Service or Serve Us?

In every church there is a constant tension between service and serve-us. Most churches end up tipping the scale towards the members only. But to reach and disciple the lost means tipping the scales in the opposite direction. This requires unselfish members who are willing to give up their own comfort, preferences, and traditions. Enormous spiritual maturity is required for church members to voluntarily make this shift.

Everyone likes to be called a “servant of God.” But who likes to be called a servant of OTHERS? But we serve God best when we are serving others.

Jesus said of Himself, “Even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister…” (Matt.20:28). This is the mind of an unselfish servant… a true servant of God… one who serves others.

Church members demonstrate incredible spiritual maturity when they are considerate of the needs and fears of unbelievers and are willing to place those needs above their own. The apostle Paul said, “I am made all things to all men…and this I do for the gospel’s sake” (I Corinthians 9:22-23). It’s not for my sake, for traditions, for my preferences, or because this is the way we’ve always done it. We do this for Jesus’ sake ( 2 Corinthians 4:5).

It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sugar, Soda Drinks, & Pancreatic Cancer

Two or more soda beverages a week increases risk of pancreatic cancer by 87%.

Sugar fuels tumor growth. You can read it here.

Personal Stuff & Other Uselss Facts About Me

No Sugar. I’ve been on a sugar fast for three weeks. I started out thinking I would go a couple of days. After I made that goal I extended it to a week, then extended it again. I’m avoiding processed sugar like cookies, cake, candy, ketchup, sauces, etc. – the obvious sources. Now that I am sugar-conscious I am noticing sugar everywhere – even in canned vegetables – places you wouldn’t expect to find it. Of course, I’m still eating fruit – which contains sugar – but I feel okay doing that. I haven’t experienced any significant weight-loss yet (just a little), but should pretty soon. It usually takes my body about six weeks to start responding to changes in my diet. The beauty of eliminating processed sugar is that I am drastically cutting my calories but I don’t have to stop eating real food. I am avoiding the calorie-dense non-nutritional sources of sugar.

Exercise. I run about four or five days a week. I’m a two-mile runner – at my age that seems to be the best distance for me. Today however I ran 3.4 miles just to see if I could. The weather was very cool making it an easy run.

Stage fright. I never experience it in front of the PCC family. I am very comfortable there. It was not that way when I first began in the ministry however. I would experience stage fright so bad that I would literally be sick for two/three days before the event. I would get nauseated, have butterflies in my stomach, and actually throw up. By the time I took the pulpit I would be weak in body and my mouth as dry as cotton. How I survived those days I will never know. But it’s not a problem any longer. I am totally relaxed and completely at home in front of the PCC family.

What kind of Bible do you use? Primarily the King James Version (KJV) because this is the one I cut my spiritual teeth on and I am most familiar with it. I also sometimes like the New International Version (NIV), the New King James Version (NKJV). I think they all have their strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the day I have the most confidence in the KJV.

Do you ever feel like quitting the ministry? No. I love what I do. But I do think about taking a Sabbatical to get some serious rest. I’m long overdue for an extended break and could benefit from recharging my batteries. Our church would benefit from a well-rested pastor as well.

Do you ever wear designer jeans? No. I’m not that cool. I’m too old to wear fancy stitching on my rear pockets. Besides, I don’t want to look like a dork. Wearing my shirt tails out most of the time is as ‘hip’ as I can get. Other than that, I am a Levi’s kind-of-guy. Levi’s are the standard by which all other jeans are measured.

Sunday Mind Dump - Developing a Mature Church

The Great Commission is a strategy for expanding the kingdom of God. Targeting unbelievers for evangelism, making disciples, and developing them towards spiritual maturity always results in church growth and greater generosity from its members. First you get people to come to Christ, then to grow in Christ.

Consider Jesus’ method of making disciples. When people were invited to follow Him, the invitation began with the words “COME AND SEE” (John 1:43-46). That is the ENTRY POINT for faith. Just show up. Sit in the back. Just watch. Don’t sing anything, say anything, or sacrifice anything. Just “come and see.”

From there Jesus takes them through a process of ever-increasing levels of commitment. Over a period of three years He turns up the heat. As they begin following Him, He starts saying, “YOU ARE MY DISCIPLE IF….” And He REDEFINES commitment. You are my disciple if you love one another… bear fruit…take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Me.” On and on it goes. He is raising the bar of commitment.

In those days nobody “took up a cross” unless they were on their way to death. This was a Roman form of execution. By using that as a reference for discipleship, Jesus was saying “Come and die” to yourself. There is a big difference between COME AND SEE and COME AND DIE. He didn’t say “come and die” at the very first. It takes Him three years into a relationship with His closest followers before He does.

Churches often fail to realize this – that developing maturity (in individual believers and church congregations) is a PROCESS that you take people through. It takes time to mature believers into disciples… and it takes time to develop new churches into mature churches.

Consider PCC – your church family. In the beginning years we were in the “COME AND SEE” phase. Over time we have become more like the “COME AND DIE” phase. That’s why the preaching is different today, the standards of leadership are higher, church discipline is practiced, expectations are communicated, and worship more intense.

Not everyone understands this process, or has patience for it.

A few years ago a certain guy in our church (who was one of those “Come and die” types) communicated to me how shallow he thought the people of PCC were. He was impatient with people in our church family who were still in the “Come and see” stage of their spiritual journey. He disliked having sinners in the church. He had very little tolerance for new believers who were still transitioning their way into the faith life. He was opinionated of those who were still carrying baggage from their former life. He distanced himself from anyone who did not share his views. Because of his jaundiced eyesight he was unable to see the accomplishments that 'were' occurring all over the place within our church and, consequently, he type-cast the entire church as being “shallow.” He focused on the shortcomings of a few people and, in a broad stroke of the brush, concluded that PCC was a broken church that needed to be 'fixed.' He became fixated on all that 'didn't measure up' and could not see the move of God that was taking place among this flock. He did not have a true shepherds heart. The process of how to develop a 'flock of sheep' towards spiritual maturity had evaded him. I had seen signs of impatience in him before, but this one event made me finally realize that HE AIN’T FLOWIN’ WHERE WE’RE GOIN’. Too bad for him. I wished he had simply demonstrated a little more maturity ‘himself’ (by being patient with others who were behind him in their development). It takes loving, patient shepherds to pull a group of people along.

What happens in a lot of churches is they tend to be one or the other. Either they are a “Come and see” church or a “Come and die” church. The “Come and see” churches do a good job of bringing people in the front door, but don’t do a good job of leading them towards deeper levels of maturity. The “Come and die” churches don’t reach anybody for Christ so they just keep taking their frozen chosen deeper, and deeper, and deeper, and deeper.

What PCC does is try to cover the whole spectrum of “Come and see” to “Come and die.” At any given time we have people in our church family who are not-yet believers (sinners), brand new believers, growing believers, and mature believers. So we offer weekend services, seminars for membership and maturity, small groups for fellowship & Bible study, Bible electives & classes, and opportunities to serve. We have cells, classes, covenants, commitments, and coaching.

This is not just one-on-one. It’s not just one small group to another small group. It’s not just about the big crowd on Sunday morning either. It’s about ALL of those things. It’s a combination of all these opportunities. We take into account that different people are at different stages in their spiritual development and that people learn in different ways.

Most churches have not built these kinds of LEVELS OF LEARNING into their discipleship development. On the other hand, when you carry out the Great Commission properly, it results in growing churches as well as growing disciples.

Study and Spiritual Pride

There are dangers associated with study. For preachers and seminary types it can become an end in itself. John Owen, a Puritan theologian, admitted with a sense of shame in later life that one of the reasons he studied so hard as a young man was an ambition he had to rise to power and distinction in the Church. David Brainerd, an early missionary to the North American Indians, found that study could feed his pride. He admitted that he was “stocking up knowledge to nourish self-sufficiency.”

Ministers must study. Disciples must study. But we must understand that the energies of Satan are always directed at making a good thing a bad thing, and he applies that to study just as anything else.

One of the biggest traps that Satan sets for those who aspire to be deep learners is to get them to focus on other people’s shortcomings while believing they themselves have arrived. There is a certain smugness that oozes from them and is easily detectable in their teachings.

Yes, we must study the scriptures, but not academically. Learning is not an end in itself. The goal is to become actual “doers” of the Word by living the Chrisitan life on a daily basis.

The Holy Spirit Helps Us Grow

We receive the Holy Spirit when we believe, not when we obey the law. People still feel insecure in their faith because faith alone seems too easy, so they try to get closer to God by keeping special rules. While certain disciplines (such as Bible study, prayer, and serving) help us grow, they must not take the place of the Holy Spirit or become an end in themselves.

The Holy Spirit gives the Christian power to live for God. Just as we begin our Christian walk in the Spirit we must continue in the Spirit. We grow spiritually because of God’s Spirit within us, not by following special rules.

The tedium of everyday living leads some people to believe that something is wrong with their spiritual development. Yet, one of the Holy Spirit’s greatest works is teaching us to persist, to keep doing right even when it no longer seems interesting or exciting.

A Rising Tide Raises All the Boats in the Harbor

If you want to raise the level of commitment in a church, it is best to always begin with the leaders and strongest Christians, not the least committed. Here’s why. If you begin with the least committed, it puts the bar too low for everyone else. On the other hand, if you raise the bar for the people who are already committed, it PULLS EVERYONE ELSE ALONG just a little higher. A rising tide raises all the boats in the harbor.

People become like their leaders. Whatever the leaders are, the people become. Hosea said, “Like people, like priest” (Hosea 4:9). Jesus said, “everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40 NIV).

When PCC first began twelve years ago we had only five or six mature believers. Yet we also had a congregation full of casual attenders, not-yet believers, and brand new believers. So the only requirement for serving (almost anywhere) was to simply show up - we plugged warm bodies in where they were needed. Over the years have gradually raised the standard and tightened the requirements for those who serve in the ministries and leadership of the PCC family. This has produced a mature church which has grown progressively healthier over the years. (That's how you plant a church and gradually mature it over time).

We are now at such a place again. Not only are we raising the bar for leadership, but are also expanding the positions to be affected.

Our levels of commitment follow very closely in line with the description laid out in I Timothy 3 and Titus 2 which require church leaders to be above reproach, including requirements of character and integrity… sexual purity… not given to excess… self-discipline… hospitality… not addicted to alcohol… not given to outbursts of anger… not greedy… maintains moral purity… and is discreet & trustworthy.

Additionally we are including a Statement of Lifestyle Standards which are unique to PCC and will include eligibility requirements such as successful completion of Seminars 101 & 201… must be tithing members (of record) at PCC… not involved in cohabitation living arrangements… demonstration of emotional health as evidenced by a minimum of 12 months of recovery from life-controlling issues… and loyalty to the vision, goals, and core values of PCC.

These documents are now printed and available on the information table in the atrium.

The issue of spiritual leadership in the church is very important. High standards are called for when considering any person for leadership positions. The scriptures clearly bear this out. Given the critical role that leaders have, it is essential that we raise the bar and expect more from them.

The health of a church is directly related to the quality of its leadership. That is why the Bible has very strict standards for those who serve as leaders, especially its senior leaders. The paramount issue is ones CHARACTER. A man or woman is qualified because of what he IS, not because of the duties they perform.

"Deep" Disciples

Have you ever noticed how different people have their own ideas of what a disciple is? When most people talk about “making disciples” what they really mean is you should be more like them and what their definition of a disciple is.

In truth, discipleship takes on many forms and expresses itself in many different ways. God never intends for us to produce cookie-cutter Christians who all parrot religious phrases (as a sign of discipleship) but rather to “flesh out” our walk with Christ according to our unique situations.

Let me give you a few examples of what a “deep” disciple looks like at PCC:

• DEEP is the single mother who holds a full-time job, raises her children by herself, and yet finds time to serve here at PCC every weekend
  
  
• DEEP is the man who works the graveyard shift on Saturday night and then comes to church on Sunday morning to worship and to serve without having slept a wink all night long
  
  
• DEEP is the lady who took an interest in a elementary aged girl and started bringing her to this church, and continued to do so for many years, mentoring her along the way, investing a number of years into her life. Now that very same little girl is a young woman, a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, has become an emerging leader, and serves in the ministry of this church. THAT’S DEEP!!!!
  
  
• DEEP is the teenager who refused to give up on her friend, kept inviting her to church, gave her a Bible, was available to answer questions, and as a result her friend received Christ
  
  
• DEEP are the parents who are watching their teenage child stray from the path, yet they continue to hope and remain faithful to God
  
  
• DEEP is the brand new widow, in her 30s, who “encourages herself in the Lord” and remains faithful to God, her church, and place of service
  
  
• DEEP is family whose bedridden son & brother is dying with cancer, yet they provide sacrificial care for him every day until the end comes
  
  
• DEEP is the family who brings their physically challenged child to church each week rather than staying home, which would be easier
  
  
• DEEP is staying planted in the church where God has placed you and working your way through the tough stuff with other people instead of changing churches every 18 months
  
  
• DEEP is the family that is willing to adopt two small children to rescue them from an uncertain future, at great personal sacrifice

• DEEP are our small group leaders who sacrificially serve, teach and shepherd their groups

• DEEP is obeying the Greatest Commandment, loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40)
  
  
• DEEP is not just what you believe; it’s how you behave
  
  
• DEEP is DRAPING A TOWEL OVER YOUR ARM and doing stuff

There are hundreds and hundreds of stories like this at PCC. I could go on and on. One thing I am fully convinced of – this church is full of some of the most committed disciples I have ever seen. Are they all bookworms? No. But they ARE fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ and their commitment is expressed in a myriad of ways.

How Jesus Made Disciples

We measure spiritual maturity a lot of different ways today. Sometimes it is measured by church attendance. Sometimes it is measured by how much Bible knowledge one possesses. But the real evidence of a disciple (and spiritual maturity) is FRUIT.

When people today talk about discipleship they often have a particular slant on how that is best achieved. You will hear certain buzzwords – postmodern, emergent, missional, attractional, seeker, charismatic, reformed, etc – that reveals their frame of reference; with each one believing their way is the best (or only) way.

Buzzwords aside, how did JESUS make disciples?

1. He led them to salvation. Discipleship begins with evangelism and reaching the lost. Obviously we want to disciple people who are already Christians too, but remember, Jesus started with pagans and the outcasts of society. Some people seem to forget that spiritual BIRTH always precedes spiritual GROWTH.

2. He taught them the Word of God. There is no spiritual growth that does not have as its foundation the Holy Scripture. Nothing can substitute for it. You simply cannot be a healthy believer apart from a regular diet of milk and meat from Scripture. The reasons for this are obvious. In the Bible God tells us about Himself and His Son…. God unfolds His law to show us that we have all broken it…. There we lean that Jesus died a willing sacrifice for our sins…. We learn the will of God…. and there we learn how to please God. None of this information can be found anywhere else in the world except in the Bible. Therefore, if you want to know God, we must know the Word of God.

3. He taught them to give and serve. The goal of discipleship is produce people who do stuff. Maturity is never an end in itself. In fact, you can’t be mature until you are actually ministering to others in some kind of capacity. Jesus said of Himself, “I did not come to be served. I came to serve and to give My life a ransom for many.”

4. He expected reproduction & multiplication (fruitfulness). The parable of the talents teaches us that God expects multiplication. On one occasion Jesus actually cursed an unfruitful tree to make the point that He looks for fruitfulness.

5. He focused on character more than content. Jesus did not simply expand knowledge. He focused on character development. Spiritual maturity is demonstrated more by our behavior than our beliefs; by our character & conduct more than our content. The New Testament repeated shows us that our actions and attitudes reveal more about our spiritual maturity than our creeds or belief systems do. Learning Latin and speaking certain buzzwords doesn’t even register on Jesus’ radar screen when it comes to discipleship. It might make you sound deep, but it doesn’t count. It’s not enough to fill up people’s minds with information, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we forget that the BEST MODEL we have for MINISTRY is JESUS CHRIST Himself. Instead, we look to our favorite preachers, the church fathers, or man-made systems of theology to give us an edge… Yet, no one in history of the world discipled people more effectively than Jesus did.

Where Does Discipleship Begin?

23And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled (Luke 14:23)

I'm all in favor of discipleship. It is the mandate of the church. I believe that Christians should make progress and grow up in their spiritual journey. I’m for theological discussions, Biblical exegesis, Solo Scriptura, and all kinds of other big words. And my KJV can beat up your ESV slim line Bible too.

But somewhere along the way we have FORGOTTEN that the process of making disciples BEGINS with SOMEONE who is NOT a disciple – you know, lost people. There are too many churches that are only interested in making disciples out of those who are ALREADY disciples.

The verse above reminds us to look for society’s downtrodden as candidates for the gospel. Here we are told to go out into the community and compel people to come for the purpose that God’s house might be full. Yes, the process of discipleship begins with those who are not disciples - the lost.

We are not very good at evangelism (or even something as simple as inviting sinners to church) preferring instead to sit around in holy huddles engaged in discussions about MISSIONAL CHURCHES verses ATTRACTIONAL CHURCHES while the lost & crippled sit at our doorstep. Please don’t make excuses as to why sinners don’t come. We are supposed to go get them. Our excuses will not matter in eternity.

God not only expects faithfulness from His people, but He also expects fruitfulness.