This blog is about encouraging, empowering and equipping Ordinary Christians live an intentionally missional life that shine the Light of Christ brightly back into this dark world. We will provide training on on developing the basic skills necessary for living a life of a missionary; Biblical insights that will empower Ordinary Christians to share their faith; and inspirational stories of other Ordinary Christians who are living a life on mission with Christ.
Showing posts with label christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christianity. Show all posts
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Thursday, September 18, 2014
DOES THE THOUGHT OF TALKING TO PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS MAKE YOU NERVOUS?
If you answered "yes" to that question then you are not alone! Many Christians all over feel the exact same way. However, I got some good news for you! I too once felt that way. Watch this video and see what you think.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
WHO ARE THE FIRST PEOPLE YOU SHOULD SHARE JESUS WITH?
Take a few moment and watch this video and receive the training you need!
To help encourage you on a weekly basis to share Jesus and shine His Light in the dark world I invite to subscribe for a FREE WEEKLY MISSIONAL DEVOTIONAL. Get yours now at:
Friday, October 11, 2013
FREE BOOK - THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE - FREE BOOK
Today and tomorrow, October 11th & 12th 2013, you can receive a FREE copy of
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE:
A Journey Into Missional Living
That's Right!
This book is available for FREE on Kindle Books!
(Only on October 11th & 12, 2013)
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE: A Journey Into Missional Living will empower, encourages and equips the reader to live an intentional missional life where the Light of Christ shines brightly through them and into their part of this dark world.
You do not need a Kindle to get the book! You can still read it for free on any computer or tablet using Amazons free software available here:
Friday, March 22, 2013
THE CURSE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN CHURCH: Bleacher Christianity
BLEACHER CHRISTIANITY!
- Great music by either an amazing band or an astounding orchestra.
- Fun, humorous and relevant messages that will capture and hold your attention.
- Warm and friendly people who will greet you and make you feel like part of the family.
- Fun filled Children's Ministry and action packed Youth Ministries
- All delivered in our brand new or recently remodeled church facility.
Now is there anything wrong with great music, well delivered sermons, friendly people, great ministries for youth and children or even nice facilities? No! In and of themselves alone there is absolutely nothing wrong with them at all. But when those things become the hook to attract people to church then you'll get what you advertise. Let me say it again. When you make those things: music, humorous sermons and nice facilities your hook for reaching people
YOU'LL GET WHAT YOU ADVERTISE!
And here is what you are advertising! You are advertising for people to check out your music, sermon or facilities. And what kind of people check out these kinds of things?
SPECTATORS!
What are spectators looking for? Yes, of course the most obvious thing that people would be looking for is what you advertised! But more specifically they are looking for what you were promising and that was entertainment. Spectators attend to be entertained. Whether it's sports event, musically event or a movie people are attending to be entertained. That's the bottom line.
Now here is something that I learned from a church planter a long time ago: Churches will keep the people they reach the same way they were able to reach them in the first place. If you promised the people who come to your church great music, great sermons, great facilities and great ministries then you will be able to retain them by providing them great music, great sermons and great facilities! Sorta! Why do I say, "Sorta"? Because it also has to continue to be the best music, the best sermon, the best facilities and the best ministries in town if people are going to continue to come! If the church stops being the biggest and best spiritual show in town and another church starts to offer better music, better facilities and better ministries then the people you reached will jump ship and go over to the newest show in town.
So what does a church do to keep up with reaching more and more people while at the same time maintaining those that they already have reached?
EVERY FEW YEARS THEY HAVE TO REINVENT THEMSELVES IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN BEING THE BIGGEST AND BADDEST SPIRITUAL SHOW IN TOWN!
That means that churches have to build more facilities or remodel the existing ones to look contemporary; they have to get newer and more sophisticated audio/visual equipment; and they have to add new ministries that promise to meet the newest needs of society. In other words the church has to find new ways to WOW their members and prospects alike.
Pastors and staff alike are working harder and harder to answer the call of their congregations crying, "Give me more, give me more, give me more." And what happens if the church stops giving them the more and the better? The people leave and go to next newest and baddest spiritual show in town. There's a Biblical word for this attitude:
CARNALITY
In other words it is worldly carnality wrapped up in a pseudo spiritual covering or it's sinful worldliness made to look spiritual. And it in no way produces what Jesus commanded the church to produce right before he ascended into heaven! His last command to the church before he left was to go make disciples. Listen to me carefully for I tell you the truth. While Bleacher Christianity will produce a crowd it will not produce people who are fully devoted followers of Christ; it will not produce people who love Jesus and God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength; it will never produce people who are ready to stop watching the game to jump into the field to play the game.
We think we're successful because we count the number of butts in the seats but the real measure of success is how many butts are back in the streets shining the Light of Christ! We think we're successful because of how many people pray a sinners prayer and even go as far as getting baptized but the real measure of success is how many of those people experience a life transformation that resembles Christ!
But we can't blame anyone but ourselves! We are the ones who have created this monster! We invited people to come check out our music, our sermons, our buildings and our ministries and we got what we advertised for! We got spectators who came to be entertained. The problem is that we advertised the wrong thing!
THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE ADVERTISED THE WRONG THINGS!
Instead of promoting our music, our sermons, our buildings and our ministries we should be been advertising Jesus.
JESUS SHOULD HAVE BEEN WHAT WE WERE ADVERTISING.
Listen to what Philip was promoting when he found Nathaniel:
"Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip." John 1:45,46 (NIV)
Yes Philip was promoting something but he wasn't promoting music, sermons, buildings or ministries. No, Philip was promoting Jesus. His invitation to Nathaniel was to "Come and See" Jesus! In other words the invitation of the early church was always to come and experience the Power, Presence, Provision and Proclamation of Jesus the Messiah! And what happened to people when they came to see Jesus? They either loved Him or hated him but those that loved him were radically transformed as they began to follow him and his way of living. Those that followed him were not spectators who were sitting on the bleachers watching a great show they were back in the world joining Christ as He went from town to town, finding the lost and saving those who were ready to be saved. Those who followed Christ became the participants in the ministry. They were the players on the grid iron bringing the Kingdom of God into this world with their pain and sweat. They were the ones receiving the beatings, the floggings, the imprisonment, and yes, even the death sentence. They are the ones who gave up all this life had to offer to follow Christ, to minister with Christ and to be obedient to Christ.
NOW THAT'S THE KIND OF CHRISTIANITY THAT
NORTH AMERICA NEEDS TO EXPERIENCE!
Let's break the curse of the North American Church! Let's stop entertaining people and start challenging people! Challenge them to follow Jesus! And we they follow let's teach them to obey all that Christ has commanded and get them back in this world to shine the Light of Christ.
Ordinary Christian it's time to get out of the bleachers and back onto the game field. You're not to be a spectator! You're intended to be a players.
Go Play - Go Shine
Go Be The Light of the World!
I personally invite you to join us at THE ORDINARY CHRISTIAN where we can empower you, encourage you and equip you to live a missional life for
Christ and shine His light back into this dark world.
Christ and shine His light back into this dark world.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Why Is Spiritual Light So Dim In North America?
As part of the Sermon On The Mount Jesus shared these words that give us an important insight into pursuing the mission Christ has given us. He said,
"You are the light of world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16
It's not hard to understand the point that Jesus is making from this imagery. The primary purpose of light is to illuminate an area and thereby dispel the darkness so that people are able to clearly see. At the very heart of our mission is for us to be those luminaries by which people can see clearly. Our lives are to be such a powerful force of light that people are able to clearly see Jesus and understand the gospel of Christ. It is God's responsibility, through the Holy Spirit, to convict people of their sin and draw people to Christ but it is the job of Christ's followers to the light that illuminates in the spiritual darkness.
But if the pollsters are correct the Christian luminaries of North America are doing a pretty horrible job. All reports indicate that the Christian faith is in decline and that the fastest growing religious group is those people who claim "NO RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION" at all. That group has more than doubled between surveys and is the third largest group overall. If present trends continue this group could easily become the largest Religious Identification Group of all throughout North America. Why? What has happened to the North American Church that has caused its light to not shine as brightly as it once did? These are the questions that haunt my mind and soul and for which I deliberately seek the scripture for answers.
I think the Apostle Peter might have an answer for us to this question. As I was reading 1 Peter 2:11,12 it became obviously clear to me that he was thinking of Jesus' words during the Sermon on the Mount about us being the light of the world. At one point Peter almost quotes Jesus. Read what it says,
"Dear Friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."
There it is, "see our good deeds and glorify God..." That's almost exactly what Jesus said about being the light of the world! Our desire and ambition should be to live good lives and perform good deeds so that we bring honor and glory to God. But it's the first part of the verse that I feel is the key to making sure our light doesn't dim or flicker out! Peter pleads with and urges Christ's followers to abstain from the sinful desires of the world. Peter is warning Christians that failure to stay pure and live holy lives will result in lost people not seeing our good deeds (our light) and,thereby, not be able to glorify God. I truly believe that there is a direct correlation between Christians not living holy lives and lost people not seeing the light that can lead them to Jesus. Therefore, it doesn't surprise me when I hear that studies reveal that the morality of Christian's of North America is statistically no different from those in North America who don't claim to be Christians. We have done exactly what Peter begs Christians not to do. As followers of Christ we have failed to abstain and in some cases wholeheartedly embraced the sinful desires of the world.
If we are going to be serious about pursuing the mission that Christ has called us to, we have to be serious about living holy lives. While we are actively pursuing lost people, while we are hanging out with them, while we are going where they are, we must always remain pure and holy. Otherwise all will be for naught. What do we need to do in order to become effective and obedient in pursuing Christ's mission? We need to start with REPENTANCE! Listen to the words of God to his people:
"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, seek after my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chron. 7:14
DON'T GET TIRED IN DOING GOOD! YOU WILL REAP A HARVEST, IF YOU DON'T GROW TIRED AND IF YOU DON'T GIVE UP. LET'S BE FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST. LET'S LIVE THE HOLY LIFE WE WERE CALLED TO!
Do You Need Encouragement In Being The Light of the World?
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