During a recent 20 mile ride I thought about some of the valuable lessons I was learning from the ride.

Lesson #1 – Every uphill has a downhill

One thing I’ve notice is that there are more hills around here than I realized. It’s amazing how few hills there are when I’m in my truck compared to how many hills there are when I’m on my bike. But there is good news with hills and headwinds. Every uphill has a corresponding downhill (unless you are riding from Bois D’ Arc to the Lawton/Duncan Y on the bypass – Man!) and every headwind has a tail wind.

Some of you are encountering some serious uphill roads in your life and to make matters worse there is a strong headwind. Life for you right now is not easy – but good news uphills have a corresponding downhill. One day you will eventually get on the back side of this hill and you WILL enjoy some smooth sailing!

Lesson #2 – Make a commitment before it gets hard

Honestly, if I decided how far I was going to ride during my ride I would just ride to the nearest restaurant and back. For me to have success on the bike means I need to make up my mind before I leave, while I am fresh and ready. As a result I make a commitment to ride out so far and once I am out that far I have to come back.

Setting goals in the middle of the uphill ride may not be the best option for you. Set goals during the good times that will see you through the bad times.

Lesson #3 – Take it one pedal at a time

The old saying is true, “You have to eat an elephant one bite at a time.” I found the same is true for me on the bike. If I get too caught up in how far I have to go or how long the next hill is I may very well turn back. For me to stay on course I sometimes have to just put my head down and pedal not worrying about how far I have left.

In life sometimes we just have to take it one step at a time. The old Gospel song says, “One day at time sweet Jesus.” And indeed, living a successful life requires “sushi sizing” your day. Sushi is designed to be eaten one bite at a time. So “sushi size’ your problems and take them on one bite at a time.

Lesson #4 – Enjoy the ride

Don’t forget to enjoy the ride. Even though it is sometimes painful and tiring I have discovered that I get to see some beautiful scenery along the way. Beautiful homes, lush fields, and flowering plants are all around me.

In your life “take time to smell the roses” or to enjoy the ride. There is beauty all around you. The beauty of God-given relationships, the beauty of the natural world, and the beauty of the gifts of God made possible through His son Jesus Christ all serve to lighten the load as we ride through life.

Lesson #5 – Make sure there is carrot out there

When I ride I like to think about the finish. I like to think about how good I’m going to feel about accomplishing something. I like to think about texting some riding buddies and letting them know I did it. Recently on a ride during lunch I promised myself a burrito from Taco Tico (don’t judge me – it doesn’t get any better than that) when I was finished.

The Apostle Paul said, “Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

I like to call this “living from the long-view”. We all would do well to think about how we want to end our lives and then think in reverse about the things we must to in order to have a happy ending.

The Importance of the Bible Story and Message Map for 2012

Immanuel Baptist Church

Recently, there has been a renewed emphasis on the power of story in communicating the truth claims of the Bible. Culturally, people read less and listen and watch more. We have effectively moved from a primary print based learning society to one that is multi-sensory based. In other words we learn from the power of pictures, video and interactive dialogue as well as what we read in print.

This has taken its toll on multiple industries. Magazines and newspapers are scrambling to retain their market share. Bookstores are increasingly becoming more digital. Teachers now have to re-think how to best communicate content. And churches are now having to decide what are the best practices for communicating the timeless truths of God’s word in a world that is increasingly illiterate (unable to read) at worst and non-literate (unwilling to read) at best.

The truth is that we cannot expect to exclusively use modern practices of education in a post-modern world. We must look for ways to share the Gospel in a doctrinally sound yet culturally effective manner.

While we could blame all of this on technology such as the internet, television, and smart phones the irony is that the more advanced we have become the more primal we are.

The power of story has been around since the beginning of time. Long before Gutenberg invented the printing press the stories of the Bible were passed down from generation to generation with amazing accuracy using simple but powerful stories.

“Have you ever wondered why more than half of the Bible is narrative? God had it written that way so that the 90-plus percent of people in biblical times who were nonreaders could remember it.”

Coupled with this renewed emphasis on the power of story is the great need for people both young and old to develop a biblical worldview. We live in a time when many people are coming in and out of our churches with no real clue as to how the bible affects the world they live in. The Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012 and people have no biblical template from which to measure such claims. A college professor calls into question the origin of the world and a young person quickly departs from the faith of his father. These and others are examples of people who lack a biblical worldview to respond to the pressures of our modern society.

So, in 2012 Immanuel is committing to telling the story of God and the world and helping both young and old develop a biblical view of the world. We are going to accomplish this by simply telling the story of the Bible from beginning to end. All of our messages in church over the course of 2012 (starting in February) for both adults and students will be built around the chronological story of the Bible. We are calling it, “The Big Story: The Big, Crazy, Twisted, Messed Up, but Hopeful Story of the World”.

This story is being divided in 2012 into four important parts.

• The story of creation and the fall
• The story of nation building and a coming redeemer
• The story of the life of Christ
• The story of the church and the future of the world

So here is your opportunity to expose you and your family to a systematic story of the Bible. To know that if you attend regularly over the next year you will walk away with a perspective on the history of the world and the future of the world that perhaps you have never fully had. Bottom line is we take our responsibility to teach the Bible very seriously and believe that you need to hear a biblical worldview in a manner in which you not only understand it, but can also share it!

One of the hardest things to do is to find a church home. However one of the most important things for you and your family is to find a church home where you and your family can connect, grow and serve. Let me offer the following advice on finding the right church.

1. Thou shalt find a church where God’s Word is faithfully taught

A God-glorifying church is built on God’s word. Make sure that you find a church that basis all that it does on the Word of God.

2. Thou shalt find a church where doctrine matters

Acts 2:42

Doctrine is what the bible teaches about any subject. Doctrine in our day and time is neglected and attacked. Paul told us in the New Testatment that doctrine will always be under attack – 2 Timothy 4:3-4

So look for a church that clearly knows and defines what it believes – a place where the statement of faith actually makes a difference. You should never join a church where you cannot agree with their statement of faith. No matter how hip and cool their worship set is – make sure you can sign off on their doctrinal statement.

3. Thou shalt find a church where the Gospel is cherished and clearly proclaimed

Gospel is the good news. It is really the only relevant news the church has. Therefore it must be proclaimed.

Spurgeon, “Do not go where it is all fine music and grand talk and beautiful architecture; those things will neither fill anybody’s stomach, nor feed his soul. Go where the gospel is preached, the gospel that really feeds your soul, and go often.”

4. Thou shalt find a church that is committed to reaching the lost

Matt. 28:18-20

Adrian Rogers said years ago that, “A church that is not evangelistic is not merely failing – but is guilty of high treason against heavens king.”

5. Thou shalt find a church whose leaders are characterized by humility and integrity

The most effective leaders view themselves as servants. The most effective leaders are men of integrity.

Let me give you a great definition of integrity – it is doing the right thing the right way. So find a church where leaders are not looking for shortcuts to growing the church God’s way.

6. Thou shalt find a church where the people strive to live by God’s Word -James 1:22

The scripture should be your new churches sole basis of faith and practice. So make sure the people in the pews are committed to walking together in the principles of the Word.

7. Thou shalt find a church where you can find and cultivate godly relationships

We all need relationships where we can receive encouragement, accountability, and care.

This means that the local church you choose should be local! Its impossible to build relationships with people that you don’t live near. So choose a church near where you work and live. A church that you can be involved in the lives of others in.

8. Thou shalt find a church where members are challenged to serve

Ephesians 4:12

Too many people come to church to sit, soak, sour, instead find a church where you can serve.

Look for a place that will not just serve your needs but a place that will challenge you to care deeply about the needs of others.

9. Thou shalt find a church that is willing to kick you out

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Find a church that cares about God and you enough to do whatever it takes to protect God’s reputation from harm and your life from sin.

10. Thou shalt find a church that you are willing to join “as is”

Find a church that you can be excited about. In other words don’t find a church that is a fixer upper.

Find a church where you can leave your grips and complaints at the door and become a positive productive member.

Note: Excerpts borrowed from “Why Church Matters” by Joshua Harris

Arthur Schopenhuer, said, “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self evident.”

Certainly that is true when it comes to change in the life of the church. But mark it down, the churches that are creatively leading a spiritual revolution in their community are those that will most likely make it into the hearts of the next generation. We must ask ourselves, “Will we be a disruptive force of change through courageous risk-taking and breathtaking creativity, or will we be like so many other churches, shrugging our shoulders wondering what happened?”

Great churches are always built on innovated ideas to share the gospel with as many people as possible as effectively as possible. They are always looking for compelling ways to introduce their city to Christ. Gone are the days when sameness and church commoditization (secular word for denominationalism) will win the hearts of prospective church goers. In fact, we’ve reached a time when playing it safe has become the riskiest move of all. If you don’t believe me ask the hundreds of play-it-safe-do-church-like-we-have-always-done-it churches whose buildings are empty and whose budgets are supported by dead people.

Business leader Josh Linkner says, “If you’re unwilling to be different you’ll never get to the next level. The very fact that the entire industry does something a particular way is a great reason to explore the exact opposite approach.”

What is true in the business world is also true in the church. The fastest growing churches in our town are doing things differently than anyone would have imagined a generation ago. A generation ago no one would have thought of a biker-church or a church that watches a video taped sermon. While Immanuel does not seek to be like either of these we do seek our own identity that targets un-churched people. Our slogan, “Different but Not” says that we are different than any other church in town but we are not different than the people we are trying to reach. We intentionally look for ways to communicate the Gospel story in the heart language of the people we have been called to reach.

We are committed to doing this as a congregation by…

•  Relentless sharing: People come to church because other people invite them.
•  Building the brand: Immanuel has a brand recognition that we should all be proud of.
• Offering something unique: When people visit here they walk away noticing a marked difference.

This last Sunday after the morning service I was talking to one of our visitors who by his own admission had moved to town and was taking the church tour. I found his impression of our services to be refreshing. In his words he said, “I’ve been touring all the other churches in town and you guys are different. I’ve never been to a church service like this where so much was packed into a single service. But I really liked it and we will be back.”

 Mission accomplished for at least one Sunday. So as we prepare for next Sunday let’s all do it with an eye on sharing the Gospel with someone who has never heard. And let’s invite our family and friends to a church that’s truly different

I’ve been asking this question over the past several weeks as the heat wave continues to assault our area.  

At the advice of a friend this past week I checked out the Farmers Almanac. (Otherwise known as the Farmers Horoscope) BTW the Almanac says that we won’t get any significant rain until September. It also says that it will be considerably colder sometime in January and that the grass will start to get green again sometime in March or April. Helpful stuff.

One article did catch my attention in the online version of the Farmers Almanac. It was entitled, “What Causes a Heat Wave”. I’m thinking jinga – I have my answer to my question. The article was written by Jaime McLeod she is Web Content Editor for the Farmers’ Almanac. She is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, loves eating organic foods.

So I’m thinking anyone who writes for MTV.com and loves to eat organic food must know the answer to this perplexing question.

 “A heat wave occurs when a system of high atmospheric pressure moves into an area. In such a high-pressure system, air from upper levels of our atmosphere is pulled toward the ground, where it becomes compressed and increases in temperature.

This high concentration of pressure makes it difficult for other weather systems to move into the area, which is why a heat wave can last for several days or weeks. The longer the system stays in an area, the hotter the area becomes. The high-pressure inhibits winds, making them faint to nonexistent. Because the high-pressure system also prevents clouds from entering the region, sunlight can become punishing, heating up the system even more. The combination of all of these factors come together to create the exceptionally hot temperatures we call a heat wave.”

Well I kind of already knew that. So I guess my question is not what causes a heat wave but what causes a high atmospheric pressure? I mean who pressures the pressure?

Is there something or someone that moves the wind that pressures the pressure? Or is it just this way?

Seems to me that there are three possible answers…

1. The naturalist approach – that things happen because of the laws of nature. The cosmos moves and reacts all on its own.

2. The activist approach – that we have events like we are having as the result of global warming. We have emitted too much carbon into the atmosphere. Problem is that long before there were carbon emissions there were floods and earthquakes and droughts. So while we do have a biblical responsibility to tend the garden and to take care of the planet this in and of itself will never be enough to avoid floods and famines.

3. The Christian approach – that there is a God who pressures the pressure systems. That there is a God who is behind it all.

After all the bible says, ‘That God sends rain on the just and the unjust”. Notice that it says God sends rain. If God sends rain it is reasonable to conclude that God withholds rain.

While most of us in the room would agree with the Christian approach I will guarantee you that we will vary on how far we take it. Does God send tidal waves and tsunamis that wipe out entire villages? Is God behind earthquakes and does God create tornados? Now the question just got harder for many of us.

Amos 3:6 asks the question, “When disaster comes to a city has not the Lord caused it?” The implied answer is, “Yes disaster comes to a city because the Lord causes it.”

The question is one of causation. And over and over in the Bible we see the Lord as the one who is causing the weather to react in certain ways.

Examples of the Lord behind the weather…

• The flood
• The drought in 1 Kings 17 and 18
• The rain in 1 Kings 18
• The storm in Jonah
• The whirlwind that took Elisha up into heaven
• The powerful wind that killed Jobs sons and daughters in Job 1:19
• The plaques and miracles in the book of Exodus
• Jesus walking on water
• The sun refusing to shine when Jesus hung on the cross
• The earthquake that shook the prison when Paul was incarcerated

Over and over again in the Bible we see that God is the one who determines the weather.

Some people will say “I can’t believe in a God that would do that? I can’t believe in a God that is sovereign over the catastrophic events of nature.”

Well I can’t believe in a God that is not. If God is not able to affect the natural world then he would not be much of a God.  And if God is not behind the bad weather than it’s crazy to spend time praying to this “hand-tied version of God” for good weather and for rain.

As we will see the question is not God powerful enough to affect the weather? The question is what is our response to such an all powerful God?

This Sunday we hope to answer this question by studying a drought in the Bible. We will see what caused it, what the purpose of it was, and how it finally ended.

See you Sunday.

“Yes, I love technology
But not as much as you, you see
But I still love technology
Always and forever”

We live in a world that is very much in love with technology. We love our smart phones, our notebooks, our laptops, our computers, our GPS systems, etc. etc. We love to google, Skype, tweett, and instant message. We love our aps, and our Nooks, and the list goes on and on.

However, there are some issues raised by technology and its use of us that we should consider. I recently read Tim Challies book, “The Next Story: Life and Faith after the Digital Explosion” and it has made me think about this thing we know and love as technology.

Questions

#1 – Is the medium the message?

Marshall McLuhan coined the term, “the medium is the message”, in an attempt to encourage us to look behind the technology and the capability of a given device to examine the ideas that underlie its use.

While I don’t go as far as McLuhan in believing that the medium is the message I am certain that the medium flavors the message and creates both positive and negative emotions toward the message.

For example for a twenty-something computer savvy person the idea of a Pastor reading scripture from an electronic bible is not a problem. Truth be known it may communicate that the Gospel is not constrained in archaic technology and is therefore relevant.

However, that same Pastor reading scripture from an electronic Bible may be looked down upon by an older and more print savvy person. Recently I have heard bible teachers say that they needed to hear the pages of the Bible being turned and that a Bible on your phone or electronic notebook was no substitute for a hardcopy of the Bible. On some level the medium plays a profound role in our interacting with the message.

In all honesty the pre-digital generation needs to understand that the old fashion hard copy of the Bible that they hold in their hands was at one time a technological break though of its own. 

When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press he hit the fast forward button on technology. A technology that would be used over the years for good and evil (as all technology does). The printing press would be used to crank out pornography and propaganda and do great harm to many lives. However, it would also be used to tirelessly print copy after copy after copy of the Scriptures. Marin Luther would call the press, “God’s highest act of grace.”

The digital savvy generation would do well to understand the limitations of electronic Scripture and the perception it may have on the non-digital world. Frankly we are living in the transition between a pre-digital print culture and a post-print digital culture and everyone is feeling the tension. If you don’t believe me talk to the marketing department of any major newspaper! Talk to an owner of a local bookstore (my in-laws own a Christian book-store). Trying to sell paper books in a digital age is like trying to sell a horse and buggy in the post automobile age. There are a few people who would still like to hitch the wagon but by in large people were opting for cars. Today there is a serious question as to weather printed books will be around in twenty to thirty years. One thing is for sure there use will be far less prevalent than in the past thirty years.

Will your paper version of the Bible make the transition? I would think this book may be one of the few that does. However, don’t be surprised if more and more people opt for the e-Bible. One word of caution, I was teaching a Bible class the other day and one of the guys told me that “the battery on his Bible was dead”. First time I’ve ever heard that – but I am sure it won’t be the last.

#2 – What are the possibilities of internet evangelism?

Some might want us to think that the possibilities are limitless; however I would suggest that they are greatly limited. When we substitute a Facebook post, an internet blog, or a Tweet for personal evangelism we are depersonalizing (an effect of technology that we will cover in the last question) the Gospel.

Can technology assist in evangelism? Absolutely! I liken it to the air support during war. The planes can drop bombs from a thousand miles away but at some point the Army is going to have send in the foot-soldiers to complete the job. You can post stories or videos – but at some point personal evangelism must be personal.

One lesson from the digital world that I wish we would apply to our faith is the need to share our experience in order to validate our experience. As a result of social networking many people don’t believe they have truly experienced something until they have shared it on Facebook or Twitter. Take a vacation and see an amazing site and your life is not complete until you have uploaded a picture and posted a comment for the entire world to see. Go to a sporting event and the first thing you will do is post something to your digital wall.

It’s true for some of us we don’t experience it until we have shared it. What if we applied this to our faith in a non-digital format? What if when we meet Jesus we can’t fully appreciate Him until we have shared Him with our closest friends? That is the essence of evangelism.

At every stage of history Christianity has had to resist the temptation of cheap imitation in its use of technology. Most of the time we seem completely unable to resist this temptation.

For instance if you did an internet search for Second Life Church you would find a website completely dedicated to helping you worship in a virtual world. You can create your own avatar, interact with Second Life’s evangelist avatar, and worship in this weird sort of alternate reality. This seems strange and cheesy to me and I’m pretty sure a far cry from what real worship is all about.

I recently was given a sales pitch from a new “Christian” company called Monvee. Their claim to fame is that they have developed a website that will be the one place you need for spiritual development. Good bye church, good bye small group, hello Monvee. When I asked what the name Monvee stood for the sales rep said nothing really it’s just a cool word we came up with. Wow!

We must harness technology and use it, while at the same time understand that it will always have limitations and that Christianity will always demand a human touch to be most effective.

#3 – Does technology have the potential of depersonalizing us?

Yes and it is doing it every single day. A recent study of young people found that 57 % say they spend more time talking to people online than face to face. I have some guys that I know that can’t carry on a conversation face to face but will wear you out with texts.

Increasingly our phones are being used less and less to talk to people. The day is coming when kids are going to marvel that adults are still talking on their phones. Why talk when you can text, email, and Facebook on your phone?

Already we have come to value a phone call or a text over a face to face conversation. I was in a church leadership meeting the other day discussing some serious issues for our church when one of the guys had to stop the meeting to answer his daughter’s phone call. What was at stake? She wanted to know if she could have a cookie. Really? Our work on the constitution got trumped for a question about a cookie!

I’m increasingly hearing the truly digital savvy leaders talk about the importance of unplugging. Mark it down the people that will lead in the post digital world will be those that do not succumb to its temptation, who understand its limitation, and who routinely unplug and spend time in the presence of the Father and in the company of friends!