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the 28/14 challenge: day 6

Seven years ago today I began working at SRC full-time.  That’s right, I began working at SRC on April Fool’s Day.  Pretty crazy, huh?

But it’s been an amazing seven years.  When I first came on staff, SRC had just a little over 200 people in attendance any given weekend.  As the church has continued to grow, so have I.  I’ve grown to love a whole bunch of people I never would have known outside of SRC.  I’ve grown to see that God works in very different ways than I do.  I’ve grown in my desire to minister to others and in the ways God has made me to do so.

I’ve grown.

And I’m not sure about you, but I have found the first six days of the 28/14 challenge to be very good for me.  Even in these six days, I have grown.

Here’s a little bit about what I learned today, on day six of the challenge.

Who is God?

God is someone who has the desire to see His kingdom advance, and the message of His kingdom is a message under attack (Matthew 11:12).

God and God alone is judge (Matthew 11:21-24).

Jesus declares Himself LORD even over the Sabbath.  By doing so He declares that everything in our lives, even our rest, should be in Him (Matthew 12:8).

Jesus speaks on the importance of repentance, criticizing all who refuse to listen to His teaching (Matthew 12:39-45).

These passages show that God/Jesus isn’t the typical soft-spoken person we often make Him out to be.  He’s strongly worded.  Calling people to repentance.  Calling people to actively spread the advance of His kingdom.  When people in His day chose not to do so, He was quick to reprove them and tell them how badly their judgment would be.  His words in these two chapters are not at all mild and meek.  They are strong.  Powerful.  Purposeful.  Yet all were spoken in love.

Who am I?

These chapters say very little about me, personally.  However, it is obvious that the authority Jesus speaks with is godly authority.  And I am someone who ought to listen to His words.

What is God inviting me to do?

There is so much in this passage God is inviting me to do.

God is inviting me to use wisdom so that wisdom may be shown right by its actions (Matthew 11:19).

God is inviting me to regularly show mercy, not simply provide a sacrifice (Matthew 12:7).

God is inviting me to be “good” and not “evil”, and how much of this may be attributed to the words I speak.  As His word says, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” (Matthew 12:35-37)

If you haven’t yet done so, take an opportunity to read Matthew 11-12.  What is it God is inviting you to do?

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This is day 6 in a series on the 28/14 Challenge.  I won’t post my thoughts each day of the challenge, but additional posts are provided at the links below.

The 28/14 Challenge: intro

The 28/14 Challenge: day 1 (Matthew 1-2)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 4 (Matthew 7-8)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 6 (Matthew 11-12)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 11 (Matthew 21-22)

 

Questions or comments?  Feel free to let me know in the comment section below.

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finding your gifts:

Over the past several weeks, we at SRC have been discussing the possibility of beginning a third service. I say possibility because the staff know that we can’t make this service happen on our own.  In fact, one of the core values of Great Commission Churches is Every member a minister.

Did you catch that?

Every. Member. A Minister.

I know what some of you may be thinking.  “Wait a minute!  I’m not a ‘minister’!”  Oh yes. Yes you are.

2 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.”

It’s right there.  Right there in the Bible.  You are a chosen people. You are royal priests.  Every member is a minister, indeed.

The question is, are you using the gifts God has given you to serve and minister to others?

I ask this question, because I’ve been challenged with this question myself recently.  Only I’ve been challenged with it in the form of leadership — how are you influencing others?

This is a challenging question for a pastor. I’ve thought about it for days.  And I’ve now come to realize that the question isn’t nearly as complex as I’ve made it to be.  The best way for me to influence others is simply to use the gifts God has given me.  That’s it.  It’s not hard.  It’s not complicated.  I simply have to understand how God has gifted me and put those gifts into action.  I simply need to recognize my role in the body of Christ and serve accordingly.  Here’s what the Apostle Paul writes about this:

Ephesians 4:11-13 – Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:14-22 – So the body is not one part but many. If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body.  And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as He wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? Now there are many parts, yet one body.
So the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” But even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary.

I love that last verse.  “Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary.”

You may feel you have little to nothing to provide. You may feel that others can do what you’re good at even better. But your service is essential.  You are a royal priesthood.  Every member is a minister.  And God has called you to minister to others, and has gifted you to do so.

There’s more I could write on this subject.  Much more.  But for now, simply consider the following questions:

  1. Have you come to recognize how God has gifted you to serve?
  2. If not, what steps will you take to begin to recognize the gifts God has provided you?
  3. “You are a royal priest.”  In what ways does this change how you think about serving others?

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Questions or comments?  Feel free to let me know in the comment section below.

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the 28/14 challenge: day 4

Friday afternoon I had an opportunity to meet somebody for the first time.  He is of retirement age.  The best career he’s ever had is being a handyman.  He cannot read or write.  But…

…he’s brilliant.

This man has spent more time listening to the Bible than most have spent reading it.  He’s spent more years thinking through the hard questions in life than most people have spent in a church.  We talked about evolution. The Big Bang.  Jesus.  His death.  His resurrection.  Is the Bible reliable?  Why so many religions?  You name it, we talked about it.

The thing is, I know he’s not alone in having hard questions.  You probably have some yourself.  Maybe more than a few.

What’s fascinating is how many of these questions may be answered by diving into God’s Word.  Not all of your questions may be answered in one sitting.  But continued study will answer life’s most complicated questions.

This brings me back to the 28/14 study.  Today is day 4 of the 28/14 challenge.  And this challenge asks three of the most complex questions in life.

  1. Who is God?
  2. Who am I?
  3. What is God inviting me to do?

Here are some of the thoughts I have after reading Matthew 7-8 and answering these questions.

Who is God?

As seen earlier in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is Immanuel – God with us.  Therefore, we can learn a great deal about who God is from what Jesus has to say in these chapters.

God is a teacher – “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

God is a healer – Jesus heals a number of people in Matthew 7-8.  But one sticks out a bit more than the others (Matthew 8:5-12).  A Roman Centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant.  This is important because to the Jews, the Romans were the bad guys. The Jews were expecting a Messiah in the line of king David to free them from Roman rule!  And here’s Jesus, God in the flesh, telling the Roman Centurion – “I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!”  If that didn’t unsettle the crowd, I’m not sure what could!

God is (or at least was) homeless – “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20)

When thinking about God, the first of these points makes a lot of sense.  But the other two?  Wow!  Those give a much different perspective on the character of God.

Who am I?

Jesus says, “Don’t judge others.” And…

“Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?”  And…

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”  (Matthew 7:2, 3, 12).

I’m one who does the opposite of these things on a regular basis.

What is God inviting me to do?

God is inviting me to radically rethink my concept of who he is.  He’s inviting me to be a true disciple, all the while requirement me to rethink what true discipleship looks like (Matthew 7:21-23).  He’s inviting me to listen to his teaching (7:24) and continually be amazed by it (7:28).

How about you?  What are you learning about God?  Yourself?  And what he’s inviting you to do?

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This is day 4 in a series on the 28/14 Challenge.  I won’t post my thoughts each day of the challenge, but additional posts are provided at the links below.

The 28/14 Challenge: intro

The 28/14 Challenge: day 1 (Matthew 1-2)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 4 (Matthew 7-8)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 6 (Matthew 11-12)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 11 (Matthew 21-22)

 

Questions or comments?  Feel free to let me know in the comment section below.

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the 28/14 challenge: day 1

Have you ever found it difficult to converse with someone you’re in conflict with?  Yeah, me too.

What’s interesting, however, is that God chooses to converse with us all the time.  And he chooses to do so in multiple ways. We simply have to provide a listening ear.

As I wrote about before, we’re beginning a new series this Sunday that focuses on The Scarlet Thread all throughout the scriptures.  And Genesis 3 paints a pretty stark picture.

Sin entered the world.

Sin carried down through every person.

Every person inherits conflict with God.

Not a pretty picture, is it?

But this ties in perfectly with the 28/14 challenge I presented yesterday as well.  It’s a great challenge, but while I know some of you may have agreed to the challenge, you’re unsure what answering these questions should look like?  Well, I’m certain it will look a little bit different for everybody.  But here’s a small sample of what I gleaned from day 1.

Reading: Matthew 1-2

Thoughts that entered my mind as I read:

  • Who in the world is Jahoiachin?  And does it really matter? (Matt. 1:11)
  • On a more serious note: There’s some text here about the Messiah. What exactly does that even mean?
  • I see several passages that say, “the prophet wrote…”.  Interesting.

And then I began to think through the three questions:

Who is God?

Jesus is called Immanuel, which means God with us.  So, God, the creator of everything decided to leave everything and be with us — the very people in conflict with him.  That’s pretty incredible.

I also note some things about how God has chosen to communicate with us who are in conflict with him.

  1. He gave us his word (the Bible) as one form of communication.
  2. He has spoken through the prophets (5 times in these two chapters, Matthew mentions something from a prophet being fulfilled in Jesus!)
  3. He even spoke to people through an angel!

Who am I?

Matthew 1-2 says nothing about me, personally.  Nothing at all.  But a couple of things still come to light.

  1. Despite being in conflict with him, he speaks to me (and with me).
  2. I’m guessing, just guessing God may be speaking in a variety of ways in order to show that he is trustworthy.

What is God inviting me to do?

Based on what I’ve read, he’s inviting me to trust him at his word.

Those are just a few of the thoughts I had from day 1.  I’m not planning to blog something all 14 days of this challenge, but I’m sure I’ll give some additional insights I’m learning sometime next week.  Until then:

You’ve now read Matthew 1-2.  What did you learn about God, yourself, and what God may be inviting you to do?  Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

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This is part two in a series on the 28/14 Challenge.  I won’t post my thoughts each day of the challenge, but additional posts are provided at the links below.

The 28/14 Challenge: day 1 (Matthew 1-2)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 4 (Matthew 7-8)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 6 (Matthew 11-12)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 11 (Matthew 21-22)

 

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the 28/14 challenge:

It was colder than I wanted it to be this morning.  Much colder.  As I walked into McD’s to meet a group of friends one of them asked, “How are you doing?”  In one breath I said, “It’s a bit chilly this morning.”  In the next I ordered a large ICED coffee.  When will I learn?

But I’m not writing today to discuss the weather.  Not at all.

As I met with this group of friends one thing seemed apparent.  We all realized our lives are hectic.  We all realized our lives are complex.  We all realized we need to spend more time with God.

So, today I want to present you with a challenge.  It’s something that will better prepare you for your hectic life.  It’s something that will help you deal with the complexities in life.  It’s something that will help you spend more time with God.

Here’s the challenge: Over the next two weeks, read the gospel of Matthew.  That’s twenty-eight chapters in just fourteen days.  So let’s just call it the 28/14 challenge.  But this is only part of the challenge, there’s a little more to it.

Take the opportunity as you read a couple of chapters each day to ask yourself three important questions.  Answering these three questions will help the text sink in.  Answering these three questions will help you better know God and His will for your life.

  1. What does the text say about God?
  2. What does the text say about me?
  3. What is God inviting me to do?

That’s the 28/14 challenge.

Two chapters a day.

Three questions a day.

Fourteen days.

Will you join me in the challenge?

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This is part one in a series on the 28/14 Challenge.  I won’t post my thoughts each day of the challenge, but additional posts are provided at the links below.

The 28/14 Challenge: day 1 (Matthew 1-2)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 4 (Matthew 7-8)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 6 (Matthew 11-12)

The 28/14 Challenge: day 11 (Matthew 21-22)

Questions or comments?  Feel free to let me know in the comment section below.

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the scarlet thread: part 1 (Genesis 3)

Hi, I’m Justin…one of the pastors here at South Ridge Church.  On a Sunday morning you’ll likely find me hiding in the A/V booth, or maybe on stage behind a guitar.  Or maybe looking for more coffee.   Mmmmmmmm coffee.

But I digress.

I’m beginning this little blog for a number of reasons.  One is that it gives me more of an opportunity to interact with you.  And you’re totally worth interacting with!  Another is that it gives you a little bit of insight into my life, as well as what’s happening here at South Ridge.

And just in case you didn’t know, we’re beginning a new series this week called “The Scarlet Thread”.  *you should have read that with a deep James Earl Jones voice*  — THE SCARLET THREAD

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to this series for a lot of reasons.  But there’s one reason that stands above all others.

I hurt.

I hurt because I’ve lost family members I love.

I hurt because I’ve lost relationships with people I love.

I hurt because I’ve seen marriages fail for countless reasons.

I hurt.

And something tells me I’m not alone.  You may be hurting too.  You’re hurting but you’re afraid to tell your small group.  Why be vulnerable?  You’re hurting but you’re afraid to talk with your ministry leader.  Why be open?  You’re hurting but you’re afraid to tell your spouse.  Why be a burden?

It’s my hope that as we dive into this series you’re willing and able to wrestle through those hurts.  Confess them.  Pray for healing.

Now, you may be wondering, “What does this have to do with ‘The Scarlet Thread’?”  Good question.

This Sunday morning we’re beginning this series with a good look at Genesis 3.  Have you read Genesis 3 recently?  No?  Well, take a quick opportunity to do that.

Ever wonder why we experience suffering?  Ever wonder why we experience pain?  Ever wonder why we experience hurt?  Read Genesis 3.  The answers are right there.

But there’s something else that happens in Genesis 3.  Something you may miss the first time through.  It comes in Genesis 3:21.  Here’s what it says:

And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

Did you catch that?

No?

Right there is the first recorded sacrifice in history. Adam sinned.  Eve did, too.  And God himself provided a sacrifice.  The scarlet thread begins.  The story of Jesus begins.  Right there, in Genesis 3.

There’s much more to this story.  MUCH more.  But for now, take a short opportunity to think through the following:

  1. What hurts have you been experiencing?  What’s been holding you back from sharing them with others?
  2. What is one thing you learned from reading Genesis 3?
  3. Who are you going to share that with?

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Questions or comments?  Feel free to let me know in the comment section below.

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