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Communicating with Unchurched People in the Room Approach You know your BIG idea You know your Application Approach? The reason you care about approach is because you care deeply. If you don't care what people do with what you say, you don't care about people. 1 Corinthians 9:19-20-Who are you? It depends who I am talking to. Too often we are trying to make a point rather than make a difference. Bait into passage of Scripture I cannot make someone fall in love with Jesus. But I can set up dates. Challenge Avoid, "The Bible says, and instead, quote authors. The foundation of our faith is not the Bible. The foundation of our faith is an event (resurrection). The problem with "The Bible says" is what else the Bible says. You take the Bible seriously because you take Jesus seriously and Jesus took the Old Testament seriously. Our culture has written off the Bible and Old Testament, but people still want a piece of Jesus. Cite Authors James, the brother of Jesus, writ

Speaking about preaching at Exponential: If this guy made it, I can make it too. In a recent survey, we were horrible in most areas. We received highest marks on getting results. Preaching the announcements-whatever you want them to do or know. Sermon is most powerful tool God has given to the pastor. Mark 2-Four men brought their friend to Jesus-Sermon he entitled "A Desperate Disciple" We believe Jesus is the answer. So, we need to get our friends to Jesus. Matthew 8:14-Desperate People Serve When Jesus touches you and you are delivered, you start serving. Whatever you want people to do, make it a sermon.  Preach the announcements. Believe in the power of the gospel. Preaching the announcements must be biblically based. Using your preaching time wisely.

Luke 15 Preaching is from the Word of God no matter who is in the audience. Give the Pharisees a break for their despising of tax collectors Sinners were people with physical diseases, slave trader, prostitutes, etc. And Pharisees and Scribes. Good preaching will deconstruct worldviews and reconstruct with the good news. The Father did not respond to the son's speech in parable of the Prodigal Son. Both sons need Jesus.  3 Ways to rethink preaching 1. Don't live vicariously through others or just live in books. Be with people. 2. Trust the Bible. I cannot transform anyone. 3. Trust the Holy Spirit. Feel how powerless you are.  

This workshop included the following speakers: Tim Keller (video), James Meek, Matt Chandler, and Andy Stanley Tim Keller All preaching should be evangelistic. The whole Bible is about Jesus. It all points to Jesus. 4 Skill Issues To Address Non-Christians Persuade with people's own beliefs Solve heart problems with the gospel 2 Corin. 8 (instead of focus on the will) Demonstrate what it is like to not believe (depict & describe fears,doubts,etc.) Occasionally address non-believers directly (apologetic sidebars) Andy Stanley, James Meeks, Matt Chandler Panel Churches that create environments for outsiders are more positive. (AS) In my life, church was do this and do that not about the gospel (MC) We have let the culture define us (media, TV, movies) (JM) People are not on a truth quest, but instead a happiness quest. (AS) The gospel is for eternity and the here and now. We need to get eyes on Jesus. You are saved from something and saved to something. Learn about preaching/teac

www.discipleship.org 270 X disciple; 3 X Christian Define a disciple.  Matthew 4:19-Empowered by the H.S. informed by Jesus on mission with Jesus Make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)Trusting presence of God as we enter into relationships with people. I will trust and follow Jesus. The only way to obey Jesus is thru power of Holy Spirit and living in community. 6 Elements of Discipleship Lifestyle (applicable in every life situation) Jesus Intentionality Relationships Bible Path Multiply Contrast between classroom discipleship and intentional relationship discipleship  There will be a classroom side of things, but Jesus focus was different. Two contexts of discipleship: public and private Principles of Discipleship 1. The Bible is the manual for Discipleship. Embed the Bible in everything. 2. When attending to it, the Bible (Word) creates Faith 3. The Bible teaches us how to "renew our minds." 4. The Bible teaches us how to think obediently. The battle is in what I think & be

Preach the gospel and if necessary use words.  This is not evangelism/missional. We must use words. Colossians 4:2-6 2 Pronged Approach- Gifted evangelists-Pray for opportunities and boldness Others-respond to people's questions about Jesus.  Are our lives worth questioning?  Live a life that is different so people ask why. We are filled with the Holy Spirit of love. We must be counter cultural. When we live like this, people are drawn to us and ask why. Listening to people is intriguing. What would be more questionable than a Southern Baptist preacher at a margarita/card playing night? How questionable is your life? Do you evoke anyone's curiosity? Live a questionable life!

You are making it really hard not to believe. Incarnational Evangelism Incarnation, Reputation, Conversation, Confrontation, Transformation Incarnation-you dive deep into humanity Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save it. We think being godly means to separate from the world. We take the Good News and make it bad news. Jesus was the most righteous person ever and He was a friend of sinners. We, as Christians, should be the least judgmental movement in the world.

Danielle Strickland from The Salvation Army of Canada Acts 3 The Holy Spirit so rudely interrupted while I was preparing what to say. Instead, I said, "I could never imagine my life without Jesus." Witnessing involves seeing who Jesus is and people as they are. Am I project? Would you love her even if she did not follow Jesus? We need to see people for who they really are.  See them as God sees them and for their value. Closed with prayer from Ephesians 1. 

David works with pastors all over the country through auxano on vision clarity. Leadership has to begin on the foundation of discipleship. The church's mission: discipleship. Number 1 principle for discipleship is you have to become the type of disciple you want to make. If you want to grow the church, you have to grow the leader. 5 Areas Every Leader Needs To Grow In Leadership=Power. Leaders who do well need a balance of drive and motive (calling). Leaders confront the brutal facts about themselves. Key Question: What are those growth areas? Visionary Examples of Problems with Vision Carbon Copy Vision-Be unique Microwave Vision-Leaders move fast. Slow down & do hard work of vision. Vision flip/flop-Changing mind constantly about vision Paralysis of the analysis-difficulty of making a decision Upper Room Identity What do you like about our church? People, Programs, Pastor, Place The upper room identity is purpose. This is leaders responsibility. Vision Pathway Vision Frame (P

Sometimes we use prayer as a crutch not do anything. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. God is always pursuing man. We need to go out and seek. We are living in a society where people are blind. The church has the answer. Do not let your limitation dictate your faith! In Luke 15, we have people looking for the sheep and coin, but no one is looking for the boy.  Throw the net! Our job is to fish. It's the Holy Spirit's job to clean them. Jesus calls Zacchaeus (means Righteous One) by name.  He called him by who He was not how he was acting. Out of the mess, Christ has a message. The U.S. economy might be in a recession. The global economy might be in a recession. But the kingdom of God is never in a recession.

Some of you have been crushed by the church.  Matthew 7 Seek & Save the Lost. Jesus says, Come and See! Nothing changed in Peter's life until after Pentecost. Number 1 question asked of Jesus was "why does Jesus hang out with sinners?" Don't plant a church that promises bread but serves rocks. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

gcmcollective.com weare3dm.com/launch Twitter @CaesarKal Our identity is at the core of the gospel. Is there not more to our faith than behavior modification? Why do we trust Jesus for eternal life but not for the here and now? Story of boy from Sudan: They had found their identity and purpose in Christ. Secret to the Christian Life-our identity in Christ Way of World-"what we do to be" Way of Jesus-"we be to do" God said, "I will fill all things with my glory." Glory in Hebrew is weighty.  Jesus is the glory of the father. He will fill earth with His glory through His people. As a disciple, who was sent to make disciples who make disciples. Since God is our Father, we are a family. Jesus is our King so we are servants. Holy Spirit is sent & power, we are missionaries. Baptism-soak them in their new identity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) We have been told only part of the story (Genesis 3-Revelation 20). This is the "good news" we tell our cultu

Can a nation be changed? Luke 5-It should be an active parable The potential is vast. Cast the nets out into the deep. The majority of people who attend Alpha Course are 18-35. Nothing is impossible with Jesus. The purpose of the nets is to catch fish. The church needs to have a big front door-new believers. The church needs to have a big back door-church planting. What unites us is infinitely greater than what divides us. We must unite as churches around Jesus Christ. It always worth the one. Imagine what could happen in this nation as we cast the nets into the deep and believe nothing is impossible with Jesus.

This is not just a theological concept. It is real. Disciple-Learner, Follower Larger framework of evangelism & discipleship is love.  Love's definition-John 4 & 5-Idea of knowing and flowing. Jesus engages in meaningful conversation with Samaritan woman.  Jesus knew her soul.      Flowing with the Father. Are we listening to Him?    When we think of massive numbers, we become confused. Multi-lights-Living temples in workplaces and neighborhoods. You don't have to be big to make impact! X-Factor-Holy Spirit-lean into Him to give us wisdom, power

DNA of the kingdom of God-Matthew 16-Jesus must get the win! Step 1-Jesus is the Messiah. He must be first. Step 2-DNA of kingdom of God  (Communion with God, Inclusive Community, Mission-"Be, Belong, Bless") Step 3-Structure or Environment 2nd Decision Communities-Sodalic-Apprentice-Reach Others 1st Decision Communities--Modalic-Multitudes-Feed them-Sm. Group Adullam Process Observe (2-3 months-our story, your story, God's story) Preparation (TK Primer, 101) Participate Partnership (Coaching of Apprentices) Whatever you give your leadership to will ultimately grow. Be the best you!

Vin diagram of Discipleship, Gospel, Apest APEST (Apostles, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher) Ephesians 4:7-11 "Each one of us" has been given grace in Greek actually means "each one of us." All of us are gifted. What causes decline? When you separate the leaders from the people Ephesians 4 is significant because we are called to use our gift and equip others to use that gift too.  Vs. 1-7-Focus on "ones" for all Vs. 8-11-Focus on diversity of gifts Vs. 12-16-Outcome is maturity Apostle-"apo-stello"-to separate, to send Prophet-"pro-phetes"-before (space, time), to bring something (speak) into the light Evangelist-"ev-angelos"-one who tells & invites Shepherd-carries rod and staff, protecting & providing are functions Teacher-primarily concerned with explaining or training (topics & tasks) Who we bring to the table when discussing discipleship matters? Is APEST involved? All five need to be involved.

gcmcollective.org The gospel needs to be at the center of all our community.  The gospel is for eternity and for the here and now. How can we grow in our gospel fluency? The gospel is not just facts about Jesus. It should affect all of our life. Everything comes from the gospel (marriage, parenting, work, service, church) We usually teach the gospel from Genesis 3 to Revelation 20. What about Genesis 1-2 & Revelation 21-22? We need to teach about God who is good and restores all things.  It's a better message than you suck and you are going to pay for it. Shame and self-righteousness are poor motivations for the kingdom. Where does our identity come from? We need to "be to do". As a disciple, our identity comes from the Trinity. We have a Father so we are a family. We have a King so we are servants. We have a Holy Spirit who is powerful & sent so we are missionaries. We can choose not to live out of our identity in Christ but it is still true of us! We exist to sh

Love God. Love Others. Engaging culture allowed us to form relationships. Out of these relationships, we began to form community. Then it became a structured congregation. Communion with God, Community, Mission were 3 elements of forming community. The answer lies in formed community. Matthew 28-GO AND MAKE-we try to choose. Our personalities lead us to one. As leaders, we don't like tension. If you multiply communities, you will multiply churches.

There is one master carpenter in the church and it is Jesus. We as leaders carry more than we should. When Jesus says one thing and we experience something else, it should lead us to ask why. Luke 22:24-27-The Leader as Servant Jesus is making a statement about power as He comes riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. We can learn leadership lessons and principles as long as they don't contradict with Jesus. Jesus' way of Leadership The type of leadership that Jesus focuses on is servanthood.  As leaders, we need to focus on identity-not what we do or our title, but as children of God. Titles only differentiate hierarchy. They tell us who is in charge. Stay in the shadow of Jesus as a leader.

Mission is about going out.  Incarnation is going down deep into a culture. 1. Presence It's really about identification. We need to understand the people. The world has come to us.  We don't have to go overseas to be exposed to different cultures. We see this in Jesus. 2. Proximity We need to get up close and personal. Need to be able to touch them. Where you stand determines what you see. Very rarely did Jesus put Himself in religious zones. If I don't see needs, I won't be able to meet them. 3. Pre-venience God is at work in every single person preparing them to look at Jesus. Don't assume God is not at work in certain people or certain places. Be looking or listening for how God is already working. 4. Powerlessness Think about the God of the Universe as a baby. Philippians 2 There is no place for arrogance in life of a Christian. We serve a humble God. 5. Passion Having an understanding of what happened on the cross. We all suffer, struggle, or have pain.  Are y

As you read this, I am headed to Orlando, Florida for the Exponential Conference.  Check back throughout this week for posts from the conference.  I look forward to hearing from several great speakers such as Matt Chandler, Rick Warren, Jonathan Dodson, Robby Gallaty, Andy Stanley, Tim Keller and many more. 

Tonight was our year end program for our Wednesday night children's ministry. Here are pictures from the program:

Steven Furtick has a great chapter in Crash the Chatterbox on facing fear.  Here is some encouragement for you today: But fear is neither linear no logical. Because fear often finds its power, not in our actual situation, but in what we tell ourselves about our situation. The Jezebel Effect robs you of the time and space that is meant to be reserved for restful confidence in God. I'm encouraged that when He finds us in our fears, He speaks to us, not with threats of retribution, but with reminders of His care and concern. It's also true that God's Word cannot adequately sustain you--no matter how prevalent it is around you--until your receive it within you. We can never hope to crash the chatterbox until the signal (God's Word) becomes louder in our lives than the incessant noise around us that clamors for our attention and depletes our courage. The Enemy can't do a thing to diminish God's promises--that ability is decidedly beyond the limits of hi

I am continuing to read Crash the Chatterbox by Steven Furtick.  He has a great chapter when you are at your lowest.  Here are some quotes from Chapter 6, "At the Bottom" But even in our crisis moments and nightmare seasons, God speaks. And our ability to hear His voice above all others can be the difference between the life and death of our faith. At the bottom of the deepest, darkest what-if imaginable is a faithful God.  But at the bottom, you see that the same Rock that holds us your life in clear skies is supporting your future when everything around you shakes and rocks and reels. The Enemy does his best work in the darkness of our ignorance and speculation.      

I love this song as it reminds me what Jesus did on the cross.  It also shows how my identity is shaped by Him and no one else.  Enjoy this song today!

Last Friday, as pastors we asked our congregation to consider a corporate fast for 12 hours on Good Friday.  As pastors, we each took a four hour shift to be available in the sanctuary to pray with people.  People came in and out during my time, but I spent most of the time praying and reading the Bible on behalf of Hesston MB.  Here is a portion of what I wrote down during my time in the sanctuary: Because Christ is Redeemer, I am redeemed. Because Christ is Savior, I am saved. Because Christ is Reconciler, I am reconciled. Because Christ is Forgiver, I am forgiven. Because Christ is Healer, I am healed. Because Christ is Provider, I am provided for. Because Christ is Peace, I have peace. Because Christ is Creator, I am new. Because Christ is a Gift Giver, I am gifted. Because Christ is Rescuer, I am rescued. Because Christ is Loving, I am loved. Because Christ is Righteous, I am righteous. Because Christ is Holy, I am holy. Because Christ is King, I am a prince. Bec

Below is a picture of books I am currently reading. Return to the blog in weeks ahead to see thoughts and quotes.

Pictures from celebration today.

Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is alive.  He is risen just as He said.  Turn the volume up and praise Jesus with this song from hymn charts. 

Morning is coming!  Be blessed by this powerful song by Ernie Haase and Signature Sound.

My word for 2014 is God's power.  Today's verse uses the Greek word dynamis and this power of God is in us through the Holy Spirit.  20  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, (Ephesians 3:20)

So, I am probably late with this post.  Easter Sunday is only a few days away. However, I would like to share some great resources for kids for Holy Week.  Most of these are available at your local Christian bookstore. In no particular order, I recommend the following books, videos, or items: Lily's Easter Party by Crystal Bowman (Ages 4-7)-This new book tells the story of the Resurrection Eggs. Resurrection Eggs -12 eggs that tell the story from Palm Sunday through Easter.  I use these every year to tell the true meaning of Easter to the kids in my church after an Easter egg hunt. God Rocks: Rez the Rock That Rolled Away -I have used this video the last three years.  It tells the story for children through music in a fun, creative, and age appropriate way. Little Colt's Palm Sunday by Michelle Adams-Great story to use on Palm Sunday.  I usually incorporate a live donkey that is used with this story. The Story of Jesus for Children -An older film that has been used ar

How many of us have wondered what to say to a friend or family member who has lost a loved one to death?  We rehearse what we are going to say over and over.  But many times, what people want is your presence not a well articulated speech.  This past week, I finished reading Scandalous by D. A. Carson.  It is book on the resurrection, but he had a great section on death.  I wanted to share a few quotes from that section.  "Jesus is outraged not because he has lost a friend but because of death itself. Death is such an ugly enemy. It generates endless and incalculable anguish." "We are sinners, and we will die. Every time there is death, it still hurts. It is still painful. It is still ugly. . .This is not the way God made the creation in the first place. Jesus is outraged by the whole thing. Christians must adopt something of this same stance toward death." "Death is an enemy, and it can be a fierce one. Death is not normal when you look at it from the

I love Easter!  Here is a new version of a popular song that many of us will sing on Easter Sunday.  Be reminded that our Savior is risen!

Calling all dads and father figures! Are you involved in your child(s) school?  If not, there is a great opportunity to serve at your local schools through the Watch D.O.G.S program.  For more information, go here Here is a picture of my daughter, Molly and I the last time I served.  I have the privilege to be at Hesston schools all day today.  I encourage you to check it out and get involved!

I love Palm Sunday at Hesston MB! Here are pictures from today: