Thankful Thursday

What an amazing day Thanksgiving was! I had the incredible privilege of heading down to Hampton Park and joining a dozen or so other churches acting as one united body of Christ as we all locked arms to reach out to the needy.

Gordon Cashwell of Hope Assembly of God has organized a non-profit called Without Walls (www.withoutwallsministry.org) that is focused on bringing churches together to share the love and compassion of Jesus with those in need on the Downtown Charleston Peninsula.

Firey Trials

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ~ 1Pet.4:12 (ESV)

Looking around the country (and the world) right now, it’s easy to assume that many people are going through some pretty difficult times. And as we discussed on Sunday, if you’re not going through it right now, don’t worry… It’s coming. All facetiousness aside, it’s true. We are probably either experiencing some pretty difficult circumstances in life right now, or we can be sure that in the future, we will.

Not the best news, I know. Not the most encouraging message. But it’s one our Lord repeated Himself as did His followers and authors of various books in the Bible. Why? Because it’s real. It’s honest. And it’s probably not a shocker to anyone reading this now. IT happens (pun intended).

Participation

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” - Acts 2:42 (ESV)

This is one of those verses that stirs my heart. It’s my heart for our community of faith at The Crossover, as well as for the greater Body of Christ. This very concisely describes the “feel” of the first church. It shows us very simply what everything else was spring-boarding off of as they continued to grow as a church.

But one word in this verse, I believe, gets overlooked or misunderstood. It’s the word I highlighted in bold lettering… Fellowship. In the original Greek it is the word koinōnia and it means, “participation or sharing” and included the sharing of material goods.

Extravagant Generosity

This last Sunday we looked at the issue of generosity and how, like the first church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:32-32), the church in Antioch began to exude generosity and care for others. What was even more amazing was the context of the generosity. The church in Antioch had just learned that crippling famine was going to spread across the world. They were going to face difficult times, no doubt. But in that context, they didn’t turn inward, but showed true compassion for others.

Their first response was not, “Oh no, how will WE take care of OURSELVES!” But instead, “how can we take care of those in a tougher position than ourselves?” The church in Jerusalem was under heavy persecution and these disciples in Antioch were only in Antioch because they had fled from Jerusalem. They knew firsthand what was happening there. Now the thought of those still in Jerusalem dealing with life-threatening persecution on top of facing severe famine was more than these believers in Antioch could handle.

Unity! As one stand together…

OK yeah, it’s [the title] the lyrics from an old favorite band of mine, Operation Ivy. But that aside it’s also something I’m very excited about regrading the body of Christ.

Last week, I taught a study on Unity in Community. We looked at how the church in Acts was so united and then we looked at Jesus’ prayer in John 17.

Now, I’ve read John 17 so many times, I couldn’t tell you. But this time as I studied it, I saw something I’ve never noticed before. And this really lit me up and got me excited.

Love Is All We Need

I have been thinking a lot about love (agape) lately. It’s just pouring out of scripture. Love your neighbor, love never fails, love is supreme, you cannot love God and hate your brother. The list could go on, almost endlessly.

As I thought about that, I had to pause and grieve about how the Christian community as a whole has responded to Obama, especially his election. The venom, the mudslinging, the vicious attacks and embellished statements of where he stands on certain pet issues. Certainly not a very loving response. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not cheerleading for Obama. I’m cheerleading for Jesus.

Are You Listening?

This is a post that I shared recently on the now private, simplemindedpreacher blog…

Never make a principle out of your experience. Let God be as original with other people as He is with you. ~ Oswald Chambers

I heard this quote the other day and was blown away by it’s implications in my life. The bottom line is, I’m guilty. Not just of making principles of my own experiences but also accepting as principles, the experiences of others. I think this fact reaches into my own movement as well. That’s all I’ll say about that.

But in this quote I was stirred (yet again) to dig deeper and really desire to hear from God myself. Not to hear from someone else who heard from God, but to hear Him whisper to me what He wants to do through me. I think we can learn a lot from what others have heard from God. I think we can be greatly inspired by what others have experienced with God. But ultimately, when it all comes down to it, I NEED TO KNOW…

For The Love Of God

It’s interesting to me how often I find myself focused on the “rules” rather than my relationship with Jesus. I have become increasingly convinced that we tend to fall into this very bad and destructive habit far too often in our journeys of faith.

It’s not like we start out that way and decide to kick Jesus to the curb. In fact, I would say initially we are only reacting out of our complete love and adoration for Him (at least I think I do). But over time, we can begin to get so focused on the “do’s and don’ts” that we miss the true core of it all… Jesus.

In(ter)dependence

Interdependence – adj. mutually dependent; depending on each other. n. a reciprocal relation between interdependent entities (objects or individuals or groups) [syn: mutuality]

Isn’t it amazing when you read how the church in Acts took care of each other? I love reading about the church in Acts. These people were amazing. Their faith was one that affected every area of their lives. Their faith shaped their culture vs. their culture shaping their faith. It was truly amazing what was going on. One of the hallmarks of this early church was their radical interdependence.

It’s crazy to consider, but imagine what it would be like living in that type of context. You don’t have more than you need, but you don’t have lack either. Everybody chips in and makes sure everyone’s needs are being met. To me it’s the epitome of what it means to love God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Goodbye SMP!

As some of you know (or don’t know) I have had the amazing privilege of posting and participating on a blog called Simplemindedpreacher. I discovered this blog while feeling utterly disconnected and alone in ministry and in my movement, Calvary Chapel. I was 6 months or so into pastoring our church and it was a rude awakening on may levels. I began to see things that I had never seen while in the movement for 10+ years. I started worrying and looking for answers or others who may feel similar to me… Alone, confused, concerned and very disconnected from anyone else. Enter the SMP…