Friday, August 21, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
A review of Northpoint Online.
I got to the Church about 4:30pm to get everything set up to watch Northpoint Online in our auditorium. As I sat there getting the screen ready and put on some music. While listening I go a feeling that this was the first thing I have ever done in Ministry where I had no expectations and it felt really good. I sat in the Church alone with the lights dimmed and put my feet up on the pew in front of me. I listened to Andrew Phillip as I heard the rain begin to hit the roof making an almost rhythmic serenade of water and music. I just sat in that empty room staring at a blank screen. It is moments like this in ministry that really give me opportunities to evaluate what exactly I'm doing. As the Worship Started I had one student there and two more followed. It was just the four of us watching a worship band in the middle of our Church. We watched and at the end of it one of my students said it was like having Big Stuf camp at our Church.
And really that was the best description I can give for Northpoint Online. It was like having a really cool Church service on the screen. The only thing that felt kind of strange was the Worship. I don't know what it is about music but live bands are just...well, live. Don't get me wrong, Steve Fee and his worship band are one of the best at what they do. The new Song Glory to God is a great song and one of my favorites. To be honest though I would rather have the Steve Fee band or a great band on a screen leading worship than many of the worship bands I have seen.
The message Andy gave was great and spoke plainly to the matter at hand. I am always impressed in the way he can make it seem like he is talking to a room of 5 people. It's personal and well thought out. Anyone who knows me knows that Andy is somewhat of a hero of mine. Not that I idolize but when I see someone who has natural talent combined with a great work ethic and desire to always get better, it's impressive.
I can see this service grow well beyond the four that came to watch. I can see it become something that is not really controlled but something that is organic because the spirit of God can not be contained to a building or an hour of Church. This is something that any Church could take advantage of if they were willing to keep their hands off of it. What I mean is provide a place for people to just come and watch and that's it. There is no prep. Plug and play video teaching has become a more common practice but this is something a little different. Northpoint Online gives you the ability to attend, to be present and not be caught up with trying to get things done. It also gives you the freedom to just build relationships. This I feel is probably the most beneficial thing about NPO.
After the Service the four of us headed to the most spiritual place we could think of "Taco Bell". We sat, joked, ate and had a good time. I saw in that moment that maybe Church should be more about moments like this.
We didn't have hundreds attend, we didn't have people baptized in the dozens, we didn't have re dedications. We did however have some good conversations and perhaps the start of something that only God can do if we are willing to just log on, and connect.
And really that was the best description I can give for Northpoint Online. It was like having a really cool Church service on the screen. The only thing that felt kind of strange was the Worship. I don't know what it is about music but live bands are just...well, live. Don't get me wrong, Steve Fee and his worship band are one of the best at what they do. The new Song Glory to God is a great song and one of my favorites. To be honest though I would rather have the Steve Fee band or a great band on a screen leading worship than many of the worship bands I have seen.
The message Andy gave was great and spoke plainly to the matter at hand. I am always impressed in the way he can make it seem like he is talking to a room of 5 people. It's personal and well thought out. Anyone who knows me knows that Andy is somewhat of a hero of mine. Not that I idolize but when I see someone who has natural talent combined with a great work ethic and desire to always get better, it's impressive.
I can see this service grow well beyond the four that came to watch. I can see it become something that is not really controlled but something that is organic because the spirit of God can not be contained to a building or an hour of Church. This is something that any Church could take advantage of if they were willing to keep their hands off of it. What I mean is provide a place for people to just come and watch and that's it. There is no prep. Plug and play video teaching has become a more common practice but this is something a little different. Northpoint Online gives you the ability to attend, to be present and not be caught up with trying to get things done. It also gives you the freedom to just build relationships. This I feel is probably the most beneficial thing about NPO.
After the Service the four of us headed to the most spiritual place we could think of "Taco Bell". We sat, joked, ate and had a good time. I saw in that moment that maybe Church should be more about moments like this.
We didn't have hundreds attend, we didn't have people baptized in the dozens, we didn't have re dedications. We did however have some good conversations and perhaps the start of something that only God can do if we are willing to just log on, and connect.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Entitlement.
In the Bible there are a group of people that get a lot of bad press called the Pharisees. The Pharisees where a group of people who were charged with the protection of the Jewish faith and were some of the most important people in society at the time. If you know much about ancient history you know that the Jewish people have been through a lot. They have been killed, enslaved, ruled over, transplanted, relocated, and the cycle has repeated several times.
The Pharisees were formed as a kind of natural backlash to all the outside influences they felt were poisoning their culture. After all, it was mostly the fault of the leadership turning to other gods or allying themselves with people who were not righteous.
Many times God would command His people to purge themselves of these outside peoples in order to keep His people holy and dedicated to Him. In the Bible this usually doesn't go well for the Jewish people and for whatever disobedience transpired God would turn the Jewish people over to what they wanted. This of course would lead to the cycle I mentioned earlier.
This is why to me it's strange that this would be the time that God sends His Son to tell the Pharisees; a people who have been entrusted with the protection of the Jewish culture, that they are hypocrites. Jesus goes so far as to tell them that prostitutes and tax collectors will enter the Kingdom of God before them, if they even get in at all.
This of course was extremely offensive because Jesus was showing the true nature of these religious people. He was uncovering them and showing everyone what they were really about. They were about being seen. They were about looking good, dressing up and giving money. They were about keeping the Law on the outside. They were about going to Temple every Sabbath. They were about tradition. They were focused on the outside, while on the inside they were dead.
The Pharisees had an obvious problem, they felt entitled to all that God had promised them. They were Jews and descendants of Abraham. How could they not feel that God was on their side? They had the Law of Moses, they were a people chosen by God Himself to be set apart and they would receive salvation.
However, somewhere along the way they had lost focus on what was most important and became more concerned with Religious practice than the Will of God. This I fear is the fate of many Churches.
We have seen God do some pretty incredible things and I believe God wants to give us even greater. But here is the problem, some of us can start to feel entitled. You may have been serving in a certain ministry for years and it's slipping out of your control. You may be a regular Church attender and feel that this gives you certain privileges. You may tithe regularly and think you deserve a ministry that fits your style. You may be a Sunday School teacher and think that you are the only one who can teach your class. You may be a Christian who hasn't given your all to God ever.
These ministry positions we hold and the leadership positions God has given us do not belong to us, and they are always temporary. When Gods Vision is no longer out front leading and guiding us the end is near. When the way we did ministry trumps what is effective, the end is near. When we look for reasons to not help our neighbor the end is near. When we think God needs us, the end is near.
This is a warning. God will give us over to our desires. He will let our ministry become about our entitlement and not about His Glory. He will spew our lives from His mouth and find us unfit for Kingdom work. Why? Because when we become more concerned with our Doctrine than we are with loving people we have become the Sons of Hell. When Doctrine trumps loving our Neighbor, the end is near.
If you don't agree with this you may need to read the Bible. Jesus said this to the Pharisees in the book of Matthew 21:43-44
Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the Kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.
Have you ever been to a Church like this? Have you ever been to a Church where it just felt dead? Have you ever been to a Church that felt like God held no presence there? Maybe God decided to take His Kingdom to another Church that was reaching the lost. Perhaps God can remove His Kingdom and all that's left is a building and a people gathering every Sunday.
Just because we meet every Sunday for Church doesn't make us the Kingdom. Just because we pray and take communion doesn't mean we are the Kingdom. Just because we have a worship band doesn't mean we are the Kingdom. God's holy spirit in us and the fruit that only He can produce through us makes us a part of His Kingdom.
If this doesn't disturb you than you may not be saved. If this doesn't make you wince than you may need Jesus. If this does trouble you than you have heard the call. Do Kingdom work, don't be entitled. Don't lose sight of the Will of God. Stay close to Him in all things. Place the word in your heart. Follow everything He says. Love God, love people, serve both.
The Pharisees were formed as a kind of natural backlash to all the outside influences they felt were poisoning their culture. After all, it was mostly the fault of the leadership turning to other gods or allying themselves with people who were not righteous.
Many times God would command His people to purge themselves of these outside peoples in order to keep His people holy and dedicated to Him. In the Bible this usually doesn't go well for the Jewish people and for whatever disobedience transpired God would turn the Jewish people over to what they wanted. This of course would lead to the cycle I mentioned earlier.
This is why to me it's strange that this would be the time that God sends His Son to tell the Pharisees; a people who have been entrusted with the protection of the Jewish culture, that they are hypocrites. Jesus goes so far as to tell them that prostitutes and tax collectors will enter the Kingdom of God before them, if they even get in at all.
This of course was extremely offensive because Jesus was showing the true nature of these religious people. He was uncovering them and showing everyone what they were really about. They were about being seen. They were about looking good, dressing up and giving money. They were about keeping the Law on the outside. They were about going to Temple every Sabbath. They were about tradition. They were focused on the outside, while on the inside they were dead.
The Pharisees had an obvious problem, they felt entitled to all that God had promised them. They were Jews and descendants of Abraham. How could they not feel that God was on their side? They had the Law of Moses, they were a people chosen by God Himself to be set apart and they would receive salvation.
However, somewhere along the way they had lost focus on what was most important and became more concerned with Religious practice than the Will of God. This I fear is the fate of many Churches.
We have seen God do some pretty incredible things and I believe God wants to give us even greater. But here is the problem, some of us can start to feel entitled. You may have been serving in a certain ministry for years and it's slipping out of your control. You may be a regular Church attender and feel that this gives you certain privileges. You may tithe regularly and think you deserve a ministry that fits your style. You may be a Sunday School teacher and think that you are the only one who can teach your class. You may be a Christian who hasn't given your all to God ever.
These ministry positions we hold and the leadership positions God has given us do not belong to us, and they are always temporary. When Gods Vision is no longer out front leading and guiding us the end is near. When the way we did ministry trumps what is effective, the end is near. When we look for reasons to not help our neighbor the end is near. When we think God needs us, the end is near.
This is a warning. God will give us over to our desires. He will let our ministry become about our entitlement and not about His Glory. He will spew our lives from His mouth and find us unfit for Kingdom work. Why? Because when we become more concerned with our Doctrine than we are with loving people we have become the Sons of Hell. When Doctrine trumps loving our Neighbor, the end is near.
If you don't agree with this you may need to read the Bible. Jesus said this to the Pharisees in the book of Matthew 21:43-44
Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the Kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.
Have you ever been to a Church like this? Have you ever been to a Church where it just felt dead? Have you ever been to a Church that felt like God held no presence there? Maybe God decided to take His Kingdom to another Church that was reaching the lost. Perhaps God can remove His Kingdom and all that's left is a building and a people gathering every Sunday.
Just because we meet every Sunday for Church doesn't make us the Kingdom. Just because we pray and take communion doesn't mean we are the Kingdom. Just because we have a worship band doesn't mean we are the Kingdom. God's holy spirit in us and the fruit that only He can produce through us makes us a part of His Kingdom.
If this doesn't disturb you than you may not be saved. If this doesn't make you wince than you may need Jesus. If this does trouble you than you have heard the call. Do Kingdom work, don't be entitled. Don't lose sight of the Will of God. Stay close to Him in all things. Place the word in your heart. Follow everything He says. Love God, love people, serve both.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Christ Holds It All Together
15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
18-20 He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.
Colossians 1:15-20 The Message
18-20 He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.
Colossians 1:15-20 The Message
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