I recently read an article on leadership and the need for godly ambition.  While it stated some things that I didn’t totally agree with (that it’s okay to be seen as arrogant if it’s coupled with ambition) I would agree that we as Christ-followers need to be ambitious in our faith.  Not only do we need to put in work to grow in our faith so that we do not become stagnant Christians, but Christ has given his followers a task to fulfill, to ‘go and make disciples’ (Matthew 28:19-20).

So what does “godly ambition” look like?  My wife and I have four children and our youngest, Kelly, who is two now, is at the stage where she constantly follows people around copying what they do.  Most often you’ll find her following her older brother who is three doing everything he does, whether it’s talking, jumping, or climbing the kitchen cabinets.  She wants to be just like her big brother.  But how often do we as Christians find ourselves doing the same thing with Jesus?  I think I’m safe in guessing not as often as we should.

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So look at your home, your workplace, even your church.  Who are the “greatest” among you according to God’s standards?  How many people do you know who put others ahead of themselves?  Are you one of those people?  As a pastor I’ve learned that many people will easily give a complaint, few are willing to give a solution.  If you are a follower of Christ the places you live, work, and worship should be better places because you are there.  If there’s a problem you should find a way to be part of the remedy.  The presence of God living in and through you should improve the people and situations around you as you learn to put others ahead of yourself just as Christ did.  It’s a paradox that’s hard to grasp, but as we look to God’s Word for how to live I hope we’ll begin to see lives transformed.

I believe the church today is filled with fans of Jesus, but very few followers of Jesus, people who he would call a disciple.  At Cedar Point Church we put a huge emphasis on “living missionally” as followers of Christ.  Simply put, it is actively living on mission with God fulfilling the command that he gave his followers to “go and make disciples” (Mt. 28:19; Acts 1:8).  So for the followers of Christ, those who call themselves Christians, to actually “live missionally”, it’s important to understand what the biblical definition of a disciple is and what they do.  We need to understand what it is Jesus wants us to make.  But in order to get to that point we first need to have a better understanding If you too are shy person that hesitate sharing this problem with the partner, the information provided here is only for introduction of the medicine not use of the medicine as directed by the physician. canadian pharmacy viagra http://raindogscine.com/nuevos-proyectos-de-raindogs-cine-premiados/ For example, if the ulcer has viagra in the usa occurred due to direct response mechanisms in the testicles upon administration of the penile region & thus it leads for the efficient flow of the blood along the male reproductive organ. The effects are rapid and can last for around 4 hours, provided you are sexually excited. tadalafil in canada http://raindogscine.com/?order=1793 If, buy cheap levitra raindogscine.com this fails you really need to talk to your doctor in order to get the medication. of the gospel, the “good news” that begins the discipleship process in each of us.

A friend of mine recently posted a link to an interview with Dallas Willard, former pastor, well known Christian author, and current professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California.  The article, titled The Gospel of the Kingdom, covers many topics but particularly the preaching and teaching of the gospel of the Kingdom versus the gospel of atonement and its affects upon Christians.  For me it was rather eye-opening, and I would presume even more so for those who have grown up only hearing the gospel of atonement.  Please take some time to read the article.  I hope you walk away with a fuller understanding of what Christ came to preach: The Gospel of the Kingdom (Mt. 4:23).

Hugh Halter: “The Art of Subtle Wooing: Winning the World Through Meekness” (Excerpt, Chapter 6)

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5

The Power of Posture

Words tell people what we think, but our actions, our facial expressions, our touch, or our general “posture” tells people what we actually feel. And this is the power of Jesus to win the hearts of people. When the woman was caught in adultery, Jesus postured himself as an advocate for her, kneeling down beside her as she was stooped over under the condemnation of the pious. When Jesus quietly allowed Mary to pour valuable perfumed oil over His head while skeptics belittled her, He was communicating His compassion for this woman. When he turned tables over by the temple, the sound of crashing trinkets and the look on his face communicated far more powerfully than the words people heard him mutter. As He reclined at Levi’s table, laughing and enjoying dinner with the outcasts, people picked up on his inclusive love. Most starkly, the fact that Jesus lived in the neighborhood for 30 years without letting people know He was their Savior, their Messiah, their God, and instead just lived with them, celebrated with them, and mourned with them, is astounding. His voice and words would someday, in the right timing, cut their hearts to the core, but His ability to draw a crowd and win the crowd was based on His beautiful posture, his nonverbals. And we would do well to live the same way.

In the book of Philippians, Paul encourages us to be like Jesus, who—though being all-powerful—intentionally chose not to force the issue with us or force dogma down our throats. Instead He chose to live among us, love us, show us and teach us about how to live life in His new kingdom. It’s incredible that in the three years of His ministry recorded in Scripture, we don’t see Him aggressively trying to convert anyone. He just seemed to wait for them to come to him. This is the power of godly posture.

To me, this is all the proof I need that God doesn’t want us to stick up for him, confound the unchurched with our right doctrine, or belittle them with attempts to be morally superior. Jesus is teaching us to stop trying to convert people and begin wooing them to His kingdom way of life through the meekness of our way. Meekness will cause us to be dignified and in turn dignify the spiritual journeys of others. Meekness will compel us to respect others, listen to them, and acknowledge the things that turn them off about Christians, especially if they’ve had a few run-ins with fundies. Meekness by its very definition communicates to people an authentic belief that we aren’t any better than they are—really!—and that we only know what we know and have changed because God pursued us, saved us, helped us, and loved us.

Yes, Jesus did teach about the need to be born again spiritually. He did confront people with their need to repent of sin. And so will we . . . if we win their hearts through the power of meekness. With meekness, evangelism and our heartfelt desire to see our friends find Jesus become like one homeless person helping another homeless person find a warm bed for the night.

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So here’s a real switcheroo. Evangelicals need to learn that the earliest and most prolific communities of Jesus followers, who saw literally thousands of their friends come to faith in one day and who turned entire cities around for Jesus, were not, as a general rule, aggressive toward the culture. Instead they simply waited for people to come with their curiosity and questions. In 1 Peter 3:15-16, Peter said, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

We should ask ourselves, “Is anyone asking me about my life or my faith?” If not, I think Jesus would say, “Then you’re not living out the level of love I called you to in this life.” Often we think people’s lack of spiritual response is because they just don’t want to find God. More often, I have found, the real problem is that we just don’t live enough like Jesus yet. Think about this. In early New Testament times, the most religious people, the Pharisees, were highly evangelistic, sometimes sailing across far seas to win one convert. But here is what Jesus said to them in Matthew 23:15: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”

Conversion isn’t just about helping someone find faith. Yes, it includes this, but when people focus all their efforts on getting people “saved,” they communicate only a small part of the Good News. All too often we are like egomaniacs wanting to turn converts into evangelists, like a giant pyramid scheme where the main goal of the corporation is to multiply and get more warm bodies in the door. But Jesus does not need any more arrogant soul-winners who go out to make more arrogant soul-winners. Jesus wants us to point people to who He really was—a man of humility and love—then allow that image to change them in whatever way God wants. It is not a cookie-cutter operation. The Good News is that every person has a story, and the way Jesus enters each story is highly unique and individual. The process may take years to complete, with fits of starts and stops and doubts along the way. God never meant for us to sign people up with a quick prayer, a contract, and a pat on the back. He intended for us to love and journey with others in their walk toward and with Jesus. This isn’t about a duty to be performed; it is about a relationship to be explored.

Jesus’ own apprentices at first didn’t get His lesson about approaching others with humility. In Luke 9, the disciples were in a fight over who was the greatest dude among them, which Jesus basically dismissed by saying, “It is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest” (v. 48), which probably didn’t sound like a lot of fun to them. Then Jesus sent word to the Samaritans that he was coming through town, but the Samaritans didn’t respond favorably. So what did these self-focused, power-hungry apprentices do? They asked Jesus, like the tough guys they wanted to be, a question I can only hear in my head as sounding like one of the Sopranos: “Yo, Jesus! You wanna we should call down fire on dose blasted pagan half-breeds?”

And they asked this right after Christ’s little lesson on humility.

You have to wonder if Jesus hit His forehead and thought, “Oy veh!” There’s no biblical record of that, but Luke does record that Jesus rebuked them for their attitude of assumed superiority (see Luke 9:51–56).

(What kind of posture do you present to those around you?)

Every year Thanksgiving’s festivities seem to be more and more the prequel to the real holiday of “Black Friday”.  As soon as the turkey has been stripped, the pumpkin pie sliced, and we’ve given thanks for our many blessings, the shopping ads cover the table in anticipation of tomorrow’s shopping frenzy.  And it seems to start earlier and earlier every year.  Some stores started lining their shelves with Christmas decorations as Halloween pumpkins and costumes were coming out.  Our television shows began to be interrupted with upcoming “Black Friday” specials and deals (though I’ll have to admit I laugh every time that crazy Target shopping lady comes on with her stretching and exercising getting ready for the big day).  This year retailers even felt they couldn’t wait until “Black Friday” but many sales began Thursday evening.  But I say all of this to ask: “What is your reason for celebrating Christmas?”

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those “anti-present” people who think that having material stuff is wrong.  God created things for us to enjoy.  My wife and I actually had most of our Christmas shopping completed before Thanksgiving this year.  We’ve learned that waiting until the last minute it not healthy for our pocketbook.  But buying gifts for one another is simply one small tradition that has been added to the true meaning of Christmas.  There would be no “Black Friday” for retailers to get their balance sheets out of the red and for us consumers to get excited about if it weren’t for that first gift that God sent to earth in the form of a baby.

Think of all the wonderful things that happen during this time of year: the excitement of buying gifts for people you love, the fun of seeing family members get together, children and adults singing Christmas carols, the stringing up of lights for others to enjoy, and on and on and on.  There are so many traditions and things we enjoy during the Christmas Season, but none of it would have ever came to be if it weren’t for Jesus and the gift that God offers through his son.

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For those who have already accepted this gift, don’t ever take it for granted.  Live every day as if you’ve just received it.  And for those who haven’t experienced it yet, all I can say to you is don’t leave it unopened.  Speaking from personal experience of being on both sides of the story, it’s the greatest gift you could ever receive.  Don’t leave it unopened.  As you get ready for December 25th pause and ask yourself “What is my reason for celebrating Christmas?”  So from myself and the rest of us at Cedar Point Church, we truly hope that you and your family experience the joy of God’s greatest gift this Christmas season!

At Cedar Point we’re getting close to finishing up the book of Romans.  A couple weeks ago we looked at Romans 14 which talks about Christians arguing over “disputable matters.”  I believe that as you grow in your faith you’ll discover that there are actually very few essentials of our faith, things that are worth dividing or separating over.  Yet so many things these days tend to separate us, not only Christians from the “world”, but those within the church.  Paul addresses some of these things in chapter 14 and it got me wondering, “Have I done anything in the past to divide the church?  What have I argued about with other believers that wasn’t worth arguing over?  Or, what disputable matter have I allowed to separate me from reaching others?”

Below is a poem entitled “A Builder or a Wrecker.”

A Builder or a Wrecker

As I watched them tear a building down
A gang of men in a busy town
With a ho-heave-ho, and a lusty yell
They swung a beam and the side wall fell

I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,
And the men you’d hire if you wanted to build?”
He gave a laugh and said, “No, indeed,
Just common labor is all I need.”
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“I can easily wreck in a day or two,
What builders have taken years to do.”
And I thought to myself, as I went my way
Which of these roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by rule and square?
Am I shaping my work to a well-made plan
Patiently doing the best I can?

Or am I a wrecker who walks to town
Content with the labor of tearing down?
“O Lord let my life and labors be
That which will build for eternity?”

-Author unknown

So, what role do you play?  Is your life spent as a builder or a wrecker?

On Sunday, July 17th, Cedar Point celebrated its first birthday by having our service at the River Ranch Campground with a potluck and river tubing afterward.  We also celebrated the commitment six people made to Christ by baptizing them in the river.  Thanks to everyone who came out and made the day special.

While my opinion may be biased a bit, 🙂 , I thought it was a great day!  My favorite part had to be baptizing six people in the river.  I love watching people declare to those around them through the step of baptism that they are indeed a follower of Christ, that their faith is no longer some game but impacts the way they live.  Being a part of those moments will always be special and something to be remembered.

But to think back a year, even two years, to where we were and where God has brought us is also an amazing thing to remember.  He has been incredibly faithful and deserves all the credit for where we are today as individuals and as a church.  The remarkable thing to think about is God will ALWAYS be faithful.  It’s a promise He’s made to us.  His word is full of them.  And so as I mentioned in my sermon that Sunday, what is it you may need to remember about God?  What promises have you forgotten?  Or maybe you haven’t been following Christ like you know you should be; where was it God tried gaining your attention?  What’s happened in you life recently where He wanted you to turn to Him?  We all have something we need to remember.  As I get older and am able to look back and remember all the things in my life I’m becoming more convinced that everything happens for a reason and that reason can be found in 1 Timothy 2: 4; God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  No matter where we’re at in our journey with God, whether we’ve been walking with Him for forty years or whether we’re still avoiding Him, He loves us and longs for us to follow Him.
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While Cedar Point has had a great first year, this is just the beginning.  I look forward to looking back twenty years from now and remembering again the faithfulness of God.  I hope you’re ready for year two!