Church Planting 101: Recruiting a Team

Jesus makes recruiting a team look so easy, doesn’t he?  “Hey rugged fishermen over there!  Drop what you’re doing and come follow me,” he shouts.  And the amazing thing is that they follow.  For most planters I talk to, they seem to have difficulty recreating the same results.  The fact of the matter is that oftentimes recruiting a team, whether it be searching for initial staff members or courting prospective launch team members, can be extremely challenging.  But does it have to be, is the real question?

Before we look a bit closer at Christ’s recruitment model, let’s first identify the hindrances that seem to prevent greater recruitment success.  Church planters – here are the top 5 excuses we use when struggling to recruit the all-star team that we so desperately desire and need.

Top 5 Favorite Church Planter Excuses for Failing to Recruit Others (or the right people).

1.)     “I don’t know anybody.” – This is initially understandable since in many situations church planters relocate to launch their plant and obviously it takes time to meet new people.  With that being said, if you plan on pastoring a successful church – you’re going to have to meet new people – and a LOT of ‘em!  Focus on “watering holes”, you know like on those animal documentaries on the Discovery channel where all the animals come to together and intermingle around the pool of water.  What are the watering holes in your community?  If you live in suburban America, I’d suggest starting with the local Starbucks, Guitar Center, gym or YMCA, or a large bookstore like Barnes and Noble.  But remember, proximity to people probably isn’t enough…you’re going to have to actually say, “Hi”.

2.)    “I lack the finances to be able to hire the right team.” – Man, could I ever tell you about this one.  I hid behind statements like this for years.  Now I’ve realized, when it comes to recruiting the right people, money is nearly irrelevant.  If you believe in your vision, then so will others.  If you don’t, people will recognize that, and they’ll hesitate getting behind you.  We planted our church about 7 years ago and we continue to run with an extremely high percentage of volunteers on our team.  They aren’t doing it out of obligation or for the money, but because they love Jesus and they want to see the mission of our church accomplished.  Some church planters I meet are afraid to ask people to serve or come on staff without pay – let me remind you that unless you’re part of a large planting organization, my guess is that you have or are currently working and serving the ministry with little to no pay.  What made you do it?  Why do you think others won’t?

3.)    “No one I try to recruit is better at the task that I am, so it’s just easier to do it myself.”   Whoa there Lone Ranger!  This kind of attitude is certain to solidify the fact that your ministry will never be bigger than yourself.  I remind my teams and planters regularly, “The person who thinks that in order to get something done right you have to do it yourself, usually has to.”  In the beginning, this might be true, but long-term thinking dictates that we become master delegators.  When someone takes over a new task, understand that quality could decrease, but with the right leadership and training, you should expect this person to outperform you in the near future.  Delegating is a scary thing, but arrogance and shortsightedness are far worst.

4.)    “I don’t have the time to train people.”  A close cousin of #3, this excuse underestimates the value of duplication.  If Jesus did anything, he duplicated.  He went from 1, to 3, to 12, to 72, to 120, to 3,000, to the world.  In fact, the majority of what we read about Jesus doing in scripture was focused on training his disciples.  The reality is that you don’t have the time to NOT train people.  The best way to do this is to build regular training sessions throughout the month.  Do you have a weekly staff meeting?  Consider making the first 15 minutes a brief staff training or perhaps working in a longer training time into your next staff retreat.

5.)     “I’ve tried recruiting people, but no one wants to help.”  Asking someone to help or get involved is different than recruitment.  Asking someone to help all too often comes across as desperate and needy.  Recruitment is based not on need, but vision.  A good recruiter seeks to understand the person in front of them, discover their passions, creatively find meaningful opportunities for their involvement, and most importantly shows the value of the position or ministry.  Bottom line, the church is about building people and not people building the church.  Master this, and you’ll never lack people to help.

Understanding Jesus’ Approach to Team Buiding

In Luke 5:1-11, we read about Jesus calling his first disciples.  As the story goes, Jesus began teaching by the shore, and as the people began to crowd him, he eventually asked Simon to allow him to preach from his boat so more could see and hear him.  After he had finished teaching, Jesus blessed the fisherman by directing them to let down their nets for a catch.  They did so and as the scripture tells us they caught so many fish that they had to signal their partners to come help them bring in the fish and even then, both boats were “so full that they began to sink.”  At this, the fisherman was amazed and fell before Jesus.  He then said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”  And the men left everything and followed him.

Here are the principles I see Jesus utilize.

1.)    Start Small – Jesus didn’t show up and just tell them to leave everything and follow him.  He first simply asked if he could use their boats as a stage.  Obviously, if they would have said no, this would have told Jesus something about them, but they didn’t so he continued pursuing them.  So what does this look like practically?  For me, most of the time I purposely don’t wear a watch, just so I have an excuse to talk to someone sitting next to me to inquire the time.  It might not seem like much, but I’ve had some pretty incredible conversations come from the simple request, “Could you tell me the time?”  Is one of your neighbors on your heart, ask to borrow one of their tools (and then make sure and return it.)  Is this person already part of your ministry, ask to serve for an hour without asking for any commitment beyond that.  How did they do?  Did they show up on time?  Did they serve with joy?  Did they complete the task with excellence?  The answers to these questions should tell you something and direct you with how to proceed.

2.)    Equip Them – Before Jesus ever asked for a commitment from his soon to be disciples, he first taught them the Word.  For me, in our ministry, we place a very high priority on understanding the gospel through the Word of God, so it’s important that before I ask for huge commitments that I know that the people I’m asking have been impacted by the Word in their life – that they have experienced grace first hand.  If prospective team members seem unaffected by the Word – I’d suggest looking for someone else.  When first meeting someone, it might not always be realistic to squeeze in an hour message, but you don’t have to.  I like to hand out books and teaching CD’s.  Do the people respond?  Do they ask questions?  Were they impacted?

3.)    Seek to Fulfill Their Dreams – Again, before Jesus ever asked for a commitment, he first filled their boat with more fish than they could count.  He showed that he wasn’t just interested in using them to fulfill his dreams, but that he was interested in fulfilling their dreams.  In his book, Leadership That Builds People, Dr. James B. Richards says this about the typical model of recruitment, “What is the first thing we say when someone comes into our church?  “Come on; catch the vision; become a part of it.”  That denies servanthood.  Our introductory statement says, “Give up your dreams; give up what you want to do and help me do what I want to do.”  Jesus model wasn’t about service, but wholeness.  A true leader says, “Come follow me and I’ll see that your dreams are fulfilled along the way.”  Get to know your people – what do they really want in life?  What are their goals?  How can these goals intersection with your ministry?  How can you use your organization to further their dreams?

In conclusion, my biggest encouragement regarding recruiting would be to envision yourself in a world of more than enough; more than enough people, more than enough resources.  When it comes down to it, essentially all of the excuses above come from a perspective of lack – from a place of questioning God’s provision and call for me.  Be encouraged.  God wants your church to succeed.  In fact, I would venture to say that (assuming you are preaching the gospel) that he wants your church to succeed even more than you do, because ultimately and in actuality – it’s His church.  So go out there and build that team.  You got this, not because you’re an awesome church planter (though I’m certain that you are), but because you have an awesome God.

For more information about planting a church or for other ministry resources, please visit www.oasnet.org. 

Making Sense of Marriage and Divorce

Let me start by stating that in writing this I am not trying to create a law for our church, and neither am I trying to state an opposing argument to the teachings of others on the subject.  Instead, I’m responding to a need.  Divorce is epidemic.  I’ve heard statistics of anywhere between 35 to 50% of marriages end in divorce (though the exact figure is actually harder to calculate than one might think.)  In addition, this article is not intended to bring condemnation on you, regardless of your past decisions or the situation with which you are currently in.  Paul states in 1 Corinthians 7:17 that “each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.”  This means that you shouldn’t abandon your marriage or change your status simply because of new information.  Instead, keep seeking the Lord and make the best of your situation.  The grace of God is sufficient for your circumstance.  With that being said, my audience is specifically Christians considering divorce, Christians who have gone through a divorce in the past, and believers that are considering entering into a relationship with another believer who was divorced in the past.  I want to encourage you to read and stay with the article all the way through, I truly believe that the Word is good news for the hurting.

 TO THE DIVORCED AND THOSE CONSIDERING DIVORCE     

In Malachi 2:16, God clearly says, “I hate divorce.”  I think this is important to point out right from the beginning.  God is not for divorce.  It isn’t the best option.  If you are considering divorce, I believe that you should do whatever you can to reconcile your marriage.  Most at this point say, “I’ve tried that and it didn’t work!”  Perhaps you won’t like what I have to say next.  There are circumstances where scripture permits divorce, which we’ll discuss shortly, but never does scripture permit divorce for the following reasons.  

1.)                Because you aren’t happy.  It isn’t the job of your spouse to make you happy.  Happiness is a choice; even in prison, Paul was able to operate in the joy of the Lord.  Seek out pastoral help to gain insight and principles in order to positively affect your marriage and restore joy in your relationship.

2.)                Because you fell in love with someone else.  According to scripture, this is called adultery and it’s one of the greatest enemies to marriage.  Every single one of us has to confront evil desires that try to draw us away from our mate.  James admonishes us to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (4:7) Proverbs 27:20 states, “Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.”  If you just allow yourself to follow every single feeling or attraction that you have, you’ll always be blown around like the wind.  If you leave this relationship, because you “fell out of love”, you’ll leave the next one the same way.  Love is a choice and marriage is a commitment to choose to love your spouse, even when it’s hard.

3.)                Because it’s challenging or difficult.  People seem to have this misconception that the problems in their marriage are the result of being with the wrong person.  This isn’t the case, regardless of God’s will, that person became the right person the moment you said, “I do”.  Our difficulties stem from our self centeredness.  Proverbs 13:10 in the KJV states that “only by pride cometh contention.”  This means that pride is the cause of the contention and strife in your relationship.  This shouldn’t condemn you; instead this understanding should encourage you and equip you with the power that you need to end strive forever in your marriage.  Get it at the root, partner with your spouse to end self centeredness in both of you.  (If this does offend you, it is probably a good indication of where the source of the pride is coming from.)

4.)                When your spouse wants to stay married to you.  This is assuming that your spouse isn’t or wasn’t unfaithful and that they aren’t potentially harmful to you physically.  1 Corinthians 7:12-13 says, “If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.  And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.”  If your mate, even if they aren’t a believer, is willing to work with you and live with you, you shouldn’t leave them or divorce them.  Obviously there are cases when the situation is unsafe due to substance abuse or violent abusive tendencies.  In these situations, it might be necessary to separate for the sake of safety, but still I believe God’s best would be to pursue your mate’s emotional well-being and to seek reconciliation and healing.  Divorce in these situations should be an absolute last resort.

             Under the Old Covenant, in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, the law gives instructions on divorce and remarriage.  It says, “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled.”  Jesus added to this in Matthew 19:8, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.  But it was not this way from the beginning.  I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” 

            Jesus’ teaching was so strong on this topic that it caused his disciples to say (in verse 10), “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”  Jesus’ disciples thought if the rules are this tough, it’s better to never get married!  Regarding this, John MacArthur states, “The rabbis had taken these laws and broadened them to permit divorce for virtually any reason.  Under the rabbinical laws, if a wife displeased her husband in any way, he was entitled to divorce her.  Jesus stated that this was never the purpose of Moses’ Law.  In fact, Jesus teaching on divorce was given specifically to refute the rabbinical loopholes.” 

            Jesus strategically used the law to expose the sinfulness of the self-righteous Jews of his day.  As Paul says, in 1st Timothy 1:8-9, “We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.  We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels…”  Jesus took the Law to the extreme and used it to expose those that were trying to use the Mosaic Law to promote their own selfishness and agenda.  The teaching of Jesus stopped them in their tracks. 

            Paul later clarifies the doctrine of the church regarding marriage and divorce in 1^St Corinthians 7:10, “To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord):  A wife must not separate from her husband.  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband.  And a husband must not divorce his wife.”  Some might be surprised to find that the commands for marriage and divorce are actually stricter under the New Covenant, but at the same time, grace abounds.  Paul essentially states that divorce isn’t permissible (except for marital unfaithfulness), but that if you DO get a divorce, you should remain unmarried.  In this passage, God speaks against divorce and then in the same breathe speaks love and hope for those that find themselves caught in the wake of it.  But it’s only when combined with 7:8-9 that we see the full picture of this grace.  The King James Version puts it this way, “I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.  But if they cannot contain, let them marry:  for it is better to marry than to burn.” 

            Paul says that if you’re unmarried or a widow, that it’s best to remain that way, but if you cannot, it is much better to marry than to be bogged down by feelings of lust, loneliness, and dissatisfaction.  The word for “unmarried” in the Greek, means simply that – unmarried.  It’s different than the word for a virgin, and doesn’t seem to take into account the person’s history or past.  Essentially, Paul is stating that regardless of your past, it is better to marry, than burn with lust and passion. 

            It is so hard to make blanket statements about this though, because situations do vary considerably.  Even in writing this, I’m well aware that someone might try to twist certain liberties or permissions to their favor to do what they want to do.  At the end of the day, I can’t be responsible for that.  My intention is to speak to those that are trying to do the right thing, to follow God’s word, and to break free from the guilt and condemnation associated with their past.  If you are married and considering divorce, seek solid biblical counsel.  Remember, it took time and effort to create the hurts in your relationship and in the same way, it’ll take time and effort to bring healing and to regain intimacy.  Don’t give up early, don’t rush the process.  Give it time and healing will come.  God is faithful!

 DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE

            First off, if you haven’t yet, read the section above, as I believe it will give some biblical insight into the nature of divorce and God’s perspective on the issue.  Beyond this, it’s important to note that divorce typically (almost always) is the result of two people’s shortcomings and failings and not just one party.  At times, when one party has an affair or files for divorce first, they typically are seen as the “bad guy” (or girl).  But in divorce, everyone loses, and no one leaves unscathed.  And really no one really knows what goes on inside of a relationship between two people and we need to be careful of making quick judgment calls as to fault, etc.  As the saying goes, it does take two to tango.  Often times one’s behavior is simply a response to the others behavior.  You treated me like this, therefore, I’ll do this, and so on it goes.  As marriage counselor Emerson Eggerich calls it, they enter the “crazy cycle”, spiraling downward until someone eventually can’t take it anymore and the relationship is inevitably dissolved. 

            We need to be honest with ourselves and with those that you are in relationship.  If you’re divorced, it’s okay to take ownership of your short comings and your mistakes in the relationships.  You’re human – and we all make mistakes.  Some mistakes have greater impact and consequences in our lives, but as Romans tells us, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  Take ownership and learn from the mistakes of your past.  In fact, simply blaming the entirety of your divorce on your ex, does little to help your new husband or wife.  They would be much better off knowing realistically what caused the problems in the relationship.  If they really love you, they’ll want to understand and work with you through these struggles or past tendencies.  Except in extreme cases, there are most likely things that both parties could have done differently to salvage the relationship.  The exception would be in extremely abusive relationships, either physically or emotionally, where one party is being victimized.  As tragic as these situations are, many of them (note not all) could have been avoided all together, by not rushing into a relationship without taking time to really know the other person and their past.  In no way though does this excuse the abusive person from their behavior, but should serve as a warning as to the danger of rushing into relationships or just naively assuming that “once we get married they’ll change”.  In entering marriage, you should assume that the person will never change and in fact, their problems are likely to get worse.  After all, while dating we are on our best behavior. 

            Often times, I’m asked if as a Christian, it’s okay to marry someone who has been divorced, (Earlier I dealt with if it’s okay as a divorce Christian to get remarried which in some ways is the same answer.)  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV), “To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord):  A wife must not separate from her husband.  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled from her husband.  And a husband must not divorce his wife.”  For obvious reasons this teaching isn’t very popular. 

            Paul starts off in this passage and tells the church, as a charge from God, that husband and wives should not separate from each other.  This is God’s best.  Marriage is supposed to be a picture of God’s love towards us.  He never leaves us nor forsakes us.  Unfortunately, in today’s world, many have ignored this charge or been unable to live under it.  But Paul (and the Lord) anticipates this, and states, “But if she does”.  And then he goes on to give instruction that if someone does divorce, that she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband.  I personally think that it’s important to point out that these instructions were given to Christians within the church.  Personally, I believe that if divorce or remarriage happened prior to a person coming to Christ, then Paul’s instruction aren’t applicable.  It is also important to note that Paul was not writing to the person whose spouse divorced them, but rather to the Christian person who filed for divorce and decided to leave.  If they are leaving for reasons other than physical abuse or marital unfaithfulness, then they should remain unmarried.  Marriage should be treated with the highest level of respect and not abandoned lightly.  This charge should make someone considering leaving their marriage for superficial reasons think twice and should be a motivation to try to make it work.  Unfortunately, many ignore this and leave anyway.            

            Throughout scripture, marriage is used as the closet analogy of Christ’s relationship with the church.  Scripture tells us that even when we are unfaithful, that He will remain faithful to us.  We would do well to learn from Christ as to how to love our spouse and have a successful marriage.

 God’s Grace in Marriage and Divorce

             Some of you might ask, so where is God’s grace in all of this?  Obviously, as with anything, it is ever present and is sufficient towards us in all ways!  First off, if this is the first time you’ve heard any of this teaching or you’ve recently became a Christian, or you’ve been divorced before and are now remarried, engaged to be married, or are wanting to get remarried someday, I don’t believe Paul’s words are meant to condemn you or to restrict you from enjoying your life as a Christian.  Beyond all of this, the Bible teaches that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”  Are you divorced and later became remarried?  Stay as you are, there is grace for you.  Did your spouse divorce you?  You are free to remarry.  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:15, “A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstance.”  As a Christian, did you divorce your spouse for reasons other than abuse or their unfaithfulness?  Repent and realize your mistake, God’s grace is sufficient for you.  The best case scenario would be to restore your failed marriage (assuming they haven’t yet remarried).  If you divorced your spouse prior to becoming a Christian, you are not bound to your previous life, God’s grace is sufficient for you.  You are free to marry.  Are you considering marrying someone who is divorced?  If, as a Christian, they divorced their spouse for reasons other than what scripture provides, how do you know that they will not do the same to you?  This is not a situation to enter into lightly.  Seek the Lord for wisdom in what you should do.  As I think about this, really the only person who might be offended by this teaching is the believer who is currently thinking of divorcing their spouse for ungodly reasons.  And for that, should you not be offended?  If that is you, repent, change your heart and seek counsel on how to restore your marriage.  But if you do get divorced, I tell you the same as Paul states, you are not to get remarried; for you are making that choice now with full knowledge and with rebellion towards the truth.  As James reminds us in 4:6, “But he gives us more grace.  That is why scripture says:  “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Righteousness and Accountability

Personal success stems from a commitment to personal accountability. There is no way around it. We need each other in order to fulfill our dreams and calling. But don’t be fooled, simply telling someone that you’ve sinned or that you are struggling, isn’t true accountability.

When I was younger, I was quite religious. I prided myself on living a good life and being a moral person, but inside I was dying. My heart desired sin desperately and I often found myself wishing I could be like my unbelieving peers, who lived however they pleased. As I often say, I loved Jesus just enough to be miserable. My commitment to him wasn’t strong enough to overcome my struggles, but it was strong enough to feel that I couldn’t abandon my faith completely. So I was stuck; caught somewhere in between a lust for this world and a passion for Christ. I wasn’t living the victorious life of which the Bible so often spoke.

At the time, I thought having an accountability partner would solve my problems. So a friend and I would get together once a week and share with each other our struggles and our thoughts. This helped for a time, but after awhile, I began to find ways to bend the truth, lying to both myself and my friend as to how I was each week. I imagine he would then do the same, not wanting to be the only one who was admittedly struggling. At best, it was sin management and at worst it was deception.

My story unfortunately is quite common. Much of the church is focused on what I call sin management. Sin management is when we place our focus on simply trying to manage or prevent sin. It is important that we realize that the absence of sin is not the goal of Christianity, but rather intimacy with Christ is our pursuit. We could in theory be completely free from sin and still not have fellowship with Christ. The cross of Christ wasn’t about getting you to stop sinning, as much as it was to remove the barrier of sin and to make us righteous. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are justified by faith in the cross and ushered into the peace of God. It’s important that we realize this – our righteousness is no longer dependent upon our actions, but rather THE action of the cross of Christ. This is the gospel of peace and all of Christianity rests on it.
Accountability then, in the New Covenant, isn’t to focus on managing our sin, for our sin has already been dealt with, but instead, it’s to remind us of our righteousness. When we fall short and when we fail, we remind one another, this isn’t your nature any longer, you aren’t “just a sinner saved by grace”, you were a sinner, but now, through Christ, you’ve been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! Overcoming sin is as easy as embracing this new identity. Think of it this way, you don’t have to teach a dog to bark and a cat to meow. They do it instinctively. In the same way, as long as we think we are still “in sin”, we will continue to live in sin, but when we realize that we are in Christ, we will begin to live as Christ lives – and find true and lasting freedom from sin. As I heard a Pastor Andrew Wommack say once, “We’ll begin to more holy on accident, than we ever could on purpose.”

Today, I remind you that you are accountable. You’re accountable to your new nature, to your renewed mind, to your justification in Christ, to the Spirit of God who dwells on the inside of you, and to your eternal destiny. You are righteous. When you realize this, you will live like this!

The Power of a Humble Heart

There is perhaps nothing more powerful than a humble heart.  Humility, the most misunderstood of all virtues, is the ability to accept and acknowledge God’s opinion and perspective in our lives.  This is where the power lies.  The moment I accept and embrace God’s perspective, I share in his strength and am able to flow in his plan.  This level of empowerment is often missed in our traditional understanding of humility.  Typically, when defining humility, most would only associate it with being lowly in spirit, but this is incomplete.  True humility, simply put, is being sensitive to God’s perspective in our lives.  This definition allows variety in our personality while keeping the emphasis on embracing God’s perspective.  Regarding this level of empowerment, Psalm 149:4 states, ^“For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.”  The surest way to victory is to embrace God’s perspective and that is that he “takes delight in his people”.  When we know God’s love for us, we are empowered to be truly humble. 

In this, when I know that I am loved, it becomes quite easy for me to admit fault, acknowledge weakness, and seek forgiveness from those around me.  This kind of humility seems may seem counterintuitive to our minds, but only in reaching this level of security in God’s love for us, can we ever really be free to be ourselves.  To admit fault, seems like such weakness, but in reality, it brings power.  In fact, humbling yourself to those around you, confessing your weaknesses, in actuality is the greatest sign of God’s power and personal confidence working in your life.  A truly great person, one who is fully established in who they are in Christ, should have no complaint in admitting their shortcomings, for regardless of their weaknesses; they know their position in Christ.  Additionally, they know Paul’s confession in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “for when I am weak, then I am strong”.  Like Paul, when we walk in true humility, we gain access to the power of God and begin the road to abundant victory in every area of our lives. 

Only a person insecure in their faith, unsure of how God feels about them, would struggle to demonstrate or show weakness.  This ignorance and insecurity causes them to overinflate their abilities, refuse to see their flaws, and make the false assumption that they are always right.  Like Adam and Eve in the garden, they desperately try to cover their shame with anything they can find.   Their self-worth is so low, that acknowledging one more fault, in their mind jeopardizes their personal value more than they are able to bear.  Therefore they stand firm in their positions and behavior, refusing to acknowledge that they are the ones to blame.  In actuality, all of us make mistakes, even the most spiritual of people.  In every situation and conflict, we all play a part.  Resolution comes by acknowledging this.  The sooner we acknowledge our weakness to those around us, the quicker we will begin to overcome our relational conflict.  Breakthrough is as close as our willingness to acknowledge our humanness.  (Please note, in Christ, we are complete in our spirit man.  In our spirit, we are righteous, holy, and perfected forever.   But in our minds and flesh, we are still being renewed day by day; none of us have fully arrived.  To only take the perspective of the spirit, will cause you to ignore areas of your mind that are still in need of renewal.  To only take the perspective of the mind, causes us to fail to notice our fullness in Christ.  So as far as God is concerned, we are blameless through Christ, but as far as our brothers and sisters are concerned, we must acknowledge our faults.)

As we further strive to maintain a life defined by humility, below are a few questions to consider.

1.)     When was the last time that I took even partial responsibility for another’s pain or an incident of relational conflict?

2.)    How often do I ask those around me how my behavior patterns affect their lives?  Would I be able to receive and deeply consider their answer if it was a negative response?

3.)    If humility is embracing God’s perspective, what am I doing in my daily life in order to gain this perspective? 

4.)    Make a list of 10 behavior patterns that you display (i.e. running late all the time, have trouble listening) and how these patterns might affect those around you. 

5.)    Make a list of as many promises as you can think of regarding God’s perspective towards you. 

6.)    Return to these questions often.

Are You A Grace Snob?

                Many of us are familiar with the story of Jonah, a prophet of God called to preach against the great city ofNineveh.  Jonah’s instructions were fairly simple; go to the people ofNinevehand warn them to repent.  Failure to do so would subject Nineveh to the coming calamity.  Though the message was straightforward, something about it caused Jonah to flee from his assignment and to seek refuge as far away fromNinevehas he could go.  As a result, he then embarks upon a journey so far away from God’s call, that in the next scene we find him on the first ship out of town. 

                While on the ship, a great storm arises and following a brief interrogation from the crew, Jonah admits that the fierce storm is a result of his disobedience.  He keenly agrees to be thrown from the ship in order to save the lives of the crew.  As Jonah hits the water, the storm ceases as he is overcome by the sea.  After being consumed and later spat up onto the shore by a fish, Jonah receives word yet again from the Lord to go and preach toNineveh, at which time he wisely chooses to obey.  As Jonah begins preaching, word of his message reaches the king who believes God’s messenger and promptly issues a nationwide fast of repentance.  As a result, God has mercy on the nation.

                The book of Jonah has been utilized for centuries to illustrate the importance of listening to God and obeying his commands.  Certainly this is a good lesson, but what we often miss in the matter is the reason why it was so difficult for Jonah to obey the Lord’s call.  Jonah was upset at God.  In the beginning of chapter four, we first read that Jonah was angry with God for having shown Nineveh, a known enemy of Israel, mercy!  He says in verses 2 and 3 of chapter four;

“O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home?  That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish.  I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a god who relents from sending calamity.  Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 

                Incredible, isn’t it!  Here we see the real reason Jonah fled!   He knew that if he spoke against the inhabitants of Nineveh, they would repent and that God would have mercy on them.  And as an enemy of Israel, he couldn’t bear the thought that the city of Nineveh might become a recipient of God’s love and compassion.  It was only when Jonah received the abundance of God’s grace, (in that he literally had been swallowed by grace through the fish which saved his life), that he was able to offer this grace to others. 

                As I was meditating upon this story one day, God spoke very clearly to my heart and said to me, “Lucas, you’re a snob.”  Up until this point I couldn’t remember God ever calling me a name!  It honestly seemed quite odd!  I quickly retorted, “Lord, I’m a pastor!   I love people.  I’ve given my whole life to share good news with the brokenhearted.  How can I possibly be a snob?”  And with the calmness only God can speak, and without a hint of condemnation, he said to me, “Lucas, you’re a grace snob.”  “Lord, I don’t understand.  I give grace to everyone.  How can that make me a snob?”  What the Lord said to me next, I’ll never forget.  “Lucas,” he said, “you give grace in abundance to everyone around you, except for those who don’t believe in grace.  To them, you make my grace a law and condemn them for not giving mercy to others.”  I was speechless and I knew He was right.

                Although many people in our ministry had been receiving the revelation of God’s love and the transforming power of His grace, I came to realize an anger still dwelled inside of me.  Like Jonah, I had developed limitations around God’s goodness that prevented me from loving those I deemed unlovable.  The drug addict and the prostitute – they were easy to love.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law?  “Lord, how could I love them?” I asked.  Yet, as I was reading Romans one morning, the Lord showed me a revelation of my own depravity, and I cried out for more of his grace.  I saw myself for the first time, much like the Jewish believers inRome, criticizing the Gentile believers for not performing up to my standards, not realizing that in my heart, I was guilty of the same offenses as they were.  I had developed a silent animosity towards legalists, because of the shackles they place on people through their use of fear, manipulation, and standards of performance. 

                Today, I have come to realize that legalists are people like everyone else, who are yet to discover God’s love for them.  By this, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t speak out against manipulation and control, but in doing so; we need to extend grace towards those who are still caught in it.  I’m certain there are those zealous for grace that will site Jesus speaking harshly to the Pharisees, and even flipping over the tables in the synagogue, as justification for condemning legalists.  But what I see in the Bible is a God who took a zealous legalist like Saul, and flooded his life with so much grace that he was left forever changed.  I was Saul.  And I often wonder how many people, like me, if given the chance, would walk away from a life of law in order to become a person of grace.

                My desire in writing this article is especially to address pastors with this message.  In an effort to be heard, I see so many “grace” pastors make excuses for throwing stones at legalists.  With social mediums like Facebook and Twitter as our sling shot, we wage wars against our brothers and sisters, not realizing that when we “grace” pastors make the teachings about the grace of God a law, we become just as guilty as the Pharisee that cries out, “Crucify him!”  Pastors, let us be the example in giving grace to those who don’t believe in grace.  Let us be the example of a life full of unconditional love and acceptance to those around us.  Living a life of grace doesn’t mean we condone the methods of fear and manipulation to produce change in our sheep, or even that we agree with that theology.  It simply means that we choose to see people from God’s vantage point. 

                Jonah had a firsthand revelation of God’s grace.  When he threw his life away, it was God’s grace that swallowed him and spit him out on the seashore.  But despite his familiarity with grace, at the end of the story, he was more concerned with a small vine providing him some temporary shade, than he was the entire population of the city of Nineveh.  Even as God’s messenger, he had failed to see God’s perspective. 

                To all reading this I admonish you – if you want to see the gospel of grace become a revolution that changes the face of the earth, give grace to all.  Not just when it’s convenient.  Not just when it’s easy.  But give grace to all.  None of us deserve it, so let none of us withhold it.

The Goodness of God

A couple people have asked me to post this teaching recently. Here is a message I taught to the students at Bethel College last year during one of their chapel services. Here are all 3 parts.

For more teachings from Lucas Miles, please visit www.oasnet.org, and click on “podcasts”.

The Bell Keeps Ringing

The Love Wins debate continues to make headlines in mainstream media. Here is a new article from ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/evangelists-trevor-wax-rob-bell-argue-hell/story?id=13417436

For more on my thoughts, click here http://lucasmiles.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/542/  .

A Clanging Bell: A Response to the Book, Love Wins, by Rob Bell

                I don’t like controversy.  I know that because of the radical grace message I teach, sometimes I do find myself in the middle of it, but honestly I really don’t like it.  You can imagine then how I felt when several people asked me if I would be willing to read Rob Bell’s controversial new book, Love Wins, and share my thoughts with them about it.  At first, I didn’t even want to touch it.  But after hearing the constant clanging of Bell by his critics and witnessing the tremendous impact and reach that this book has already achieved among his fans, I decided to take the plunge and grab a copy myself.  What follows is my response to the book, Love Wins. 

                To start with, let me dismiss from the beginning any claims that Bell is a Universalist.  This label has been thrown at him considerably by critics of the book, but I would have to assume that these are the same critics who still haven’t read it.  If Bell believes what he wrote, he is clearly not a Universalist.  A Universalist believes that all religions are essentially the same and that all paths lead to God.  This concept is not something that Bell promotes in the book at all.  In his defense, he clearly establishes that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.  Now, one may disagree with his liberal definitions of accepting Christ, but regardless, to brand Bell as a Universalist seems a bit harsh to me. 

                With that being said, the next question is whether Bell believes in Ultimate Reconciliation.  Let me begin that discussion by stating that essentially everyone who preaches grace will at some point be accused of teaching Ultimate Reconciliation.  Ultimate Reconciliation states that because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, all men are saved.  Period.  Proponents of this belief fail to acknowledge any difference between Christ being the propitiation for the sins of the world and the idea of justification by grace through faith.  Simply put, the teaching of Ultimate Reconciliation believes in salvation by grace alone and would consider faith a work.  This leads Ultimate Reconcilists to falsely conclude that all men are saved and will inherit eternal life – apart from faith.  Extreme adherents to this teaching even go as far as to proclaim that Satan himself will be saved and reconciled back to God. 

               

So does Bell believe in Ultimate Reconciliation?  Many have assumed based upon the title of the book that he does, but I think it’s more complicated than that.  In Love Wins, Bell almost introduces a new argument, which is neither Universalism nor Ultimate Reconciliation.  In the book, Bell introduces an idea, which I will call, an “open heaven” theology where Bell paints a picture of a heaven, much like Motel 6, that proclaims, “We’ll leave the light on for you.”  His heaven is always open, always ready to receive those that might find their way home.  Clearly stated, one might wander around hell for awhile, and then decide to choose Christ after years of torment, and like the prodigal, return home.  With that being said, his perspective also implies an open hell, where one can come and go as he pleases – it’s his choice.

                I agree this picture is quite beautiful and enticing, but is it biblical?  Bell enthusiastically touts in the Book, that he will show us “every single verse in the Bible in which we find the actual word hell.”  Though a far cry from a concordance listing, Bell does do a fair job summarizing the references of the word “hell” in scripture.  He also goes a step further and discusses several biblical words/passages that describe punishment and judgment, presenting alternate understandings of these words/passages which further strengthen his argument.  What Bell seemed to shy away from though was the book of Revelation.  In my reading, I wasn’t able to find a single explanation in Love Wins for passages such as, Revelation 20:14-15, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  The lake of fire is the second death.  If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”  This seems fairly straight forward to me.  Some fail to receive their inheritance in Christ.  For this we should all weep.  So how does Bell handle the finality of hell in such passages?  I don’t know, because he didn’t address it.  The closest he comes to it is on pages 91 and 92, where he shows differing uses for the Greek words “aion of kolazo” and the Hebrew word, “Olam”; both phrases which carry the implication of “forever” or “eternal punishment”.  From there, Bell closes the chapter by proposing that perhaps hell is only a period of time for some people.  That maybe forever according to Jesus, doesn’t really mean forever.

                So what do I think about all of this?  To start with, I think that the book is reactive theology.  Love Wins seems to be Bell’s response to countless personal experiences and frustrations with how salvation has been presented, how heaven has been talked about, and how hell has been thrown in people’s faces.   And I agree.  Religion has gotten it wrong.  The “turn or burn” theology of some has caused countless people to never want a thing to do with Jesus.  As Paul wrote, “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”  To continue, Bell also shows his frustration towards Christians who seem to get excited that people are going to hell and I would again concur with his frustration.  This is not the time to cheer the destruction of the wicked, but rather it is time to proclaim the love of our God -as Paul also stated that “God’s kindness leads you toward repentance.”  And in 1 Timothy 2:4, Paul also reveals to us that God “wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.”  This should be our mantra, not the ignorant shouts of “turn or burn”.  Bell is right on in addressing this. 

                Partially, I think the controversy of the book, is more about Bell’s presentation as a critic and a teacher than his theology as a pastor, though it might be correct to call both into question.  As a critic, Bell is a deconstructionist.  As a teacher, he is a whimsical romantic.  As a critic, he takes a wrecking ball to every belief with the assumption that what is true will be left standing.  As a teacher, he is a painter, filling our thoughts with his warm brush strokes and vibrant colors, allowing his audience to interpret what they see for themselves.  This style satisfies some and infuriates others, and it is quite possible that both groups misunderstood what Bell was saying. 

                From a theological standpoint, my biggest concern is what we are leading people to believe.  I’m personally not worried about Bell.  I think overall he is fairly grounded.  My concern is for those who read the book and come away with the conclusion that there is no hell.  This belief stems from the continued erosion of personal responsibility.  The thought is that God’s love is greater than my lack of faith or belief in him.  And in time, his love will win me over.  Again this sounds good and seems to jive with 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, he will remain faithful”, but it fails to not only consider personal responsibility, that is that the gospel is “by grace through faith”, but also fails to understand the true nature of love.  “Through faith” means that I have a choice in the matter; that my belief or acceptance of God’s love is what determines whether or not I will receive my inheritance.  Salvation is for all, but not all are saved.  This is the reality of the gospel.

                Regarding love, I would like to point out that love, by nature gives freedom.  The love of the Ultimate Reconcilist is a love that gives no choice.  It’s forceful; domineering.  True love always gives a choice; always allows one to say no.  The doctrine of inclusion gives no choice – you’re coming to heaven whether you like it or not.  This love is little different than a man who drugs a woman in order to take her home with him.  It’s a distortion of love, not the real thing.  And if this is God’s kind of love, then why hasn’t love won over this world.  Why are we still fighting wars?  Why are babies still dying?  God’s love always generously gives us the freedom to choose, even if at times the choice we make is wrong. 

                In conclusion, let me say that I agree with Bell that “the good news is better than that”.  Isaiah 54:9-10 says, “To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.  So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.”  And in Hebrews 8:12 we are told that God “will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”  The New Covenant is the best news that most of the world has never heard.  There is peace with God.  There is forgiveness of sins.  There is life abundant.  There is eternal life.   There is no more condemnation.  There is love and it certainly does win.  And this love is so great and so good, that it respects us enough to give us a choice.  My prayer for you is that this love might win in your life. 

To listen to podcasts from Lucas Miles, visit www.oasnet.org

For more on The Error of Ultimate Reconciliation, make sure and check out this discussion between Dr Jim Richards and Allen Speegle at http://impact.rbm.tv/ .

Staying the Course

The Gospel (Good News) is the power of God for salvation (wholeness, transformation, connection with God) for all who believe.  But in today’s world, where there are so many messages out there claiming to be Gospel, it becomes extremely easy to get off course.  As a pastor and leader, I must constantly correct my course, my message, and my doctrine to ensure that I am aligning myself with God’s opinion.  This is biblical repentance.  Recently I heard, Dr Jim Richards speaking on the subject and  he described repentance like this, “Biblical repentance is when I surrender my opinion to God’s opinion.”  Simple, yet profound. 

This concept of repentance, of continually redirecting myself and my beliefs towards God’s attitude and opinions, is crucially important.  As I work with church planters and pastors around the world, I see many of these leaders slowly sliding into doctrinal pitfalls and emotional trappings that will ultimately conflict with their ability to “stay the course”.  The purpose of this article is to  identify the 3 most common beliefs that are leading many off course.

1.)  Legalism – For many grace preachers, legalism is perhaps the last thing for which you are concerned, but this is why it is so dangerous.  It is a spiritual law that all belief will migrate towards legalism whenever we lose connection(intimacy) with Christ.  Legalism is simply approaching God based upon performance.  “But I preach grace, how could I ever fall into legalism?”, one may ask.  By making grace a law.  Many today are falling into legalistic grace teaching by discounting others simply because they are still ignorant of the full understanding of the gospel.  We critize, we insult, and are thus creating levels of performance that we expect others to jump through in order to access God.  I call this being a “grace snob”.  We give grace to everyone, except for those who don’t yet believe in grace.  This itself is a form of legalism.  Let us actively stay connected to Christ, so that we may get his perspective, offer his acceptance, and remove any extrabiblical obstacles from the path of the message we preach.  Salvation is by grace, through faith.  May we learn to keep it this simple.

2.)  Ultimate Reconciliation and Universalism – These two beliefs aren’t anything new, but they are gaining many adherents today.  Ultimate reconciliation is essentially the belief that Christ reconciled the entire world to himself and thus all men are saved (and have no need to confess faith in Christ, as that is seen as a work).  Extreme varieties of this teaching actually claim Satan himself to be saved through the cross and that he will also be redeemed.  Universalism believes that at the heart, all religions are the same, and salvation may be found from anyone of them.  Essentially there are multiple paths to be saved (not Christ alone).  Most Christians would flee from universalist teaching, but fail to recognize when they are slipping into a mindset of ultimate reconciliation.  The pinnacle deception of ultimate reconciliation teaching and especially why it is so appealing to grace oriented believers is that it appears to be a deeper revelation into God’s love.  It takes the good news of by grace through faith and makes it that much easier, simply by grace.  Allow this sounds great, it ignores a crucial component of relationship with God – personal responsibility.  God, in his goodness, loves us so much that he gave us the choice to choose him or not.  This is our responsibility.  Anything less, and we have lost the very nature of what makes us human; that is our right to choose.  The doctrine of ultimate reconciliation, although it may sound loving that “all are saved”, in reality it is not really love at all, because love always gives freedom.  (For more on this subject, check out Dr Jim Richards and Allen Speegle’s discussion on The Error of Ultimate Reconciliation http://impact.rbm.tv/ ) 

3.)  Independence – This one might surprise some people, but independence is a near sure fire way to get off course.  Independance is believing more in my opinion than in the opinions of others.  It goes beyond merely standing upon my own convictions or what God has spoken to me, but carries with it a spirit of pride and arrogance, which fuels further isolation.  God created us to function in community.  He designed the church in such a way to be a place of shared giftings; all of us working together to impact the kingdom.  A mindset of independence intentionally ignores this and places oneself in a position to disregard or even at times completely abandon accountability.  To disregard everyone else’s perspective is to miss Christ in others.  The danger of this is that if I am unable to hear Christ in you, then how can I trust that I can hear Christ in me.  Independence from others is a slippery slope that can quickly lead to independence from Christ himself.

Sasquatch, Soul Mates, and Other Strange Animals

Calling all singles!  What does Bigfoot and your future Soul Mate have in common?  Find out in my new article featured in Family Magazine of Michiana.  

http://www.michianafamilymagazine.com/The-Family-Magazine-of-Michiana/April-2011/Sasquatch-Soul-Mates-and-Other-Strange-Animals/