In Revelations 3:14-22 we find the lukewarm church. They were neither hot or cold. Jesus tells this church to open the door to Him vs. 20.
These Christians had closed the door on Jesus. They were doing things in there way on there terms.This church was deeply distracted. This church had a warped perception of who they were.
They thought they were rich but Jesus says they were poor.
They thought they had vision but Jesus said they were blind.
They thought they looked good but Jesus said they were fooling themselves.
This church needed to let Jesus back into there lives.
They needed repentance
They needed a renewed vision of Christ
They needed to let Christ take control
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
The Zombie Church
Ray Steadman says of this zombie church "Mild-mannered people, meeting in mild-mannered ways, striving to be more mild-mannered."
Hollywood has given us a name for people like that: it calls them "Zombies" -- corpses that are alive, that walk about as though they are living but they are really dead. As we read this letter, we are looking at the First Zombie Church of Sardis! That word has been updated a bit recently.
Calvin Miller wrote "The Singer." He says:
Many Christians are really Christaholics and not disciples at all. Disciples are cross-bearers; they seek Christ. Christaholics seek happiness. Disciples dare to discipline themselves, and the demands they place on themselves leave them enjoying the happiness of their growth. Christaholics are escapists looking for a shortcut to Nirvana. Like drug addicts, they are trying to "bomb out" of their depressing world.
The church at Sardis, says our Lord, is a church that has a reputation to live, but is really dead. It is a church of Christaholics! But there was a time, apparently, when this church was alive, when it was filled with people who knew the Lord. Because they knew him, they served the homeless and the needy of the city. That is the way they won a reputation. They appeared to be a people committed to good works, but now there was no life there. Remember that Paul warns us of that condition in his great 13th chapter of First Corinthians. He says, "Though I speak in tongues, have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and knowledge, and have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal," (1 Corinthians 13:1-2 NIV). Here was a church that once had a great ministry but it had slipped away from them. It once had much impact in the city of Sardis, but now nothing is happening.
Dr. William Barclay has said: "A church is in danger of death when it begins to worship its own past; when it is more concerned with forms than with life; when it loves systems more than it loves Jesus; when it is more concerned with material than it is with spiritual things." This church in Sardis was so devoid of life that it actually had no struggles going on within it. Notice the difference between it and the other churches. There are no Jewish accusers of this church even though there was a large colony of Jews in the city of Sardis. They ignored the church, or perhaps did not even know of its existence. There were no false apostles here. There were no domineering Nicolaitans who needed to be guarded against. There were no female seducers, as at Thyatira. There was nothing! Zip -- that was the ministry of the church at Sardis!
Hollywood has given us a name for people like that: it calls them "Zombies" -- corpses that are alive, that walk about as though they are living but they are really dead. As we read this letter, we are looking at the First Zombie Church of Sardis! That word has been updated a bit recently.
Calvin Miller wrote "The Singer." He says:
Many Christians are really Christaholics and not disciples at all. Disciples are cross-bearers; they seek Christ. Christaholics seek happiness. Disciples dare to discipline themselves, and the demands they place on themselves leave them enjoying the happiness of their growth. Christaholics are escapists looking for a shortcut to Nirvana. Like drug addicts, they are trying to "bomb out" of their depressing world.
The church at Sardis, says our Lord, is a church that has a reputation to live, but is really dead. It is a church of Christaholics! But there was a time, apparently, when this church was alive, when it was filled with people who knew the Lord. Because they knew him, they served the homeless and the needy of the city. That is the way they won a reputation. They appeared to be a people committed to good works, but now there was no life there. Remember that Paul warns us of that condition in his great 13th chapter of First Corinthians. He says, "Though I speak in tongues, have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and knowledge, and have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal," (1 Corinthians 13:1-2 NIV). Here was a church that once had a great ministry but it had slipped away from them. It once had much impact in the city of Sardis, but now nothing is happening.
Dr. William Barclay has said: "A church is in danger of death when it begins to worship its own past; when it is more concerned with forms than with life; when it loves systems more than it loves Jesus; when it is more concerned with material than it is with spiritual things." This church in Sardis was so devoid of life that it actually had no struggles going on within it. Notice the difference between it and the other churches. There are no Jewish accusers of this church even though there was a large colony of Jews in the city of Sardis. They ignored the church, or perhaps did not even know of its existence. There were no false apostles here. There were no domineering Nicolaitans who needed to be guarded against. There were no female seducers, as at Thyatira. There was nothing! Zip -- that was the ministry of the church at Sardis!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
and the survey says
Top 13 Reasons that Unchurched People Choose a Church
(research conducted by Ranier)
90% - Pastor/Preaching
88% - Doctrines
49% - Friendliness of Members
42% - Other Issues
41% - Someone Church Witnessed to Me
38% - Family Member
37% - Sensed God’s Presence/Atmosphere of Church
25% - Relationship Other than Family Member
25% - Sunday School Class
25% - Children’s/Youth Ministry
12% - Other Groups/Ministries
11% - Worship Style/Music
7% - Location
Top 9 Reasons that Church-Attenders Choose a Church
(research conducted by the Barna Group in 1999)
58% - Doctrine/Theology
53% - People Caring for Each Other
52% - Preaching
45% - Friendliness
45% - Children’s Programs
43% - Helping the Poor
36% - Denomination
35% - Like the Pastor
26% - Sunday School
Top 6 Things that Keep the Formerly Unchurched Active in the Church
(research conducted by Ranier)
62% - Ministry Involvement
55% - Sunday School
54% - Obedience to God
49% - Fellowship of Members
38% - Pastor/Preaching
14% - Worship Services
The statistics speak for themselves. Overall, doctrine, the pastor and his preaching, and the friendliness and fellowship of the congregation are the most influential qualities.
(research conducted by Ranier)
90% - Pastor/Preaching
88% - Doctrines
49% - Friendliness of Members
42% - Other Issues
41% - Someone Church Witnessed to Me
38% - Family Member
37% - Sensed God’s Presence/Atmosphere of Church
25% - Relationship Other than Family Member
25% - Sunday School Class
25% - Children’s/Youth Ministry
12% - Other Groups/Ministries
11% - Worship Style/Music
7% - Location
Top 9 Reasons that Church-Attenders Choose a Church
(research conducted by the Barna Group in 1999)
58% - Doctrine/Theology
53% - People Caring for Each Other
52% - Preaching
45% - Friendliness
45% - Children’s Programs
43% - Helping the Poor
36% - Denomination
35% - Like the Pastor
26% - Sunday School
Top 6 Things that Keep the Formerly Unchurched Active in the Church
(research conducted by Ranier)
62% - Ministry Involvement
55% - Sunday School
54% - Obedience to God
49% - Fellowship of Members
38% - Pastor/Preaching
14% - Worship Services
The statistics speak for themselves. Overall, doctrine, the pastor and his preaching, and the friendliness and fellowship of the congregation are the most influential qualities.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
I See It
One of the main points to reaching people is through strategically planning to do so. The plan is merely the how. It is the execution of the plan that gets things done. From the view point of vision we must see in our hearts and mind what we want the results to be.
I can see our church reaching a lot of people. I can see our little sanctuary packed with new people finding Christ and growing in Christ. I can see a church building filled with believers worshiping Jesus with everything they have within them.
Imagine this as our future church schedule of services
Saturday night worship 6:00pm
Sunday morning worship services 9:00 am 11:00 am and 1:00 pm
Coming soon a new worship center!
I see it! can you see it?
I can see our church reaching a lot of people. I can see our little sanctuary packed with new people finding Christ and growing in Christ. I can see a church building filled with believers worshiping Jesus with everything they have within them.
Imagine this as our future church schedule of services
Saturday night worship 6:00pm
Sunday morning worship services 9:00 am 11:00 am and 1:00 pm
Coming soon a new worship center!
I see it! can you see it?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
focus
FOCUS
Follow
One
Course
Until
Successful
Follow
One
Course
Until
Successful
Through out the years we get many touches to get people to our church. Think on these.
- delivering values to people
- relationships are the keys
- One message but many methods –finding common ground to see some saved
- What does the community think of your church
- vision-where you want to be in the future
- mission-stating how you plan to get to where you want to be
- branding-stating your uniqueness.
- don’t be flexible be fluid
- stating we are here?
- we need a vision image
Friday, July 25, 2008
good quotes
I was reading Tommy Tenny's book "The Ultimate Comeback" and I read these quotes. Some I had read before but they are really good.
"If you do not quit, you cannot fail"
"The shortest path between your failure and Gods favor is humility"
"Never let your past dictate your future"
"Failure is often the womb of success"
"Develop a NOTHING TO LOSE mentality"
"Pass the test when it comes around again"
"When your outward talent is greater than your inward character there is often a crash"
"One night in Gods presence and you can become what you always dreamed you were suppossed to be"
" God does His best work in the secret place"
"One day is as a thousand years, a thousand years as one day"2 Peter 3:8
"If you do not quit, you cannot fail"
"The shortest path between your failure and Gods favor is humility"
"Never let your past dictate your future"
"Failure is often the womb of success"
"Develop a NOTHING TO LOSE mentality"
"Pass the test when it comes around again"
"When your outward talent is greater than your inward character there is often a crash"
"One night in Gods presence and you can become what you always dreamed you were suppossed to be"
" God does His best work in the secret place"
"One day is as a thousand years, a thousand years as one day"2 Peter 3:8
Sunday, July 20, 2008
7 churches of Revelations 1
The 7 Churches of Revelation
Message 1/Ephesus and Smyrna
Revelation chapter 2:1-11
There are 4 elements to each of the letters in scripture, and they are as follows:
· Praise - what the Lord is pleased with
· Correction needed - what the Lord is upset about
· Advice - to the leaders of the group as to how to get back on track
· Challenge - to the true believers within the group, to hold fast and overcome
1. Church of Ephesus -- Revelation 2:1-7
Praise: I know that you do good deeds, and work hard. You are patient and cannot stand evil. You condemn those who do wrong and hold false teachings to the fire.
Correction needed: You have left your first love - the core of the gospel.
Advice to leaders: Remember where it is that you have fallen from, repent and go back to the original teachings.
Challenge to believers: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Application: Men intent on abandoning the word of God (their first love) for their own doctrinal interpretations. The inference here is the addition of doctrines into the church, placing more importance on them than on the Word of God. This refers to legalistic churches that institute man-imposed salvation requirements, such as specific baptism rituals, or organization membership, and teach that there is no salvation unless these requirements are met. They focus more on dos and don'ts and on who does and doesn't do, than on the core message of scripture and thus they deny salvation by grace through faith. The easiest way to spot a church of Ephesus is their claim of being the only true remnant church of Christ and their insistence that there is no salvation outside of their organization and without their rituals.
2. Church of Smyrna -- Revelation 2:8-11
Praise: I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)
Condemnation: Nothing !!
Advice to leaders: Don't fear your suffering - satan will torment you and you will be tried. Be faithful unto death and you will have the crown of life..
Challenge to believers: He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death (and will have eternal life).
Application: Throughout the world, Christians are being persecuted in places like China, Russia, the Philippines and the Islamic Nation States. Witnessing is illegal in many of these places and sadly, it is all too common to hear of Christians being jailed, tortured and even beheaded for the crime of attempting to spread the gospel and the testimony of Jesus.
Message 1/Ephesus and Smyrna
Revelation chapter 2:1-11
There are 4 elements to each of the letters in scripture, and they are as follows:
· Praise - what the Lord is pleased with
· Correction needed - what the Lord is upset about
· Advice - to the leaders of the group as to how to get back on track
· Challenge - to the true believers within the group, to hold fast and overcome
1. Church of Ephesus -- Revelation 2:1-7
Praise: I know that you do good deeds, and work hard. You are patient and cannot stand evil. You condemn those who do wrong and hold false teachings to the fire.
Correction needed: You have left your first love - the core of the gospel.
Advice to leaders: Remember where it is that you have fallen from, repent and go back to the original teachings.
Challenge to believers: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Application: Men intent on abandoning the word of God (their first love) for their own doctrinal interpretations. The inference here is the addition of doctrines into the church, placing more importance on them than on the Word of God. This refers to legalistic churches that institute man-imposed salvation requirements, such as specific baptism rituals, or organization membership, and teach that there is no salvation unless these requirements are met. They focus more on dos and don'ts and on who does and doesn't do, than on the core message of scripture and thus they deny salvation by grace through faith. The easiest way to spot a church of Ephesus is their claim of being the only true remnant church of Christ and their insistence that there is no salvation outside of their organization and without their rituals.
2. Church of Smyrna -- Revelation 2:8-11
Praise: I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)
Condemnation: Nothing !!
Advice to leaders: Don't fear your suffering - satan will torment you and you will be tried. Be faithful unto death and you will have the crown of life..
Challenge to believers: He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death (and will have eternal life).
Application: Throughout the world, Christians are being persecuted in places like China, Russia, the Philippines and the Islamic Nation States. Witnessing is illegal in many of these places and sadly, it is all too common to hear of Christians being jailed, tortured and even beheaded for the crime of attempting to spread the gospel and the testimony of Jesus.
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