Tattoos, Cigarettes, and Sex

DO NOT EAT.

Those are the big, bold, capitalized letters on every packet of silica gel. There are no gray areas when it comes to whether or not you should consume silica gel – no excuses and no need to argue. Not everything is that clear though, even when it comes to the Bible. The Bible was written thousands of years before cigarettes, modern birth control, and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, so how do we navigate the gray areas not mentioned in Scripture?

Last Sunday at Awaken, we explored the topic of gray areas and got some pointers from Scripture on how to honor God even when it’s not in black and white. I hit as many controversial topics as I could, since we were on the subject, and we had a blast. In fact, I even got to pray with 3 people to give their lives to Jesus!

According to 2 Peter 1, God has given us “all we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His name.” So although it would be impossible for the Bible (or any book) to address every single scenario we will encounter, it does equip us with the tools to make Godly, discerning decisions.

Using what the Bible does tell us, we came up with 4 questions that we can ask when facing a “gray area”…

Can I glorify God in it?

1 Corinthians 10:31 - Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

If something we want to do defeats the purpose we were created, DON’T DO IT!

It may be lawful, but is it helpful?

1 Corinthians 10:23 - All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

As humans, we are free to do many things, but that doesn’t meant we should do all of them! If it’s not helpful or beneficial to others, we should avoid it.

Will it pollute or purify?

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

I know you think that what you watch or listen to doesn’t affect you, but it does. What goes in must come out, and Jesus said in Mark 7 that it’s not what goes in that defiles a man, but what comes out. How did it get there in the first place? You put it there!

Will it cause others to stumble?

Romans 14:13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. 

This question is golden because it helps us to prioritize. You may be free to do it, but if it’s going to hurt your witness, is it worth it?

Earlier in the week, we allowed people to anonymously ask questions through our website about “gray areas.” We got some great questions, so I chose the top 9 to answer during the services. I answered 3 per service, then we pieced them all together so everyone could see them all (video below). I answered questions about sex, birth control, drinking, smoking, tattoos, addiction, violent video games, and more. I haven’t received any hate mail yet, but I’m ready!

You can watch or listen to the whole message HERE or watch the video of just the questions below. Enjoy!

God’s Will: Stop making it so complicated.

Why have we turned “finding God’s will” into such a hot-and-cold/hide-and-seek scavenger hunt? It’s good (and Biblical) to seek God’s will, but it’s not near as complicated as so many people have made it out to be. Even the phrase “finding God’s will” implies that it’s lost and there’s a search going on to locate it.

GOOD NEWS: God’s will is not lost and it’s not complicated.

We all love formulas and and mechanics, so on Sunday at Awaken, as we covered this topic, I gave a process on how to find God’s will for your life. It’s a 5 to 6 step process called Proverbs 3:5 TO 6, and here’s how it works…

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

In the pursuit of God’s will for our lives, God has given us something so much better than formulas and codes – He’s given us a relationship!

A lot of people have gone about it all the wrong way. They treat God’s will as though it’s some distant future plan that He has for them, that will take years of frustration and secret decoding to figure out. But as long as you are in God’s Word, in prayer, and in repentance, God promises to lead and direct you. And as you are faithful with what God has told you in black and white in Scripture (1 Thess 4:3, 1 Thess 5:18, 1 Peter 2:15), He’ll be faithful to guide you.

So, bloom where you’re planted. Dig your roots in where you are and be faithful with what God has given you and you’ll find yourself living directly in the middle of God’s will for your life!

Catch up with our whole “Framework” series HERE.

Church Planting Day 7: Teams, Structure, and the Future

Today wrapped up the teaching portion of my Church Planting class – tomorrow is class presentations. Each student will spend 3 to 5 minutes presenting to the class the vision and direction for a potential future church plant. This is something that some will use in just a few months, and for others, it may be a few years away, but either way, it should be useful information.

We’ve spent the last 6 days discussing the beginning stages of church planting, so as we wrapped it up today, we talked about the future: teams, structure, and thinking ahead.

We began class with a 12-minute video from my friend, Chris Norman, who dropped some science on us. I even took some notes from his video as he discussed how people play a huge part in the development and direction of the church. He talked about the importance of working hard to move people into positions where they thrive, not just filling ministries and staff positions with warm bodies. He also reminded us of the importance of planning ahead, but being more committed to the Lord than to your schedule. At the end, he gave a very wise warning about the importance of maintaining marriage and family life. Ministry is one of the few positions that if you neglect your home life, you disqualify yourself from the very thing you’re pursuing. Great stuff from Chris!

TEAMS

As we tackled the subject of teams, I discussed some practical ways to empower, encourage, and equip people for ministry. After all, according to Ephesians 4, one of the main jobs of a leader in the church is train people for the work of the ministry. It’s a joy to help people find the area(s) in ministry that they thrive in. That may take extra work with some people, but it’s worth it!

Empowering people involves providing an opportunity to serve and giving them a voice and a hand in the ministry.

Encouraging people involves reminding them of the value of what they’re doing as part of the church. We should all keep going even when it feels like nobody notices, but our goal at Awaken is to never give people that excuse!

Equipping people is similar to empowering them, but while empowering is more personal, equipping is more practical. This involves making sure they have the right tools and training to get the job done as effectively and efficiently as possible.

STRUCTURE

In the structure part of the class, we discussed 3 Biblical examples of how necessary teams are to the growth and support of an organization.

We talked about Exodus 18, how Moses had to raise other leaders up “to bear the burden with him,” and I encouraged the class to pray for those people and be those people!

We also looked at the New Testament church in Acts 6, when they got to the point where needs were being overlooked. Peter and the disciples could have arrogantly decided that they were the leaders and no one else, or they could admit they needed help. Thankfully, they chose the latter, appointed Godly, Spirit-filled men, and the church thrived!

The final example came in 1 Chronicles 35 during the reign of King Josiah. About halfway through the chapter, it says that the singers, gatekeepers, and Levites were all “in their places” doing what they were called to do. The result? The Passover hadn’t been celebrated like that in over 400 years! When we are in our places, doing what we’re called to do, God will do unprecedented things among us!

FUTURE

The goal of the final portion of the class was to lay the groundwork for whatever lies ahead. We discussed the importance of considering the context of your church plant because even though it worked for another church, doesn’t mean it will work for you, in your context, in your city. We talked about thinking outside the box and not just doing what’s always been done “because that’s how we’ve always done it.” We also discussed the need to plan ahead and constantly cast vision to the team and church.

It’s been an amazing journey, and I’m exhausted. I’m excited to hear the presentations tomorrow, and even more, the fruit that comes from this class. I believe great things are ahead!

Church Planting Day 6: Small Groups

“We were created for community.” –It’s a phrase I say all the time at Awaken, and that’s evident throughout Scripture. After all, according to Genesis 1:26, God created us in His image, and God Himself is a community. So, it would only make sense that the most accurate way that we can reflect His image would be from within community. Today we discussed the why, when, and how of launching, structuring, and growing small groups within a church.

If you know me, I’m passionate about this subject, so it was fun to talk about. We began class by discussing the reason behind small groups, which admittedly, was something I didn’t fully grasp until just a couple years ago. I didn’t grow up going to churches that had small groups or emphasized them, so I didn’t really feel the need to implement them. I knew the church needed them, but I didn’t personally feel the need…until I got involved! Now I love them!

We began our discussion on the why and how with a video from my good friend, Josh Bowers, the Small Groups Pastor at Fresh Life Church in Montana. I learned a lot from their structure and vision for groups as we were launching ours, and theirs have been very successful, so it was great to hear from Josh.

After the video, we discussed the sermon-based small group structure of Awaken Groups, how we train leaders and co-leaders, what a semester of groups looks like, and how we utilize the website and other technology to enhance groups. We also covered some key lessons I’ve learned and challenges we’ve faced along the way…

Start with your vision. Vision defines structure.

This is one principle that applies not only to small groups, but to many other things as well. The what determines the how. Beginning with the vision helps you to define how you’re going to get to the goal. One of the questions that was asked was about any of the negative sides of sermon-based small groups. I’m not aware of any negative aspects of it because they help us to fulfill the vision of the groups: the social aspect and the application aspect.

Cut the competition.

If you looked at an Awaken events calendar, you’d notice a clump of events over winter break and a clump over summer break, but not much during semesters of Awaken Groups. There’s a reason for that. Americans are naturally busy people, and don’t have time to commit to their families, jobs, church, and small group, while also attending other programs and events. Although the extracurricular programs and events can be good, often times the good things can compete against the best things. At Awaken, this realization led to a complete overhaul of our calendar of events, and even led to the end of our Wednesday night service (Shocking, I know. Get over it, and get in a group!).

Satan hates small groups.

Although Awaken Groups is the place where we see the deepest growth, it’s also a place where some of the greatest attack and division can stem from. We cover each semester of Awaken Groups in prayer, and recognize that especially in areas where God is moving deeply in people’s lives, Satan will kick back. My philosophy is this: if Satan hates it and is trying to stop it, I must be doing the right thing! In fact, if he hates it, it must glorify God, and I want to do it even more! I wanted to remind the students that small groups, along with many other aspects of ministry, is a spiritual battle that must be fought with spiritual means.

Set the Framework

A house doesn’t look pretty (or even much like a house) for the first few days or weeks of construction. There’s the concrete slab that has to be poured, the pipes and plumbing that have to be installed, the leveling of the land, and the studs for the walls. But for a house to stay standing, it needs all of those things. You can’t prop up sheet rock and put a roof on without the framework. The framework is the part that often goes unseen, but provides the structure to go higher and stronger.

This Sunday at Awaken, we begin a new series called Framework. It comes right on the heels of our 38 weeks in the book of Revelation. After dealing with the Antichrist, the Tribulation, the Second Coming of Christ, and heaven and hell, we’re going back to our foundations. Framework is a 10-week series that will help us learn and develop the infrastructure of our faith, without which, we won’t be able to go higher or stronger.

I can’t wait.

We’ve been working hard on the planning and preparation for this series, and I can’t wait to begin it this Sunday. The all-new stage setup looks amazing, and the topics will be so great each week: salvation, God, prayer, church, etc. I figured we’d start off real simple with salvation and discuss God’s sovereignty vs. man’s responsibility. No big deal.

The series and the stage are great, but the point is to get as many people there as possible to hear it, so we’ve set up a few ways to help you get the word out. Next time you’re at Awaken, you can grab the new invite cards in the foyer and the Connect Kiosk. Also, for the first time ever, we’ve added a new page on our website that enables you to invite, post, and tweet about the event from there. All you have to do is go to awakenchurch.org/framework, then click the links. Spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, or by email.

And as you’re studying along with us (in Clarksville, Charlotte, or wherever), make sure to tell us and the world what you’re learning. Email us at info@awakenchurch.org or use the hashtag #SetTheFramework on Twitter or Instagram!

1 Month of Prayer

Today begins a 1-month prayer initiative for The Uprising. We worked really hard on a super edgy name for it. Ready? It’s called 1 Month of Prayer! See what we did there?

Since today is the 1-month mark for the event, we’re dedicating these final 31 days to praying for the event. We’re trusting God for all of the volunteers and the finances that we’ll need to run the event. This is a huge step of faith for the few of us churches that are involved, but we know God is big and trust that He can and will provide!

I’m reminded today of a quote from Martin Luther, who said,

“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance; it’s laying hold of His willingness.”

By praying, we’re not just trying to beg God to do something He doesn’t want to do. Instead, we’re asking that He would do what the pages of Scripture say He wants to do: provide for His people, draw people to Himself, and prove His power and glory! We’re praying completely within His will when we pray for these things, so we can be sure of His answer.

1 Month of Prayer kicks off today with a day of prayer and fasting. If you’d like to join us by fasting, please do. If you can’t fast from food, fast from social media, or TV, or something else, and dedicate that time you would have spent on that to prayer. You can also join the 1 Month of Prayer group on the Uprising’s Facebook page for daily updates on what to pray for and how to pray!

If you’d like to be involved by serving (any church or denomination is welcome to join!), come to the Join the Movement meeting THIS FRIDAY, October 12. It will be held at Awaken Church (585 S Riverside Dr) at 6:30pm. Childcare will be provided, and all the teams that are open for you to serve on will be available for signup! In addition to the Uprising website, you can RSVP for that meeting and spread the word via Facebook as well.

And, if you’d like to be involved financially, this Sunday at Awaken, we’ll be taking up a special offering just for The Uprising! I asked the church to be praying this week about how they’d be financially involved. God may lead some of you to give $10, or maybe He’s really blessed you financially, and you can write a check to fund the whole event. Whatever God lays on your heart, be obedient. You can give this Sunday at Awaken or any time online on The Uprising website.

The stakes are high and Satan is playing for keeps. Let’s trust God for the impossible and pray like He is who He says He is!

Re-center your worship

A few weeks ago in Revelation 15, we took a look at how heaven worships. One thing that stood out were all of the direct mentions of God in just a couple verses. Heaven seems to be overly pre-occupied with God. There’s no mention of the people’s past suffering on earth, their questions, or even their good accomplishments while on earth – everything is directed back at how beautiful and righteous God is. If heaven worship that way, why don’t we?

I think one of the main issues that plagues our “worship” today is that it’s centered on us, not on Jesus. We need to very intentionally re-center our worship on Jesus. After all, Jesus isn’t a commodity and church is not a product. Take a couple minutes and watch this clip…

What are some ways that we center our worship on ourselves, instead of God?

How can we realign our worship?

Awaken Church turns 3!

TODAY, September 19, 2012, Awaken Church officially turns 3 years old! We’re celebrating it this weekend as a church, but today is the actual day. It’s been amazing to see God build His church over the last few years from our first park outreach when 2 families showed up to last Sunday, with 3 services with over 200 total adults and over 130 kids!

We opened our doors on a rainy Saturday evening at our first building  (that we would soon lose in the flood) with 44 adults in attendance (many were friends from out of town). I taught a message from Romans 13:11 called “Are You Awake?” and I got to lead the first person to faith in Jesus Christ, Stacy Senn! Years of prayer and planning had finally culminated to bring us to that service, and it was an amazing night.

As if planting a church wasn’t crazy enough on its own, my wife (our worship leader) was 8 1/2 months pregnant. She was amazing then and she’s still amazing now!

Our first 3 years were amazing. We watched God do the miraculous, change lives, bring us through a flood, and so much more. Although they were incredible, buckle up, Awaken, we’re just getting warmed up!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AWAKEN CHURCH! God is good, and He’s on the move.

Permeate

It was Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, who said that if your spouse, kids, friends, and even the dog or cat in your house weren’t glad that you became a Christian, it’s doubtful that you really did. That’s a challenging thought, but his point was that your faith in Christ should permeate every relationship you have.

A couple years back, I heard about a church whose New Year’s message was entitled, “Don’t Put Jesus First,” which was pretty controversial when they advertised it. As many people chose their New Year’s resolutions, the pastor wanted to drive home a point: Don’t just tell your spouse that you love Jesus more than them – live that out, and allow your relationship with Jesus to permeate every other relationship. Not so controversial, after all, right?

Here’s the point: as you pursue Jesus and His purpose for your life, that should deeply impact the way you see your job, school, and every relationship in your life. Loving Jesus should make you love your spouse more, treat your boss with more respect, speak respectfully to elders and those in authority, be a law-abiding citizen, and more. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that something is different with you…and it should be attractive.

Jesus did not set you free so you could blend in. We’re called to be set apart.

So, the question is simple: does your love for Jesus permeate your life? It should be life-changing and all-encompassing. If not, today is the day to change that.

The Danger of Isolation

Last Saturday, we had our second MAN Breakfast of the summer, complete with bacon, bros, burritos, and the Bible. We even had some giveaways and the “Manliest Mustache” contest (congrats to Greg Rockhold, whose mustache is older than about 80% of those who attended)!

One thing that I’ve loved about our 2 MAN Breakfasts this year, in addition to the fellowship and food, is what happens when we get a bunch of dudes together and get challenged by God’s Word. Our culture is lacking in Godly men, and it’s time for the men to step up and fulfill their God-given roles to lead and set the pace.

Last Saturday, I focused in on 1 main verse:

Proverbs 18:1 - A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.

We talked about 2 very simple principles from this verse: 1) Isolation is selfish, and 2) Isolation is stupid. Our culture says that it’s not manly to admit weakness, but that’s a lie. We need each other. We were never meant to fight the battles alone. It’s no wonder so many guys are hooked on porn, cheating on their wives, drinking incessantly, all while acting like they have it all together. The Bible says that’s stupid: it rages against all wise judgment.

If you’re a man of any age, I hope you’ll take a few minutes and listen to this challenge from God’s Word.

Whether you take the time to listen or not, here’s the point: Don’t let your manliness get in the way of your Godliness. Our culture says to do it alone; God’s Word says to do it together.