Serving others Posts

The Highest Form of Worship

08 Nov , 2010 No Comments

In Matthew 22, Jesus is asked, “What is the greatest commandment?”  He answers by quoting what’s known as the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).  “Shema” is the Hebrew word, “hear” (from the same root word that means “obey”).  The Shema starts with, “Hear Oh Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is ONE.”  Jesus brings the entire Law (613 laws) down to one.  He took the non-core down to the core, the essence, the non-negotiable.  He said: Love God comprehensively (with all you are) and love others.  We love God as we love others.  He says, “the second is like it…”.  They asked Him for one commandment and He seems to give them two.

The Hebraic approach to Scripture was this: Hearing and obeying are one in the same.  You don’t hear the Word of God and walk away from it doing nothing.  If so, you didn’t hear it.  To say you believe or agree with Scripture and not act on it, (biblically speaking) is to say you don’t believe it or agree with it.

It’s interesting to note: The Shema was first and foremost a declaration of radical monotheism.  That was the distinction of the Jews- there is one God (not many gods or no god).  It was a radical commitment to the one true God.  The first commandment in Exodus 20 states the same unprecedented truth: “You shall have no other gods before me”.   The implication is clear.  There is one God and no other.  The Incarnation didn’t change this truth or this radical devotion.  In fact, it simply shifted this comprehensive devotion to Christ Himself.  The very reason the Jews wanted Jesus crucified was that He claimed to BE this God in the flesh.  The Romans wanted Christ crucified because He claimed to be Lord of all- and not subject to Caesar or any man.  Think about it- the great declaration of the early church was not “Jesus is Savior” (though that was central to the kerygma).  The great declaration of the early church was, “Jesus is Lord”- Lord, Master, King above all kings.  It was this truth and commitment that resulted in countless martyrs in the early Church.

So, listen to the words of Jesus. “If you love me you’ll obey me” (John 14:15). “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and you do NOT do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).  To love God is obey God. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the NAME of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:23). It all comes down to this: Love God. How? Love others.  Love God=love others.  The converse is true: If you don’t love others, it’s proof- you don’t love God (1 John 4:20).

The highest form of worship is obedience.

Pastor: follower, leader, servant, debtor

02 Oct , 2010 3 Comments

I’ve been called to be a pastor.  Paul wrote, “It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…” “Pastors and teachers is actually one word in the Greek- it could be said, “shepherd/instructor”.  Clearly my first calling is not to a position or a place but to a Person.  My highest calling (like any believer) is to Jesus Himself.  My role as a pastor is love God with all my heart and to love others- more than I love myself.  My task as a pastor is to communicate God’s vision for His church and to shepherd the people as together we accomplish the mission God.

“The first task of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say, “thank you”. In between the leader is a servant and a debtor.” Max Depree

I love Max Depree’s definition of the role of a leader.  My first task is to tell the Truth- whether people want to hear it or not.  The Bible gives us His truth.  And I know that I am a servant and that I indebted to anyone who will allow me to lead. It was Andy Stanley who said, “leadership is a stewardship, it’s temporary, and you’re accountable”.  All of us are accountable before God Almighty for the vocation (“calling”) He has given us.

My primary role is to stay close to Jesus. My highest calling is to Christ Himself- to stay so close to Him, to listen to Him and obey Him in my role as pastor.  The priorities of my life will be guided by Scripture: God first, my wife second, my family, and my ministry.  I will live openly and authentically before you. I follow the apostles example in Acts 6:1-4. I will devote my life to prayer and to my personal walk with Jesus Christ. This is true for me- but it is true of you as well- as a parent, a friend, a co-worker, a classmate… if you’re not walking closely with Jesus, everyone around you becomes a victim of your unspiritual life.

I long to walk so closely with Jesus that I could join Paul who said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”  1 Corinthians 11:1 Copy me as I copy Jesus.  The pastor’s role is to point everyone to Jesus. I don’t want to waste my life- and I know you don’t want to either.  God is calling us into this great adventure that is His redemptive mission- to bring hope and healing to our world.  If a church can determine to align all things (both personally and corporately) with His mission, that church will change the world.  Let the journey begin.

A Vision of City Transformation

24 May , 2010 1 Comment

We’ve decided to “paint the town”.  At FBC McKinney we’re discovering much about how God moves to transform a city.  As God’s people we must first realize that His plan is for the whole Church to take the whole Gospel to the whole world.  We must start where we are.  Does a church exist unto itself?  An externally-focused church will bring it’s time, talents, and resources to the mission of God in the world.  A church that determines to impact it’s local community will ask a series of questions in order to the discover God’s specific mission for that unique body of believers.  How are we uniquely gifted?  What has God called us to do in our unique Jerusalem?  How should our specific resources (of people, talents, passions, experiences, etc.) be used by God in our community? How does Christ want to transform our culture through us?  How can the people of God join Him in the transformation of our city?

God is calling us to bring the Gospel into every domain of culture (education, government, recreation, media, public safety, medical, business, etc…). Recently I challenged our people to determine their primary mission field.  It is there that God is calling them to live out the “Jesus life”.  We placed four different canvases and paint around our campus, each representing different domains of culture (wherever we may find ourselves primarily).  Each person was given a brush and encouraged to paint his/her name on the canvas as a commitment to “paint the town” with God’s love.  In so doing we’ve decided to paint the kingdom- a better story for our city.  The canvases together form a giant display of our mission: Christ and His love shining brightly through each of us in our specific areas of passion and influence. We’ve learned that God has blessed us to be a blessing to others.  We desire to love God so passionately others that are blessed and to love others so passionately that God is blessed. We’re learning that when we decide to show up (incarnationally- “in the flesh”) and simply serve others, Jesus shows up.  They see Him in us.  We have experienced, what we believe, are transferable principles as we have impacted the domain of education in our city.  Through 3e McKinney we have adopted the Title 1 schools in McKinney.  We have hundreds of our people investing in others at Finch Elementary School where we have simply shown up to serve them.  We know that God loves every child (and family represented) at Finch, so we do too.  As a result we are partnering with God in what He’s already doing there.  It has been amazing.  Now we’re asking some bigger questions: How does God want us to show up and bless other people in every domain of our culture?  THAT’S how Christ transforms a city (a state, a nation, a world)- through His people who simply decide to show up and serve.  Join us in the transformation of our world by serving someone- intentionally in the name of Jesus- today.

“…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

“Go and Be” the Church

07 May , 2010 No Comments

This past weekend our church family (FBC McKinney) decided not to come to worship services but to worship through service.  We had 1,600 volunteers serve the Lord by serving our community through our “Go and Be” initiatives.

Why such an effort? Because we’ve decided to take Jesus’ words, “love your neighbor as yourself” seriously (Matthew 22:39).  He said we love God when we love others.  He said, “If you love me you will obey my commands” (John 14:21).  He said that others will know we love Him by our love for them (John 13:35).

A large church of spectator Christians tends to produce more of the same.  We have enough of those churches.  It’s important to “come and see” what God is doing “at church”.  But the Church for which Jesus died is actually on the move out in the world as His followers “go and be” the Church 24/7.  Taking one Sunday away from our gathering continues to hold high the value or serving our community as Jesus has called us to.  We have been blessed to be a blessing.

Watch this video: Go and Be video/results

The Triathlon of Manhood

01 Mar , 2010 1 Comment

I’ve learned many life lessons from triathlon and the many life parallels of being a man.  In 1 Corinthians 9:24, Paul says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” His point here is not so much about competing against others as it is about the how you run this race of life.  He says race to win. The triathlon is an image or parable of a man’s life in many ways. It’s not enough to start the race, you must finish the race strong.  (In fact, they have a term for it when you “DNF”- did not finish- too many men DNF in life).  Many men start strong but very few finish well.  Along the way you’ll suffer many setbacks, you’ll want to give up, you’ll never win every race, you’ll suffer injury along the way.  You’ll need to train hard.  You’ll need to live a disciplined life, and you will definitely need some men to come along side you and train with you.  As individual of a sport it seems to be, you cannot do it alone.

But here’s the KEY learning: The idea behind “the triathlon of manhood” is this: We must focus on three disciplines in order to finish strong.  A man must do well in all three areas of his life in order to succeed as a man.

The Triathlon of Manhood

1. His spiritual life

2. His relational life

3. His vocational life

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthian 16:13-14 The NASB says it this way: “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.  This passage has four imperative commands that tell us how to run and win this race.

Winning the Race

1.  Be on guard. Watch out! Be alert!  Many men are not aware of the schemes of the evil one.  You need know the Word of God, study it, and apply it!  Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  Listen: there are moral conditions for spiritual insight.  If you want an ever-expanding and clearer view of God, you must keep your heart pure.  Wake up! Do not give into sin.  .

2.  Stand firm in your faith. Hold tight to your convictions. Real men are unmoveable in their convictions.  Guard your heart, be alert regarding what goes in to your mind, what you see.

3.  Be the man. Be courageous.  The one defining mark of a real man is courage. Real men humbly listen to the audience of One.

4.  Don’t stop loving. Everything you do must be done in love.  We struggle in our culture to combine the rough, adventurous, masculine, barbarian spirit of men with a loving, kind, and tender heart (that’s a tough thing) but it is a potent combination in the hands of God.

The ultimate ironman: Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ultimate man and He has finished the race for us.  He becomes, at the same time, our goal and the means (the power) to finish the race strong.  Men, commit to the triathlon of life and you will finish strong!