insular religion. God has called and sent his church—it is our joy to go on his behalf to those in our neighborhoods, in our dorms, in our building, at our work, at the gym, at the pub and wherever he calls us to be.

The Church— A Community that Represents

Ephesians makes it evident and clear that our individual salvation and forgiveness is in Christ is to display the glory of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:7). Furthermore, his creation and calling together of the church is to display his wisdom is to demonic and spiritual powers (Ephesians 3:10). The church is also described in Ephesians as the bride of Jesus which he is making beautiful. In this we see the committed, faithful, covenant love of God (Ephesians 5:22-33) for us in Christ. The ultimate ends of both our salvation and the forming of the church is to represent and praise the glorious grace of God in the gospel.

The church community is itself an in-breaking of the Kingdom of God where we live under the rule and reign of Jesus. We have a different King, a different way, a different calling as we live as sojourners in this world. Jesus is the center and focus of the church, our baptism symbolizes our union with him in the gospel and our remembering at communion is a participation with him in his faithful new covenant . Our fellowship together is in light of his grace so we extend similar love and grace to one another. When we rep him in this way, he told us that people would know we are truly his followers and that others would know that God sent him (John 13 and 17). As such the church is a body of people together that bears witness to the gospel of the crucified and risen Jesus all to the glory of God.

Last word. We don’t just need to “go to church”, but rather we need to presently be the church. A people which gathers in various places for worship, is instructed in the teachings of the apostles and prophets and is then sent to love and preach good news in Jesus name.

Remember, you can’t shop for that—we live it together.

Notes

1. Steve Timmis and Tim Chester, Total Church—A radical reshaping around gospel and community (Nottingham England: Intervarsity Press, 2007) 37. Now available in the US under the same title, Crossway Books (Re:Lit), 2008.
2. Darrell L. Guder, Misional Church—A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998) 85.

Jacob's Well...Slowly Moving Out...

This past week my friend Travis, resident humorist and photographer at Jacob's Well took some pictures at our house gathering.  I forget to take pictures so I asked him to snap some shots so we could look back at God's faithfulness. Though we have only been gathering our team and equipping for our mission ahead for six months, God's faithfulness is fun to see in pictures.

Pray for our small band of sojourners who are praying for God to do something special in and through us in the years to come...in NJ and beyond.

Our First Gathering in Fall 08

 

November 2008

 

February 2009

Blessings JW peoples, anyone who would like to join us is welcome...

Reid

Debt is Dumb...

I have mentioned this segment of a message Matt Chandler gave at the Desiring God pastor's conference a few weeks ago to some friends.   I find it sad, very funny, strong and very true...here is to keeping the gospel, sound doctrine and thoughtfulness in Christian preaching (you think?)

Link to the full message (audio and video) is here.

(Thanks to Desiring God for excellent video recording of the event)

Signs of a Committed Core Group...

A good sign that our core group is fired up about our church plant...see pumpkin on the far right...very nice. 

 

Much love the Jacob's Well peeps...Here is the final completed, full logo version.

 

Knowing the Way...

Over the past few weeks our core group at Jacob's Well has been asking some simple questions as we start our work to establish a new church in central New Jersey.  How do we begin to establish a community which will live for the glory of God and the good of the city by extending hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In order to walk in the way of Jesus we are pausing right at the beginning to look at some important questions.

• First, if this is Jesus' church we need to know clearly who he is...he is the Christ, the one promised to be our prophet - to bring us the message of God, he is a great priest - reconnecting us to God and he is our great King - our leader in this life and the age to come. Furthermore, this "Christ" is the Son of God - he is God come to earth...God incarnate - God in a meat suit.
• Second, we asked the question...what is Jesus' mission? What did he come to accomplish when he came to earth? We saw two things clearly: 1) To seek and save that which was lost...people far from God - con men, hookers, liars, religious people, etc. he came to forgive people and reconnect them to the Father by his death on a cross. He paid for our sins and offers grace and pardon to all who will come. 2) He came to bring a new reality - the Kingdom of God. A realm not of physical geography or political boundaries but rather a realm where the rule and reign of Jesus is supreme. This kingdom breaks through into this age, through the church, a counter cultural society where we live in the world but differently. We handle sex, money, power, alcohol, media, marriage, soccer games, etc. in a different way under the rule of Jesus our King.
• Third, we looked at how the mission of Jesus extended through his earliest followers and how their model gives us a paradigm for our work today. Normal people, empowered by God the Holy Spirit, moves people to establish churches, communities where people are saved by Jesus and set together under his rulership and reign. Through the course of everyday commerce and living the church extended the mission of Jesus into the reaches of the Roman Empire through the ancient port cities - urban areas of cultural and economic import.

This week we close our series on Knowing the Way by looking at this society called the church and seeing what the church is and how she functions. Finally, we'll see how we live life together in a way that gives God honor, does good for our neighbors and people hear of the forgiving God of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Should be fun times...

A peculiar story...

The story begins with a group of scared, tired outsiders huddled together fearing for their lives because their leader had be killed as a common criminal.  They then experienced a supernatural move of the Spirit of God upon them and they were changed from cowards to courageous and began sharing good news in Jerusalem.  God shows up and saves well over three thousand people through the preaching of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for sin and sinners.  God then takes a jack hammer to the First Megachurch of Jerusalem by allowing his people to be persecuted and scattered out into the surrounding provinces.  "The wrong kind of people" also start to meet Jesus and this causes God's people to be unsure if he can do that or not.  Of course God corrects these guys and proves to them that he is indeed on mission to save people from every nation on the earth not simply those who are just like them.

A royal official from Ethiopia just happened to be reading a copy of the scroll of Isaiah and one of Jesus' followers shows up and tells him how the Old Testament he was reading has been fulfilled in Jesus.  Tradition holds that this man went back to Africa following Jesus' on his mission founding one of the oldest Christian communities on the earth.

Then a short guy named Saul is pretty hacked off about all of this and works to shut down the Jesus operation.  Jesus then shines a light in his eyes like a criminal on C.O.P.S. and then knocks him off his horse and tells him to switch teams.  Jesus forgives him, stands him up and then tells him that he will now be his representative to the world.  The persecutor of the church now will become an apostle of the church.  So the Christian killer Saul becomes the Jesus guy Paul. 

A new church in the big city of Antioch began to form and decides to send Paul and Barnabas (son of encouragement) out to preach the good news of Jesus among the Gentiles.  They hit up six or so cities and many people there become followers of Jesus and they go back to Antioch to party and celebrate what God had done.  There is a little drama about whether gentile believers should have to be circumcised and obey the Jewish law to be followers of Jesus, so an apostles meeting in Jerusalem is called and they decide that they can follow him without taking on the whole Jewish system.  The Gentile men who had become Christians all shouted amen (well, this is historical speculation).

Next Paul decided that Barnabas wasn't so encouraging any more as they disagree on whether to take John Mark with them out on their second road trip for Jesus.  Mark had had punked out on them in Pamphylia on an earlier trip and Paul didn't want to go through that again.  Barnabas wanted to encourage Mark so one team became two as Barnabas and Mark and Paul with new teammate Silas went out again to preach good news and strengthen the churches which were born on their first trip.

A young man named Timothy joins Paul and Silas and they have a great church planting trip in Philippi where God saves a wealthy businesswoman and starts a church in her house.  Oh yeah, also a demon possessed fortune telling slave girl is set free from darkness but then Paul and Silas get beat up and thrown in jail by the a crowd stirred up by the girl's owners. Apparently they lost a lucrative contract for her on the Sci Fi channel and were pretty angry losing a fortune after losing their fortune telling demon slave girl.  But God shakes the jail, saves the jailer and his household and along with the rich business woman and the fortune telling girl a new church in the township of Philippi was born.

Paul and his friends continue their travels and end up starting all sorts of sanctified trouble in the port cities of the empire and planting churches in such cities as Thessalonica, Ephesus and an ancient Las Vegas...uh, I mean, Corinth.  He is joined by several others along the way including a dynamic duo couple Pricilla and Aquila who seemed to travel and plant a church in their home just about everywhere their business as craftsmen took them.

Paul finally gets in so much trouble that he ends up in a jail cell in the ancient power center of Rome where he wrote much of the Bible to the churches that he had started in his travels...by the way, this is the story of the birth of the Christian church.

Pray for India

I know it is not getting much media play, but there is some terrible violence being directed at Christians by Hindu factions in Orissa, India.  Churches are being burned, people hacked to death...please pray for the people there.  We have received reports from some friends with some details about the situation and it is truly perilous and sickening. 

• Reuters Article
  
• All India Christian Council Page

It seems some US leaders in Congress are at least paying attention. We hope the issues can be resolved on the ground and order be established by those responsible.  Please pray for Indian Christians under severe persecution.

The Interconnected Relationship of Family and Church

Throughout Scripture we see a beautiful metaphor emerging for that of God’s people; we are called a family.  As God’s created design has each of us born from the union of a mother and father we uniquely can understand what it means to be the family of God.  Yet in our day of gender confusion, family fissures and forgotten fatherhood it is something which can easily be lost upon contemporary believers.  What must be regained is a simultaneous resurgence of the family at home and the family of church.  These two are interconnected in Scripture and need to be reconnected in our day.  It may no longer be assumed that people see a loving family on their way through childhood so that church can offer a family to the familyless.  Additionally, the church can mentor young men and women to establish new families in our day which might again unite the church as a family in ever deeper ways.  In the short essay we will do three things.  First, we will outline what Scripture teaches about the family of home and the family of church.  Second, we will look at the nexus of family/church relationships and leadership.  Third, we will explain how we see this interconnection being lived out in the complexities of our lives together in the 21^st century in face paced central New Jersey.

An Outline of Biblical Teaching

• We all come from an original family consisting of one man and one woman. He builds families through Fathers and Mothers (Genesis 1-2, 1 Corinthians 11:11,12)
• This family’s sin corrupted us all and results in painful family relationships which expand into the false gospels of culture (Genesis 3-11)
• God reveals himself to us as Father (Jesus’ most used term for God)
• He calls parents, within covenant community with others, to be the primary shaping influence on children (Deuteronomy 6)
• Children are set apart as holy, part of the covenant community, by virtue of their believing parents (1 Corinthians 7)
• Fathers and Mothers have unique and irreplaceable roles (Deuteronomy 6, Proverbs 31,1 Thes 2, Ephesians 5-6, Colossians 3)
• The church is a family of brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers (1 Timothy 5)
• The church community serves parents in their role and bear burdens along with them (Ephesians 4-6, Galatians 6)
• Parents serve others in the church by modeling Christ in the family (Ephesians 5) and training the next generation of mothers and fathers (Titus 2)
• The government of church is based upon the government of home - Husband is head who is to honor and serve his wife in sacrificial, life giving kindness (1 Corinthians 11, Ephesians 5, Colossians 3:19, 1 Peter 3:7) and woman is helper (Gen 2:18-24). Her response to his servant leadership is submission (Ephesians 5, Colossians 3:18 1 Peter 3:1-6) and his response to her helpful leadership is praise (Proverbs 31)
• The Husband is a servant of his wife loving and leading sacrificially like Jesus. He is to give his life for her and bring his children up in the fear and instruction of God (Ephesians 5-6, Colossians 3:20,21)

The Family/Church Nexus

The interconnectedness of church and family is visible both in our relationships and the leadership/authority God gives to his people.  The following two diagrams demonstrate our relationships to Christ, Church and Family as well as the gracious gift of leadership given by God to his people.  Each one will be treated in turn.

Our Relational Reality

Scripture teaches that all believers are “in union with Christ” (Col 3).  Furthermore the church universal and invisible is called his very body and the temple where Christ dwells by his Spirit.  So relationally speaking, church, home and believer all exist in the realm of unity with Jesus…in the figure below Christ is in all and encompasses all.  Furthermore, all Christians exist in the covenant community called the church - the one’s called out together for God’s purposes, worship and mission in the world.  Finally, all families, the arrangement of home, are in relational community with others (single, married, widowed, divorced) who are in covenant with Jesus.  So the Christian is in family, which is in covenant community which all exists by Jesus and for Jesus…see figure 1 below.

Figure 1 - Relational reality in Christ, in Covenant, in Family

Under Servant Leadership

The Scripture uses wonderful terminology for describing the leadership God has graciously given his people.  Jesus is called the bridegroom and husband of the church, he is called the head of the body (the church) and he is called our good and chief shepherd.  So all authority in heaven and on earth has been given by the Father to the Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) and we live under his leadership each day.  Jesus fulfills all the types of anointed covenant leadership expressed in the Old Testament offices of Israel.  He is our true prophet, the incarnate Word, bring the Word of God to his people.  He is our great high priest ever interceding for his people before his father as our one covenant mediator. He is our great King who leads his people through spiritual battle as we sojourn on mission with him in this word.  Furthermore his leadership is one of a servant, who willingly washes his followers’ feet and shows his great love for his family by laying his life down for them.  There is no greater love than that of Jesus and he is both the model and the means to all servant leadership in God’s family. 

Jesus has called then calls some of his men to be elders/overseers/pastors to follow him as willing under shepherds giving their lives in service to God and his flock (1 Peter 5:1-5).  These pastors are to be examples to others, model godly leadership in their own homes, love their wives and kids with Jesus as their God and leader.  They are to proclaim the Word of God as Jesus ministers his word to his people.  They are to lead people to Jesus in baptism and the Lord’s Supper the appointed signs which point to Jesus’ priestly role in bringing us to the Father.  They are to exercise godly leadership and discipline in the church to help God’s people grow and follow Jesus who is King.  Under the care of the pastors of the church are the families of God, small communities organized under Jesus as well.

The fathers in the home serve as extensions of Jesus leadership to their families. Men are to serve as prophets, bringing Jesus’ word to their homes.  They are priests to lead the family in worship to God.  They are kings who are to manage their households well.  There is no believer who is not under God’s gracious authority. The family and the church are all under Jesus as Lord.

One note must be made from Jesus himself; we cannot take this more seriously.  This is the account of John Mark in chapter 10 of his account of the life and teaching of Jesus:

42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In our day where pastors can pimp the church for profit, power and posterity it is important for God’s men to wrap the towel around the waist and wash the feet of the household of God.  We need more men who serve and honor their wives empowering them to their God given callings.  We need more men who will teach, mentor, instruct and discipline the kids that they love deeply.  We need more pastors who are more like Jesus and less like the power brokers of politics and the corporate ladders. 

In summary, Jesus is senior pastor and good shepherd; his realm of authority is all things heaven and earth.  His pastors shepherd the church under his guidance in covenant communities where families are lovingly served by husband-fathers who extend gracious leadership in the home.  The following demonstrates the overlapping realms of Jesus’ authority.

Figure 2 - Leadership - Responsible Christ, Responsible Pastors, Responsible Fathers

All theology must not remain conceptual but needs to find a grip on everyday life in all contexts to which Jesus has called his church.  Jacob’s Well is called to live out the realm of home and church in a fast paced, success oriented, power hungry culture of central New Jersey.  As part of the New York City metro area, with institutions of education, medicine and business all around, families must swim against the tide of culture to have families together for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  To this task we now turn.

Living in 21^st Century Central New Jersey

As we look at life and culture in the northeastern United States we find a people that are on the treadmill of 21st century life and business.  Many people do not live in the same town in which they work with some commuting anywhere from 30 min to 2 hours each way.  Time and finances are stretched for many and both parents working is many times the rule for those with children.  In this cultural fabric we must work to, no fight, to maintain a different rhythm of life.  We must carve out a rhythm where families can still walk together in spiritual formation and real community as the people of God.  The following are but a few lines in the battle.

Fight for Meal Time (with Family)

In order for families to grow in grace men and women need to fight to share a common meal together.  This will be a matter of schedule and priority for moms and dads to shape each day to make this a reality. Some families may find an early morning breakfast table easier to achieve while others may seek the solace of a dinner table appointment.  Either way, a time to eat, share Scripture, pray for one another and worship must be found.  A meal is a great thing to fight for.  Suggestions for content and structure for such devotions is being provided in our Jacob’s Well Family Worship piece currently under development.

Fight for Face Time (with Kids)

To respond to the biblical commands for parents, specifically fathers, to instruct children in the faith several things are needed.  First, it requires a committed relationship where kids trust can grow in the voice, teaching and character of their parents.  Kids need to see and be with their parents to learn to trust them.  Furthermore parents need to engage kids in active, real life learning in the course of everyday living. In other words, teaching needs to happen when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. This will require significant face time in the course of everyday life.  Men and women will need to schedule well, carve out time, and exercise discipline in order to configure schedules to be able to walk along side their kids.

Fight for Date Time (with your Spouse)

Many times parents can be so focused on their kids that they forget that their first relationship before God is their own marriage covenant.  Part of raising kids in a context of the gospel is allowing them to see God displayed in marriage (Ephesians 5), to see forgiveness granted for sin in real relationships, to observe healthy conflict and reconciliation and to grasp the meaning of the gospel lived out in their home. Kids will learn about masculinity and femininity as parents live out the marriage relationship with them.  Additionally, God has given marriage to bless his people and the joy and refuge which a husband and wife can be to one another is a treasure that the busyness of life often robs from us.  So we want to encourage creative ways for husbands and wives to be together.  We encourage couples to keep a regular date night as a practical measure of carving out time.  This can be something as simple as slow time together on the couch, a leisurely stroll, going shopping (yes men, you can do it) or something fun that requires a bit of cash.  The point is to have the flow of life directed so that you can get time together.

Fight for Faith Time (with our Church)

Many churches excessively burden families with such a dizzying flurry of programs that the average Christian has little to no free time for other things.  Churches should slow it down to a very minimum amount of activities so that families can spend time together and on mission in their respective communities.  Simplicity should be valued and practiced when putting together a church calendar.  With that said, we are still to come together for Word and Sacrament and a corporate expression of worship before God.  This requires a commitment to unite as a family for the worship of God.  The church’s ministry to children should supplement and undergird the teaching and discipleship ministry of the parents.  Older men and women and more mature Christians should teach and model parenting to new families and provide curriculum and resources to help the family towards certain devotional realities in the home. 

Fight for Mission Time (with friends, families, co-workers and comrades)

Finally, Jesus is on mission in the world among the lost and the hurting.  He calls his church and sends us on mission with him in our world.  If Christians only have time for their family, their work and their church stuff there is usually no time left for mission. Let me revisit for a moment parents spending time with their kids.  If we see all of life as mission and our nature and identity as his sent people families will be engaged in more activities that watching “safe” TV and playing Jenga on the weekends. Our families need to be on mission with Jesus in all things.  Be it with other families at the soccer field, getting to know neighbors on an evening walk/bike ride, serving those in need, visiting the sick, celebrating at weddings, etc. etc. Those who live the mission of Jesus with their kids in all of life will find they might just see Jesus as more than “their parent’s religion.”

All of these require margin…work to change the rhythm of the day so that life can happen…God give grace as we work together towards a lifestyle where family, work, mission are found daily under the rule and reign of Jesus.

Our New Fam - An Exciting Mustard Seed

 

Tonight we had our first core gathering of a small mustard seed called Jacob's Well.  It was great to eat, fellowship and dream together with my new family.  We are beginning a journey together to live for the glory of God, the good of our cities and extend hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ in central New Jersey.  I am so thankful for each person involved.  Two guys are not pictured as one of them had a pretty bad allergic reaction this afternoon and had to be driven home. 

It is a joy and privilege to lead this community forward serving them and building our team.  Pray I would lead them willingly with a passionate servants heart...with wisdom and skill with faith and dependence on God.  

Please keep this crew in mind - that God would expand the family, add to our number as we work together to see a community planted - a gospel centered, thoughtfully engaged, family who seeks mercy and justice while finding joy through generosity and mission. 

Mars Hill Church - Pastors Training Program (aka PTP)

Over the past few days I have been in Seattle with a group of men beginning Mars Hill Seattle's first class of its new Pastors Training Program. Mars Hill is investing in men from around the country to provide training for planting churches in the coming year. We will fly out every six weeks or so, with assignments in between to walk together towards launching churches in 2009. 

It has been a great four days and I have greatly enjoyed meeting the guys and being invested in by the staff at Mars Hill Church.  Many thanks to Scott, Gary, Tyler , and Dave of the church planting office of Mars Hill.  Many thanks to Mark for the few hours he invested with us on Friday.  Many thanks to deacon Adriel Ifland and her tireless work pulling all the details together. Adriel writes of her passion for this program over at the Reforming the Feminine Blog - Her passion to see godly men raised up who will treat women with honor is quite amazing.  You can read her post here - 16 men in my life - I highly recommend it.

And last, and most important, many thanks to the risen Jesus who leads us forward in gospel centered, culturally engaged church planting in our day.

Anglican Controversy

This week a gathering of Anglican bishops is creating more discussion about the global controversy within that communion regarding homosexual clergy and biblical authority.  The openly gay bishop Gene Robinson, of the episcopal church in New Hampshire was not invited to the event but has decided to go to London to be present during the proceedings. 

You can see the story from the BBC here and the footage of a protestor shouting out "repent, repent" during the bishops sermon at a London church. A text story of the account can also be found here. Many bishops, particularly from the large and growing Anglican churches of Africa, have objected to what they perceive as the Western Anglican departure from biblical authority. 

Gene Robinson was quoted as saying "the Archbishop of Canterbury was in an "almost untenable" position as he tries to retain unity in the Church." I agree with bishop Robinson on this - it seems the division is deep in the Anglican communion with both sides of the debate seeing themselves as fighting for what is good, right and true.  

When Scripture is no longer seen as revelation from God and the authority for the church, common ground is difficult to find on many pressing issues.  We need to pray for the Anglican Church and its leadership to find strength and wisdom in difficult times.

CJ Mahaney - Not Your Average Preacher

This morning I took a short jog - OK, a run some, walk some, jog some time around the neighborhood.  During this time of physical training (or at least some movement) I listened to a message by CJ Mahaney from the recent Resolved 2008 conference.  The message was on the cross and I was so engaged by the work of Jesus on our behalf.  After being so moved I thanked God for this man's ministry and headed into my day.  Then I began to think - this guy has said something recently that I just do not think is true!

I have heard CJ Mahaney claim on at least one occasion to be an average preacher.  In fact, I believe it was at the Resurgence conference where he said that all average preachers should be encouraged by his life and ministry. Now, I have listened to CJ's preaching a few times now, both online and in person and think I want to challenge this statement about the "averageness" of his calling and craft.

For one, I think CJ is a great preacher and one a voice that is engaging and touching many people in many networks of pastors and church planters.  He is consistently, and rightfully so, invited to address audiences large and small around the globe.  His passion is contagious and his sincerity of heart is compelling.  His earnestness and Cross-centeredness honors God and inspires men of all stripes.  So my question is this - why average? 

I think after reading Pastor Mahaney's book on Humility a couple of years back I think I know why he feels just "average."  For one, he cannot say he is a terrible preacher, this would disdain the work of God in his life and it would seem to be false humility...this sort of thing does not come from Mahaney.  Second, he would never say he is a "great preacher" for he knows his own sin, the immeasurable grace of God in Christ, and the utter God-centered calling of a pastor.  In other words, I think I hear true, heartfelt humility from CJ Mahaney when he says he is "average."  Furthermore, I truly think he respects some of his colleagues' preaching so much that he does not think he plays in the same league.

So, I have a plea for CJ Mahaney.  Stop saying you are an average preacher.  Over and over again I am blessed when listening to this man speak of God and Jesus Christ.  I find him to be a great preacher.  Additionally, if CJ is average, then I certainly would fall in the "sucketh really bad" range of preaching.  Of course, the gospel is sufficient and comparison is not of grace as all true biblical ministry is of God not of the preacher. Yet I still think CJ's claim to averageness does not fit with reality of preaching and preachers I have heard. 

One more story to close about the ministry of CJ Mahaney.  First, let me say that I do not know CJ and I have never met him.  This adds to the story.  Some time ago he gave a generous gift to the Acts 29 network to faciliate church planting.  Some of the Acts 29 pastors heard about it on a pastor's forum and were quite moved by his gracious gift.  I decided to write a thank you note to Pastor CJ for his gift to the network and thank him for how much he is an encouragement to church planters like me.  A few weeks later I received something back.  What was it you may ask?  It was a box of books from CJ Mahaney's office all personally signed.  So I write a thank you note and GET a big box of free books back!!??  Such graciousness is not common today.

So I thank God for the ministry and example of CJ Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries...but I refuse to believe Mahaney when he claims to ascend to the middle realms of avergeness. I cannot see how this claim corresponds to reality - it is simply not true.

Wordles and Jacob's Well

I have been having some fun with a little Java Applet called Wordle. It basically takes in large amounts of texts and then visualizes them in cool ways.  The more a word is used the larger it appears in the cloud of words.  Anyway, I dropped to things into Wordle to see what Jacob's Well was all about. 

First, a document that has our purpose, mission and values for the church - it represents well what we want to be about. Second, I dropped in our doctrinal statement...yeah, this is what we believe.  Interesting results that were encouraging to me. Click on each image to see a larger version...just reading which words end up close to each other in these clouds is an interesting thought experiment.

Now I know some people would want to see certain words bigger and more prominent...but overall I like the words that showed up BIG - they seem to me to be the main things...

Jacob's Well DNA - Purpose, Mission, Values

 

 

Jacob's Well Doctrine