The Why Behind Worship!

Lately, I have been thinking, a lot, about why we meet together on Sunday mornings for worship.  One Sunday, about two weeks ago, I was on my way to church when God put a verse in my mind:  Psalm 51:10.  Psalm 51:10 is why we join together to worship.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me."
                                                  -Psalm 51:10

God wants us to join together and glorify Him through corporate worship.  That is not all worship is, though!  If it were, worship would be all about us.  Worship is not about us!  Worship is about God and expecting Him to do greater things among us.

God is expecting to create in us clean hearts and align our spirits with His.  Paul tells us, we are to renew our minds daily, but weekly we should gather together and ask God to clean our hearts and renew our spirits!  When we come to worship expecting God to create something new in our hearts and spirits, worship becomes about Him, what He has done and wants to do within us!

It doesn't matter whether you are a seeker, new believer, or 50 year veteran of Christianity, Psalm 51:10 is the foundation for corporate worship!

So this week, go to worship expecting God to create something new within you.  When you do, God will.  

Do You Believe God For The Big Stuff?

Read John 7:11-17.

Do you believe God for the big stuff in your life?  He can take care of it.  He's God.

Live Louder!

Life isn't easy.  Everyone knows that.  For a follower of Jesus in particular, life can be a great challenge.  Why you might ask?  Because we are given specific instructions to share Jesus with the world (Matthew 28).  Sharing Jesus isn't just telling people about Him—It's living it out so that people notice something different in you.  In John 7:7 Jesus makes a very blatant point.  He was speaking to his disciples about a festival to attend.  Jesus told his disciples to go because they were not known as his followers yet so they weren't in danger.  What was the danger?  Death, prison, ridicule.  Jesus says: The world can't hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil.  Jesus' point is simply look, the world hates me because I call it what it is.  In other words, the world recognizes that Jesus is different because he didn't live like the world, in fact, he accused the world of being evil.

It should be the same in our lives as well.  People should notice that we are not the same as we once were.  Maybe we aren't even the same as we were  yesterday.  The difference is Jesus.  It's Jesus showing us in our life what is evil and what is good and then acting on the good and not acting on the evil.  Being a follower of Jesus requires action.  If we do not follow through on the things Jesus shows us in our lives then we will never fully experience life to the full as Jesus describes.

Dr. Chris Marshall of New Life Christian Ministries  states the following, helpful formula, for followers of Jesus.

INFORMATION + APPLICATION = TRANSFORMATION

Like wise,

INFORMATION - APPLICATION = INFORMATION

Do you want a transformed life?  Then ACT on the words of Jesus and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  Show people the difference.  If they don't notice, I would ask the question: Are you really following Jesus?  The Apostle Paul tells us to not copy the ways of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds—through Jesus—so that we become a new person by the way we think.  God is always making something new.  He is constantly redeeming his creation.  If we are followers of Jesus then we should experience Jesus making something new in our life every day.  Even if that new thing is a simple smile where there used to be a frown.

The world will hate you because you will accuse it of it's evil through your life.  That doesn't matter.  What matters is your relationship with Jesus and how seriously you take Matthew 28.  If you take it seriously people will notice.  If you don't, they'll notice that too.

Thoughts On Leadership

The other day I was reading the account of Moses' call into ministry.  I have always loved this account because I can relate to it in this way:  God puts have an amazing calling on our lives and we are pumped to serve him!  Then reality sets in and we begin to say "I'm not good enough!"  It's a shame that a lot of times our human insecurity casts a dark shadow on the will of God.  Instead of leaning into God and trusting that His will and purpose for our lives will lead to "greater things" as Jesus said, we lean into our insecurity and begin to fall prey to a lie.  When God gives a call to a person, he provides for that person what they will need to fulfill the calling!  I find it interesting though that Moses still trusted more in his insecurity than the power of God.  However God still provided for him!  Moses told God he couldn't speak well.  God tell's Moses: "Who gave man his mouth?"  Moses still wimps out and says God please send someone else! (Ever been there?)  God became angry at Moses for not trusting completely in His power but He still provided for Moses!  God gave Aaron to Moses to speak for him.  This part is interesting:  God told Moses, Aaron would be like Moses' mouth and Moses would be like God to Aaron.  God makes it clear though that He will help these guys by teaching them what to do!  God would have taught Moses by himself, but Moses trusted more in His insecurity.  God also gave Moses a sign and a promise through his staff.  So remember, lean into God.  He alone is our provider of security: He bought us at a high price!  Remember that the next time someone comes to you to fight against the visions and decisions GOD GAVE YOU for your ministry!

Just one more thing I want to point out.  Everything is going awesome for Moses in terms of fulfilling God's plan.  God gave him the call at the burning bush, God gave him Aaron to speak for him, and Moses is on his way back to save his people.  Then there is a bump in the road, which there often is in man's life.  Exodus 4:24-26 says that while Moses, his wife and child where lodging along the way "The LORD met Moses and was about to kill him."  That is comforting. God gave you this amazing call, he provides for your needs to fulfill that call, and now he is going to kill you.  Lots to look forward to as a Pastor or leader in the church!  Actually the point here is very clear and that is why I love God's Word.  God is a just God, and he cannot allow Moses to lead his people out of Egypt unless Moses himself is following the law that God gave to his native people.  Moses neglected to circumcise his son therefore neglecting the covenant God made with his people through Abraham.  The long and short of this is that God cannot allow a person to serve Him without accountability!  Serving God is pretty serious stuff.  In fact, teachers in the church will be held to a higher standard of judgment!  Take this lesson from Moses and get rid of sin in your life if you know where that sin is!  God has provided our forgiveness of sin through Jesus, so don't, as the Apostle Paul says, live in it anymore.  It was crucified with Christ.  Be free and serve God, fulfilling the calling God has placed on your life!

The Two Main Points:

1. Trust God alone.  He called you.  He'll teach you and provide for you.

2. Get rid of sin.  Serve free.

Last Sunday, I Saw The Church, For The Unchurched, And It Rocked

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at an outdoor service called "Church In The Park" in Butler, PA.  I can honestly say that I saw the Church working perfectly this day!  There were leaders of all different ministry areas that came together to do church for people who are definitely not churched.

How do I know they aren't churched you ask?  Because when we asked them to stand for worship they stood for the beginning prayer and then sat down.  Those who had come with us to serve, were standing and worshipping,  it didn't phase our guests who sat in their chairs, never sang a word to any of the songs, and looked at those who were standing like they were weird.  It was awesome!  It was awesome because God brought us to a group of people who were seriously unchurched.  The thing I love about unchurched people is that God loves them.  They have no presuppositions about what church should be, they just know that they have a desperate need in their life.  A need that they can't put their finger on.  When we told them about Jesus they responded!  They responded because Jesus loves them unconditionally and they realized they it was Him that they were designed to know.  Those who had come to serve reached out and loved on the people who came.  These are the kind of people that most Americans wouldn't even look at in the eyes, let alone talk to them.  Many would look down on or even forget about these people but we were there because we love them, because God loves them.   The people's response to us being there could be compared to water gushing in a dry and weary land.

So where did I see the church working perfectly?  In those who came to serve.  We all came with no expectations except that God would do something greater than we could have hoped or imagined!  I know God did this because after the service was over and everyone went home, we all were filled with a joy that I don't think we have been filled with for quite a while.  A joy that passes all understanding.  The joy of the Gospel going out into the world and coming back full of new life (which it will always do!).  The church is found in those who took the time to plan, prepare, and risk.  There was no guarantee that anybody would show up.  But we believed that God would do something bigger than we could plan, prepare or risk for.  And He did.  It was such an awesome day!

Last Sunday, I saw the Church for the unchurched.  I saw people serve people out of love.  All because Jesus served us on the cross.  (By the way, do yo know the cross screams I LOVE YOU!) I saw people reach out, pray, and give food to those who came to "church".  Without Jesus, we are sinful, hopeless, and condemned.  But with Jesus we are forgiven, hope filled and full of new life in Him.  We knew the kind of people we were:  Poor, weak, and depressed losers.  But when we meet Jesus He says to us, that's a lie from the Devil.  You are mine, and I love you.  My father loves you.  I went to the cross for you.  I took your poverty, depression, and condemnation to the cross and crucified them there.  I turned your mourning into joy!  Now I offer new life, full of joy, full of grace, full of Me.  All because I love and value you.

That is what I saw.  People reaching out, loving other people, all because God loved us first.  I saw people serving because Jesus Himself came to serve. (For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 NLT) And it rocked.

For those of you wondering what we did.  It was really simple.  We met under a pavilion in a downtown park, had worship, a brief message, and then provided lunch for everyone.  It was a really great day.  There were many who put in much prep time and to them I say thanks for serving.  I know you saw the fruits of your labor!  God is GREAT!

Living In The Spirit-The Promise Restated by Pastor B

Here is a video from Pastor Brad French from New Life Christian Ministries in Saxonburg, PA. You check out their webpage at http://www.newlifexn.org

The Relevant Podcast: Thoughts on John 15!

Click HERE to listen to this some thoughts on John 15 from The Relevant Pastor Podcast!

Comment below!

Music provided by Jazz Street Trio "Here I Am" available on Jamendo.com

Get Back To Work by Pastor Steven Furtick

I've been following Pastor Steven Furtick for some time now. Pastor Steven is the lead pastor at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. Their church is very young, but God has blessed them in ways that only He can! Pastor Steven is one of the best leaders I've ever read and heard. I just wanted to share a link to his blog post about getting back to work. This post really helped me because I can totally relate to it! Maybe you can to. So check it out.

Here's The Link!

Good Quote

Here's a good quote from Dr. Chris Marshall at New Life Christian Ministries in Saxonburg, PA!

"Healthy growth is good.  Unhealthy growth is cancer."

Good to remember as we strive to be more like Jesus.  We're in one camp or the other.  Stagnant growth is still cancer for our soul.  As the Apostle Paul says, let's push on toward the prize!

The Real Leader

A real leader is someone who lives in the power and promise of God not the power and promise of man.


16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:16-24

The Power of the GROUP

There is a good book out called "The 100 Most Important Bible Verses for Leaders" published by the W Publishing Group.  As I have been reading this book, God has been doing some amazing things in my heart and mind.  This book is good for leaders who don't want to stay the same.  If you're a leader who is content with the status quo then just stop reading now.  But if you are a leader with a desire to grow and become the most effective leader you can be, let God's Word work into your heart.

"Get advice if you want your plans to work.  If you go to war, get the advice of others."
                                                                                                     -Proverbs 10:18

From this verse we know that it is God who designed leaders to have accountability.  Now, everyone needs accountability in order to grow in their faith, but leaders need special accountability.  Whether you're the leader of a large corporation, or a pastor of a small church, listen to this advice:  Leaders need an effective GROUP of advisors.  These advisers are different people who can offer advice, direction, and accountability,  to  a leader.  These advisors should have five qualities as follows:  Godly wisdom, Realism, Optimism, Understanding, and Perseverance.

It is my belief that every leader should seek first godly wisdom.  Wisdom that comes from God is tested, true and universal.  Therefore a leader should have an adviser who offers godly wisdom.  Second a leader should have someone who offers a dose of realism.  Please note, a realist is not a pessimist. You should be careful that you don't mistake one for the other.  The realist gives you, as the book says, the perspective of "the good, the bad, and the ugly".  The optimistic looks at the great opportunities and possibilities.  Both, together, are healthy but apart they can be destructive.  Next the leader should have someone who offers understanding.  This understanding is a reminding of the mission, vision, and values.  The person with understanding helps leaders stay on the path that has been laid out in the corporation's strategic plan.  (Which, if you don't have one, in order to be successful, you should get one!) The last quality is perseverance.  The group should persevere through any decision big and small, tough or easy, short term or long term.

If a leader surrounds himself with a GROUP of advisers his or her plans will succeed.  You can take that to the bank.

Fathers Of The Faith

Yesterday I attended a "Fathers Of The Faith" conference where we all sat in a ballroom at a hotel in downtown Pittsburgh and had a conversation with what many consider fathers of our faith. There were only two fathers who attended yesterday. Henry Blackaby and John Perkins. Both excellent authors and powerful communicators. There were several truths I took away from the conference but the one thing God specifically gave me was that pastors should write when they feel God leading them into a truth from His Word. God's word is the most important book you could ever read. It tells you who God is! If you love action and adventure, the Bible is for you. If you are a romantic, the Bible is for you. The Bible is for all people because God's Word is unique in that the God of the universe fashioned it for all people. God is the only author who could do this because He alone is our creator. He knows exactly what will catch our attention. But more than that, God loves us and gave us His Word as a gift.

Pastors aren't the only ones who should write! If God is giving you an insight into His Word YOU should write about it! Then share it so we can grow from it as well!

So my goal here is to write an insight from God's Word that I feel He is laying on my heart-Once a week. I hope many of you will come and read as we dive into truth. And just like Jesus said, the truth will make you free...if you will accept it into your life!

-Brad

What Does It Mean To Be A Christian?

Last night at youth group we ended our series on "What It Means to be a Christian". We went through five passages from God's word that teach what a Christian is.

1. Romans 3:23 : For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Christians realize that they are sinners just like everyone else. Some Christians forget that they are sinners but those who truly follow after Jesus know they they are the worst sinners who have been set free by Jesus! There's no difference, EVERYONE who was born on this earth is a sinner. We are born into the sinful nature of man. Therefore we are condemned to Hell because of sin...but wait there is HOPE!

2. Ephesians 2:8-9: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Because of sin we are condemned but God, because of his love for us, sent Jesus to bear our sin on the cross. There is nothing we can do. We can't earn our way into heaven. Only God can make us right with Him through Jesus. God came and gave us an undeserved gift-Salvation through Jesus. That's called GRACE!

3. John 14:6: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus is the ONLY WAY to be made right with God. There is no other way. The world teaches that there are many ways to connect to "god". But the Bible teaches us that Jesus is the only way to be connected to the ONE TRUE GOD, our Creator! Jesus Himself, fully God and fully man, said that HE was the ONLY WAY! You can't earn your salvation. You can't be accepted because your mom was "religious". You can't get in because you are "good person". JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY!

4. Luke 13:3: I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Unless we first agree with God and admit that we are sinners we can't be accepted into God's family. We must first agree with God that we are a sinful. Did anyone ever have to teach you how to lie? No it is our sinful nature that teaches us to live in sin. Then we must repent of that sin and turn away from it. We must turn 180 degrees away from our sin and ask Jesus to forgive us for it. He will forgive us. 1 John 1:9 says If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. So even when we fall back into sin, we can still repent and God will be faithful to forgive us if we truly repent. We must not live in sin even though God will forgive us. We must strive to be like Jesus who was perfect. That is why we need him. He lived a perfect sinless life and He imparts that life to us when we simply, BELIEVE!

5. John 1:12: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. When we simply believe in Jesus, that God sent Him to the earth to live a perfect life, go to the cross and bear our sin and shame through his death, and then be raised from the dead demonstrating the power of God to break the bondage of sin and death and offer new life to anyone who will believe, God credits that "faith" as righteousness and we are accepted into His family! When we put our faith in Jesus God doesn't see our sin anymore, He sees His son and credits Jesus' righteousness to US! Praise God!

That's what it means to be a Christian. A Christian is a person who puts Jesus Christ first in their life by admitting they are a sinner, putting their faith in Jesus Christ through the grace of God, realizing Jesus is the ONLY way to be connected to God, and repenting of their sin turning 180 degrees away from it turning to Jesus for direction. That person is then given the righteousness of Jesus through their faith and they become a Child of God.

If you want to become a Christian you simply need to do four things. I call this the ABC's of being made right with God and becoming a follower of Jesus!

1. Admit and Agree with God that you are a sinner.

2. Believe that Jesus came to this earth both fully man and fully God, went to the cross and took your sin and shame upon Himself and forgave that sin through he shedding of his innocent, sinless blood and was raised on the third day overcoming the power of sin, death. When you believe this you become a child of God and have an inheritance as that child of God-Eternity in heaven with God!

3. Confess your sins to God and turn 180 degrees away from it. Walk in the light of Jesus. When you fall down and sin again, repent and and move on. God will forgive you every time.

4 Commit to following God. Read His word, pray, spend time with God. He made you to know Him so spend time with Him. Commit to following after Him and do what His word says...if you do, you will know what it means to live your life in true freedom. You will also experience God's blessing that follows all those who obey Him!

I'm looking forward to our next series called "Hope, When Life Hurts Most."

Production

Just met with a new friend about an in-house production we are doing at New Life for a really powerful relationship series in the fall. I am so pumped to work with my new friend who used to live in LA authoring DVD's for us so we could watch them at home! He also made a feature film and several short films...so I am pretty stoked he is working with us on this project! It will be completey shot in HD and it is going to be powerful. If you are interested in getting a copy let me know! We won't be releasing the resource until after it has been tested at New Life this fall! It will be availalbe after that! Keep watching for more updates as we begin work on the production...we may post some bloopers up as well! The project is called: "Building Relationships That Last". See you soon!

NEW TESTAMENT CHALLENGE BEGINS THIS WEEK!

I am so pumped up! This week we begin our adventure in the New Testament. If you come all 9 weeks of the NTC you will have read through the whole new testament assuming you do the daily readings for the 63 days of our challenge. We also begin our small groups next week! So excited! See you at New Life this week and for the next 9 weeks! Keep checking out our facebook page, tweets and Pastor Chris's blog for daily updates!

Peace.

PUMPED UP!

Tonight at youth group we are continuing in our series entitled: "What Is A Christian?" So many times I think we forget what it really means to be a Christian...It's simple really: A christian is one who follows Jesus Christ! We are going in depth into five verses that lead us to the cross and to Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins so that we can live free for Him every day. I am really pumped to see what God teaches us tonight as we talk about sin and it's grip on man. However, if Jesus is in our heart there is no longer a grip of sin, only a grip of grace!

So pumped...