The News of the Future

Ever wonder what the future will be like? I found an interesting website that predicts what the news headlines will be 20-40 years in the future. Some pretty amazing stuff! Check it out here.

Feed the Hungry Update

Our Feed the Hungry Thanksgiving Outreach was a huge hit last night. We served about 35-40 people a traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. We gave away gift cards, Chick Fil-A coupons and clothes.

It is such a blessing to be able to help hurting people. I want to say a huge "Thank You" to everyone from First Assembly who came out to serve. You are AMAZING! It was a beautiful thing to watch the church in action. Thanks for believing in the vision!

ABC 7 News did a great report on our outreach last night. In case you missed it here's the link to the video...

Church Hosts Early Thanksgiving Dinner|ABC 7 News

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Headed to India

I just sent off my visa application for my trip to India in January. I'll be going to visit Pastor Barnabas Sajja of the Gospel Prayer Temple Ministries in Gudivada. It will be my first trip to India and I'm pumped about it.

I've always wanted to go. Not looking forward to the long flight but know the results will be well worth the discomfort of a long flight. I'm especially looking forward to some authentic Indian food. Anyone have any advice for me since it's my first time in India?

Feed the Hungry

Our third annual "Feed the Hungry" Thanksgiving Outreach is tonight @ 7:00 p.m. We need all the volunteers to show up about 6:00 p.m. to get ready. Looks like we are going to have around 50 people or so coming to eat. What an opportunity to make a huge difference in someone's life this Thanksgiving season.

We're not only going to be feeding people a traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings, we've got Chick Fil-A coupons to give away and other door prizes. It's gonnna be a great night of outreach and blessing those who need some help this Thanksgiving season.

Got Church?

I know this is a sensitive subject for many people, but it's one that needs to be addressed from a biblical perspective. Can you be a Christian without going to church? I am convinced biblically that the answer to that question is NO!!

The problem that we have in America - and in the West in general - is that we have been taught that everyone's opinion is equal and authoritative. Therefore there is no higher authority than our own subjective feelings. This is dangerous on many levels for those who claim to be Christians. As followers of Jesus Christ (in case you didn't know being a Christian does not mean that you are a Republican or conservative or were born in the United States) we are bound to God's Word (the Bible) not our feelings or opinions. The Bible is our all sufficient rule for faith and conduct. So when we are considering this all-important question of whether or not you can be a Christian without attending church we must go to the highest authority and that is the Bible.

What does the Bible say about church? Well first of all we need to examine the word "Church" and how it is used in the New Testament. The most common Greek word used for church in the New Testament is ecclesia. It literally means "called out of." In ancient Greek culture the ecclesia was a public assembly that gathered for political purposes in order to make laws, debate philosophy and handle civic affairs. It's interesting to note that the group was not known as the ecclesia until they assembled together! So we could easily translate the idea of ecclesia as a people who are called out and to assemble together.

You may have the popular mantra in many circles today that you don't have to go to church you should just be the church. But the very idea inherent in the word "church" is that of assembling together. The New Testament is expressly clear that the church should be central to a Christian's life. I love what Ray Ortlund had to say about this in an article he wrote for the gospel coalition.

My passion isn’t to build up my church. My passion is for God’s Kingdom.”

Ever heard someone say that? I have. It sounds large-hearted, but it’s wrong. It can even be destructive. Suppose I said, “My passion isn’t to build up my marriage. My passion is for Marriage. I want the institution of Marriage to be revered again. I’ll work for that. I’ll pray for that. I’ll sacrifice for that. But don’t expect me to hunker down in the humble daily realities of building a great marriage with my wife Jani. I’m aiming at something grander.” If I said that, would you think, “Wow, Ray is so committed”? Or would you wonder if I had lost my mind? If you care about the Kingdom, be the kind of person who can be counted on in your own church. Join your church, pray for your church, tithe to your church, participate in your church every Sunday with wholehearted passion. We build great churches the same way we build great marriages—real commitment that makes a positive difference every day.


Sometimes you hear biblically illiterate Christians say things like "I belong to the universal Church made up of Christians all over the world and that's good enough." "I don't really need to attend a church." This kind of attitude belies a stupefying ignorance of New Testament Ecclesiology (the study of the church). While it is true that when we come to faith in Christ we are part of the universal Church we are called to walk out our salvation in a local church. In the New Testament the term church is used approximately 114 times out of those 114 times 90 refer to a local church. Do you see where the emphasis of the New Testament lies? It is in the local church. A goose by itself is just a goose but when many geese come together they are known as a gaggle. A sheep is just a sheep by itself but when it joins with other sheep it becomes a flock. A Christian is just a Christian by himself until he joins together with other Christians and then becomes the church.

In Hebrews 10:25 we are told to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. In 1 Peter 2:5 we are called living stones fitted together in the house of the Lord. In Matthew 18 Jesus gives us a process for how Christians are to handle grievances against one another. In that passage Jesus teaches that if we go to the person and they do not respond take several witnesses with you and try again. If they are still unresponsive then take it to the church. In other words Jesus expected every Christian to be actively engaged in a local church. Paul told Timothy: "These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:14, 15).

So it is painfully obvious that Christians belong in a local church. In addition to the explicit teaching of the New Testament on this matter Christian history is redolent with the teaching that Christians needing to be involved in a local church.

Cyprian a Christian bishop of the 3rd century said, "He cannot have God for a father who does not have the church for a mother." The great reformers like Luther, Calvin and Zwingli all stressed the absolute necessity of the centrality of the local church in the lives of Christians. The Westminster Confession - one of the most important statements of faith coming out of the reformation in 1646 - states The visible Church, which is also catholic or universal under the Gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion;[2] and of their children:[3] and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ,[4] the house and family of God,[5] out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.

Now having said all of this I understand why many Christians don't want to go to church. They've seen such hypocrisy and arrogance and callousness that it repels them instead of attracts them. I agree with you. I've seen it all growing up as a pastor's kid. I've seen people be really mean, I've seen people hurt one another and I've seen hypocrisy on the grandest scale. But does that mean that somehow what God said about the local church in the New Testament is null and void? Absolutely not! The very reason God calls us to get involved in the local church is so that our faith will be developed. How can you grow if you aren't rubbing up against people with all of their flaws and personality quirks and idiosyncrasies?

The local church is the crucible in which growth and development take place. Sometimes we look at the early church through rose-colored glasses but look at the issues the early church had. In Corinth there was rank sin and immorality. In Philippians two of the most prominent women were engaged in a feud. In Galatia there were people so legalistic they were making other Christians fall away from the faith. So the truth is that the church has never been perfect and never will be. Thus the beauty of the local church. That God would choose to use a bunch of misfits and people who have all kinds of issues is amazing to me. But that's exactly the point. God didn't choose angels He chose His church to be the agency in which He redeems the world to Himself.

Jesus said that He was doing one thing in this day and age and that is building His church and He promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. If Jesus is building His church shouldn't we be as well? Psalm 92:13 tells us that if we are planted in the house of the Lord (the local church) we will flourish! So let your hurts go and get involved in your local church and watch your life and family flourish.

Let the fireworks begin!

Lead Your Family Well

In this blog I often write about the need for pastors to make sure they are taking care of their families. It's so easy because of our passion for the church to let our work completely consume our lives to the exclusion of even those dearest to us - our families. Even when we are home physically we are often not there mentally.

The guys over at The Resurgence are finishing a series of blog posts called "Five Hard Truths for Planters." The fifth one is called "Lead Your Family Well" and really resonated with me.


I was lying on the floor pushing Thomas the Tank Engine around his wooden track and realized my two year old son had been speaking to me for the past 30 seconds, but I hadn’t listened to a word he had said. Instead, I was too preoccupied thinking about the church—precious moments gone, never to return.



Can any other church planters, pastors, or ministry leaders relate? I thought so.

All of us know the tragic stories of wives and children of pastors and planters that grow up to hate the church. The greater tragedy is that I believe most of these stories should never have to be told.

Instead, the stories exist because the leader of the home is failing to lead well.

3 Challenging Truths

Here are a few truths that I hope will challenge you to lead your family strongly while being a church planter or pastor:



1. The church can get another pastor, but your kids can't get another dad.

Like it or not, we only get one shot to raise our children. I talk to fathers all the time who lament their absence during their childrens' formative years because of working too much. Even though this is often true for pastors, it shouldn't be. Our biblical credentials for ministry deal mostly with how we lead our families and our own character, rather than how effective we are in ministry. And remember, no one reaches the end of their life saying "I wish I had spent more time working on my blog." Be the exception, not the rule.



2. The church can get another pastor, but your wife only has one husband—and she needs a good one.

Oftentimes our wives take the brunt of the beating of our ministries: they hold us together, they hear us complain, and they hear others complain about us and experience the angst of how to handle it in a gospel way. Take it from someone who has greatly failed before in this area: do as much as you can to set clear boundaries between the church and home, and frequently check up on whether or not she enjoys being a part of the church. If she doesn't want to attend the church where you are the pastor, then it is a problem you need to deal with.


3. A day off is not just a good idea. It is essential.
"Monday Funday" is as special as a 1910 Honus Wagner baseball card at our house. It is the day we play outside, eat Chinese food at a mall, and don't talk about the church. Our church knows about “Monday Funday” because I mention it in sermons, schedule around it, and unless someone is bleeding out in their kitchen, I do not violate it. My ministry and family are too important. Pick a Sabbath, keep it, and fight for it. Your soul and your family will thank you.

Never forget: The first flock you lead is not the one that gathers on Sunday, but the one that lives at your house.

Are you leading them well?

For more on leading your family well, check out Pastor Mark Driscoll's free e-book Pastor Dad.

Preaching Calendar for 2010

Well over the past few weeks I've been diligently working on my preaching calendar for 2010. I like to plan my sermons about a year out. That's not to say that a series or two won't change as the Lord directs but it is pretty set in stone. Not only does this advance planning help me to think through the entire year and add some creative elements to each series, but it also keeps me from doing the "Saturday Night Scramble" that's so familiar to many pastors.

Here are some of the series that are coming in 2010...

Imagine
Pure Sex
Jesus Uncensored
The God Questions
God @ the Movies
Raising G-Rated Kids in an X-Rated World
Treasure Hunters
How to Survive the End of the World
Mission Possible
Unwrapping Christmas

Should be an exciting year!