The good news of the gospel is good because it not only brings us to salvation in proclaiming the death of Christ on our behalf but it continues to be good in providing the basis for our obedience and following Christ, both individually and corporately as a church. The past few months have been humbling and encouraging, for I have found that the neglect of the gospel has lead many down the road to legalism and a pharisaical attitude, including myself. It is easy to use a performance mentality in gauging spirituality, both in my own life as well as in others. Yet the mindset that says we need to try and earn God's favor through our hard work and labor for the sake of the kingdom can lead to a works mentality that contradicts the foundation of living by grace through faith. We are not only saved by grace through faith in our justification, we are also continually to walk in grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. As Jerry Bridges notes, "Your worse days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace." This is indeed comforting news for those of us who are so performance oriented that we can go from one extreme to the other. We feel good about ourselves when we are doing well with all our spiritual disciplines and maintaining a high level of activity. We then feel bad about ourselves when we miss our quiet times and go through prolonged periods of spiritual lethargy. While Romans 6 reminds us not to abuse grace, we must remember to also consider that we forget about grace as we live out the Christian life.
The reminder to "preach the gospel to yourself" has been something that I have heard before, but it has not been so prominent as it has become now. The gospel must be central to my life's purpose and message. I am called to live in a manner worthy of the gospel and I am to partner with fellow believers for the sake of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). If this is so, then the gospel needs to be constantly on my mind from my waking moments to the time I go to bed.
It is no surprise to see the apostle Paul so focused on the cross of Christ. One of my favorite verses since high school has been 1 Corinthians 2:2 - "For I determined to know nothing among you except Christ and him crucified." This verse has been revived in my heart and I see how easy it is for me to then walk in the flesh when I forget to fix my eyes on Christ (Hebrews 12:2).
As we celebrate our 10th anniversary at Lighthouse, I would like to again reiterate what was preached this past Sunday. The mission of Lighthouse - to make disciples of Christ, is no less than a call to go and proclaim the gospel, making disciples who will then be baptized and taught to live in light of the gospel for the rest of their days. The vision of Lighthouse - to plant churches, gives us the goal of taking the gospel ministry, both for the purpose of evangelism and edification, to places where there is a need for the gospel to be made known. The passion of Lighthouse - to love God and people, can only be truly experienced when the gospel is driving our loving so that it really is the love of Christ that both motivates us and energizes us to love in the way God defines true love.
The gospel is precious - don't let it become something that you think is so basic that you are not in need of preaching it to yourselves daily. My prayer is that the gospel would become the beacon of your heart, your mind, your mouth, and the unifying factor in all your relationships so that Christ might receive all the glory.
Showing posts with label MVP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MVP. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Shine the Light in San Jose
It's finally happening! After ten years of ministering in San Diego, Lighthouse is going to act on its Vision Statement and plant a church in the San Jose area. Even while typing these words, it seems a bit surreal. Most of the members at Lighthouse probably remember the spiel from their membership interview about how one day John would go up to the pulpit and announce that we are going to plant a church in some Podunk city in Oklahoma (not that Oklahoma is a bad place to live!).
But the day has come. The location is not Podunk, but San Jose, and the goal is summer of 2010. Make no mistake! This is going to require a lot of hard work and diligent planning if we are going to be able to get a team up to San Jose by then. When Lighthouse first began about ten years ago, there was an exciting buzz in the air. Everyone came out to everything. People were excited to be together and to be a part of the ministry. We knew that one day some of that would fade and that the "honeymoon" phase would eventually come to an end, but it was still exciting to be a part of that time. There was an intense commitment and consistency on the part of each member. If this church plant is going to succeed, it will require similar commitment and consistency on the part of all the members.
One of the most encouraging things about this new direction is the response we received from the members. There was a feeling of genuine excitement at the members meeting on Sunday. A few came and communicated their support afterwards and I appreciated their kind words. Most who talked to me promised that they would pray for me and the leadership. I appreciated that as well. Now is the time to make good on those promises. A year from now, hopefully we can all say that we have faithfully prayed for Lighthouse. We're going to have to pray.
We're also going to have to rethink our lives. For many, this will be a time of thoughtful reevaluation. Do you live your life as if it is the Lord's or do you manage your life as if you are in control? Are you holding on to what you have loosely or is your life in San Diego so precious to you that you would be unwilling to go anywhere else the Lord would lead? Of course, we can't have everyone go. Knowing that I am now preparing to be the new senior pastor at Lighthouse, I can confidently say, "You better not all go!" =) But we are going to need some to go. We are going to want families to go. That is going to require a bit of faith and may prove to be quite challenging for some.
This is an exciting time for the church, but it is a time when we particularly need to lean on the Lord for His guidance and strength. People may tell us we're crazy (that's what they said ten years ago), but we are determined to believe that God can do seemingly impossible things through us if we allow Him to. Honestly, I'm excited for the next church plant. Perhaps it'll be in three years. Maybe it'll be in five. But now that the ball is rolling for Lighthouse Bible Church of San Jose, there's no telling where the Lord might have us plant next. The Vision of LBC doesn't end with LBC San Jose. I'm confident this is just the beginning. We just need the members to be onboard. We need to constantly ask ourselves, "Do we really believe in the MVP of LBC?" enough to act on it.
But the day has come. The location is not Podunk, but San Jose, and the goal is summer of 2010. Make no mistake! This is going to require a lot of hard work and diligent planning if we are going to be able to get a team up to San Jose by then. When Lighthouse first began about ten years ago, there was an exciting buzz in the air. Everyone came out to everything. People were excited to be together and to be a part of the ministry. We knew that one day some of that would fade and that the "honeymoon" phase would eventually come to an end, but it was still exciting to be a part of that time. There was an intense commitment and consistency on the part of each member. If this church plant is going to succeed, it will require similar commitment and consistency on the part of all the members.
One of the most encouraging things about this new direction is the response we received from the members. There was a feeling of genuine excitement at the members meeting on Sunday. A few came and communicated their support afterwards and I appreciated their kind words. Most who talked to me promised that they would pray for me and the leadership. I appreciated that as well. Now is the time to make good on those promises. A year from now, hopefully we can all say that we have faithfully prayed for Lighthouse. We're going to have to pray.
We're also going to have to rethink our lives. For many, this will be a time of thoughtful reevaluation. Do you live your life as if it is the Lord's or do you manage your life as if you are in control? Are you holding on to what you have loosely or is your life in San Diego so precious to you that you would be unwilling to go anywhere else the Lord would lead? Of course, we can't have everyone go. Knowing that I am now preparing to be the new senior pastor at Lighthouse, I can confidently say, "You better not all go!" =) But we are going to need some to go. We are going to want families to go. That is going to require a bit of faith and may prove to be quite challenging for some.
This is an exciting time for the church, but it is a time when we particularly need to lean on the Lord for His guidance and strength. People may tell us we're crazy (that's what they said ten years ago), but we are determined to believe that God can do seemingly impossible things through us if we allow Him to. Honestly, I'm excited for the next church plant. Perhaps it'll be in three years. Maybe it'll be in five. But now that the ball is rolling for Lighthouse Bible Church of San Jose, there's no telling where the Lord might have us plant next. The Vision of LBC doesn't end with LBC San Jose. I'm confident this is just the beginning. We just need the members to be onboard. We need to constantly ask ourselves, "Do we really believe in the MVP of LBC?" enough to act on it.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Love or Die
The most recent book by Alexander Strauch titled, "Love or Die" is a very serious and challenging work that needs to be read by anyone who loves the church. The rebuke of the Ephesian church in Revelation 2 by Christ is one that every church needs to take seriously because hard work, perseverance, and even doctrinal purity are no guarantee for success in God's eyes. What God is looking for is a heart that truly loves Him as well as loves others as Matthew 22:37-40 calls us to in what is known as the Great Commandment.
I have long feared that the day would come where our love would grow cold and it seems to be creeping into our church as the level of selfish ambition and empty conceit continue to rise in various forms. It breaks my heart to hear of the slander and gossip that takes place, the absolute refusal to apply the Peacemaker Pledge in dealing with conflict, and the lack of compassion that some have for others that don't seem to please them for one reason or another. I have realized that even as I have been reading the Old Testament record of the nation of Israel found in the Pentateuch that though they were privileged to have seen incredible signs and wonders by God, were delivered from slavery in Egypt, saw God part the Red Sea and destroy Pharoah's army, were fed with manna from heaven and all you can eat quail buffet line, had water drawn from rocks, it still was never enough to keep them from complaining and seeking to rebel against God's leadership. While we might think we could do better, I don't think so. Even with all God's blessings given to us, His grace and mercy being poured out through the cross of Christ, His mercies being made new every morning, people who claim to be Christians still have the audacity to hate their brother or sister. I think that's why the title "Love or Die" is very appropriate to consider. If we do not love the way God calls us to love, the church will die. Relationships will die. Pastors will die. Church member will die. It is a serious matter and I hope that everyone at Lighthouse will take the Passion statement serious - to love God and people. It's not enough to make it a nice slogan. It's not just something to recite at members meetings. It is the heart and soul of our Mission and Vision, for without true and genuine love for God and people, the mission will fail and the vision will fade.
It is the prayer of my heart that the members of our church will grow in their love, that it may abound more and more in real knowledge and all discernment so that we might approve the things that are excellent before God. We must help each other, for we are all incapable of doing it on our own. It truly is a team effort and I pray that we will be united in our love for God and people.
As it is our 10 year anniversary this year, let's make it our goal to really ask if we believe in our MVP statement and will we actually live it out? This coming Sunday we will talk about our Mission and Vision and I hope that you are ready!
In His grace,
Pastor John
I have long feared that the day would come where our love would grow cold and it seems to be creeping into our church as the level of selfish ambition and empty conceit continue to rise in various forms. It breaks my heart to hear of the slander and gossip that takes place, the absolute refusal to apply the Peacemaker Pledge in dealing with conflict, and the lack of compassion that some have for others that don't seem to please them for one reason or another. I have realized that even as I have been reading the Old Testament record of the nation of Israel found in the Pentateuch that though they were privileged to have seen incredible signs and wonders by God, were delivered from slavery in Egypt, saw God part the Red Sea and destroy Pharoah's army, were fed with manna from heaven and all you can eat quail buffet line, had water drawn from rocks, it still was never enough to keep them from complaining and seeking to rebel against God's leadership. While we might think we could do better, I don't think so. Even with all God's blessings given to us, His grace and mercy being poured out through the cross of Christ, His mercies being made new every morning, people who claim to be Christians still have the audacity to hate their brother or sister. I think that's why the title "Love or Die" is very appropriate to consider. If we do not love the way God calls us to love, the church will die. Relationships will die. Pastors will die. Church member will die. It is a serious matter and I hope that everyone at Lighthouse will take the Passion statement serious - to love God and people. It's not enough to make it a nice slogan. It's not just something to recite at members meetings. It is the heart and soul of our Mission and Vision, for without true and genuine love for God and people, the mission will fail and the vision will fade.
It is the prayer of my heart that the members of our church will grow in their love, that it may abound more and more in real knowledge and all discernment so that we might approve the things that are excellent before God. We must help each other, for we are all incapable of doing it on our own. It truly is a team effort and I pray that we will be united in our love for God and people.
As it is our 10 year anniversary this year, let's make it our goal to really ask if we believe in our MVP statement and will we actually live it out? This coming Sunday we will talk about our Mission and Vision and I hope that you are ready!
In His grace,
Pastor John
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