I didn't learn community in church...

            I have seen community best exemplified at the Mission in Marked Tree, Arkansas, where I regularly taught and led in worship over the last year. God’s New Life Mission Bible Training Center is a residential, spiritual, seven-month, program of restoration for drug addicts, alcoholics, and mentally unstable people. The focus is not chemical detoxification, but spiritual formation and fortification. God’s New Life Mission Bible Training Center is the closest thing to a true community of faith that I have experienced. Daily communal life is ordered around six hours of prayer, teaching, scripture reading, and worship. Typically around forty residents, at any one time, all live under the same roof, loving one another, walking with Jesus, and operating the mission as a family. There can be no room for pretense at the mission. Residents must strive with one another and work things out. Residents plant and tend a garden, share common responsibilities, share common meals, fast once a week, and counsel one another as they spend time in the program. Senior members help disciple and counsel younger members I use the mission as an example of what I believe the Church should look like as a community of faith. At the mission, I have witnessed how the Holy Spirit can move through a community where there is sincere love, genuine friendship, and steadfast commitment to walking with Jesus. Lives are restored and disciples are created.
        
                The Church must move away from its entire program being devoted to the planning, preparation, and execution of one service that constitutes only one hour a week, and move toward helping families better order their daily lives around Jesus. While the average person’s family and daily needs will not allow six hours of Bible study, worship, and prayer, I believe the Church can foster this sense of community through small groups and through focus on spiritual formation. The Church can make and grow disciples through the accountability and intimacy of small groups, by regularly practicing hospitality in our homes, and through deeper devotion to prayer, scripture, and friendship with one another. People’s lives are often messy. Christians need to willingly enter into the suffering and struggles of one another to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to be praying for one another, demonstrating genuine care, and being accountable to one another.

Meeting Jesus in the parking lot... Stories of failure and success

I recently had a terrible failure followed by a success informed by the previous failure. It just goes to show that we should never assume we are the good Samaritan in the parable. We may, in fact, be the priest or the Levite that walks to the other side of the road. Recently on a Friday evening I was getting ready for a conference at a church in Little Rock. I was helping unload boxes of materials for the conference in downtown Little Rock when I was approached by a thin woman on the street. This woman was obviosly high and was asking for money. My first thought was, 'I'm busy, obviouisly occupied, and this person is walking up to me out of the blue and asking for money'. I immediately replied that I had no money (which was true) and regretably could not help her. She responded that she needed money for the bus and if I couldn't give her money, could I please give her a ride. My first thought to this was 'where was she going? Was she going to her drug house, her pimp's house, or some other questionable place. What would people think of me? Would people think I had purchased sevrices? But she was asking for help. I replied that I was working and could not help her. She walked away.

I felt convicted all weekend about this meeting. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me something like, 'you did not have money, and couldn't give her a ride, but the least you could have done would have been the best - you could have held her hand and prayed for her and told her that God loved her.' Gosh! Why didn't I think of that at the time? I didn't think of it because I was so busy with my agenda that I lost an opportunity to reach out to someone in need, asking for help. I could have prayed with the woman and let her know that there was at least one soul on this earth that cared about her enough to pray with her.

This reminded me in Luke 8 where Jesus is on a mission to heal Jairus's daughter when the woman with the issue of blood approached him in faith and she was healed. Jesus did not have to stop - she was already healed the moment she touched the fringe of His garment. He stopped to bring her back into the community, to show everyone that she was clean and could join the community of faith in worship once again. He stopped in order to give her a personal touch, personal attention, and as a result her life would never be the same. Jesus always responded to anyone reaching out to him in faith, never turning anyone away who was asking for help.

So Monday morning I'm at the church office and an old, thin man walks in. There was no way I was going to allow a repeat of Friday's failure, so I gave him my full attention. He was begging for a job, something to do around the church to make money to buy food. He dressed as well as he could, though his clothes were tattered and torn, and suspenders frayed. His face had some deformity to it that affected his speech. I found out in talking with him that Floyd was 73 years old, could not read or write, and had a very hard life. His parents and siblings had considered him cursed and had given him little attention or care from the time he was little. I asked him if he knew Jesus and he said that though he believed in the Lord, that he didn't go to church because he could not bare to see children afraid of his face. We talked about life and his hardships there out in the parking lot. The secretary and I gave him what money we had on us. Then he said, "please pray with me." When I took his hands he began weeping and sobbing, and laid his head on my shoulder. I just held him and hugged him, then prayed for him. When he left, I had the unique feeling that I had been with Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me another opportunity to get it right.

Erwin McManus' Definition of Church

Last week I was listening to a podcast series from Erwin McManus, pastor of Mosaic in Los Angeles. He gave the best definition I have heard for the church:

"The Church is the tribe of Jesus moving throughout human history, loving one another and serving the world in love"

This definition resonates with me because it rises above mere denomination by defining oursleves in Christ and nothing else. we are not defined by our ethnicity, culture, economic status, or gender, but by our identity in Jesus. It also takes the Church to task becuase if we are not loving one another and loving the world, we really aren't being the Church of Jesus.

Fresh Bread from the Mission: Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke 8:26-39

Today we engaged our imaginations in the story of Jesus healing the Gadarene demoniac. With the storm having been calmed by Jesus we see the disciple's boat coming ashore, Jesus getting out, and the demon possessed man coming to meet Jesus. It is curious there is no record of the disciples getting out of the boat. No doubt they were still "terrified" by seeing Jesus calm the storm, but would these good Jews step out of the boat where there was pig fodder and follow Jesus? No doubt living and fishing on the lake they had heard rumors of the demon possessed man living amongst the tombs on the South East shore. Perhaps they avoided and feared that beach head. Would they step out of the boat into a possibly dangerous situation with a powerfully strong, naked, filthy, demon possessed man? There is no record they even got out of the boat. Jesus didn't hesitate - he healed and restored the man to health and to fellowship with his community. Jesus didn't die on the cross and rise again to keep us safe and comfortable, but that we could take up our cross and follow him. Lord, may we be ready and willing to jump out of the boat and "follow you into the homes of the broken".

God's New Life Mission Bible Training Center in Marked Tree, Arkansas (Where I am privileged to teach every week) is a rehabilitation ministry of Mission Teens for drug users, alcoholics, and mentally unstable people. I partner with Mission Teens because I have seen first-hand how God is using this ministry to change lives and make disciples of Jesus.

http://www.missionteens.com/

Fresh Bread From the Mission: Thoughts On the Gospel of Luke 8:22-25

In 1986 there was a drought in Israel and the sea of Galilee receded. Local residents found a boat in the mud and archaeologists began excavating. The discovery sheds new light on a 1st century fishing vessel on the Sea of Galilee. The boat was brilliantly constructed without nails - wooden pegs were used and precisely cut so that when the boat was in water, the pegs would swell up and fit perfectly, holding the timbers together that were made of 12 different kinds of wood. Even in its dilapidated condition, the boat measures 25.5 feet long, 7.5 feet wide, and 4.1 feet deep. It is estimated the boat could hold five crewmen and 2000 lbs of cargo, or five crewmen and up to fifteen passengers. This is much larger than our idea of a "fishing boat". My 14 foot aluminum boat would be dwarfed next to the Galilee boat. I would think one would feel pretty secure in such a vessel.

This helps us engage our imaginations in the story. Peter, James, and John owned boats like this for their fishing vessels, and explains how twelve men could easily fit with room for Jesus to be asleep in the hull. Experienced fishermen like Peter, James, John, Andrew, and Nathaniel had seen storms on Galilee. However, these weathered seamen were terrified at the storm that blew up so quickly. After Jesus woke and calmed the sea, they were "terrified and amazed". Then Jesus asks the painful question that I have also heard, "Where is your faith?"

We may feel pretty secure with the "boat" we've created. Maybe we have a great job, nice home, fat retirement plan... No matter how ingenius our boat is engineered, or how large it is built, the storms of life will have a crippling effect. Neither wealth, material, or creativity can insulate us from sudden disaster. Neither did Jesus promise smooth sailing and comfort when we follow Him. We are to take up our cross. Jesus didn't die on the cross to protect us from storms, He died and lives again to give us the gift of His presence in order to hold our hand through them. we are to be the presence of Christ in this world. Had the storm never come, the disciples would not have experienced Jesus' power. The storms of life are opportunity to see Jesus' glory, to see God at God's best. Shall we pray for storms or smooth sailing? Lord, when storms do come, help me to trust completely in Your power to deliver. Help us to see your glory through the storms, and be a vessel of Your love to others.

God's New Life Mission Bible Training Center in Marked Tree, Arkansas (Where I am privileged to teach every week) is a rehabilitation ministry of Mission Teens for drug users, alcoholics, and mentally unstable people. I partner with Mission Teens because I have seen first-hand how God is using this ministry to change lives and make disciples of Jesus.

http://www.missionteens.com

Fresh Bread from the Mission: Thoughts On the Gospel of Luke 8:1-24

This week at the mission in Marked Tree we engaged our imaginations through Luke 8:1-24. Several things the Holy Spirit pointed out through the discussion: Regarding the parable of the sower and the seed, we looked further at the producing seed and connected it with the remnant of the "holy seed" in Isaiah 6:13 who remained faithful to the Lord. The purpose of seed is always to produce a harvest. The purpose of fruit is to be eaten by those who are hungry. We can only be a blessing if we are producing good fruit, not bad fruit (Isaiah 5:1,2), or no fruit at all (Luke 13:6). We connected the fruit-bearing trees in Psalm 1 where we find the secret of such growth is to meditate on God's word day and night, and to remain in Christ (John 15:5). Lord, please let me never be "sour grapes" to people who are hungry in their souls, but fragrant, sweet, and delicious.

God's New Life Mission Bible Training Center in Marked Tree, Arkansas (Where I am privileged to teach every week) is a rehabilitation ministry of Mission Teens for drug users, alcoholics, and mentally unstable people. I partner with Mission Teens because I have seen first-hand how God is using this ministry to change lives and make disciples of Jesus.

http://www.missionteens.com