Points of Contact

I have been reading No Perfect People Allowed by John Burke.  It is a great book subtitled "Creating a Come as You Are Culture in the Church" - it is a fantastic book that really makes me think.

Burke tells stories of how Goths, addicts, and people living alternative lifestyles have come to experience the Grace of God through this come as you are culture and mindset.  It is really encouraging to see the power of God at work in the lives of people like this.  I have seen similar stories in our own church.

When it comes to accepting people as they are - loving people in the midst of their sin, I think I do a pretty good job.  I don't expect non-Christians to act like Christians.  I don't mind it (too much) when people swear and talk about their questionable morals and choices.  I even tend to be able to engage them in conversation and make a connection when I get the chance.  My biggest problem is not in offering love and grace, it is in simply making the connection in the first place.

Between working two+ jobs, being a father, a husband, a homeowner, etc. life is full of responsibilities as it is.  How do we get the word to the people that need to hear it.  The answer is quite simple and yet very profound.  Looking at the life of Jesus - He took His ministry to the people that needed to hear it.  To the lost and the sinners - sure He spent some time teaching in the synagogues but He spent more time teaching and healing in the streets.  Amongst the hurting and the lost.  That's the easy part, the profound part comes when we try to mesh the need to do that with the reality of life.

At this point I don't have a good answer, but I recognize the fact that if we want the message of Christ to change and impact the lives of the people that need it the most - we have to be intentional about it.  We have to remove the blinders that we have chosen to put on our own eyes and look around us.  We are surrounded by people in need of a savior.

Who are the people that need to experience the loving forgiveness of Christ the most?  Is it the addict, the prostitute, the poor, the homeless, the two income family living in the upscale part of town, is it the single Mom working two jobs just to make ends meet?  It's all of these.  It is our neighbors, the people across the street, down the street and on the street that need to know Him.  Everyone who doesn't know Him is headed for eternity without Him.  Sometimes it is easy to say - we are going to focus on the poor, the homeless, etc. but in reality, do they need Christ any more or any less than our neighbors that don't know him?

Even as I was writing this post, I was having visions of Taking the gospel to the South Side, to the homeless, to the bars, addicts, etc. but as I was working through this, I realize that that is a trap of Satan - he wants us to ignore the people around us - and focus on certain groups people at the expense of others.  The truth is that each of us are surrounded by people who need to know Christ - we need to pray, diligently every day that our eyes would be open to the hurt, the searching, the need right around us.

For some of us that means going to the places I mentioned - for some of us it means striking up a conversation with the father sitting next to us at our child's soccer game.  Help me Lord to be diligent and to not walk past or ignore the Points of Contact that You have given me in my life.

By the Spirit of the Lord

Often times it is easy for myself, and other church planters to judge our success based on the outward appearance of what is happening at our churches.  I often times say that if I had known then what I know now, I'm not sure I would have agreed to get into church planting.

Originally I had envisioned a rapidly growing church with hundreds of people and hundreds of baptisms within the first five years - I envisioned offering multiple services, a multiple person staff, dozens of different programs and mission opportunities, etc.  As we approach the 5 year mark of that I have been working on Yellowstone Church - we are instead at the dozens mark rather than the hundreds mark.  Rather than a cutting edge high tech facility we have an old bar that we have equipped with a little technology.  Rather than continuing to work as a full time church planter and pastor, I work as a part time pastor and a full time High School Welding Teacher.

So is it a successful church plant - ABSOLUTELY!!! Without the shadow of a doubt.  The dozens of people that come to Yellowstone Church are people that with very few exceptions had absolutely no church affiliation of any sort before becoming involved at Yellowstone Church - several of them are new believers and those that aren't new believers hadn't been involved in any other church for several years.  We have people that are new to Billings and had been having trouble making connections and building relationships - they come to Yellowstone Church and find true relationship and friendship - they are challenged in their faith and their relationship with God grows to new depths.  Above all else - I have been challenged in my own faith and relationship with God.

This morning, I was reading Zechariah chapter 4 and was struck by the Lord's message to Zerubbabel in verse 6

Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)

6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.   

Zerubbabel didn't have all the royal trappings and fame that his ancestors David and Solomon had had - but God chose him to lead the rebuilding of the temple through the power of the Holy Spirit.

That is my prayer for my life and for Yellowstone Church - that even though we may not have the most money, the flashiest facilities, the best programs, or event he best pastor - that we would continue growing and leading people to new depths in their relationship with Christ - not because of anything we have done but through the Power of the Holy Spirit.

I love our church (the people - not the building - although the building is pretty cool too) and I love the people that our church is ministering to.  We will be the best church that we can be - not through money, nor by flashy worship, but by the Spirit of the Lord Almighty.