No Rapture? Now what?

Love!! That is it. Plain and simple. I as a Christian can go on and jump on the bandwagon and disassociate myself with all the Harold Campings of the world, or I can do what the Bible tells me to do and love my fellow believers. We should be the first ones to be reaching out to all those that missed it. Not the first ones pointing the finger and laughing or kicking them while they are down.

"By this all will know that you are my disciples, that you love one another." John 13:35 (NKJV)

I liken it to a family member that does or says some things to embarrass the family name. I am not going disown them or say they aren't part of my family. I will acknowledge that they are wrong, but I will then go to them in love and let them know their error.

The worse thing that we can do as Christ followers is to have a "I told you so" mentality. It creates disunity and just reinforces to all those who don't follow Christ that we eat our own. I think that is one reason that people choose not to surrender their "lives" to God, because they see the way that we treat each other. I wouldn't want to be a part of a family where there is nothing but backstabbing, name calling, and blatant disrespect. There is too much of that in our earthly families.

The best thing we can do is show the love of Christ to the world through our love and acceptance of our own. This does not mean that we simply admit that they are just the "crazies" of the family, but rather reach out to them and show them that we care for them. There are probably thousands of people out there that are really hurting from this and the world is waiting to see how we treat our own. Do not write them off, but rather restore them.

"Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out." Galatians 6:1 (MSG)

So love the way Christ loves us. Because He still loves them despite their error. If every time you made a error in judgement (no matter how big or small) and you got pounded for it, I'm sure you would walk away. So be that forgiving hand. Be the hand of Jesus!!!

End of the world? Tomorrow? Really?

(Journal entry that I felt led to share)

Today I've been kind of emotional (angry, sad, frustrated, amused) b/c of this whole "Rapture/Judgement Day" nonsense. According to Harold Camping, the end of the world begins tomorrow with the Rapture happening at 6:00pm each timezone. Matthew 24:36 is pretty straight forward about no one knowing when Christ will return.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven, but My Father only."

So it just makes me angry to see, hear, and read about the people claiming to be Christians and saying that tomorrow is THE DAY. Then there are the other people out there lumping all Christians together with this. How do I defend against this? Should I? I know what I believe. I know who Christ is to me and in me. I have just gotten overwhelmed with it all. I know that I need to just focus on Him and not get distracted by all those that lump us together. But what about those spreading this lie? What do I think about them? I truly feel that they are ones that love God, but are just misled and deceived. That is mainly what angers me.

Christians are definitely beginning to be taken less serious then ever before as well. This whole thing doesn't help. More and more we are being placed into a category that is one of holding onto a fairy tale or onto something that is not needed. But I know for sure that Christ is needed. I need Him!!! He Himself talks about His rejection in the Bible. People are rejecting Him all the time. I cannot take this personally. All I can do is.........

I must do my part to tell others of His message of hope and love. This leads to salvation. People need to have hope and experience love before they are willing or even able to receive salvation. Most people don't even think that they need to be saved from anything. When we say that we need to reach the lost, they don't even identify with that language. Because to them they "know" where they are and are perfectly fine with that. So how do you tell someone that is lost that they are? We can't. Jesus can. We need to stop beating people over the head with terms like judgement, salvation, and lost. We rather need to show love and acceptance. That is how Christ does it for us. Christ saves, not us!!!

So whether the Rapture happens tomorrow or not, I know who I owe my life to and I am going to live everyday as if my life depended on that person. Not out of fear, but out of confidence of who and what I am created for.

Thanks, but no thanks

Matthew 8:34-"And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him they begged Him to depart from their region."

Have you had things happen to you that were definitely of God but in the end you wish that He wouldn't have done them? You would rather of had Him just leave you where you were, because you were comfortable. Sometimes God removes things in our lives because He is trying to do something in us that is for our own good.

In Matthew 8:28-34 Jesus arrives from the sea and notices two men who are demon possessed coming out of a tomb. The scripture says that they were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Jesus casts out the demons into some nearby swine that then proceeded to run into the sea and kill themselves. This had to be quite a sight. Jesus restores these two men back to their families, back to their way of life. So you would think that the town they are from would be happy. But we see the opposite. They are enraged that Jesus would be so irresponsible and send the demons into their pigs. Now they have no livelihood. All they have now are two guys that they had become comfortable with not being a part of the town.

We are a lot like these townspeople. We would rather deal with the small irritations of life than have a life altering event take place. God did not take away their knowledge of how to raise pigs, He took away something that they held higher than these two men. Jesus gave back to these people two men who had been lost to them. Brothers, fathers, sons. But He had to take away something that they essentially cared more about. God will not take something away from you without giving you something in return. Even if that something in return is valued less by you.

God wants to do more in you before He can do more through you. We must be willing to accept whatever that may be. So instead of saying "thanks, but no thanks", maybe we should be earnestly waiting for that moment to come where He gives to us that which we need the most.

Recognizing God

I think for a lot of us its hard to recognize God in our lives. This can be for many reasons. It could be that we truly never had an experience with Him. It could be that it has been a while since we have spent time with Him, so essentially we have forgotten what He is like. Or we have just chosen not to recognize Him for one reason or another.

In Luke 1 we read where Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist, and Mary becomes pregnant with Jesus. In verses 39-45 Mary visits her elderly cousin and upon announcing her arrival, "the babe (in Elizabeth's womb) leaped in her womb." It then goes onto say that it was because of Mary announcing herself that "the babe leaped in my womb for joy." John recognized the Jesus before he was even born. Then in John 1:29-34, which is approximately 30 years later. The scripture alludes to the fact that John and Jesus never met, but when Jesus comes near to John, John proclaims "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John recognizes Jesus for who He is. He recognizes Jesus because he first encountered His presence over 30 years prior to their first meeting. Please get this; John was first in His presence and then he looked to Him.

I think that it is hard for us to recognize Jesus because for some of us, we aren't looking for Him. We find ourselves trying to figure out life on our own, rather than looking to Him. John knew God before he was born, and he then knew Him when he saw Him 30 years later. He was first in His presence (Luke 1:41) and then he was looking for Him (John 1:19-34).

We must begin by entering into a relationship with Him and then we need to continually look to Him. That is how we will be able to recognize Him in our lives. It will be as simple as a peace that will come over us when we pray to God or sing a worship song. It could be a breakthrough in our jobs, relationships, or struggles. It all starts with being in His presence and then looking towards Him expectantly.

So have forgotten what He looks like? Have you never truly known him? He knew you before you were even born, and He recognizes who you are now. Be with Him and look toward Him and you will have no problem recognizing Him.

To Invite or Not To Invite?

For some reason God has really been burdening my heart on creating a culture of inviting at the church that I am a pastor at. It just seems that this has been a concept that has been lost recently. Not just from the attendees, but from the leadership as well. I personally have been challenged in my attempts to invite people to church. Don't get me wrong I have been doing my fair share of inviting, but more out of to hit a quota then out of a heart thing.

We should feel burdened by the fact that there are people out in the world that will die and go to hell if they don't call upon Jesus as their Saviour. But for a lot of Christians this isn't the case. Statistically only 21% of active church goers invite people to church, and shockingly only 2% of church MEMBERS invite people to church. So where is the disconnect? Why are we not actively pursuing people to come and experience the thing that gives us hope? Are we afraid that we might get turned down? Are we too selfish to share the great news of life? Or are we at a point in our walks that if we were to come up to someone who might challenge our faith they might sway us? If that last one is the case then there is more serious matters at hand then you not inviting people to church.

The fact is that that 82% of unchurched people would "somewhat likely" go if they were invited (Rainer, The Unchurched Next Door). 7 out of 10 unchurched people have never been invited to church in their entire lives. That is HUGE!!! In John 1:43-50, it tells about how one man encountered Christ and had to tell his friend. Even in spite of the man mocking and doubting him he continued to invite him. And through that invite the man encountered Christ and it changed his life.

Be that man/woman who sees the urgency and invite your friend, coworker, neighbor, family member, stranger to church. Let Christ do the saving.

Here are three questions you can ask someone when inviting them to church:

1. Do you go to church?

2. What is a reason you don't go?

3. Would you consider coming to my church?

Not everyone is going to give you a good response, but if you are available for God, He will move upon those who are ready to take the next step. So in the spirit of the Great Commission;

Matthew 28:19:20 MSG

"Go out and train (invite) everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

Obedience. The Most Pleasant Discomfort

Lately I have been in a place where I have been uncomfortable. It hasn't been because of the sleepless nights, the anxiety of a looming decision, or even the most recent sickness I have had. It is totally related to the obedience that God has called me to. Now this discomfort is perceived discomfort. It is my mind telling me that if I choose obedience to the Father, I will let down people, I will not be successful, I will fail.

These are all bold faced lies. But they are ones that are associated with stepping out in faith and being obedient to what God has for you. God knows that when He calls us up to the next level, that we will have an adverse reaction. The reason being is that we get comfortable in our lives. We get so used to living, thinking, feeling a certain way that when He wants us to change our world gets rocked.

The act of obedience is the most uncomfortable thing, but the result of obedience is the most pleasant thing. To be obedient to God is to "die to our flesh" daily. That means to not continue on the destructive path that we naturally want to go on, but in a supernatural way. When we naturally want to talk bad about someone, we choose not to. When we naturally want to look at someone lustfully, we choose not to. When we naturally want to cheat on our taxes, we choose not to. When we naturally want to choose the easy choice but God is telling us differently, we choose His choice.

Now its not easy, but through God's grace, love, and mercy we can and will do it. We must be willing to be uncomfortable. Because in that discomfort we experience growth. We experience God. And that is the most pleasant discomfort one could ever have.

Conversation with a homeless man

Last Friday during my weekly trip to Norfolk to invite people to church I went to connect with David the homeless man that I have been reaching out to the past couple of weeks. We found him sitting at his usual spot outside the local indie theater. He seemed to be asleep. We approached him and called his name so that we wouldn’t startle him. He stirred for a bit and then finally came to. I asked him how he was and it seemed as if he had to think for a second who I was. He then remembered. I gave him a bag full of underwear that he had asked for and then asked him if I could take him to lunch. He was quite hesitant, and then I noticed a 40oz bottle of Steel Reserve. I immediately thought about the cash that I had given to him the week before. I began to beat myself up about it. But then I just thought, “I shouldn’t be upset about it. He is a grown man.” My heart still hurt, but I couldn’t hold onto whether it was my money that purchased the beverage. Then I got convicted. It wasn’t my money. I then proceeded to invite him to lunch. He declined. So I told him that I would return.

I went to the local grocery store and bought him some food and then took it to him about an hour later. His mood had changed and he received the food very willingly. I then talked to him for a few moments and told him that I would see him next week.

Nothing miraculous happened. He didn’t accept Christ into his heart. If anything, he distanced himself more. He made it more difficult to speak to him. I still fed him and prayed for him. I still reached out to him. That is all that I could do.

This week David was no where to be found. Not sure where he was at, hopefully he is okay. I will not give up trying to reach out to him. I just pray that God will continue to use me and grow me.

Conversation with a homeless man

Last week I felt prompted to stop and buy lunch for one of the homeless men that I see every week when I go to Norfolk. Not out of a self righteous duty, but rather out of a spiritual nudge that I had received. I scoured the streets looking for one man in particular. David was his name. It always seems that God sends me to people whom I have things in common with. Being that my name is Jonathan and in the Bible David and Jonathan were best friends. My brother and father's name is David. There are just a lot of David's that I know.

Anyway, So I approached David and asked him if I could buy him lunch. He quickly obliged my request. After I bought him his lunch for him, instead of high tailing it out of there after I had done my good deed I just sat there with him and began to talk. I asked him questions about his life. I found out that he was raised in Virgina. His father was military. He played sports, his favorite being football. He was a receiver but was told that he was too small to play. I asked him how he became homeless. He told me that he couldn't work anymore because of an injury. An injury that he never thought could happen to him. I just patiently sat there as he slowly picked at his food.

Then religion came into the discussion. After I revealed to him that I was a pastor, he emphatically stated how he was "down with the Lord", "most of the time". That last part stuck out to me. I asked him why he felt that way. He then proceeded to open up and tell me how he feels that the way humanity treats itself is a direct reflection of God. He began to almost yell as if speaking to someone else about why they couldn't spare more than a dollar to help. My heart began to hurt. How many times was I that person that walked by not willing to spare some change or even say hi? How if I being a Christ follower could I just simply be okay with not helping in anyway? Was my un-involvement a direct reflection of the loving and giving God I serve? I hope not.

Jesus talks about this and how we are to respond in the face of poverty in Matthew 25:35-40-

“When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, ³⁶and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me." ³⁷Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, "When did we give you something to eat or drink? ³⁸When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear ³⁹or visit you while you were sick or in jail?" ⁴⁰The king will answer, "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”

I told David that I wanted to meet him every week and buy him lunch and try to bless him anyway that I can. Of course he said yes. Probably with skepticism, but I really want to be there to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Through this I might be able to bring back one of Jesus' lost sheep. This isn't a project, but rather it is a prompting that I must obey.

I will continue to update you on my conversations with a homeless man. May it open your heart as it will mine.

The Apex

Hitting road blocks in our relationship with Christ can be very overwhelming and frustrating at times. It can even lead to us turning our backs on the one that at one point set us free from ourselves. This got me thinking in regards to Spiritual maturity and how we can be at different "levels" in our walk with God.

It made me think of the word "apex". An apex is defined as- the uppermost point; the highest or culminating point. So when I thought more about this it made me think about how we all are living on one side or the other of this point. We are living a life where we claim to be a good person or even a good Christian but the fruit doesn't match. This is one side. The other side is where serving the Lord has become natural and if we aren't pursuing Him then something is wrong. To better explain this, picture an equilateral triangle (see picture above). On one side it represents our lives without Christ as the center. On the other side Christ is everything to you in every area of your life. What divides these sides is an apex or culminating point that clearly defines what side you are on. The thing with the Apex is that it isn't just a boundary marker, it is a definitive moment in one's life that a decision is made to quit playing "Christian" and rather get serious about God. What's difficult with this is that it is hard for people to identify which side they are on. Or they know what side they are on but don't want to climb over the apex. They haven't had an Apex Moment.

The Apex moment in one's life isn't normally instantaneous. It comes from multiple encounters with Jesus and finally wanting to "go all in". This is where after countless times we as believers would rather be all consumed with Christ all the time rather then when its convenient. Now you might be asking whether or not you had had an Apex Moment. If you have to ask that question, then you probably haven't. But regardless with what side you are on the only thing that matters is a constant pursuing of Jesus. Not everyone is ready to jump to the other side. But we should all be wanting to get there. If not then there is something greater that needs to be done.

So have you had the Apex Moment? If not do you want to? You should!!

2 Corinthians 5:17- "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Hope for the Lost?

I have been reading the Bible from beginning towards the end and during this time I stumbled upon a blog from an atheist who was doing the same thing. This gave me hope for the atheist, because surely the Scriptures would reveal the truth of who God is and what He wants for our lives. I firmly believe that the Bible is inspired Scripture from God. God-breathed as referenced in Timothy. The power in the Word was sure to show itself and this person was almost but guaranteed to have an experience with Jesus. How I was wrong.

I read this person's last post and it seemed as if they were even more close minded than when they started. Here is an excerpt from her last post:

"I do wonder why anyone would want to worship this God who uses humans as pawns in his celestial feud with Satan, condemning any who are deceived by Satan and only letting those into heaven who were already destined to go. Seems that if there was even a slim chance of his existence then I'd choose not to worship him."

This made me disheartened and made me question, "Is there hope for the lost?" Now I could have gone the other route and questioned my own faith, but I know that with in my very being I have experienced Christ in all His fullness. And to me that is where the difference lies.

You can read about bungee jumping, but until you take the plunge yourself it is just going to be something adrenalin junkies do to get their next thrill. I have taken the plunge and all I can do is convince others of how real and exhilarating being a Christ follower is. The Bible is the Word of God and I do believe it has power, but only to those who apply it to their lives. To only those who make a decision to let it direct them to Christ.

So is there hope for the lost? Most definitely there is. His name is Jesus and He is just as real today as He was 2000 years ago.

1 Peter 1:21- "Through Him (Jesus) you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, so your faith and hope are in God."

50 Touches

It is said that it takes a non Christ follower an average of 50 encounters with someone who tells them about the Lord before they choose to make a decision for Christ. That is quite alarming and not easy to swallow. It is not like people are going around with a sign around their neck exclaiming that they are at the coveted high 40's. Oh how easy would that make my job!!!

This came up in discussion today as I was out on the streets inviting people to church. One of the guys with me got really discouraged when he got a cold response from a couple who really didn't want anything of which we had to offer. My buddy first got upset with me, because I prompted him to go and talk to the couple. Then he turned on himself and began to question whether he did the right thing. I immediately intervened and explained to him the Law of 50 Touches. It is not our fault if someone does not respond to the message of Christ. It is our fault if we pass idly by and not even bother sharing the message of love and hope.

Scripture says that it is the Lord that does the work (John 14:10). We are only to be obedient and available to share the Gospel with those people who do not know Him.

Later today I had the privilege of being some one's 50th encounter. Long story short, I made myself available to what the Lord WANTED to do. He used me and gave me a word for the man who needed to hear it. It was nothing that I did than respond to God's prompting and reach out to this man. The Lord knew he was ready. He did the work.

So don't be frustrated if you try to reach out to someone and they don't respond to you. You might be encounter #1, 13, 37, or 49. Just know that with every seed planted God is cultivating it for when it is the right time. Just be ready and available always!!!

Is it good enough to just be good?

Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.

Isaiah 1:17

These are the guidelines that God put out for all of humanity to uphold, yet He had to remind His chosen people about it because of their direct defiance. I personally can't remember the last time that I did all 5 out of 5. It is not because I didn't want to, or that it was asking of too much. It is because I came to a place of comfort in my life. It was a place where I had convinced myself that I had done enough so I must be a good person and in good standing with God.

The problem is we are not called to be good people. We are called to do the above. Now I am not saying that we are to make it our life's mission to master each of these areas, but rather if presented with the opportunity we do our best to achieve each of these instructions.

God loves each and everyone of us beyond what we can comprehend and He knows that because of sin, either self inflicted or inflicted upon us, that we would need others to love us. He wants us to understand that it is not a point system. That if we do enough good things in the world we can cruise through the rest of life. We are called to do good even when the world around us isn't good at all. Seek justice when justice isn't given to us. Rebuke the oppressor of others when we might be oppressed ourselves. Help the poor when we might not have anything to give.

So its not about being good and thats it. Its about constantly recognizing our purpose on this earth. That all stems out of our relationship with the One that upholds all of these things. He is good all the time because all the time He is good.

How big is your "but"?

We all have those moments in life when we get fed up with living a mediocre life. Whether it is with our health, our relationships, or our spiritual life. We decide that we need to make changes. We will get gym memberships, end "unhealthy" relationships, start a Bible reading plan or some other form of spiritual development book. The problem is that there are big BUTS connected with these things.

We start to work out, BUT we don't change our eating habits. We stop hanging out with certain people, BUT look for new friends at the place where we met the old ones. We try to have a spiritual awakening, BUT we don't change any other parts of our lifestyle. Why is that?

In the Old Testament, there are 4 books written about the kings of Israel and Judah that show this theme of wanting to get right, BUT they don't go the whole way. To me it seems that they just do the bare minimum so that they appear right in the eyes of the people that they are leading. There is no real heart change, but rather an image that they want to uphold. Because they know they should do it. Not that they want to do it.

Are we guilty of this as well? I know that for me I have always had good intentions when it comes to making changes in my life. But there must be more. There must be such a great discontent that leads to a 100% life change. We should not be content with starting something for the sake of starting it. Rather we should be determined to complete whatever it is that we start. It should drive us to point that people take notice. People should see the change. That is where we have the most opportunity to convince people that we are serious.

Don't let your "BUTS" get in the way.

SORRY. Its not just a kids game

Earlier this week I tweeted "Repentance is not saying you are sorry and then continuing forward. It is STOPPING what you are doing and then going the other way." I posted that after a God moment in which I felt that I was guilty of just saying sorry for my sin, but not really doing anything to change. Doing this in our lives is a lot like the playing the kids game Sorry. The point of the game is to get all your players around the board. If you happen to land on a Sorry slide, it is customary for you to say in a real sarcastic tone "SORRY" and then proceed forward taking out anyone in your path. The game is all about progress of moving forward. I can relate to that in my life when confessing sin to God. Sure I say sorry, but I have no intention of changing anything. I just want to move forward with my life.

The problem is that by just saying sorry, you are playing a game. You are not serious about who you are in Christ or what He wants for you. Sometimes saying sorry can be more harmful than good.

By truly repenting, you are making a decision to lay down what sin you have and turning from that and going in the complete opposite direction. It could be by setting up boundaries, limitations, or accountability. It is most times done with other people involved. In James 5:16 it say to "Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Repentance should be relational.

So if you are playing the game of "sorry", stop! Repent before the Lord so that you may know what it is to have freedom from your sin. Because if you don't then you will really be sorry.

An Epic Fail

King Solomon was known to be the wisest man ever to live. Because of this wisdom he became the richest and most sought after man in the world. Even the Queen of Sheba sought him out. He wrote and contributed to several books of the Bible, but upon his death the split of his kingdom happened. His nation was in ruins. How could the kingdom of the wisest man alive disintegrate upon his death? If someone who is historically renowned for his wisdom and riches, how could in one foul swoop it all fall apart? Why did his kingdom experience an epic fail?

A transition of a dependence on God to one of a dependence on self. While God gave Solomon wisdom, Solomon slowly began to turn away from God because of this grand curiosity that caused him to need to know everything about everything. He began to entertain his selfish desires. He had 700 known wives and then 300 on the side for crying out loud. Who needs that many relationships, let alone romantic ones? All we need is one relationship and this is with God. Solomon forgot that and he passed that on to his descendants.

Don't let your epic failure be because you once knew the truth and then decided to be selfish and focus on yourself. God has greater things for you and wants you to discover that and return to Him with expectation that He will give you all you need.

At the end of his life, Solomon realized he screwed up and wrote about that here. It was too late for his legacy. Don't let it be for you.

Identity Resolution

This past weekend my beautiful bride preached a sermon called Identity Resolution. Her main theme was that we need to find our identity in Christ and not in our circumstances or what we have been told growing up. I may be a little bias, but I think she did an amazing job.

I think for too many of us, we approach the New Year with this thought that we get a clean slate that gives us this special power to change our lifestyle from the previous year. We somehow think by changing some habits or starting new ones that we are going to be better than the year before. Oh how I wish this was true. Because in theory, if we all stayed true to our resolutions we would by the end of our lives be perfect. But unfortunately it is not true.

The only truth that we do have is Jesus Christ. He is the one that we should be changing for. He is the one that we should be trying to be like. We need to find our identity in Him. Not in whether we can quit smoking, lose so much weight, be a better spouse, or a better parent. Those things will come from a relationship with Christ.

So if you want to experience a new life in the new year, then seek out Jesus and all of His truth for your life. Because He chose us.

Ephesians 1:4,7 (AMP)-

4. Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.

7.In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor,