The Time is Now

Most believers aren't in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They're facing a danger that's far greater...wasting them. Steven Furtick

There comes a time for each of us to step out on the word God has spoken to us. We all come to the moment where we have to trust God. As scary as that sounds, to look back or to be tempted to go back to the old ways is just not possible. Consider the fearful temptations to shrink back. Remember who God is: mighty, powerful, faithful. Praise him, thank him, honor him for what he’s already done. Follow him into a future with greater faith,   prominence and confidence that there are really greater things in store.

This is not a time to second guess all the work and preparation. Elisha himself had to make the decision to take action or not. Elijah was taken up to heaven on the far side of the Jordan River in a whirlwind. Elisha witnessed Elijah leaving. Elisha tore is clothes, called out to his spiritual father and picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah. Elisha walked to the water’s edge.

What would he do?                                                                       

The apprentice time for Elisha was over. It was now time to lead. The same God who brought him to that moment also promised to be with him to the end. God doesn’t show us the details or actions he shows us himself. He does this not just to tell us what to do and how to get there but to give us the power to do it all. Elijah passed on his mantle to Elisha. We can experience something greater as we surrender to God’s Holy Spirit. The spiritual mantle is passed onto us. For anyone who is sick of playing it safe, for every dreamer who has been devastated and disillusioned, for every undiscovered Elisha determined to show the watching world the greater things GOD is capable of...the moment is now. The mantle is already ours.

What will we do?

I have included some prayers that might be inspirational for you from Pastor Steven Furtick. He is one of my favorite people to watch. You can learn more about him here http://stevenfurtick.com/

            1. I pray that you will no longer settle for good enough in your closest relationships, existing together but not really engaging each other. I pray that where you may have settled into comfortable patterns, busyness, and mundane living, you exchange that for greater living and see the glory of God.

            2. I pray that you never settle for the ‘good enough’ of killing time and drawing a paycheck. Clocking in and clocking out. God is calling you to something new. I pray he gives you the faith to do so. If God is calling you to step up in the a job you already have, I pray he gives you the passion to do so.  Either way, I pray that you step into greater influence that God has called you to within your work.

            3. Students: I pray that you won’t just be part of a crowd but that you will begin to lead it. I pray that the people who have been influencing you to a lesser life will be changed by the influence of the greater life you are stepping into. I pray that every voice that has labeled you as anything other than a beloved son or daughter will be silenced and that you will believe only what your Father God has said about you.

-Pastor Jen

Dream big. Start small.

We have to be truthful and practical as we obediently work to make God’s vision a reality. We need to consider whether or not we’re doing all we can for God. Are we building his Kingdom and making every effort to build what he desires? Or are we chasing after our own desires and outcomes? Small steps blessed by God have great impact. It's pretty easy to spot someone who is completely in God's corner. God gets all the glory for the success. That's really it.

When God begins to move, we need to be prepared for the miracle God can do. For me, being prepared means I am humble before God, surrendered to his leadership and open to whatever comes my way. It's like God is the Major League pitcher and I am the catcher. He decides what pitch. I respond to his leading. I have to do some serious self-talk before I go into a challenging conversation or situation. I've learned to put my preconceived ideas and my very strong feelings aside in order to be present when the challenge comes. God's pitch can be high and outside or right down the middle. Either way, I must be flexible and adaptable to the pitch. Otherwise, it'll go right by. Good thing God likes to give me a lot of practice.

Here's how we can start small but have a huge impact:

1. Greater relationships: speak affirming words and build each other up by constructive life-giving language and practice. Identify and practice how you can speak Godly words to build others up.
    
2. Greater financial impact for the Kingdom: start using our money in God-honoring ways, pay down our debt and don’t get into any more debt. Live within Godly and healthy boundaries. Identify how your financial situation can get better and make small steps toward generosity.
    
3. Greater holiness: practice healthy spiritual disciplines. Scripture reading and memorization, prayer, worship, service, fasting, giving. Identify whether or not you’re really doing all you can to create holiness and a place for God to reside in you.

One important reason we may feel insecure about our situation is because we compare our behind-the-scenes footage with everyone else’s highlight reel. Sometimes we can listen to someone's incredible faith adventure story and wonder why we're not experiencing the same vitality. Comparisons aren't helpful when it comes to following God. Everyone's faith journey is unique. I don't know how to compare Jonah's whale-of-a-story to Joshua's marching around a city seven times. But, I can tell you, the still small voice Elijah heard and Elisha followed is the voice I can trust to lead me into the belly or around the block.

Stop waiting for what you want, and start working what you have. This can turn your greatest frustration into your greatest potential innovation. If you'll do your part, God will begin to do what only He can do: He'll make your box bigger.” Pastor Steven Furtick, Greater.

What Should I be Thinking?

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 (NIV)

Jesus' words are recorded in John's Gospel during the lengthy dinner conversation many would call the Last Supper. The disciples heard cherished words shared from a leader who loved them to the end and beyond. But, Jesus was also a leader with a mission and a purpose that would not die with him but live in those who would make the choice to follow him. Jesus promised the disciples they would do greater things as God's power would not leave them but be poured into them as the future of the Kingdom of God would be left in their care.

What was he thinking?

Jesus appeared to the disciples and many faithful witnesses after the resurrection. He showed them the proof of nail scarred hands and feet. He offered them his pierced side. More importantly, Jesus revealed an audacious plan for the Kingdom he came to proclaim. The Kingdom would thrive with human participation and the power, counsel, comfort, conviction and advocacy of the Holy Spirit--God's presence on earth in Jesus' absence.

What were they thinking?

Greater things can be done in the name of Jesus. What greater things? Do most people settle for lesser things? Sometimes people become comfortable with getting by with 'good enough.' Good enough living is a baseline living filled with mediocrity and complacency. At other times, people will chase after a vague sense of calling to a life of greatness. Somehow living large seems like it's just around the corner never really within grasp but always beckoning away from reality. Greater living can be described as an understanding that God is ready to accomplish something entirely out our reach without him.

What should we be thinking?

We all have the potential to do so much more because God is so much greater than we allow him to be. My hope is this Greater series will inspire you to acknowledge God's greatness and to yield to his leadership in your life. Sometimes we have to remove certain things to make room for God or make a decisive break to be ready to move on. We will get to know Elijah and Elisha two great biblical characters who help us understand what it can mean to live into God's promise of greater things.

"Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." Romans 12:2 The Message

-Pastor Jen

Easter "Greetings!"

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a pretty big deal. No one expected anything like it. What would you imagine the first thing Jesus would say to those who loved him on that Sunday morning? "Greetings." This the the same way the angel announced to Mary she would have a son! "Greetings." like Spock says dryly during a Star Trek episode, "greetings and salutations." One commentary puts it like this: And look! Jesus met them and said, "Hi!" What an understatement. Sometimes subtlety is the best response to a cataclysmic event.

That Sunday, everything changed but not in the way people think.

The cross was not the last word. The crucifixion was not the act that we would remember forever. The resurrection would change everything and the ministry and message of Jesus would go on. However, on that Sunday, the lives of the followers of Jesus did not get safer. Life became even more dangerous. Jesus’ followers and many others believed he was the Messiah that would overthrow the Roman government and usher in God’s kingdom. But Jesus died. Disappointing some and pleasing others. News of the resurrection reached the Roman officials and Jewish leaders who probably got their first good night's sleep since Jesus came onto the scene. Imagine their disbelief, rage and consternation upon hearing the resurrection news.

What got released on Sunday was not a message of comfort but a profound message of hope. Things would go on but following Jesus would be anything but comfortable.  The resurrection confirmed there IS something on the other side but we may not always understand it. Jesus' followers would gather as a new community to tell and retell the resurrection story maybe for their own benefit but now thankfully for our benefit too. Jesus gave the command to pick up our crosses daily and follow him. I think dying is the easy part. Living as followers of the resurrected Jesus is a dangerous, open-ended thing. Hope has a power all its own.

Jesus had the last word. Nothing fancy, super-religious or theological. I think it's kind of unexpected and true to Jesus' form. He didn't have a big stage. All he said was, "Hi." Sometimes subtlety is the best response.

He is risen! Happy Easter.

-Pastor Jen

Disappointed in Jesus

"Leadership is the art of disappointing people at a rate they can stand. -Ron Heifitz, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading, 2002

In the midst of the crowded streets of Jerusalem were palm branch-waving skeptics. The very popular young teacher from the Galilee region rode into the capital city on a donkey as people shouted, "Hosanna! Lord, save us!" He certainly had a following. Everyone agreed. But, there were many who were not pleased to watch Jesus ride by on display for the entire world to see.

Zealots may have waved a palm branch or dropped a cloak in front of Jesus but I don't think they were impressed with the parade. Zealots were politically motivated to rid Judea of Roman oppression. They tried everything they could to cause trouble for Roman soldiers. Zealots hated Rome with a passion. They were at the ready to take out a sword and die for what they believed in. Imagine their disappointment upon hearing Jesus' words, "My kingdom is not of this world."

Essenes retreated from the chaos of the capital to the quiet shore of the Dead Sea. Certainly, desert living had its own reward of implied intimacy with God. The austere living conditions removed any temptation of comfort or luxury and left room only for community, worship and a simple life with God. However, this community of Jews withdrew from life in the city or worship at the Temple to prepare for war. Make no mistake, the Essenes were a small sect of hopeful believers called the Sons of Light. They prepared for battle against the Sons of Darkness. Most likely not present at the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, their disappointment would've been an aloof head-turn away and dismissal of the shouts of "Hosanna! Save us!" Essenes were content to save themselves.

Sadducees fought the war by assimilating into the culture of the day. "If you can't beat 'em--join 'em," could have been their unique strategy to outlive the onslaught of religious propriety. Sadducees most certainly lined the streets of Jerusalem along with the Pharisees from distant lands waving palm branches vigorously in the warm Spring air. The Passover celebration in Jerusalem would've been a magnificent cosmopolitan mix of diversity. The Sadducee's disappointment was probably a scoff and a dismissal of a hand-wave as the word 'hypocrite' landed on their hearts convicting them of something every Jew knew deep within their heart. God does not tolerate such sin.

I like to imagine myself cheering along the roadside as Jesus entered Jerusalem. I've been to those streets many times and walked the way from the Mount of Olives to the city gate. But, I admit, I never imagined Jesus weeping as he approached the holy city. I suppose I too have misunderstood Jesus' true mission. There was no overthrow of the Roman government nor any other government that I know of. Maybe I just don't want to imagine a weepy Jesus. I confess I can be disappointed with him too. I misunderstand Jesus' true mission is not of violent action nor of somehow placing me on the donkey. Jesus' rightful place as he remains is the king of love. Perhaps he weeps as we still struggle with what truly brings us peace.

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes." -Luke 19:41-42 (NIV)

-Pastor Jen