My dream for the church

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Let me share a glimpse of what I see when I think about the days ahead for our church.

  • I see a church that has an undeniable impact on her city.
  • I see a church that has baptisms every week because people are coming to faith all the time.
  • I see a church that is raising up the next generation to be world shapers and world changers.
  • I see a church that is filled with zealous followers of Jesus, running wholeheartedly after him, worshipping him with passion and authenticity!
  • I see a church where prayer is a ministry and a lifestyle.
  • I see a church where families are restored, relationships mended all because of people fully surrendering to Jesus!
  • I see a church with multiple generations growing together, united through Christ.
  • I see a church filled with people growing in their relationship with God, discipling others as they grow.
  • I see leaders raised up and developed for ministry.
  • I see resources leveraged for God’s Kingdom.

To accomplish a God-sized vision, it will involve stepping out in faith and risk as we attempt something that we cannot do in our own abilities. That is when God gets the glory.

As in everything that is worth pursuing, a God-sized vision provokes the enemy to attack before the vision can become reality. This drives people to their knees, asking God to help them fulfill the vision that is so grand in scope they must have His help.

I am begging God to allow me to be part of a movement like that. To see God do something that would amaze us all.

Be Strong and Courageous

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God told Joshua over and over to be strong and courageous. He reminded him that He would be with him just as He was with Moses.

We see that by believing the promises of God, by applying the principles of God’s Word, and by counting on the presence of God, Joshua courageously moved ahead with God’s task.

In Joshua 2, we meet Rahab. Rahab was a prostitute who found faith in the God of Israel and it changed her life forever. One of the main takeaways from this chapter is that our faith should drive our lives. It should impact our choices, desires, plans, and every aspect of our lives. We should live every moment in light of our relationship with Jesus. We don’t live in regret from our past because God has forgiven us. We don’t live discouraged about the present because God has saved and empowered us. We don’t live fearful about the future because God has promised us a future with Him. Rahab reminds us that our past sins do NOT have to define us! We STILL have an opportunity to RISE UP and impact the destinies of those we love. Refuse to accept the devil’s lie that ‘It’s too late!” If God can make a hero of a harlot, surely, He can use us.

In Joshua 3 we see God’s people cross over the Jordan River into the Promised Land! After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, they are on the precipice of crossing over. The problem was that the Jordan was at flood stage. Instead of 100 ft across and 10 ft deep as it is during normal times, it was a half-mile wide, way deeper, and raging fast because it was at flood stage.

The Jordan may have seemed to the people to be an insurmountable problem, but the Lord was equal to the occasion.

The challenge for you and me is to know that before there is a breakthrough, comes the battle.

There is practice before perfection. There is preparation before completion.

There could be no Testimony without the Test.

There could be no Victory without a Battle.

There could be no Resurrection without the Crucifixion.

When we are in the middle of a struggle, it is our faith that keeps us going when we don’t feel like we can do it. That is living faith! We can, just like Joshua, be strong and courageous because as believers, God is with us!

An Attitude of Gratitude

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How often do you hear people express sincere gratitude? Try an experiment. Keep track of the number of complaints you hear each day and compare that with the number of times you hear people express sincere words of gratitude.

Are we really grateful? Or are we more apt to complain than to give God thanks?
“Gratitude” is from the same root word as the word “grace.” A person who has begun to accept how gracious God is to us becomes a grateful person. Paul says to the believers in Thessalonica, Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

If we live lives that are consistently joyful; if we are striving to live in an attitude of prayer, it will lead us to thankfulness in all circumstances. The psalmist caught this spirit in Psalm 97:1 when he reminds us that whatever is going on, the Lord reigns and the Earth should be glad. As long as God rules, I can be joyful. God is over all things. He’s not responsible for all things that happen, but he’s promised to work through all things and bring good to those who trust him. It’s not unusual for God to use the very worst developments to bring about the best end. Romans 8:28 says: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

A ship was wrecked, and the only survivor washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He was exhausted. He cried out to God to save him. Every day he scanned the horizon, searching for help. Finally, he managed to build a rough hut and put his few articles in that hut. One day, coming home from hunting for food, he was stung with grief to see his little hut in flames and a cloud of smoke. The worst had happened. But early the next day, a ship drew in and rescued him.
He asked the crew, “How did you know I was here?” They replied, “We saw your smoke signal.”
Maybe the difficulty you are experiencing now is a smoke signal that will lead to a greater blessing.

Here is a list that I found that I believe I will help us gain and maintain an attitude of gratitude in our lives.

Take note
This means to live with awareness. As Americans, we are so often tempted to see nothing but our own reality. Take note. Become aware. Open your eyes to the world around you. It will shock you, but it will also cause you to be grateful.

Take inventory
. . . of your blessings. The classic hymn, Count your Many Blessings, says, “When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, when you are discouraged thinking all is lost, count your many blessings name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
Many of us have a tendency to focus on what’s wrong, which gives us a distorted picture of life. If we focus on the wrong things we will never see the good things. Take inventory of the blessings and stop focusing on the things that are or could go wrong.

Take action
Turn your attitude of gratitude into an action of appreciation. Do something good for someone else. God has given you plenty, so share it. God didn’t give it to you to solely for your own benefit. He placed it in your hands to see what kind of servant you will be. He gave you all you have so you can be His person, His ambassador, so you can do with it the same thing He would do.

Nothing is Impossible

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God is God of the impossible.

People can’t walk on water…but in God’s power, Peter did.
People can’t come back from the dead….but when Jesus called him Lazarus came back. People can’t instantly be healed from terminal diseases…but Jesus healed many.
Animals can’t talk…but a donkey once spoke from God.
A virgin woman can’t get pregnant…but Jesus was born of a virgin.
Thousands of people were hungry and Jesus fed them….with five loaves of bread and two fish.

The earth’s movements are fixed in orbit to cause daily sunrise and sunset…until that one day Joshua prayed that everything would hold still and keep daylight going until they defeated their enemies.

George was a man of uncommon prayer.

He and his wife set out to establish an orphan home to care for the homeless children of England. The first home was dedicated in a rented building on April 21, 1836. Within a matter of days, 43 orphans were being cared for.

Here are some of the guidelines they set up for their orphanage:

1- No funds would ever be solicited.

2- No debts were ever to be incurred.
3- The success of the orphanage would be measured not by the numbers served or by the amount of money taken in, but by God’s blessing on the work, which Mueller expected to be in direct proportion to the time spent in prayer.

When the first building was constructed, Mueller and his friends remained true to their convictions. The public was amazed when a second building was opened six months after the first. They kept concentrating on prayer and eventually there were five new buildings, 110 workers, and 2,050 orphans being cared for.

George Mueller not only counted on God to provide, but he believed that God would provide abundantly. For over 60 years Mueller recorded every specific prayer request and the results. Mueller was responsible for the care of 9,500 orphans during his life. These children never went without a meal. Muller never asked for help from anyone but God. $7,500,000 came to him over the course of his life and it was all in answer to believing prayer. Remember, this was in the 1800s. That would amount to more than an estimated $200,000,000 today….no grants, no fundraisers, just prayer!

Joshua was a remarkable man. He grew up to experience firsthand his nation Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. He saw the miracles of God and trusted Him. He was a man of faith in God that we see over and over in Joshua’s life.

In Joshua 10 – we see this event.

He led his entire army on an all-night march towards the enemy’s camp, under the cover of darkness so that they could launch a pre-dawn surprise attack.

So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon. “Do not be afraid of them,” the Lord said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal and took the Amorite armies by surprise. The Lord threw them into a panic, and the Israelites slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon. Then the Israelites chased the enemy along the road to Beth-horon, killing them all along the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As the Amorites retreated down the road from Beth- horon, the Lord destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword.

As the sun set toward the horizon, Joshua knew that his time was up. Once it got dark, the enemies would slip away. So he uttered into this incredible prayer:

On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day! Joshua 10:7-14

Joshua has the audacity to ask God to do something, not just miraculous, but unbelievable and unprecedented. The fact that he could even thought of that was remarkable. Faith knows no limits, because with God, nothing is impossible. Joshua believed in a BIG God.

Could it be that we are not seeing as much of God’s greatness because we have been making timid prayers? I know that I don’t want to be the one to put limits on what God wants to do because I am too afraid to ask for it. I am not talking about asking for God to send you a million dollars. The key is that what we ask for will bring honor and glory to God alone. Not to a church, or a pastor; not for selfish motives, but to get on the same page that God is and let Him show His power!

Be Astounded

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What do you do when you are struggling with what you see in the world around us? There are places in scripture where God’s people deal with very similar questions and issues that we are facing today. One of those places is in the Old Testament book of Habakkuk.

Habakkuk’s Complaint

How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. Habakkuk 1:1-4

He looked out across the world of that day and saw violence, injustice, strife and contention. The law was not enforced; there was no legal protection for innocent people who were sentenced as guilty. The courts were manipulated by selfish lawyers and cruel officials. The whole nation was suffering because of the evils of the government. Yet God seemed to be doing nothing about it. Along with these internal problems was the threat of the Babylonian empire as it swept across the political landscape.

Habakkuk worried God didn’t listen to him when he cried out for help. Habakkuk said that God wouldn’t save him from all that was going on. He complained that God was apathetic and inactive even as injustice and violence was ruining Judah.

God’s response to Habakkuk.

Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. Habakkuk 1:5

The very first word we read from God is, “Look.” Look more closely Habakkuk. You may think that I am not at work. You may think that I have backed away and watched as all of this has come about. You may think that I don’t hear, but I am getting ready to do something that you will not believe!

The Hebrew word for “look” means, “to see, look at intensely, inspect, perceive, or consider.”

Instead of giving up on God, Habakkuk went to his watchtower to pray, meditate, and wait on the Lord. He knew that God heard his complaint and that He would send an answer soon.

God did answer. “I have a plan and a schedule,” God said. “It will all work out in due time, so don’t become impatient.”

Habakkuk prays

“I see that You are working in this world,” says the prophet, referring to 1:5. “Now continue that work—keep it alive and finish it.” Habakkuk is simply asking the Lord to keep on working. He knows that there will be wrath and judgment, but he prays that God will remember mercy too.

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2

Habakkuk knew that God had worked in the past, and therefore he could trust Him to work in the present and future. How much more should this mean to us. We have the entire Bible to study, and Habakkuk did not have this. We have the record of life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, as well as the promise of His coming again. If any people ought to walk by faith and rejoice in the Lord, it is the Christian church today. Yet too often we doubt, complain, run ahead of God, and even criticize what God is doing.

Habakkuk praises

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:17-19

These verses represent one of the greatest confessions of faith found in the Bible. “Though everything around me fail—the fields, the vineyards, the flocks, the herds—yet will I rejoice in the Lord.” Habakkuk knew that he had no strength of his own, but that God could give him the strength he would need to go through the trials that lay ahead.

Habakkuk shows us how to deal with life’s problems:

  • Admit them honestly
  • Talk to God about them
  • Wait quietly before God in prayer and meditation on the Word
  • When He speaks, listen and obey

When Revival Comes

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I am one of those people that has been praying for God to revive His church and allow us to see another great movement of God across our nation. This was stirred in me as a college student when I began to pray for this very thing. I believe with all of my heart that God answered my prayer and said that I would get to experience a moving of His Spirit that truly changes things. In the twenty-four years since then, I have seen moments and glimpses of God’s presence and power showing up in amazing ways, but I am still praying for God to allow me to be part of a His doing a mighty work among us.

How will I know when that comes? We have seen things in 2023 that make me pray even more for us to get out of the way and get on board with what God wants to do.

There are some characteristics that are hallmarks of the moving of the Holy Spirit.

A true move of the Holy Spirit won’t glorify anyone or anything besides Jesus. It will always point people toward Jesus alone. It won’t be about a church, a pastor or a denomination.

True movements of the Holy Spirit are marked by deep conviction of sin that leads to confession and repentance. When the Holy Spirit moves, God’s people are called to higher levels of consecration and holiness. Secret sin, unforgiveness, worldly mindsets – all of that is challenged in the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

When you truly encounter Jesus, you want others to encounter Him too. True revivals always empower waves of evangelism. In this way, a move of the Holy Spirit plants the seeds for more moves of the Holy Spirit. 

Be a Peacemaker

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Matthew 5:9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

What do we mean by peace? How do we see it as God sees it? Some people think that peace is the absence of conflict, that peace is the absence of strife. Well, there’s no strife and there’s no conflict in a cemetery, but we can hardly use a cemetery as a model of peace. No, peace as God sees it is far more than the absence of something, it is the presence of something.

Peace is not just stopping the war; peace is creating the righteousness that brings the two parties together in love. Peace is never sought at the expense of righteousness. In other words, if two people are fighting, it’s because there’s sin. Eliminate the sin, the fight’s over. If two people are fighting, you just separate the people, that does nothing. If something’s between you and God and you’re at war with God, what must happen is the removal of what has come between you, which is sin, and God and man can come together.

Peace must be made. Peace never happens by chance. That is why Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. He came to reconcile God and man. He came to remove the barrier of sin by paying the price for us so that we can have peace with God.

Only after we have peace with God can we become a true peacemaker. This Sunday we are going to look at what Jesus means by calling Christians to be peacemakers and how we do it. This is going to be one of the most powerful truths of this whole series because our world doesn’t have peace. It is not capable of having peace because of sin. When God’s people become true peacemakers, it will change the world. You don’t want to miss this one!

Plug in to the Power

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This past Sunday, I shared some of the benefits of a strong personal prayer life.

The early Christians “devoted themselves . . . to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Throughout the Book of Acts, prayer is emphasized again and again as being a key to their personal lives, to their ministry to others, and to their survival in persecution.

Prayer! Why? Because prayer is the heart and soul of EVERY successful relationship with God! In fact, prayer is absolutely crucial to every single area of a believer’s life!

Prayer, for the believer, is NOT a religious duty. It’s part of our fellowship with a personal God – our Heavenly Father. The more time we spend with God in prayer, the closer our relationship will become.

I want to make a statement that is true 100% of the time without fail! Are you ready?

No one’s relationship with Christ will ever rise above the level of his or her prayer life.

In the first two chapters of Acts, the disciples were doing nothing but waiting on God. As they were just sitting there- worshiping, talking with God, letting God shape them, the church was born. The Holy Spirit was poured out.

In Acts 4, when the apostles were unjustly arrested, imprisoned, and threatened, they didn’t call for a protest or reach for some political leverage. Instead, they headed to a prayer meeting. Soon the place was shaking with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 4.21-31- the apostles’ instinct was: when in trouble, pray. When intimidated, pray. When challenged, pray. When persecuted, pray.

The Bible gives us some examples of how Jesus spent time praying.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16

His disciples watched Him, and they said, “Lord, teach us how to pray.” They never said, “Teach us how to do miracles, or to teach, or to love people.” The one thing about His life that was so fascinating that they wanted to imitate Him was His prayer life.

Richard Foster wrote, “To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to Christ.”

I want our church to become a church of prayer warriors. That will be the catalyst for everything else that God wants to do in and through us.

  • “The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.”  Andrew Murray
  • God shapes the world by prayer. The more prayer there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces of against evil …” E.M. Bounds
  • You can do more than pray after you have prayed; but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed.”  A.J. Gordon

Jesus had this desire for His people.

…for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. Isaiah 56:7

Mark 11:17- Jesus is quoting Isaiah – “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Are you ready church? Are you ready to pray like we’ve never prayed before? Pray for God’s plan to unfold in and through our lives and the life of our church. Pray for courage and boldness to share God’s truth with a lost and dying world. Pray for the name of Jesus to be magnified in our daily lives. That is how we can change our city for the sake of the Gospel.