Evagelism

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Last news: March 14, 2010 20:43:53

Mark Driscoll the senior pastor from Mars Hill Church, Seattle, wrote a book entitled “Porn Again Christian.”  Mark addresses what is tearing down Christian and non-Christian men across the world.  One of the great things that Mark did was he made this book available online.  You don’t have to purchase this book so what are you waiting for?  If you, a friend or someone you love is dealing with an addiction to pornography send this article to them and have them download or read the book online.

Read the book here

There is no doubt, even you don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus lived an incredible  live.  He modeled a perfect life so that we may know how to honor God with our lives.  He always met the physical needs of the people and always followed up with a spiritual concession.  He was the ultimate role model, even on the cross.  Jesus, while dying on the cross, which is  the most horrific death one could image, decided to look past all the pain and suffering he was experiencing and he chose to focus on other people.  We read the most selfless act humanity has ever experienced in John 19:26-27:

²⁶When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” ²⁷and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Here we read how Jesus, even in extreme amounts of suffering and pain, looked down from the cross and committed his mom to his diciple and we see Jesus committing his diciple to his mom.  Why is this important?  Even in His last breaths Jesus chose to love others over himself.  Wow….what a great picture!  I am convinced that even in death Jesus knew our name and saw our face just before he took his last breath.  Jesus loves you!  I know this might sound clique but He really does and he proved that by being a perfect example on the cross.  Jesus wants to have a relationship with you.  He desires to have a relationship with you.  However, all though he could, he does not enforce this relationship.   Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  If Jesus is the way and he is then how do we enter into a relationship with him?

A. Admit you are a sinner.
“There is no one righteous, not even one … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:10,23. (See Romans 5:8; 6:23.)

Ask God’s forgiveness.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:13

B. Believe in Jesus
(put your trust in Him) as your only hope of salvation.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (See John 14:6.)

Become a child of God by receiving Christ.
“To all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12 (See Revelation 3:20.)

C. Confess that Jesus is your Lord.
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 (See verse 10.)

If you decided to step into a relationship with Jesus by living these three steps then I want to encourage you to tell someone about it.  Tell your pastor, if you don’t have one find a church and tell that pastor.  Call 1-800-need him (this is a great place to call if you would like to speak with someone about your decision).  Email me Jeff Jackson at jeff@jeffjacksonlive.com . Whatever you do, tell someone.  Why?  It is important to tell someone so you can be encouraged in your decision and they can help point you in the right direction as you start your jouney with Christ.

I love this term.  Being half in the minisitry world and half in the business world I have really come to love this term.  What is an entrepreneur?  According to Dictionary.com an entrepreneur is “an employer of productive labor; contractor.”  We have to have more Kindgom Entrepreneurs.  Let me restate that, “WE NEED MORE KINGDOM ENTREPRENEURS.”  If we are to take the definition of entrepreneur and apply it to Kingdom Entrepreneur then it is time to get up off the couch, off the sidelines and into the game.  We must actively prusue the work of the Kingdom.  You don’t have to know all the answers or have a degree from a Bible college to be productive for the Kingdom.  You see, when you stepped into a relationship with Jesus you aquired all the tools neccessary to become a highly productive employee of the Kingdom.  So, what will you do tomorrow?  Will you show someone Christ through your actions?  Will you tell your coworker that is hurting about the only cure for the soul?  “Yesterday is gone, today is ending and tommorrow has almost begun, choose to change!”

My Daughter, only 17 months old, already has a literal security blanket.  I finished the classic Go Dogs Go and as I stood up from the rocking chair I could already since the uneasiness from my daughter.  As I went to lay her down she really started to kick and fuss, not realizing why she was doing this I continued to tuck her in bed.  Finally I realized that I was tucking her in bed with a new pink blanket and not her normal brown blanket.   My daughter has already found her comfort zone and she found it hard to leave that feeling of comfort.  This really sheds light on how we as humans can easily find ourselves in places of comfort not willing to move for fear of rejection or loss.  I want to challenge and encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and do something big.  Jesus was the perfect example of this, he was always going to the people who you and I would not consider “normal” or “worthy.”  He knew that these people needed something more than what they had and he was willing to step out and make a difference.  Next time you fell like staying in your comfort zone, STEP OUT!

I was in traffic the other day and in just a few short minutes I noticed three bumper stickers with the word “COEXIST” printed in large letters for all to see. I remember the day when you could see Christian bumper stickers on lots of cars, now they seem like a rarity. I’m not suggesting that we all go to Family Christian and buy the first bumper sticker that we see, I don’t even have a bumper sticker on my car, what I am suggesting is that the world around us is evolving and what was once a Christian generation is mutating into a society that has changed the definition of Tolerance.   This has directly watered down the real truth and we as Christ followers need to do something about it.

In Josh McDowell’s book The Last Christian Generation, Josh talks about how today’s youth generation has formed a misconception on tolerance.  Josh states that,  Not long ago, the word ‘tolerance’ meant ‘bearing or putting up with someone or something not especially liked’. However, now the word has been redefined to ‘all values, all beliefs, all lifestyles, all truth claims are equal’.   Denying this makes a person ‘intolerant’, and thus worthy of contempt.

Where does this leave Christians? Jesus said,

‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6).

And the apostle Peter said,

‘It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:10-12).

My greatest fear is that we, as Christians, have allowed this to happen.  What is your response at the office, the water cooler, in your classroom or when you are out with friends and the topic of religion comes up?  To you shy away from the truth because you do not want to offend anyone?  Are you ashamed of the Christ that hung on a cross and bored every despicable sine you and I have ever committed?  It is time to rise up and  become men and women of strength and might we are not created to sit by and let Christianity as we know it to dissolve and to be diluted into something that does not have power because it is not the Gospel.

What will you do?

If you are thinking about planting a church or if would like to see if you might have what it takes to plant a church.  Ask yourself these questions:

1. Is my primary motivation for considering church planting a positive one (such as the glory of God and the salvation of people) and not dissatisfaction with my present situation?

2. Do I believe that church planting is the primary God-ordained strategy by which He accomplishes His will, advances His kingdom and glorifies His name?

3. Do I believe and experience the gospel as the “power of God” not only to save me from sin’s penalty but also from sin’s domineering power over my life?

4. Do I share the gospel with non-believers on a regular basis, and can I point to people who have made professions of faith and are still walking with Christ as a result of my witness?

5. Have I had enough exposure to church planting in a ministry focus group similar to what I am considering that I know what the life of a church planter is like?

6. Am I assured of God’s call on my life to church planting instead of to church pastoring?

7. Do I have the necessary training needed to do church planting effectively?

8. Can I articulate clearly what my gifts and personal characteristics are that would make me effective in church planting in the type community I’m considering?

9. Am I committed to reaching people who are different from me ethnically, racially, generationally, and socio-economically?

10. Is there objective evidence that I am comfortable relating well with secular people (non believers) and able to accept them joyfully into my life and the community of faith?

11. Is my spouse and family willing, even enthusiastic, about our doing church planting?

12. Do I have a gospel-confidence (both lamb-like humility AND lion-like boldness) that, in light of my proven ministry experience, gifts, and skills, I will be effective in church planting?

13. Do I have the spiritual disciplines (consistent personal worship, freedom from patterns of besetting sin, good accountability relationships) necessary for being a spiritual leader truly above reproach?

14. Do I display self-management disciplines (getting work done on time, keeping commitments, consistency, honesty) that will encourage followers to trust my leadership?

15. Have I developed a relatively comprehensive vision (values, mission, philosophy of ministries, gathering strategies, etc.) of the kind of church I want to plant in my ministry focus group?

16. Am I considered a “people person”, someone who is humble, a good listener, teachable, patient, sensitive, and winsome?

17. Do people tend to sit up, listen and come back when I preach–giving evidence that my preaching and communication gifts are special strengths (above average)?

18. Do spiritually wise, influential people in my life tell me that church planting is a right fit for me?

19. Have I had a positive track record in the church ministries I have led–giving strong evidence of my ability both to lead people AND raise up leaders?

20. Do I have a sincere passion for church planting? Is church planting compatible with my personal career goals or is it seen as merely a “stepping stone” to some other ministry in the future?

21. Understanding the gifts and skills of a church planter usually include being a visionary leader, effective evangelist, and an above average Christ-centered preacher, do I have these endowments?

Am I a Church Planter?
If you answered 17 or more with a yes–probably so

If you answered 10-16 with a yes-think, pray and talk to others some more before moving in that direction

Less than 10-possibly not

adapted from 20 Questions, ©ICPC, 2000.

Article from an old friend, Travis Davenport.  Travis and a team of warriors are starting a new church in Ohio 2010.  I look forward to Covenant Church and everything that God is going to do in Grove City.  Go get em Covenant!

Recently I saw an article published by Newsweek saying that we are pretty much living in a post Christian era for the United States. The percentage of people that don’t believe in God have doubled since the nineties. Alot of people have been quick to jump on the media, or teachers at schools, or even our new president for this. However the blame cannot fall on these people. The blame does not fall on Hollywood, the blame does not fall on musical artists, in fact the blame doesn’t even fall on the “European Mindset wafting it’s way to America.”

The Blame Is Soely On The Church.

That’s right, the blame is on me and you. In fact, I use the term, “church” loosely. You see, the, “church”, has been so inward focused for so long, that it has forgotten that it was never meant to be about, “us.” It was only ever supposed to be about “Him”. And being about , “Him”, means being about “others”. Being about “Him”, means being about “others” that don’t know “Him” more specifically.

It was never supposed to be about “us”. It makes me sick to think that Jesus came to save “others” from people like “us”. We have become the “us” that Jesus disassociates with. We have become the “us”, that Jesus called white washed tombs, we have become the “us”, that Jesus said did not know “Him”.

I mean, how could we know “Him”, if we are only concerned with ourselves, our preferences, our comfort levels, our money, “our” way of worship. This is why Jesus spent so little time with religious people, they made Him sick. And now more than ever, I feel like the word “Christian” needs to be brutally reclaimed. Here are a couple thoughts:

if you are only concerned with how you were effected by the service on Sunday

DON’T CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN

if you don’t ever share your faith…..ever

DON’T CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN

if you are only concerned with judging people instead of first loving them

DON’T CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN

if you are not investing in the lives of those younger than you

DON’T CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN

if all you do is complain and cause dissension

DON’T CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN

Please understand….I’m not saying you aren’t a christian, I’m just asking you to call yourself something else. You are giving everyone a disgusting taste in their mouth and labeling it biblical. Christ’s church will survive, only through the strength of Jesus shown through an outward focused lifestyle that draws those who are far from “Him”, close to “Him”.

Aviator Church a product of HOKSBA, in Derby Kansas just outside of Wichita, is probably one of the most innovative churches in their region.  This city has not seen anything like this ever and it was evident when large numbers of people started showing up for their services.  Aviator is just into their first year as a public church and they have over 300 people attending their services.  Now, this might not sound like a lot of people to those who live in the Bible belt and have planted churches but in the Midwest, where “build it and they will come” does not exist, this is huge growth and they just continue to grow.  I had a brief opportunity to meet the lead pastor Joe Boyd and it was a privilege.  This church is passionate about reaching their community and they spend their summers making themselves visible as much as possible.  One outreach event, native to Aviator, is what I have deemed the “Super Hero Outreach.”

During the summer months they would just start showing up in random places with these super hero costumes.  Like cl0ckwork, kids would come up and want their autographs and moms would want pictures with their kids and the super heroes.  You might ask how is this an outreach?  While signing autographs they would sign them on a promo cards that was all about their church and inevitable that card would make it to the refrigerator on the front on their kids doors.  Genius?  I think so!  What a way to get a constant reminder of Aviator Church.   Tell me what you think.

If your not down with a game for Decision Darts for your next church plant location then take a look at the follow list of cities that have be identified as the fastest growing cities in the states.

According to citymayors.com here is the top ten cities that have seen the largest amount of growth since 2000.

1.  Los Angelos, California - 125.131 (population growth since 200o)

existing church plant - The Hollywood Church

2.  New York, New York - 77,464 (population growth since 200o)

existing church plant - Grace

3.  San Antonio, Texas - 70,079 (population growth since 200o)

existing church plant - SEND ME A COMMENT WITH CHURCH

4.  Phoenix, Arizona - 67,371 (population growth since 200o)

existing church plant - Poiema Church

5.  Houston, Texas - 56,059 (population growth since 200o)

existing church plant - Kaleo Church

6.  Fort Worth, Texas - 50,428 (population growth since 200o)

existing church plant - City View Church

7.  Charlotte, North Carolina - 43,830 (population growth since 200o)

existing church plant - Elevation Church

8.  San Diego, California - 43,353  (population growth since 200o)

existing church plant -The Resolved Church

9.  Raleigh, North Carolina - 40,709 (population growth since 200o)

existing church plant - Christ the King

10.  Henderson, Nevada - 39,471 (population growth since 200o)

existing church plant -Gracepoint Church

That last statistic that game from the Barna Group told us that on average 3500-4500 churches are closing their doors each year.  We are on the forefront of becoming a post Christian country and I fear that our churches are oblivious to our own death.  Although there are many signs of a dying church I have come up with three that I want to discuss.

1.  Saving the Saved (No Conversions)-this sounds very simple but it is crucial to church growth.  If your church is not adding lives to the Kingdom of God and teaching them to drill down deep in their spiritual life then we are failing God.  Sometimes we settle for complacency when we need to be striving for excellence.  For example, some churches are just fine with the people who show up on a regular basis and they do not want to reach out to new people when clearly Jesus gave us the commandment to go into all the world.

2.  Little excitement for outreach or mission to reach the unreached-it is so easy to be inwardly focused when it is clear in scripture that our focus should be on those who are need and those who need everlasting life only found on the Cross of Jesus and yet we find churches who have no zeal for the hurting, impoverished or people who just need hope in Christ.

3.  Lack of fully devoted disciples of Christ (not the denomination)-the whole point of the church is to train up disciples for Christ and yet we fail to produce thriving warrior for the cause of the Gospel.  When we fail as a church to move people through the process of growing as a disciple then we are dying or are already dead.

These are just a few signs that a church is either at a plateau or declining, like the Laodicean church in the Book of Revelation. To them, Jesus said:

“I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot — far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless. (Revelation 3:15-17 MSG)

The solution to such problems? Jesus replies:

“Be diligent and turn from your indifference. Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.” (Revelation 3:19-20 NLT)

I did not write this post just to be negative, I did however write this to be a warning to those who are in church leadership.  Do not become comfortable in your position.  Seek to evangelize.  Create a passion for missions.  Disciple your people.

I just recently attended Innovate Church conference at Thomas Road Baptist Church and it was incredible.  If you are a church planter, pastor, youth pastor or leader you need to go next year.  But don’t worry you can watch all the main sessions on the Innovate website.  During one of the breakout sessions about church planting Brian Bloye, lead pastor, West Ridge Church along with Matt Fry, lead pastor, C3 spoke about their experience with church planting and multi-site churches.  Both men contribute some great advice and encouragement but one thing that stuck out to me was Brian Bloye’s spiritual checklist.  Brian used this list in the context of what church planters need to inspect everyday but this list should  be examined by anyone who follows Christ.  The following is Brian Bloye’s list with my comments on each area:

1. Desperation for God-our relationship with God is imperative.   If you want to see God move in a huge way you have to first fall in love with the Creator each and every day.
2. Holiness-“Holiness is next to Godliness” or maybe that is cleanliness?  Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 20: 7
3. Home-when we dedicate our lives to the ministry there can be a tendency to over commit ourselves to the work and neglect our family.  Our family is the most important advisory in the ministry that we have.  If our family is beat down, and they will take a beating, then we have forgot our second responsibility (God, Family, Ministry).
4. Honesty-I am amazed of the dishonesty that I have experienced in the ministry.  I am not going to say that I have never been guilty of “stretching the truth” but there has to be a point when when let our Yes be Yes and our No be No. (Mathew 5:37)
5. Happiness (personal plan for disappointment)-I have a real easy solution for this, Romans 5:3-5
6. Healthiness (emotional/physical)-this one really convicts me.  It is so easy to go go go and never rest rest rest.  This is so important because I can guarantee that if we are physical tired we will be emotional and SPIRITUALLY tires and ineffective.
7. Humility-Wow!  This is really hard especially for the church planting type.  We are so driven it is easy to take the credit for something good that happens in our ministries but we can’t forget that success does not exist apart for God.

Why is there a common misconception that you have to clean up your life before you can go to church?  Most likely because the church has lost the essential essence of what it means to be the church.  Read what Jesus said when the Pharisees tested Jesus on God’s commandments:

Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ‘This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-40

The commands are simple, “Love God and Love People.”  This means love people where they are at no matter what the condition of the person’s life.  I recently had time to work with hoseashouse.com who ministers to women who have been abused mentally, physically and emotionally. Hosea’s House does most of their ministry in the west end of Louisville.  This area is a very diverse area and the only discriminator is the economy.  This area is not a common area for churches to go because of the common violence and the bad reputation the area has, which is too bad because I found tons of people who welcomed the token white guy with open arms.  The main reason I was in West Louisville was to take picture for hoseashouse.com and here is what I found:

Remember that there are no perfect people allowed in the church.  LOVE GOD LOVE PEOPLE!!

What if the Church could be the answer to Jesus’ Prayer?

We pray to Jesus asking Him to answer our prayers - what if we became the answer to His? In John 17:20-24, He prayed that we would be one, and One Prayer is an opportunity to see what can be accomplished when the Church works together. Jesus has a vision for His church and I fear that we are not answering His prayer. Look at what happens when a few hundred churches decide to join together as one. In 2008 here is what happened:

Pastors Enrolled: 609
Evangelistic Contacts: 65,563
Bible Study Participants: 44,618
Baptisms: 7,112
Churches Planted: 667

I can’t wait to see what God is going to do this year at One Prayer 2009.  For more information go to http://www.oneprayer.com

There are lots of joys of being a dad.  There is something that is unexplainable when my daughter shows her reliance on me.  Recently my daughter woke up from her nap in a very different way.  She usually cries when she wakes up but this time she had a bit of angst in her cry.  Upon hearing her cry I quickly walked into her room and saw something that I was not prepared for.  My daughter stood at the corner of her bed with her little arms stretched as far has she could reaching for someone to save her.  I scanned her crib to survey the situation and I found her diaper lying in the middle of her bed and poop everywhere.  I forgot to put her pants back on her after I changed her diaper before putting her down for bed and the result of my mistake was a mess!  My daughter starts to whine louder because I did not remove her immediately from the situation.  My daughter was helpless.  Even though it was her mess she could not clean up the situation.  That is exactly how our lives are before we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ.  There are three things that i realized from this poppie mess, I realized that we

1.  We don’t need encouragement - I could have really encouraged my daughter. “Come on Addison you can clean up your mess!”  Same goes for our lives.  Although encouragement makes us feel good it doesn’t help us clean up the mess we have made of our lives.

2.  We don’t need self help - My daughter didn’t need a 10 step program to cleaning up poop.  All though self help programs seem appealing to help clean up our lives…the fact is that they will always come up short because of one key work “self”

3.  We need to be rescued - There was only one way my daughter was getting out of that messy situation, I had to rescue her.  Just like my daughter the only way you will ever clean up your life is to allow Jesus to rescue you from a situation that is destined to produce failure and we can only be cleaned up if  Jesus has our heart.

No matter what situation you find yourself in the only answer is to allow yourself to be rescued.  To learn more about allowing Jesus to rescue your life click here.

Can you believe this sign?  I want to hear peoples thoughts on this sign.  This reminded me of an article that I wrote on my blog previously click.  Some of me thinks that this is a joke and that a church would never post this in their parking lot.  But the other side of people and my experience with churches tells me that this is probably not a joke, its real!  What do you think people do when they see this sign?

I love God sized goals!  There is no way the the ARC (Assocation of Related Churches) will complete their hefty goal unless God is the central focus of what they are doing.  I believe that God is very much a huge part of what they are doing to plant 2000 churches by 2020.  Do you have God sized goals?  If you don’t you really should.  Lets take this example of ARC and apply it to our lives.  To read more about ARC you can visit their site here.

If you are interested in planting a church ARC would be a good organization to research to see if they would be a good fit for your ministry.  Also check out 21 questions you should ask yourself before you plant CLICK HERE.

I recently had the opportunity to speak at a camp in Missouri and here is what I learned.

1.  Outdoor tabernacles still exist and they are HOT!!
2. Toilet seats can break just by sitting on them. (ask and i will explain)
3. Students today want to be challenged with the Word.
4. God can work despite your defects.
5. You can learn a lot about life and God from an afternoon swim at the pool.
6. I Love spending time with my family.
7. 100 degrees without a breeze really means 110.
8. Coffee is still good in extreme heat.
9. My wife is the best!
10. There is such a thing as a Happy, Gospel-Preaching Calvinist (in other words not all Calvinist are angry)!!