A Common Theme

Last Sunday was week #21 of our study through the book of Revelation called The Reckoning. Almost every Sunday since February 19, we’ve been in the book of Revelation, and we’re loving it! There are many great things about expositional, verse-by-verse teaching, but one of my favorites is the variety of topics I end up teaching on. Expositional teaching forces me to teach things that I might naturally want to skip over.

Case in point: a message I called “Under the Knife” from Joshua 5, where Joshua circumcised a bunch of guys on a hill that became known as “the hill of the foreskins.” Yeah. You read that right. Imagine showing up to a church for the first time and repeatedly hearing about foreskins and circumcision!

Last Sunday, I taught on the Antichrist and his Satanic worldwide domination at the end of the world. Not exactly an easy text, or one that’s filled with tons of uplifting, encouraging verses.

Before we started Revelation, I spent 2 weeks doing an overview of the entire Bible – a series I called “The Book.” It was so fun and a great review for everyone before we dove into the final book of the Bible. Week 1 was on the Old Testament, and week 2 was on the New Testament.

One thing that all 3 of those messages had in common (among a few things) was that God used all of them to bring people to repentance and make public professions of faith!

Only God could use a review of 39 Old Testament books, a message about foreskins and circumcision, and a message about Satanic world domination through the Antichrist to bring new life in Jesus! Of course those are just 3 of many messages that God has used that way at Awaken, but those are a few of the most memorable ones.

Here’s the point: I make a concerted effort, every time we gather, to always take it back to the common theme of Scripture (and Awaken Church): the cross of Jesus Christ. Like Paul said…

1 Corinthians 2:2 - For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

When Paul left a city, church, or group of people, he wasn’t content with knowing that they thought he was a good speaker or that he had persuaded them into a new line of thinking. He had a special gift and made a conscious effort to take every conversation, topic, and witnessing opportunity back to the common theme of the cross. He lived for that. He would do anything necessary and make any sacrifice he needed to when it came to the Gospel. He wasn’t about winning arguments or debates; he was all about winning souls.

That’s what I want my ministry and life to be focused on as well. Whether I’m teaching about circumcision, Satanic domination, the Old Testament, or any other topic, when people come to Awaken, I want them to know this: they WILL hear about their need to be saved and Jesus’ ability and desire to save them. In other words, they WILL hear the Gospel. I refuse to waste an opportunity.

As Christians, we carry the name “Christ” within the title of our beliefs. Our lives should also be lived with a common theme in mind: pointing people to the cross!

Bible In 90 Days 55: 2 TIMOTHY

Today is day 87 in our journey through the Bible in 90 days.

2 Timothy is not only Paul’s final “prison epistle,” but it is also valuable because it contains the last words of Paul to his “son” in the faith, Timothy. His advice is pure gold: endure persecution and affliction, preach the word, don’t tolerate false doctrine, run hard after your calling, etc. – HUGE, important topics, especially for a young preacher. 2 Timothy joins 1 Timothy and Titus in a grouping of books known as the “pastoral epistles.”

Chapter 1 seems to address an issue with confidence that Timothy must have been having – Paul tells him to stand his ground and take whatever comes his way.

Timothy was the pastor of the church in Ephesus, which was very idolatrous and hostile to the Gospel. It was not an easy task that he had! In addition to that hostility, Timothy was young. It would have been easy for older, “more experienced” men to step in and abuse Timothy. That’s a lesson I’ve had to learn as a young pastor. I got hired as a youth pastor when I was 20, so  at times I encountered older men and women who had a hard time receiving spiritual counsel from me. Regardless, like Paul told Timothy earlier, I try to set an example in faith, love, and purity.

One thing that Paul was big on was discipleship. He discipled Timothy, Silas, Barnabas, and many more, but it didn’t stop there. He encouraged them to continue the discipleship process. After all, Jesus did tell us to make disciples.

“and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” – 2 Timothy 2:2

Just as he did in his first letter to Timothy, Paul reminds him that one of his main tasks is to preach the word. He challenges him to be a man of God “rightly handling the word of truth” and to “avoid irreverent babble.”

We would all do good to stop arguing over stupid things. I love Paul’s honesty about arguing: it “ruins the hearers” (2:14), it leads “people into more and more ungodliness” (2:16), and it “will spread like gangrene” (2:17). To that, I give a hearty, “AMEN!” I get so tired of people who just want to debate and argue instead of live like a Christian and put their faith into action. Tell people about Jesus and make disciples – let’s make that our focus, not theological debates that end up dividing the church.

As Paul closes the book (as well as his career as a Biblical author), some of his most powerful words stand out…

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of Godt may be competent, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” – 2 Timothy 4:5

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:7-8

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” – 2 Timothy 4:18

And with that, Paul signs off. What a man of faith and a legacy to follow!

Bible In 90 Days 54: 1 TIMOTHY

Today is day 87 in our journey through the Bible in 90 days.

Whenever you start a new job, your employer may hand you the “employee manual.” You know what I’m talking about – it’s been photocopied 17 times and is laced with spelling errors and BBQ sauce stains. Although it’s a very dry read, it contains the information, policies, and expectations you need to be aware of so that you can perform your job correctly.

Minus the dryness, spelling errors, stains, and over all boring-ness, 1 Timothy is the first of Paul’s letters that functions as a pastor’s employee manual. It contains the information, policies, and expectations you need to be aware of so that you can perform your job as pastor or ministry worker correctly. And know this: God has high standards!

1 Timothy introduces us to a portion of Paul’s letters known as “the pastoral epistles.” 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus function as the instruction manual/training guide for pastors and church leadership. Their main subject is how to appropriately and Biblically lead the church. Of course they’re written by one of the greatest pastors and church planters who ever lived, Paul the Apostle!

1 Timothy addresses many different aspects of the ministry including prayer, taking care of widows within the church, preaching, the character traits of church leaders and pastors, and much more. It’s a very valuable book to all, but especially those within church leadership.

1 Timothy was written to Timothy, a young pastor in Ephesus – Paul’s protege. To highlight the severity and importance of his words, Paul says this…

“This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith” – 1 Timothy 1:18-19

Speaking as a pastor, I would ask you to pray for your pastor. The work of the ministry is not for the faint-hearted. Being a Christian is challenging, and being a pastor has its own set of challenges and trials. Seeing and being involved in the lives of so many hurting people can be burdensome, painful, and a big load to carry. As pastors, we have to learn to give that burden over to Jesus, the chief Shepherd. Our shoulders weren’t built to carry the weight of the ministry. However, He does expect a lot out of us. We’re on the front lines “waging the good warfare.”

If you want to be a pastor or you’d like to know what’s expected of a pastor, make sure to read Paul’s list of requirements in 1 Timothy 3:1-7.

Other ministry leaders within the church are held to a high standard as well – read 1 Timothy 3:8-13.

Prayer is a major priority for Paul (as it should be for us). He told Timothy…

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” – 1 Timothy 2:1

Paul also makes it clear that women are not eligible for the pastoral role. Before I get a bunch of hate e-mail about that, let me clarify something: that doesn’t mean they’re less important, inferior, or unusable by God. Women have a very powerful and useful role in leading other women within the church. The issue is that a woman being the spiritual leader over a man flies against the order that God has set up within Scripture.

Another one of the pastor’s main jobs is to preach the word. If you know me, you know this is a passion of mine. And I’m not talking about cute little sermonettes either. I’m talking about plunging the depths of the word of God and treating it as though it really is alive and active (as it says it is). 1 Timothy 4 reflects Paul’s heart toward preaching and desire to make sure that God’s people don’t follow after worthless doctrine and lying words. A pastor’s job is to (spiritually) feed his flock faithfully and heartily. After all…

“…by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” – 1 Timothy 4:16

Paul also makes it a point to mention to Timothy that a pastor should not feel guilty about making a living from ministry. Some are certainly guilty of taking it too far and becoming extremely rich by pressuring people to give more money. Paul is obviously not encouraging that. However, as he says…

“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” – 1 Timothy 5:17

 

The (Crazy) Weekend

If I seem to have dropped off the social map for a few days, there’s a reason for it. Jenn and I are in Albuquerque, NM all weekend where I’m teaching for a few days. However, until tonight, it was a secret that I was coming, so we’ve been flying under the radar a bit.

However, a 6’5″ guy with a faux hawk can only do so much “under the radar” work. We were spotted many times, but it’s ok.

We flew in a day early so that Jenn and I could attend the And If Our God Is For Us tour with Chris Tomlin & Louie Giglio. It was great to see my dad and it was absolutely amazing and refreshing to worship with about 2500 people! Here’s a shot of the sold out Kiva Auditorium last night…

This morning was a much-needed rest for me. While Jenn was at breakfast with some friends, I sat in a chair at our hotel for 2 hours and did nothing but pray, read, and think. It was a great break from the past 3 weeks of non-stop sermon prep.

Beginning tonight I’ll be teaching 7 times (6 unique messages) over the next 4 days.

It kicks off tonight at Renovate, Calvary Albuquerque’s college ministry that meets in an old theater in downtown Albuquerque. It’s thriving ministry with a couple hundred college-age students who meet weekly. Apart from Awaken, it’s one of my favorite places to teach – I’m really looking forward to it. I’m also excited to be joined by Esterlyn, who will be leading worship tonight!

Tomorrow morning I’ll be doing 2 chapel services at Hope Christian School – my old stomping grounds. I’ll be talking about sex & purity with all the middle school students and high school students. I’m always humbled by these opportunities and amazed that God uses me to address people about the issues that used to grip my life. I’m looking forward to that!

Friday night begins The Weekend – an in-town retreat for a few hundred mid- and high-school students at Calvary. That’s the real reason I’m in town. I’ll teach once Friday night, then Saturday morning, Saturday night, then a final session on Sunday morning. I’ll be speaking about a few people in Scripture who were forgotten and overlooked. I’m praying that we all walk away reminded that it’s not about being famous, but being faithful. Esterlyn will also be leading worship all weekend as well!

This is the 10th anniversary of The Weekend and Jenn has been a part of every single one except for last year’s. I’ve been a part of almost all of them, but I’ve always done the behind-the-scenes preparation and planning. It’s great to be on this side of it now!

I’m humbled and excited for all of these opportunities that I have! Please pray with me that God would soften hearts, open ears, and change lives this weekend!

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P.S. Awaken Church, you’ll want to MAKE SURE to be at Awaken this Sunday! One of my favorite teachers and a good friend of mine, Chip Lusko, will be bringing the Word! You’re sure to be blessed. Don’t miss it.

preaching what I’ve been praying

I’ve read through the Bible a few times, so I know that I’ve read every verse in there. No matter how many times I’ve read it though, there are verses that occasionally jump out at me when I read them again. They’re verses that I know I’ve read before, but that, for some reason, I can’t remember reading.

Maybe it’s because I just wasn’t paying attention the first time.

Maybe it’s because I’m in a different stage of life now, and it speaks to me in a new way.

I ran across one of those verses about a week and a half ago in my journey through the Book of Isaiah (and ultimately, the Bible). It jumped out at me and I couldn’t read much more. I covered the rest of the chapter and started the next, but I had to keep looking back.

Since communicating is what I do, I automatically began thinking of how I’d communicate the message that God was laying on my heart. I didn’t know when or where the right time would be. There’s no way I could tweet it and leave it at 140 characters – that doesn’t even begin to do it justice. I could blog it, but I didn’t think that was the right outlet either. I shared the verse with my wife and another friend/church planter, but I didn’t know what else to do.

At the same time, I was wrestling in my mind with what I want to teach (or as we call it in the South, “preach”) on this upcoming Sunday as we prepare to celebrate Awaken’s first birthday. I went through a bunch of my favorite verses, passages, stories, and texts. I couldn’t settle on one. All the while, I was praying this verse for me and for the church, and wondering how and when would be the best way to share it. I don’t know how I had those 2 struggles simultaneously battling in my head, but on Sunday, in the middle of worship, I realized that the solution to both problems was found in each other.

What should I preach as we look back at the last year and forward to the next? Isaiah’s words in this one powerful verse.

What would be the best way/place to share these powerful words? When we, as a church, look back on our first year and forward to the next!

I’ve been praying this verse for 10 days now and, including today, there are only 5 more days to pray it till I preach it. I believe that God has big things in store, not only for this Sunday, but for the year (and years) ahead! I can’t wait to share what God is laying on my heart – I’m overwhelmed with Him!

…to be continued

Today marked our 10th Sunday back in our post-flood Riverside building and our 10th Sunday since the switch from Saturday nights to Sunday mornings. It’s been a great 2 1/2 months and the best is yet to come…

For the last 10 Sundays, we’ve been going through a series called “The Forgotten.” We’ve looked at the lives of 10 people or groups of people who are often overlooked, under appreciated, or forgotten in Scripture. We chronologically plowed our way through history beginning with Phinehas, the sin slayer, in Numbers 25, through the anonymous saints listed at the end of Hebrews 11. It was a great journey and there was a ton to learn from many positive examples and a few negative ones.

As soon as we begin drawing near the end of a study, people begin wondering what’s next, and today I answered that question. Beginning in 2 weeks – Sunday, September 26, we’ll kick off a verse by verse study through the 5 chapters of 1 Peter – a study I’m calling …to be continued.

1 & 2 Peter were both written to a group of Christians who were under intense persecution for their faith. Nero had blamed them for the fire he had started in Rome and they were being murdered left and right for crimes they didn’t commit. Some were sewn into the skin of animals while dogs were released to rip them limb from limb. Others were rolled in pitch, then set on fire to light up Nero’s gardens at night. Despite the consequences, Peter instructs them to stand up for their faith and consequently use the persecution for good.

A theme that flows throughout the book is the hope that Peter provides by constantly reminding them that life on Earth isn’t the end. As Christians, we’re called to remain faithful despite the cost, because when we draw our last breath, life is …to be continued for eternity in heaven! What a comfort these letters must have been to the suffering Christians as Peter reminded them that the few years we have on Earth are just the appetizer for the main course that’s coming!

I’m excited to begin studying through 1 Peter and I hope you’ll be joining us on  Sundays at 10am. We’ll rock some hardcore Christian doctrine as well as some very practical advice on daily Christian living!

(by the way, if you haven’t voted for which Psalms you’d like to study in our HeartBlog series on Wednesday nights, click HERE and vote!)

Just Listen

My wife and girls are out of town for a week and a half (which feels like FOREVER and I’m only 4 days into it), so my life looks a lot different right now. I slept for 9 hours the other day. Haven’t done that in at least 4 months since Jenn and I had a night without the girls back in February. It had been too long. I eat out of a lot of Tupperware right now and the microwave and I have gotten reacquainted. I read a lot, work a lot, and really have a very boring existence. Apart from the extra time to read and a couple extra hours of sleep, being without my girls is really boring. But this blog isn’t about complaining.

One advantage of this temporary lifestyle has been a few opportunities to hang out with a guy from church. He’s invited me before to a Friday night Bible study he goes to in Franklin but I can never justify another night away from my family, so I’ve had to decline. On Friday night I finally got to go with him. I loved it. We ate good food and studied Deuteronomy 17 for an hour and a half. I never said one word during the Bible study. There were plenty of opportunities, but I loved just taking it all in. All I ever do in a group setting like that is talk and lead the discussion. I preach on Saturdays and Wednesdays, I lead a staff meeting on Thursdays, and if there’s a small group that meets, I often have a chance to lead the discussion there. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE all of those opportunities and people. However, I had forgotten how refreshing and healthy it is for me to just sit there and take it all in. Last night we took a break before prayer and my friend leaned over to me and said, “You alright? I always get a little nervous when I bring someone and they don’t say anything.” I told him I was great and that I really enjoyed not saying anything (Someone else joked that they actually needed a few more people who didn’t talk! haha!)! Today it continues. The worship leader from Hilldale Baptist, a big church here in a Clarksville, led worship for us last night, and I’m going to go to their church service today at 11. I’m stoked to sit and listen again. Tuesday is another one. I’m heading back to Brentwood for a college gathering called Kairos where about 1,200 college-age students worship and study the Bible together.

All of this really made me think about how little I actually do slow down. I always feel like I’m in such a rush to do things and get places and accomplish tasks that sitting and listening has become a thing of the past.

Well, I’m bringing it back.

Yesterday morning I poured a cup of coffee and sat on the step of our front porch for a while. I loved it. I prayed a bit, but mainly thought and thanked God for a new day and just enjoyed the peace.

Is slowing down a challenge for you? I encourage you to give it a shot. If you’re like me, it will take some extra work to slow down and listen, but it will be worth the effort. After all, one of my favorite and yet least applied verses is Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations.”

Some of you are probably pros at this. Any suggestions for us amateur listeners?

iPreach

I was super blessed this week when the other pastors at church pitched in to get me an iPad. I really wanted one, but knew I didn’t need one, then they surprised me by taking me to Best Buy and hooking me up. I got it Friday and had to hold myself back from opening it up till I had my preliminary studying done for Saturday night. It was challenging to resist, but I did it.

One reason I really wanted an iPad was to preach from it. Ink is expensive, plus I don’t have room on my pulpit for Bible and open teaching notebook without overlapping them. No big deal, but I was excited to give the iPad a shot. I was under the impression that it was going to be super challenging to figure out how to get my notes formatted for the screen and imported to my iPad. I was glad to find out that it was actually very easy. As in 5-minutes easy.

All I did was download an iPad app called GoodReader, increase the font size from 12pt to 16pt, and export as a PDF. From there, I just followed the directions from GoodReader, synced my iPad, and it was ready to rock.

Also, just for a little extra flare, I took my title slide, flipped it 90 degrees, and added a jpg of it to my notes before I exported it as a PDF. Not necessary, but I liked the extra look.

Preaching from it was flawless. I took my friend, Levi‘s advice and made sure the sounds were turned off and the screen lock was set to 15 minutes so that it didn’t shut down and lock while I was preaching. Up-sizing the font took my notes from 5 pages to 10 1/2, so that was a little different. Over all, it was great preaching from it. It was very portable, and neatly packaged.

I normally have a pen with my teaching notebook for any last-minute changes I may want to scribble in. Right before I left for church, I found another app called PadNotes that allows you to import a PDF then make extra markings on top of it – you can scribble in your own notes or even add typed text on top of the PDF. I barely got a chance to try it and don’t know how much I’ll use it, but we’ll see.

Over all, I loved it. I’m blessed to have some friends that were so generous to me and stoked to use anything I can to make Jesus famous.

Oh, and it was great to see new faces at church tonight and start a study through an incredible book, Esther.

BUSiness As Usual

This week, I call it quits as a bus driver. I didn’t even last a full school year. It’s not because I didn’t like it, it’s simply because my new employment arrangement will just work better. I’ll scale back from being quadri-vocational to tri-vocational and I’ll get more hours in at Lasaters Coffee. It will be nice.

I’ve really enjoyed bus driving and it was bittersweet to say goodbye, but it’s for the best. I’ve enjoyed seeing God use me to impact lives there and it was great seeing some of my fellow bus drivers come to church. I enjoyed being called “the Preacher” every once in a while and getting to share why I moved to Clarksville. Most of all, however, I loved the many opportunities I had to share the Gospel with people.

Another thing that was a perk of bus driving was quite a few productive study days while on the job. I spent a couple productive days studying while on stand-by in the drivers’ lounge. Most recently, I had a very productive hour and a half study sesh on a bus, on stand-by. I used the steering wheel as a desk and it worked out quite well, surprisingly.

Here are a few pros and cons to studying on a bus (if you ever find yourself in a similar position):

PROS:

- bus yards are pretty quiet

- the seat was soft and had “air ride” capabilities – I pumped that bad boy up to the perfect spot for comfortable studying

- I swung open those big doors and a cool breeze joined me

- since I had my computer with me, I had some great study jams playing in the background (Copeland, I believe)

- the steering wheel made for a nice, sturdy desk

- there’s one armrest on the left for the driver to rest their arm on while driving – it also worked great for resting my arm on while writing

CONS:

- no wifi – when there’s wifi on board a bus, I may go there instead of a coffee shop

- no way to plug in (thankfully my battery was fully charged, so I had a few hours if needed)

- I was on stand-by, so I had to keep the CB radio on to listen for my name to be called to take another route – it was a bit annoying, but not too bad

- no coffee – that’s a benefit for going to a coffee shop for sure

So, that comes out to 6 PROS and 4 CONS, which means that over all, the bus worked out to be a great place to study. Instead of driving home that day with a headache, I came home challenged and encouraged after spending a solid 90 minutes getting rocked by the chapter 4 of Philippians!

For all you bi- and tri-vocational people in ministry out there, I’d encourage you to take full advantage of every study situation you get. Always arrive prepared to study or read – you don’t want to get caught in a situation where you could have been studying, but you weren’t prepared. God honors that time that we put in to studying, so be diligent with it and PREACH THE WORD!