This may come as a surprise to some- but I’m a skeptic. It must be the Simon Cowell in me.

The upside of this is I can typically spot when someone (or something) is genuine.

The flip side of this is I can also spot when someone (or something) isn’t.

It seems I’m constantly finding dishonesty, slants, biases, agendas, and exaggerations in various places. From the news I watch, the books I read, and the stories I hear. Even things in my own life.

I’m not sure if a follower of Christ, who is planting a church, is supposed to admit that- but it’s the truth. I have difficulty taking much of anything at face value.

Our beliefs or experiences may be genuine- but our beliefs or experiences may not be right. That’s why we need something to base it on beyond our own thoughts, opinions, passions, emotions, and experiences.

Thank God for the Bible.

When I hear about signs, wonders, healings, miracles, revivals, movements, teachings, and other spiritual matters- I don’t automatically bite. BUT- I don’t automatically discount it either. I do what we all should do- discern it.

Here is how I discern whether or not something is from God or not:

Check the Bible. (Does the Bible speak for or against this?)
If it’s not biblical, It’s not a God-thing.

Examine the motivation. (Is this man-centered or Jesus-centered? Who gets the glory?)
If Jesus is central and glorified, this could be from God. If not, beware!

Look for real change. (Is there evidence?)
If it’s biblical, Jesus is central and glorified, then it’s likely someone (or something) has changed. A heart, a mind, a body, a life, a family, a city, a country, a world.

I do believe that God still moves. I’ve seen lives changed- including my own. But it’s wise to be discerning about spiritual matters. It can be messy, confusing, weird, counterfeit, and deceptive.

God is a good God of order. Thankfully he’s given us some cautions, wisdom, and guidance in Scripture to help us navigate the waters of spirituality.

Mark 13:21-22
“At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible.”

Matthew 7:15
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves”

1 John 4:1
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Romans 16:17-18
“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.”

2 Peter 2:1-3
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.”

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Mark Driscoll, one of the pastors at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, answered this question on the doctrine of election:

“If humans are so utterly sinful that we can’t even choose Jesus what right does He have to judge us? If we cannot choose good then isn’t judgment against us unjust?”

His response is one one of the clearest explanations I’ve ever heard.

See also:
Romans 9
Ephesians 1:3-11
John 10:27
Romans 11:5-7
Mark 13:20
Matthew 24:31

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“And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also…’” - Acts 17:6 (ESV)

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“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

- 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

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Being a church planter means that I get to connect with other church planters. There’s an immediate bond that happens- which we call the church planting fraternity. I love to talk to other church planting dudes, listen to their stories, and talk shop.

But sometimes I’m a bit concerned about some of the church planters I run across. Most guys have a name, a mission, and a plan to execute it. That’s cool. But what I’ve encountered too often is the lack of a theological foundation to pastor with.

What I mean is this. When someone you’ve invested in has a tragedy occur- say the loss of a child- how are you going to make sense of it? What’s your biblical framework? What will you say to them?

Will you say…?

• “This happened with no reason at all. It’s just part of life.”
• “They are on the planet Zebular chasing butterflies in an eternal state of bliss.”
• “God would never take away your child. It was Satan.”
• “You must have some unconfessed sin in your life and not walking the path God wants you to.”
• “God needed another angel in Heaven.”
• “Honestly, this doesn’t make sense right now- but I believe that God is sovereign and He works all things for the good of those who love him. Your child’s life had meaning and purpose. Here’s what the Bible has to say…”

Your theology will determine your response. Even if you’re initial response is to just love them and say nothing- eventually these questions will come.

Have you wrestled with the difficult questions you have about God and what you read in Scripture? I mean, have you ever read the book of Job? Do you read and study Scripture at all?

If you’re a church planter, you better. If not, start a business- not a church.

We won’t have all the answers- but we should be asking ourselves the difficult questions.

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“unchristian” by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons
The book, “unchristian” is based on research about what 16-29 year olds think of the church, Jesus, his followers, and Christianity at large. I’m not surprised by the results and my observations have been validated with the research done by the authors. A must-read for leaders.

“Lectures to My Students” by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Spurgeon’s words are so rich that I have to read this book slowly and take breaks to digest it. As I walk through the chapters I’m realizing that this may be one of the best books I’ve ever read.

“Presentation Zen” by Garr Reynolds
I build and deliver lots of presentations, so this book is very practical for me. I’ve read Garr Reynolds‘ stuff online and now he’s put all his knowledge and insight into a cool book. So far, it’s better than I expected. The book itself stimulates my imagination with it’s use of visuals, fonts, spacing, and word choice.

What have you been reading?

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“A Chronicle of Redemption” 

A Reflection on Exodus Thirty Nine and Forty

The book of Exodus began with a reluctant leader, Moses. Born of Hebrew slaves in Egypt, he was sent down the Nile River as a baby only to be picked up by the daughter of the Pharaoh.  He would live as royalty until one day, everything changed. After witnessing an Egyptian laying a smackdown on a Hebrew slave, the urge for justice overwhelmed him and he killed and buried the Egyptian.  Confused and afraid, he fled to the desert.

It was in the desert where Moses would have two significant encounters.  First, he meets his future wife at a well where he ran off some dirtbag shepherds who were harassing her.  Then Moses would also encounter God Almighty in a burning bush.  It is here where God calls Moses to lead his people out of Egypt, out of slavery, and into freedom.  Moses is reluctant, God is insistent.  God wins.

Moses passes on God’s demand to the Egyptian leader, Pharaoh, to let his people go.   Pharaoh resists. But after a series of only-can-be-explained-by-God, signs and wonders, Pharaoh relinquishes and allows the Israelites to leave Egypt.  He would second guess that decision and chase after Moses and God’s people only to fail. God had their back and parted the Red Sea.  God showed who was really in control.

God stretched and used Moses until he was the leader he was destined to be.  Moses would discover that leadership has its ups and downs as he listens to the constant whining, complaining, and immaturity from God’s people.  Moses stayed close to God through it all and experienced an intimate relationship with the Lord.  During this journey, God gave Moses commandments for the people because they were his family and He wanted to guide them to maturity.  Also, Moses was given blueprints for the Tabernacle and everything in it as well as a heavenly GPS to guide the people to the promised land.

In short, God called an unlikely man to lead a group of slaves through a journey of redemption into a land of freedom.

The key to Moses’ success is found in the final two chapters of Exodus in the repeated phrase, “as the LORD commanded Moses.”  Moses really isn’t the hero of the story, it is God.  Specifically, it is the God of the Bible, Jesus.  It was him who called Moses, him who worked wonders, him who paved the path, him who set boundaries, him who gave second chances, him who provided, him who drew the plans, him who led the way, and him who saved Israel into freedom.  It was Jesus all along.

This is a chronicle of redemption. A true story of a people who were lost and now are found. A people who were nothing to the world but were in fact, God’s chosen people. A people who were in chains and now have liberty.

That’s my story too.

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“It Takes a Community” 

A Reflection on Exodus Thirty Seven and Thirty Eight

God designed us for community.

The Israelites were becoming a community during their Exodus from Egypt. When God gave Moses plans to build the tabernacle and everything it encompassed, he knew it was going to take more than Moses to make it happen.

The result was people gave whatever they could for the cause.  They gave their wealth, possessions, talent, and time to carry out the plans God gave Moses. The finished product was nothing short of amazing.  From the ark of the Covenant to the Tent of the Meeting, everything was as it should be.

I dare say that the greatest feats of our lives aren’t the ones we do alone- it’s what we do together.

God himself is in community within the Trinity. When Jesus began his public ministry one of the first things he did was gather twelve guys around him. We’ve also seen it after the September 11 attacks.  People came together and gave money, spent tireless hours in the wreckage, and comforted one another.  We watch it on television when “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” comes to a town and builds a new home for a deserving family in less than a week.  What ends up happening is the community pitches in.  We see this when it’s time to move to a new home and friends and family come to help.  We need each other.

Community comes in the form of family, friends, churches, teams, organizations, cities, and nations. We were never meant to do life alone.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”  - Ecclesiastes 4:12

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“When the Ordinary Are Extraordinary” 

A Reflection on Exodus Thirty Five and Thirty Six

This weekend, every retail store will have a person ringing a bell and accepting donations for the Salvation Army.  The dollar bills and change collected represent the cheerful generosity of the community.  It’s always encouraging to see the Salvation Army bucket full of money.  It reminds me that the spark of generosity still exists within our me-first, take-take-take, comfort-seeking society.

When we think of generosity, we tend to think about the very wealthy who make donations and set up foundations for various causes. After all, that’s what makes this news (as it should).  But it’s so impressive when ordinary people give.  There is no press release, no buzz, no fanfare.  Simply generosity- like the Salvation Army buckets.

Back in Exodus, ordinary people were giving with extraordinary results. They not only gave their pocket change, they gave the best of what they owned to help build the tabernacle and everything in it. Now that’s generosity!

This continued morning after morning until there was too much stuff. The response was so great that Moses had to send out an order for people to press the pause button on their giving. They had more than enough to carry out God’s plan.

It’s remarkable what happens when people give cheerfully. Lives are changed- not just for the recipient- but for the giver.  True giving has it’s own reward.  Something that can only be experienced by being generous.  Pure joy.

If we want to make an impact. Let’s look beyond ourselves and be people of generosity. Not just this Christmas season but all year round.

It’s remarkable when the ordinary do something extraordinary.

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