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Who is Resposible for the Spiritual Maturity of the Church?

I can remember when my kids were finally old enough to go downstairs, get their own cereal, and turn on the television to watch Saturday morning cartoons. I remember because Lisa and I finally got to sleep in! Every parent understands what an incredibly glorious moment this is. And if you haven’t experienced this yet, well, you have much to look forward to.

This is kinda the whole point of parenting right? That our kids would grow up and move towards autonomy. That, among other things, they would learn how to feed themselves.

The same is true as new Christians begin to grow up and mature. The hope is that they would, among other things, learn to feed themselves.

And yet frequently I hear complaints by church attenders across North America that their church is not, “deep enough.” Essentially they’re saying that they’re hungry. And you want to know the first thought that passes through my mind when I hear comments like these? “If you’re hungry, eat. You know where the food is.”

You see at the end of the day each person is responsible for their own spiritual development, not their pastor. God is going to hold each unique individual accountable for his or her own thoughts, words, and actions. Not their pastor.

So the next time you hear someone complaining about how their church isn’t “deep enough” encourage them to take some personal ownership for their own relationship with Jesus and go get their own bowl of Cheerios.


Posted in Spiritual Formation

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Your Church Can be Both Missional and Attractional this Christmas

 

This year Sun Valley Community Church is partnering with Albertsons Grocery Store to provide more than 10,000 boxes of food to local families in need through local food banks like the Salvation Army. Through the public nature of the Out of the Box 2.0 campaign Sun Valley has intentionally chosen to be both misssional and attractional at the same time. Yes, it’s possible to be both. The power of this partnership has made it easy for people to be involved. People can pick up a box to fill and bring back to any Sun Valley Campus during normal weekend worship services. They can stop any Albertsons store and scan the UPC code on the flyer they receive at church and the food will be delivered directly to the food banks. Anyone from the community who stops by an Albertsons with an Out of the Box 2.0 display in it can participate as well. Finally Albertsons is staying open late on Sunday evening the 22nd and we’re encouraging everyone from Sun Valley to go and do their shopping for Out of the Box 2.0 that evening as the Salvation Army Trucks will be there ready to load up!

The hungry are all around us:

  • 82,000 Phoenix Valley households don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
  • That’s enough refrigerators to reach rim to rim and back again at the Grand Canyon!
  • It’s enough dinner tables to reach the top of Camelback Mountain 130 times!
  • According to the 2010 US Census Bureau the average household in Arizona has 2.63 occupants. We’re talking about 215,660 hungry people!
  • That’s enough people to fill a city almost the size of Scottsdale!

If you live in the Phoenix Valley I’d like to invite you to be a part of Out of the Box 2.0 and make a real difference by changing these statistics. Follow this link to discover how you can join the movement! It’s our community…it’s our responsibility!

Want more? Check out this story below…


Posted in Leadership, Spiritual Formation

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Is All Scripture Equally Important?

It’s a commonly held belief among Evangelicals that all Scripture is God-breathed. After all, the Apostle Paul puts it this way in 2 Timothy 3:16…

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

But, is all Scripture equally important? Before you write me off as a heretic, really take a moment and consider that question. Is all Scripture really equally important?

I mean, you get one shot at sharing the Gospel with a thousand people…are you really going to lead with Leviticus? No? Why not? All right then, what’s the most important verse or two for them to hear in that moment? You could ask the same question about 100+ other scenarios and in each case you would be making judgment calls about what portions of scripture are more important than another.

I’m not saying that not all Scripture is not God-breathed. That would be heresy. What I am saying is that maybe it’s not equally important in preaching.

Want to grow and improve as a communicator? Check out my partner The Preaching Rocket and discover the methods, strategies and techniques that world-class preachers use to prepare, deliver and evaluate sermons.


Posted in Spiritual Formation

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How do You Know if You’re Called to Ministry?

Working with young leaders, one of the most common questions I find myself fielding is, “How do I know if I’m called to ministry?” And while there are some good biblical verses we could point to or theological answers that could be given I’d like to get very practical with you for a moment. If you take the time to ask, and listen, to the stories of people who have been called into full time Christian Ministry you’re likely to hear some very similar responses that generally include the following four components.

#1 Deep Sense of Burden or Passion

A calling to ministry typically begins with a deep sense of burden or passion. It’s this idea that something is wrong, someone needs to do something about it, and maybe that someone is me. I can remember my own calling to ministry beginning this way as a young teenager. I felt a deep sense of responsibility and burden for the spiritual wellbeing of my friends (even though my lifestyle was ironically in no condition to do much about it). I can remember praying at night before sleep, in tears begging God to use me to influence thousands of people for Him. I also felt compelled through those prayer times that God didn’t just want my “heart”, or even my career, but my life.

#2 Ministry Experimentation

The typical next step that a calling to ministry takes is actually experimenting with ministry through volunteering and discovering your gifting and place in the Body of Christ. I was 17 years old and scared to death when my Pastor asked me to lead a Jr. High Sunday School Class. What would I teach, would they listen to me, could I do it, could I keep those unruly Jr. Highers under control?

#3 Affirmation by the Church

Who knew that Jr. High Sunday School Class would actually go well? I know, shocking right? But it did go well and people began to believe in me, and that God could use me. And I began to believe it too. Other leaders in the Church, particularly my Pastor recognized and affirmed God’s call to ministry in my life.

#4 Preparation and Training

The final component that you’ll regularly hear from those who have been called to ministry is that they experience a period of training and development that prepares them for full time Christian work. For me this would mean going to college (that is after a short 2 year stop at Jr. College to get my grades up and my Associates Degree…I thought I had better things to do in High School than go to High School) getting a Christian education, formal biblical training, mentoring and internships.

Even though I didn’t list them here I’m interested in some verses or biblical suggestions that you’d recommend young leaders consider when trying discover if they’re called to ministry? I’d love your input so leave a comment!


Posted in Leadership, Spiritual Formation

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Global Leadership Summit 2013: Chris Brown

Chris Brown serves as one of four Lead Pastors at North Coast Community Church in Southern California. Without question this was one of the best and most challenging talks for Church Leaders this year!

  • Spiritual Leadership will always be different than secular leadership
  • Saul had room in the company & army for David but not in his chariot
  • In the moment David’s achievements started to overshadow his, he became jealous
  • Pharaoh empowered Joseph…a pagan king got what the King of Israel didn’t get
  • Churches and companies raise leaders up to the top and then kick them out because there’s just one seat at the top so they have to go somewhere out…they’re not leaving on their own, you’re kicking them out because of you antiquated system and hierarchy
  • Insecure leaders have to have a title and a position
  • #1 Call sin, sin: servant leadership is going to hit our pride and our ego
  • Our calling has to trump our culture
  • Can you do this? Can you empower others to the point where you give up power, prestige, ego, and platform?
  • Start asking a different question…”Not how can I be the best leader, but how can I be more like Jesus?”
  • Do you have room in your chariot for a David or a Joseph?
  • Do you have room for God’s Kingdom and not yours?
  • Do I expand God’s Kingdom or my reputation?
  • What difference is the Holy Spirit making in the way I currently lead?
  • If a nonbeliever with my exact same skills and talent had my job, would they be doing it differently?

Posted in Leadership, Spiritual Formation
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