I have always wanted to go on a cruise.  Every time I see a commercial for a cruise, it makes think of how nice it would be to be on one of those boats. To have a care-free time where you get to just spend the day however you want.  Doesn’t that just sound nice right about now.

Sometimes I think we feel that we have signed up for a cruise when we decided to follow Jesus.  That if we follow Jesus, everything will be care-free; no financial problems, the addictions would go away, your marriage would improve, life would just be better.  Maybe you heard that, that if you accepted Jesus you could have “Your Best Life Now”.

I was discussing this with my friend Chris and he said it like this, “It is like we walked on to a war ship thinking it was a cruise”. When I read the Bible and look at the lives of those who followed Jesus wholeheartedly, it doesn’t seem anything like a cruise.  There’s a war at hand.  You have signed up to fight. Just read some of these scriptures:

2 Timothy 3:12,13; 1 Peter 4:12-19; John 15:18-21; Ephesians 6:10-20 And the list can go on and on.

To be honest, my life doesn’t match up to this.  I am way too concerned about myself and my avoidance of discomfort, of persecution, of what other people might think. I believe sometimes that Jesus is here to make much of me.   I want him to be the Messiah of all my problems. How foolish is that thinking. You see it’s not about me.  It’s all about Jesus. I was created to make much of Him and to treasure Him above all things no matter the cost.  The question I keep coming back to is this: Is Jesus enough?  Is Jesus the ultimate prize or am I following him to get something out of him; Jesus + something else.  This is what I am asking you.  Are you wanting God on your terms?  For him to make much of you? Or is Jesus enough?

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us”  Romans 8:16,17 (ESV)

So, this is a short study on sin, so that we might have a greater love for Christ in the understanding of what He has saved us from.

1. Romans 3:9- We are all sinful…so any fear of being deficient or abnormal alone is thrown out the window. We all sin. None of us deserve God’s grace.

2. The Hebrew word for sin is chata, which means to miss,  and the Greek word hamartano means to miss the mark. So…what mark are we missing? Are we missing it by not staying pure? Are we missing it by lying? Are we missing it by doing any other whole host of things we call sin? Well, yes and no. Those things are sin, but they are sin because of one important thing (the root of sin)….we miss God. Sin is really missing that God is everything we need, that we are completely dependent on Him and we should be completely happy and satisfied with Him! The other things become sin because we look to them for what only God can give. (Romans 1:24-25, 3:18)

3. Sin is what we do, because sin is who we are. Think about it this way: in the Old Testament, even those who did great things for God (i.e. David, the priests of the Temple, Joshua), still sacrificed to God for their sin. Our sin goes deeper than we know…and its root is that we don’t worship God the way He designed us too.

4. The Good News!!!! There is an answer to our sin…the atoning work of Jesus Christ. His death is what makes us right with God…nothing we do on our own. No amount of “becoming a better person” will ever make us right with God, because our sin is deeply embedded into us.  Understanding that our sin was (is) great, lets us understand how amazing Christ’s sacrificial work actually was! (Romans 3:21-26)

Sin isn’t a dirty word…it’s a reality and if we don’t take our sin seriously, we will never take Christ seriously. He died to forgive us! He was raised and overcame death and the grave, so we could overcome as well! And if we love Christ, it should be our goal to continue to submit ourselves to His Spirit and allow Him to convict us and to crush the sin that we too often make light of.

1. The first qualification for a leader in Jesus’ church is to be a faithful Christian. All of the things that Paul lays out in 1 Timothy 3 for the overseers (elders, pastors) and deacons (ministry leaders) are things that should be lived out by all christians, not just pastors, church staff, and ministry leaders.

2. Leaders are then recognized by the fruit they produce. The leaders of the first church were not the ones who attended Bible school for ministry. Leaders were the ones who said they professed Christ and then lived lives that reflected that profession.  This means they were first leaders by example! 1 Tim 4:12 says ” Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (ESV) (This doesn’t mean they were perfect either, but they led even in repentance)

3. Leaders are then those called and equipped by God to lead. This is confirmed by God through the authority that God has placed in your life. In Timothy’s case Paul and the elders of Timothy’s church saw his calling and confirmed it (and actually heard it as a prophecy spoken over Timothy–1 Tim 1:18-19, 4:14). Calling is an important part because leadership is difficult and when the hard times come, if you don’t have a calling holding you there, the tendency may be to give up and quit.

4. You need to practice at leadership. In 1 Tim 4:15-16, Paul tells Timothy to keep getting better at the gifts he has been given.

5. Leaders are accountable and held to a higher standard (1 Tim 3:1). Not because they are more special or more gifted, but because they have been given more responsibility to steward.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of what God talks about for leadership in 1 Timothy, let alone scripture as a whole. However, I think that no matter where you are on the leadership spectrum (whether you are a lead pastor or volunteer small group or ministry leader), these five things can and should apply to you. Because leadership in any form is at it’s core, stewardship.  If you lead something you are it’s caretaker, it’s steward. You are responsible.

If you are a leader take time to read through 1 Timothy and ask the Spirit to illuminate what Paul is asking this young leader to do and how that applies to your situation.

…ministry is what God promises to do first FOR us, and then IN us before doing anything through us.

-Mark Driscoll 11 Things God Does for Church Leaders

This is a big weekend for me. I am not going to lie…it’s BIG. There are a few days I hold (and will hold) more dear than Sunday (Day I get to see Christ face to face, Day I got saved, My Wedding Day, The birth of my kids), but the day I get ordained as a pastor (shepherd) in Jesus’ church, is truly a special day for me. So what does one think about the few days prior to a BIG day such as this? Well, I am glad you asked. Below are just some of thoughts I am having going into this exciting, yet sobering, day.

-Sunday is the Start: I am excited about Sunday. I am excited that so many family and friends will be there to take part and pray over me as I begin my journey as a Pastor, but Sunday is exactly that…the beginning. I am focused, and want my focus to stay, on the last day. Many pastors begin, but statistics don’t tell a good story of finishing well. Whether by disqualification or mere frustration, a lot of pastors don’t make it. I am looking forward to standing face to face with God one day and hearing Him say, “well done…you led and loved my people well”

-The Weight of it All: I can foresee the many blessings of being a pastor. But I also feel the weight of the responsibility of being a pastor. The responsibility and privilege it is to speak into people’s lives…to take part in the best and darkest times of their lives. It is a sobering thing (but not crushing)!

-God be Glorified: My hope and my heart is that in everything I do (and really this was my desire before becoming a pastor as well) God is glorified. He is the one who provides me with the gifts, talent, time, wisdom, abilities I need to pastor well. He is the one who will empower, anoint and bless the things that I do as a pastor. I don’t believe becoming a pastor is a result of how good I am (my job is to submit), but of how good God is and it amazes me that I get to come along for this ride!

-Thanks: God has used many people to influence my life in so many ways. Each one guiding and shaping me and preparing me for this calling. Thank you! God has given me this opportunity through the Spirit’s confirmation by the Elders and Lead Pastor of Lancaster Community Church. Thank you! God, that you have counted me worthy of the calling of Pastor and that you will empower, anoint, and use me to spread your gospel, and love your people. Thank You!

What if we stopped looking to be the one always being fed and started looking to be the one who is feeding?

What would the church look like then?

Before you laugh at me because of the source…listen to Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”  I often fall prey to the misunderstanding that being still means doing nothing.  Being still, means a lot of things. It means knowing that God is God and I am not. It means seeking God and coming to the understanding that He is in control , and I don’t have to be. It means that it’s ok for me to trust him with life, because he is the reason I live.  Being still means a lot of things…but it doesnt mean doing nothing.

It makes me think of all the ways that I try to be discipled…everything I read…everything I study…all the messages I listen to…all the ways I try to qualify myself as a disciple without having to actually bear the cross.  It’s hitting me that we can do a lot of things to learn about discipleship…but there is no way around bearing the cross.

The call of the disciple is to come and die…

I wish I was that kind of man (the pastor, not the man beating the kid)…not that I want to be him…but I want to have the courage to protect the innocent…even when it means an unavoidable confrontation and the possibility of looking foolish and possible physical harm.

That’s the kind of man I want to show my kids and wife they are tied too…that no matter what comes I would lay down my life for them or for anyone one of the other millions of situations where people need someone to stand up for them.

But first things first…before you can lay down your life…you have to lay down your pride…you have to get over looking silly…causing a scene…being made a fool of…many times I think this is the bigger step of faith, bigger than the laying down your life thing.

It takes this kind of courage and mentality to walk with Christ…Matthew 5:10-11

that kind of living shakes me…it makes me uncomfortable…because it challenges my composure…it challenges my ego…it challenges my “coolness” and my reputation.

once you start sticking your neck out…you can bet someone will be there to take a swing…but God didn’t say, blessed are those that can represent me in a cool way, he didn’t say, blessed are the shocked, who idly watch by and whisper their disapproval. He said, “blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:10NIV)

-You can’t sleep
-You don’t HAVE time to pray and study the Bible
-You don’t HAVE time to have fun with your family
-You either eat too much or not enough
-You are Oscar the Grouch

These are all things that I have been guilty of at one time or another…but God has been doing some amazing things in my life to show me that busyness and peace can exist. There can be times to be still and quiet, and times to be busy and productive.  A godly life is a life of both busyness and quiet.  Here are a few things I have done to introduce the discipline of peaceful striving.

-Making time with God…it doesn’t just happen…it takes discipline. This time also changes my busy times from times of stress to times of energy and determination. It allows my work to become a sort of prayer.
-Saying no to good things to do great things…Sometimes you have to pass up good opportunities to do what’s right and what’s best.
-Priorities…God isn’t a priority for me…he is life, he is beyond a priority…I want him to be in all that I say and do. But time with God is a priority for me. Time with my family is a priority for me (and I mean real time…engaged and focused on them and being with them…not just an excuse to be lazy and crash on the couch…although that is what we do sometimes). Rest is a priority for me…if I don’t sleep…I don’t play nice. Exercise and eating right is a priority…fellowship and prayer with friends are a priority. And I am sure I have many more but you get the point.
-Always look for God in what’s going on around you. When you can see God working around you and through you, it becomes easier to understand the pressure you may be under.

These lists aren’t all inclusive or exclusive…but these are things that God has taken me through with busyness and finding peace in him amidst busyness. I hope they help!
Peace
Chris