Epaphras is the kind of guy we need many of. He's the one who actually gets things done. Do you even know who he was? what he did? Few would get this trivia question.
All we know of him is that he was in jail with Paul. He is mentioned in only 2 of Paul's letters (Colossians and Philemon). And that he was a warrior in prayer.
"He’s been tireless in his prayers for you, praying that you’ll stand firm, mature and confident in everything God wants you to do." (Colossians 4:12, The Message)
We need more Epaphras' in our midst! In order to get things done we need more people praying like he did, tirelessly! I'm reminded by this chapter that prayer must accompany any work we do in the life of the church. And in fact it must be more than obligatory prayers, but "calloused knee" prayer, "without ceasing" prayer, confident prayer, expectant prayer.
It's how things get done. Prayer equals results.
As we look to do amazing things for God, things that have been steeped in prayer to discover and discern them, now have to be bathed in prayer much more than ever.
Want to do as Larry the Cable Guy says it, "git 'r done?"
The pray with me. Tirelessly!
Peace ><>
pc
Friday, June 16, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Just Live It!
"You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything. Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve."(Col 2:9-11, The Message)
It's a common subject, trying to figure out the Christian faith, or trying to figure out what's next for a life in Christ. I'm grateful for those who care so much and work so hard. But it's not meant to be so unreachable or feel just beyond our grasp. The life Christ has for us is simple...
...enter it.
There's not all that much to figure out, trust in Christ for life and begin living in it.
But then again, that's the foil.
I hear often that belief is enough. But it's not! Belief isn't faith until it's practiced, lived.
Waiting for a mountain top experience, a wave of understanding, the ultimate "aha" moment to begin living the Christian life is to miss the point. The life with Christ is here, it's now.
Step into it and live.
Peace ><>
pc
It's a common subject, trying to figure out the Christian faith, or trying to figure out what's next for a life in Christ. I'm grateful for those who care so much and work so hard. But it's not meant to be so unreachable or feel just beyond our grasp. The life Christ has for us is simple...
...enter it.
There's not all that much to figure out, trust in Christ for life and begin living in it.
But then again, that's the foil.
I hear often that belief is enough. But it's not! Belief isn't faith until it's practiced, lived.
Waiting for a mountain top experience, a wave of understanding, the ultimate "aha" moment to begin living the Christian life is to miss the point. The life with Christ is here, it's now.
Step into it and live.
Peace ><>
pc
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
LIfe Mission
"The mystery is that the people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (wht I've been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.
"This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message." (Ephesians 3:5-7, The Message)
If you want to understand what it is that motivates me, here it is. Paul's description of his calling is the very same for me. Insiders and outsiders as he called them are the mission. Helping people in the church and outside the church both grasp the amazing message of Christ and respond positively to it. I've often described my passion as seeing the "light" go on in someone. It's the "aha!" the "I get it!" that I live to see.
It's the same for the church. This is the real job of all Christians. Rick Warren described it as our mission, helping someone else come to know Christ.
You say you can't do that? You don't have the ability? But Paul said he didn't either, a common guy given a gift from God. He wasn't wise, or a great scholar. He was a willing participant, a tool for Christ who gave of his life to help others.
We can all do that! Aaron and Kendra are doing that now, in Rwanda. They'll admit they don't have the skills, but they do have what's necessary, faith and passion. That's enough!
To accomplish our mission we simply have to have faith and begin, God does the rest.
And when we do, God gets the glory!
Peace ><>
pc
"This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message." (Ephesians 3:5-7, The Message)
If you want to understand what it is that motivates me, here it is. Paul's description of his calling is the very same for me. Insiders and outsiders as he called them are the mission. Helping people in the church and outside the church both grasp the amazing message of Christ and respond positively to it. I've often described my passion as seeing the "light" go on in someone. It's the "aha!" the "I get it!" that I live to see.
It's the same for the church. This is the real job of all Christians. Rick Warren described it as our mission, helping someone else come to know Christ.
You say you can't do that? You don't have the ability? But Paul said he didn't either, a common guy given a gift from God. He wasn't wise, or a great scholar. He was a willing participant, a tool for Christ who gave of his life to help others.
We can all do that! Aaron and Kendra are doing that now, in Rwanda. They'll admit they don't have the skills, but they do have what's necessary, faith and passion. That's enough!
To accomplish our mission we simply have to have faith and begin, God does the rest.
And when we do, God gets the glory!
Peace ><>
pc
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
A Corpse Bride?
Okay, so I'm behind already. It's not that I'm not committed to keep writing, but it seems that the busyness of life keeps getting in the way. Today I'm writing from Tipton, Indiana where I am attending the last session of the Academy for Church Growth. It has been a 2 and a half year process of learning how to help churches grow. Many of the things we have accomplished over these past couple of years have been because of what I have learned from these sessions. I find it timely (God's Timing) that our last session happens at the same time as our Caleb Team's Final Report. God is good!
On this beautiful morning drive to Tipton today I was struck by many things. (not physically, I made it without incident.) I turned off the radio and just let the silence surround me and my thoughts. I was taken in by the beauty of the sunrise. How amazing God is to paint such a picture that in a moment is erased and the canvas is prepared for yet another masterpiece. I was struck by the busyness of the road so early in the morning, people scurrying about not paying attention to others on the road, hurrying to something. I was struck by my own thoughts and hopes and dreams, thinking about the future of our church, the possibilities of growth, the witness of new friends coming to Christ, the excitement of new faces, new families, new life.
I was also struck by the continued selfishness that keeps presenting itself in some of our own church family. It's disheartening sometimes to look forward to the vision and be stuck in tradition (and I'm not talking about the way we worship, but the habits we keep that have nothing to do with faith or ministry.). It's hard to keep looking up when there are others trying to pull you down. It's hard to push forward a church's ministry when faith seems to be on "pause."
James wrote to the church about this very thing...
"Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?...Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?" (James 2:14, 17, The Message)
He goes on to say simply that faith and action go hand in glove, one cannot do without the other. "Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse." (James 2:26, The Message)
There's a new movie out on DVD. I've not seen it yet, but plan to sometime this summer. It's called the Corpse Bride. It's an animated film where Victor is taken (alive) to the underworld to marry a corpse bride, while his "live" bride awaits him in the world of the living. It looks to be an interesting love story, but I can't help but think of the commonalities between its title and the James passage. The church with faith and no action is like the corpse bride of Christ. It does him no good.
The church is to be all about action (and by this I don't mean dinners and social events), faith in action, discipleship in action, evangelism in action. A church that isn't growing is dying. A church without action is already a corpse. A Christian without action is what Jesus called a whitewashed tomb, clean and beautiful on the outside, but death and decay on the inside.
I like action films, action novels, action figures, action sports, faith in action, a church moving and changing, and working toward God-sized goals. That's who I am as a Christian and that's how God is using me as a pastor. I'm into action, adventure. So is God. It's what the church is all about.
Jesus said, "Go, and do!"
It's time for us to go and do!
Peace ><>
pc
PS:What a marvelous time we had this past weekend with our Celebration Sunday. A nice crowd, a great celebration and a wonderful lunch was provided for us. A great day that honored not only God, but that honored those who had envisioned the ministry of COFS so long ago. Every day we honor them as we continue in ministry with the same passion they had.
On this beautiful morning drive to Tipton today I was struck by many things. (not physically, I made it without incident.) I turned off the radio and just let the silence surround me and my thoughts. I was taken in by the beauty of the sunrise. How amazing God is to paint such a picture that in a moment is erased and the canvas is prepared for yet another masterpiece. I was struck by the busyness of the road so early in the morning, people scurrying about not paying attention to others on the road, hurrying to something. I was struck by my own thoughts and hopes and dreams, thinking about the future of our church, the possibilities of growth, the witness of new friends coming to Christ, the excitement of new faces, new families, new life.
I was also struck by the continued selfishness that keeps presenting itself in some of our own church family. It's disheartening sometimes to look forward to the vision and be stuck in tradition (and I'm not talking about the way we worship, but the habits we keep that have nothing to do with faith or ministry.). It's hard to keep looking up when there are others trying to pull you down. It's hard to push forward a church's ministry when faith seems to be on "pause."
James wrote to the church about this very thing...
"Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?...Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?" (James 2:14, 17, The Message)
He goes on to say simply that faith and action go hand in glove, one cannot do without the other. "Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse." (James 2:26, The Message)
There's a new movie out on DVD. I've not seen it yet, but plan to sometime this summer. It's called the Corpse Bride. It's an animated film where Victor is taken (alive) to the underworld to marry a corpse bride, while his "live" bride awaits him in the world of the living. It looks to be an interesting love story, but I can't help but think of the commonalities between its title and the James passage. The church with faith and no action is like the corpse bride of Christ. It does him no good.
The church is to be all about action (and by this I don't mean dinners and social events), faith in action, discipleship in action, evangelism in action. A church that isn't growing is dying. A church without action is already a corpse. A Christian without action is what Jesus called a whitewashed tomb, clean and beautiful on the outside, but death and decay on the inside.
I like action films, action novels, action figures, action sports, faith in action, a church moving and changing, and working toward God-sized goals. That's who I am as a Christian and that's how God is using me as a pastor. I'm into action, adventure. So is God. It's what the church is all about.
Jesus said, "Go, and do!"
It's time for us to go and do!
Peace ><>
pc
PS:What a marvelous time we had this past weekend with our Celebration Sunday. A nice crowd, a great celebration and a wonderful lunch was provided for us. A great day that honored not only God, but that honored those who had envisioned the ministry of COFS so long ago. Every day we honor them as we continue in ministry with the same passion they had.
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