June 23, 2008 by Matt.

Ok, so I really tried to think of something profound to say, but couldn’t come up with anything. So, I am going to share something that I read in a book. The book is Shape by Erik Reese. This book expounds upon (you like those big words don’t you) an idea that was first brought up in Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life.The idea is that each of us has been created with a unique shape for ministry. The book goes on to help you discover what your shape is and how to use it to minister. Anyways, as I was reading today it was talking about building a team of Christians that can help you discover your shape and help guide you in using this shape to minister. It talks about being authentic and transparent with the people that are close to you. All to often when someone asks how we are doing we answer “I’m fine.” Well, you and I both know that the vast majority of people that ask us this question don’t really want to know how we are doing. If you don’t believe me, then try this; the next time a casual acquaintance asks you how you are doing say, “Well, actually not so good.” Then go on to tell them some pain filled story, true or not. See how long it takes them to glaze over.

So, I am not suggesting that we open up to every person that asks us how we are doing. However, what I am suggesting is that we should open up with the few people that we are actually close to. In the book I mentioned before they suggest that FINE stands for Feelings Inside Never Expressed. I think there is a lot of truth in this. Society tells us that to express our pain makes us week. This is a lie told by the enemy. We must express ourselves. Otherwise our pain and bitterness corrodes us from the inside out. So, next time someone close to you asks you how you are doing, tell them. Not only will this help you, but it will bring you closer together.

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June 9, 2008 by Matt.

Yesterday Pastor spoke on the Ten Commandments. In his conclusion he mentioned Matthew 22:37-39, where Jesus sums up the Ten Commandments as, “love the Lord thy God” and, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Well, I found myself thinking about what it meant to “love your neighbor as yourself.” As I thought about it, I thought about all the things I do for myself because I love myself… Hmm, does that sound self centered or selfish???? That certainly is not my intention, but the truth of the matter is that we do love ourselves and there are certain things that we do as a result of this love. Below is a list of some of the things that I do because I love myself:

• Food: because I love myself I make sure that I have food.
• Shelter: I ensure that my mortgage gets paid so that I (and my family) can have a place to live.
• Clothing: Because I love myself I make sure that I have clothing (this could also be considered a service to those around me as no one should ever have to see me naked except for my doctor and my wife, and they both asked for it.)
• Employment: because I love myself I do all I can to ensure that I maintain employment.
• Transportation: Because I love myself I make sure that I have transportation so that I can get to the aforementioned employment.

 This is just a small list of the things that I do because I love myself. So, how does this relate to loving my neighbor as myself. I imagine that many of you have already made this connection. So if I love my neighbor as myself, then anything that I do because I love myself, I should also love my neighbor enough to do for them. So, if I ensure that I have food to eat, then I should also ensure that my neighbors don’t go hungry. If I ensure that I have shelter, then I should ensure that my neighbor has shelter. If I, well you get the idea.

So, the question I end up asking myself is, “Am I loving my neighbor as I love myself.” “Am I showing the same level of love for my neighbors that I do for myself.” “Am I as concerned for making sure that my neighbor has the things they need as I am for myself?”

If I am being honest with myself then I would have to say no to all these questions. This is something that I need to work on. I think that this is also an area in which our churches are failing badly.

So, how would you answer the question, “Are you loving your neighbor as yourself?”

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June 5, 2008 by Matt.

The term seeker is common in today’s church world. It is often used to refer to the unbeliever, often unchurched individual that is looking for answers and truth. These people will often times find their way into our churches. Many churches even concider themselves to be seeker-friendly or seeker-driven. These churches do everything they can to be acceptable and comfortable to the “seeker”.  This is not intended to be a discussion about the advantages or disadvantages of seeker driven.

Luke 19:10 (KJV)

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

These were the words of Jesus. So, while many of us try to be appealing to seekers, in this passage Jesus said that He came to SEEK out and save that which was lost. So, instead of builder churches FOR seekers, maybe we should be building churches OF seekers. Now, I don’t mean that we should fill our churches with non-believers that are searching for the truth. Rather the believers in our churches should be seekers; seeking to find “and save that which was lost” even as Jesus did. Instead of setting up our churches so that seekers feel comfortable when they show up, and waiting for them to  arrive we should seek them out in order “to save that which was lost.” This is what Jesus said he came to do, how can we do any different.

Speaking for myself I know that at most I looked for opportunities in my daily life to minister and witness to people. However, in this passage Jesus says that he came to SEEK out the lost. He did not wait till he just happened upon them. I believe that Jesus’ ministry was designed to be an example of how his followers should minister. So, if Jesus came to SEEK out the lost so that they might be saved, I think it is time we got off of our pews and started becoming seekers.

Hmmm, I know that I will have to chew on that one a little bit. I hope that this spawns thoughts in you of ways that you can begin to seek out the lost. I would love to hear how you are or plan to become a seeker.

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