LIVING ON THE EDGE

Just had to blog about this.

I was reading a blog from Mark Batterson today and I only wish I’d seen it before my men’s group today. Check it out then come back and I’ll continue.

Glad you’re back.

During our men’s LG this morning we were talking about Acts 16. Great passage and it has some good stuff. We were talking about how the Holy Spirit and the spirit of Jesus kept Paul from preaching in some cities. Not sure how we got on the subject but we quickly moved it to FEAR; The fear of making decisions and acting on the prompting of the spirit. It must have been a God moment. We talked about if for nearly an hour and I finally had to say “Sometimes you just need make a decision and trust God with the results even if it means you may fail. Nothing worse than waking up one day at age 60 and saying I wish I would have tried that.”

Men. Don’t waste your life sitting on your butt hoping someone else will tell you every move to make. God has a plan for you and you need to be so tight with Him there will be no mistaking God’s voice when He speaks.

I will let Mark’s blog speak for how I feel about the men in church today. Not just our church but ALL churches.

We really do need more STUDDS.

Have you ever wanted to say that to somebody? “GET OUT!” “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!” OR “GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!!!!”

The church where I pastor is a mobile church that meets in a movie theater on purpose so we can be better equipped to reach the un-churched and D-churched people in our area. Yeah, I know. We can do that with a traditional building as well but God has chosen not to let us have one right now so we embrace the theater as a tool He has given us to grow His kingdom.

Along with being a mobile church we are a mobile staff. We had an office complex for 5 years but then decided to move out so we could use that money more effectively to reach people. I would sit behind my desk and read, study, play spider solitaire, read, go to the bathroom, play hearts on the computer then go to lunch. Come back and do the same thing until five o’clock when I would go home eat then go to a meeting or visit or something real important. I never met people who needed Jesus. I always met people who were mad at their pastor or mad at their music guy because he never sang hymns and they were looking for another church they could control.  For years I thought that’s how church works.

Now I know. There is another way. I now go to my local Starbucks or to Mochalux and read; I study and talk with people who are not in church, who have negative feelings about God, negative feelings about church and even pastors. One guy told me that pastors are nothing more than just glorified salesmen and most of the stuff they sale is bogus. Well, that guy now attends my church and is one of our greatest PR guys. He has invited more people to church than most of our current members. I could tell you many more stories about Starbucks meetings but I’ll do that later.

My point is we professional ministers need to get out of our offices and meet those we are trying to reach. People who would never step in to a church building even if their life depended on it. People who are hurting and facing issues we have never even though about. Guys, I never would have done that if not pushed out of my office. After 34 years of ministry, I think so many times we hide behind the desk because of fear and tell our people to get out of the house and go next door and tell their neighbor about Jesus. What I have found out through the school of hard knocks is people follow best when led.

So our staff moved out of our offices and went totally mobile.  We have laptops, cell phones, Twitter, Facebook and e-mail. All the tools to stay in contact with each other and we meet for staff meeting to get the face to face time we need. We hang out together and do life together but I tell our guys get out and meet people. Invite them to church, tell them about Christ. Help them when they are in need.

Until we start doing what we tell our people to do, they will stay in the house and do what we do-nothing.

So I have this over whelming compulsion right now to tell every pastor who sits behind the desk- “GET OUT!” “GET OUT OF YOUR OFFICE!”

Have you ever had one of those days where you are sitting in Starbucks and God shows up and you’re right there in the middle of it shaking your head and asking yourself, “is this really happening?”  Well, I had one of those days last Thursday June 17th.

I was hangin’ out at Starbucks, like I normally do reading and watching people come in and out. (That is fun entertainment in its self. God has a huge sense of humor.) As I was reading, one of my Stizzle Bizzle buddy’s show up and we begin our time of solving the world’s most pressing issues and talking about life. In the course of that conversation my ACLU friend comes in and joins our conversation. (If you don’t remember him, click here for a reminder).

As we were talking, we got on the subject of morals. I ask them if they had seen the movie “No Country For Old Men”? They had and the ACLU guy and I both agreed that the premise of that movie was our country is morally bankrupt. As we discussed that, ACLU guy asked us what our standards are for morality. One guy said he set his own moral standards. ACLU guy and I both looked at him with shock. I looked at the ACLU guy with shock that he and I was in agreement. Strange and wonderful. God was working.

See, the ACLU guy knew there should be a standard but he stopped short of saying what he thought it should be so I offered my 2 cents by saying our laws are based on the top ten list mentioned in the bible and that is our standard.  Again the ACLU guy agreed. Now I’m really getting into this. So I press on. After a little more discussion the ACLU guy opened the door for me by saying he was not a very religious man but did believe in a HIGHER POWER or creator. That was awesome. I jumped on that and told him I was glad he wasn’t very “religious” and told him I wasn’t either. That blew his mind, a preacher who is not religious? That softened him up for me to share the gospel.  He sat there and listened and I believe understood what I was saying. He didn’t except Christ right then but I guarantee he will.  God is working in his life and I pray that one day I will be able to lead him to Christ.

God shows up in places where and when we least expect him. I never thought I would have an op like this so soon. I never know when God may use me to lead someone to Christ.  All God wants is for us to be available and submissive to His spirit. He is always working and all we need to do is get in on what He is doing.

How do we know what He is doing? OPEN YOUR EYES. He’s right in front of you.