You Asked For What?

Got questions? Needs? Wants? Desires? How long do you wait before you ask or express these things? For most people, the better question would be why wait at all, right? I think I am in this camp of “Why wait?” After all, it seems to me that I will never get anything unless I ask for it, right? Personally, I am all about asking, except when it comes to the dreaded “ask” for church: money! I hear it often said about churches: “All the church wants is my money, and all they do is ask for it.” Is this really true? Maybe in some cases, but as a senior pastor myself, I avoid asking. Why is this? Maybe it is fear, and maybe I should ask more often, or maybe it shouldn’t be an “ask” at all.

We live in a money-minded world, where things like “It takes money to make money” and “everything has its price…” are almost cultural adages, not simple miscellaneous statements. In this world, the church is supposed live out the Great Commandment (Love God, love others) and Great Commission (Make disciples), as well as be a refuge and a resource for those struggling in it. In order for the church to be a resource, it must first have resources. This is just the fact. To live out God’s purpose for His church requires leadership. In order for a vision to become a reality, it not only needs energy and creativity, but also money…there it is, the “M” word.

Why is this subject so taboo at church? There is no other service-based business in the world that offers a service without charging, so why is it so bad to talk about it? I suggest we get over it, otherwise in order to continue to fund ministry, the church might someday need to adopt some flavor of a fee structure. I suggest that they already do. As ways to support themselves, many churches charge fees for everything from facility use to pastoral time outside of Sundays.

I feel that my responsibility is to teach God’s people the entirety of God’s Word, and not just the parts that make us feel better. Paul tells us in his letter to Timothy that “all” Scripture is from God and useful (2 Tim 3:16). So my plan is teach it all, and to do it with reckless abandon, without reservation, so that I may also be able to claim someday as Paul did in Acts 20:26-27 (ESV):

“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”

A simple fact is that in 2013, it takes money to move the Gospel. I am in no way saying that the Gospel will not move without it, but sending people to Third World countries, buying food and clothing for the poor and homeless, sending kids to summer camp or VBS, takes money. The reminder is, when a church asks for money, don’t think about it as giving to a church’s budget, but think about it as giving to the cause of Christ.

And while I am talking about it…I do not desire to be a church that asks because it wants to do something, but a church that has, at its core, generosity as a value, and always acts on what we believe God is leading us to do, regardless of the cost. Neither do I desire to be a church that says nothing in order to be politically correct and not offend. Hope Crossing needs your help to facilitate the cause of Christ. That is our vision; join us wherever you are, however you can, with whatever you can…and by the way, that takes money too.

…just sayin’

In His grip,

Pastor Pat

Who Ya Gonna Ask?

Peace and harmony are good things, don’t you agree with me? Peace and harmony with what? There should really be no agreement on anything without understanding, right?  So then, why do so many conversations, sales pitches, and arguments seem to have, as their goal, agreement? Because agreement looks like accomplishment, but is often just the best choice between two sides trying to find middle ground. Words like compromise, bending, and give and take are used quite often in order to reach agreement, even if it is agreeing to disagree. What are we agreeing on?

Know what everyone agrees on: absolute truth. Absolute truth is absolutely true 100% of the time: every time, and all the time. Let us not argue what is or is not absolute truth here. I am not trying to have the truth debate, and I am not talking about what is true to you. I am talking about unarguable truth like gravity, and I am not asking you to agree with my version of truth, but simply that absolute truth exists. Problem isn’t really whether or not absolute truth exists; it is simply whether or not you believe it does.

We are and always have been a people who often times prefer to do it our way, and go the way we desire to go, looking for our own personal truth. Look at what the prophet Jeremiah told God’s chosen people about the direction they should go:

Jeremiah 6:16 (ESV)
Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

God had never led them anywhere but in the right direction, and yet they wanted to go their own way. Sound familiar? God’s Word is absolutely true, and we should absolutely follow it – and that is our choice. God is not presenting His Word as a suggestion to agree or not agree with Him. God is not looking for agreement in order to bless us, He is looking for the required obedience, and that brings us His blessings.

Reality is that agreement is pursued so often because it is just easier than conflict. Conflict is hard, and can even be painful. This is all about asking the right person over asking the right question. I believe we should seek God’s absolute truth, not agreement, and endure any and all conflict in order to get there.

…just sayin’

In His grip,

Pastor Pat

Not Better, Surrendered

What does better mean to you? Better is defined as the comparative of good, greater in excellence or higher in quality, and something that is more useful, suitable, or desirable. So to sum it up, it seems the simplest definition for better, is more. Most people would say that more is better, so for this discussion we will be using it: Better is more, because more is better. Agreed?!

This is why we compete to have so much, because more is better, and everyone wants his or her life to be better. The question that I think that is often overlooked is: compared to what? Compared to what other people have, right? Got a one-up friend? You know, the person who whenever you tell a story, they have a better one? Or if you have something special to you and share or explain it, they push it down compared to what they have? We all either know this person, or we are this person.

Jesus tells us in Scripture that He came so that we might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). What is this abundance Jesus speaks of? He is not talking about “stuff” here, but about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control, also known as the fruit of the Spirit. This is “more”, right? Why yes it is, and as a matter of fact, by our previous definition, that implies that it is better.

Jesus turned everything upside down, talking about the first being last, the last being first, needing to be born again, and even dying in order to really live. This is crazy talk, right? More like crazy awesome! Jesus became what we are so that He could show us the way to be like Him, and to really live. So what do we have to do to experience this promise? Simple = surrender. Surrendering my way for His, and my objections for obedience…my wants for His will. Like I said, simple, but the problem is that it is not easy, and this is why we can’t do it on our own or in our own way.

Look at what Paul tells the church in Corinth about what they need to depend on:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

In order to live the promise of abundant life we must become dependent on Jesus: who He is and what He did for us. We need to recognize that we can’t do it on our own and save ourselves, but that we must trust God’s provision for the Savior we really need.

Not better, surrendered…that’s the best.

…just sayin’

In His grip,

Pastor Pat

WHOM Shall You Serve?

Do you try to please people? Let’s face it, either you just answered yes (with caveats of course), or a resounding NO, (because you are not one of those “people pleaser types”). If we were to step back and be completely honest, we all people please at some point or another. The question is not really whether or not you do, but to what end do you do it? Think about this…

If you please people because it is your job or your job depends on it, but secretly despise the customers or your boss, there is a strong possibility that you will not be long in your current position. If you think it unnecessary to please your spouse – who is a person – there is likely to be rough sailing ahead (or currently). My point is, let’s face it: most people have a need to please other people at some point in time in their lives. There is a term for this: serving. When we serve someone we are putting his or her needs above our own.

Serve, serving, being served…when it comes to our faith lives, this term "service," gets thrown around so much that it is more confusing, than anything else. So how do we do this without being overly selfish or being taken advantage of? It all comes down to “whom” you are serving. It is the difference between waiting “for” someone to meet you, and waiting “on” someone. One infers a passive passing of time, while the other infers action – doing something. Servers at a restaurant wait “on” us, while we wait for our lunch appointment to arrive, get it?

When we live a life where feeling good is our number one goal, we are serving ourselves. So looking to be served, or serving others can both be done out of a selfish desire to feel better about oneself: serve me and I feel better or I’ll serve you and I feel better. Either way, it is all about the “me”. Let’s face it again…when it comes to me, there is really no making me happy all the time, for all time.

Joshua 24:15 (NIV)
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

When the Lord is who you chose to serve, the when, where, and how no longer make a difference. We can’t change everything in the world, and as a matter of fact, the only way to change the world, is to change who you are in it.

…just sayin’

In His grip,

Pastor Pat