His Imprint on Us

We have been going through the book of Mark these past few weeks so I thought it might be beneficial to continue in my blog along the same lines. As we've been talking about how Jesus left imprints on us this is never truer than what we see in Mark chapter 8. This passage Jesus is exposed for who he is, the Christ, the Son of God. There are still those that he has yet to reveal himself to because their hearts would only be to destroy he, but there are others, like his disciples that have begun to figure things out. The challenge we face every day is do we truly believe in who Jesus is or has he become another great character on a long list of people we respect. Jesus is the Son of God, our Messiah, our Savior if we could only grasp a small percentage of what that meant it would completely reformat our lives. This truth is the message that makes all things new. We have nothing to do with the change that has come over a Christ follower. I appreciate John Lanferman's statement last week saying, we can do nothing bad enough to make God love us less and we can do nothing good enough to make God love us more. His love for us is absolute! We are not in control of His love; we can't manipulate it one way or another. His love is His to give and He has given it freely to us.

I enjoy reading the comments that Peter makes, both positive and negative. At one moment Peter is the star pupil and the next he's the class clown. Peter faces those same challenges we face today, discerning when we are to live in the natural or live in the supernatural.  We often think the answer to the question is found in the natural when it is actually found in the spiritual.  As a Christ follower our first response should be turning to the Lord for discernment regarding whatever we are facing.  This seems obvious, but I know personally this isn’t my first response.   

I would encourage you to read through Mark 8 again and feel the magnitude of what Christ is revealing and concealing at the same time.  Jesus was very intentional about making himself known.  This week let’s follow His example and be intentional about revealing or concealing the message of the Gospel.  There are those whose hearts are ready and there are those whose hearts are not.  Let’s be discerning as we love people.

Warren

Reflecting on a week of prayer and fasting

Hello Everyone,

I thought it would be beneficial to share some of the thoughts that surrounded this past week’s prayer and fasting.  For those of you that fasted with us if you haven’t found time yet to reflect on what God spoke to you over our time together it would be extremely healthy to do so.  If you’re at all like me, just letting a few days go by without jotting down a note or two, those thoughts could be lost forever.

Some encouraging thoughts from this past week:

1.      Listen; take time to just stop talking.  Our relationship with Christ is not a monologue, but rather a dialogue.  Have you ever been with someone that it appeared they weren’t at all interested in what you were saying only with what they had to say?  The Lord has too many of these types of relationships.  I had to ask myself, “is that the type of relationship I have with Christ,” me asking all the questions waiting for His divine response (only divine if it’s what I wanted to hear).  Doing better with this is not going to be easy, but the results are going to be a man that has an ear bent in the right direction.

2.      We are different; sometime we don’t like to be different, actually in our culture it’s frowned upon.  Being different is looked at as strange and weird, it’s more important to be popular.  What’s amazing about being a Christian is that our difference doesn’t come from what we do, but rather from what He does.  Exodus 33, Moses is having a real time conversation with the Lord and Moses wasn’t about to take another step without some kind of assurance.  The Lord says this to Moses, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.  For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people?  Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”  What is different about us from everyone else is that God goes with us.  It’s what He does that makes us distinct.  I’m encouraged to be who I am in Christ, I don’t need to be weird or try to be Joe religious, it’s His presence that distinguishes us from everyone else.

3.      I’m a disciple of Jesus making disciples for Jesus; Jesus at the end of the first gospel says to us, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”  Jesus is telling his disciples to reproduce, make more of who they are; disciples.  If this is our commission from Jesus why do you think it’s one of the most difficult truth claims to live?  We prayed into five areas during our five weeks together, these five things are progressive; each one precedes the other as we are transformed into “Disciples making Disciples”.

·         Truth…what we believe regarding the truth claims in scripture

·         Accept…when we finally stop wrestling with truth and reckon it to be so.

·         Live...this is when what we believe influences and changes how we live.

·         Team…there becomes a desire to walk with someone,  

·         Reproduce…the process of a disciple making a disciple starts all over again.

This is a commission from Jesus that we wrestle with until we find our way forward.  I call wrestling the discovery process, a time of growing, learning and developing. 

 

One thing I've learned this past week, we don't spend enough time praying and fasting. Let me just end this post by saying, "Try it, you just might like it."

Warren

Falling Down

Where does it all begin?  I enjoy the story of Paul's conversion experience. Here was a guy that in his own mind had it all figures out. In His own words he tells the church in Philipi, "...a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal a persecuter of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless."  What more do you need to know this guys had it all. What he believes was changed in a moment. The very truths that were sown deep into the fabric of his mind were about to be shredded. In Acts 9 we can recount what happened to Paul, "and falling to the ground he heard a voice..." Game over, Paul was now in a position to hear the truth. The truth that would shake him to the core and change his path forever.

What's New?!

What's new, boy is that ever a loaded question. There's only one answer to that question and it has to be everything. I think I'm honest in saying that in 2013 God has made everything new for me. Now I know how that sounds, but the truth doesn't always come across as a main stream thought. I've realized this year that the majority of Christians are so far from truly grasping what is available to them it's heart breaking.  In order for there to be a Great Awakening in the Church in America there first has to be a Great Reckoning. Now hold on just a minute, before you shout out "Lord bring the rain" let me explain what I mean by reckoning. The church today is full of a bunch of people that know the truth, have read the truth, would even say they enjoy the truth but have never come to a place where they have reckoned it to be true in their lives.   The Church is in need of a Day of Reckoning. Over the next number of posts I'm going to talk about what that would look like and how I believe it is possible even in a day where relative truth is a more popular phrase then absolute truth. Ok that's it for now, more to come.

People on Mission Part #4

It's been a little while since my last post, no excuses to follow just stating the facts.  We spent a few days praying and fasting here in May and as always God revealed some pretty cool truths to us.  A thought I wanted to share that relates to the theme of my past few blogs about being a people on mission was Praise is to Prayer as Prayer is to Mission.  Ok, let me explain.  We often times enter into a time of prayer offering up specific needs, I'm not saying that's wrong the Bible very clearly tells us to "Ask, and it will be given to you..." (Matt 7:7a).  When we begin with Praise our attention turns from our needs to the one that has met all our needs.  Praise is ALL about Him; praise positions us in a place where we enter prayer with thanksgiving.  It's what Jesus said to the disciples when they asked how to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:9-10) Praise positions us to elevate Him and exalt Him and thank Him for the victory we have in Him. 

Prayer is similar to mission.  Prayer puts us in a position to be on mission.  We have this saying, "Together on Mission," but first it begins with being together in prayer.  One thing I admire about our family of churches is that whenever we're together we pray.  We understand that in order for us to be on mission together we need to pray together. 

A people on mission are a people that praise and pray together.

Warren

THE MORNING AFTER...

Well it's Monday morning the day after our two Easter services in Lebanon and in Corvallis.  I woke up this morning thinking, "I don't feel any different."  I'm not sure how I am suppose to feel?  Does one feel different after coming off a spiritual high?  The question I wrestle with is; isn't this how we are suppose to feel all the time.  Living a life for Christ IS a spiritual high! 

There was a time when I use to dress up for Easter service, put on my best suit and tie and represent.  Not sure what I was representing, but I looked good.  It's not that one can't dress nice, I think the problem I have is when one thinks that God appreciates it when we dress nice.  Really? Does God care about what we're wearing or does He care more that we think that what we're wearing really matters to Him? Did you follow that?  Easter isn't about the show, it's about the after party.  Our lives are a representation of our relationship with Him.  What we do at the show is nice, but how we live our life is really the truth about what we believe. 

What I love about the people that gather together at the River Center is that they get it.  They understand that our outward expression is not what matters and it's not that some of our folks don't dress up on occasion.  It's just that when they do they know its just dressing up.  When people have a genuine relationship with Jesus their heart is his.  My wife sent me a text this morning with three simple words, "I heart you."  Too some that may not make sense, but to me it meant the world.  Just so you know I replied back, "I heart you too."  Jesus has transformed our hearts, Easter is about transformation from death to life, from a dead heart to a heart that beats for Him. 

The Morning After may not have been anything different, but that's O.K. because everyday I'm reminded that my life is different.

People on Mission #3

I ended my last post posing a question, "Do you like, love, stand people?"  Let's decide this is no longer a question we wrestle with, we've come to the conclusion that though people are flawed and there are some we prefer over others we've made a decision that we like, love or at the very least can stand people. 

The first obstacle we face before we move forward on mission is can we be on mission with people that aren't perfect.  I'm not trying to be presumptuous, obviously I know that people aren't perfect, it's just so much more easy to be on mission with those that are a little more sanctified than others, OK maybe that is being presumptuous.  But isn't that what we're looking for?  Aren't we stuck at a crossroad of imperfection that either we cross bravely or we go another direction.  Didn't Paul and Barnabas face this same challenge after their first journey together.  Young Mark just wasn't up to the challenge and when that arrived at Pamphylia he took off.  There was what the writer of Acts refers to as "a sharp disagreement" that arose between these two friends.  The Bible never clearly assigns a winner or looser just that they both moved on separately.  We can see that later in scripture there was restoration between these parties, but nevertheless Paul wasn't able to work with Mark in his current weaknesses.  How hard it is it work with people that are as imperfect as you are?  The Bible clearly supports the doctrine that we need to be working together in unity, the question is how does that actually happen? 

The answer to that question comes from the understanding of our identity.  I'm not talking about what is on your drivers license, lets be real I don't know how anyone can be identified looking at that photo.  If we can see people in their true form; meaning how that person is seen by Christ, it will allow us to see beyond peoples weaknesses.  My father (Keith Stroup) once told me that if I can't work with someone through their weaknesses I might as well stop trying.  A persons weakness is only an opportunity for God to reveal His strength. 

People on Mission #2

One of my favorite quotes is from Del Tackett, "Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?"  When I first heard that thought, I had to pause and ask myself what do I really believe?  If I believe in something, has what I believe become a part of my reality.  More to the point, is what I believe expressed in how I live my life.  I'm reminded of Paul talking to Timothy and saying to him, "faith without works is dead."  Dead Faith?  Am I among the "Walking Dead", people that say they believe but their life is not a reflection of that belief. 

Coming back to my last post on "people", if I believe because of my Biblical Worldview that me loving people is no longer a choice but rather something I believe to be true, or better yet an expression of my faith, than shouldn't my life be an expression of that belief?  Before we can be on mission with people we need to wrestle with our belief towards people.  There is a verse in scripture where Jesus is being questioned about the law.  I can imagine as the Pharisees and Sadducee's kept hearing Jesus confront their paradigm their questions became more frequent and more pointed.  This is one of those times when Jesus took their question in stride and answered a ten part answer with two, love God and love your neighbor.  This brings us full circle to my point, do we love, like, stand people?  If we are going to be on mission with people we need to face the honest reality of that question. What is your answer?

People on Mission #1

People, just imagine the difficulties that come with just that simple word, "people". Some of us intentionally stay away from people, even when we're around people we ignore them, or hope they'll just keep on walking or go away. "Why can't people just leave me alone!" Not sure if that's a good mantra, but some of us love that one. Before we can even begin to wrap our minds around what it is to be on mission we first must conquer our fear, hesitation, disdain for people. Here's one thing that might help you, just because you don't love, like, stand people doesn't mean that people not love, like, stand you. If we were only suppose to care about ourselves why is there so much caring going on all around us. People exist and because of that we being a people exist right along with them. Now to our like or dislike of them it really comes down to your worldview. A humanist or socialist or whatever type of -ist you claim to be by definition of their -ist does or does not have to embrace said people. Ah, but a person that is shaped and molded by a Biblical worldview is not given the luxury of choice, but rather finds them self compelled to love, like, stand people. The question becomes more rhetorical when you realize you already know the answer. People, those I'm designed to care for are no longer a loving option but rather a simple command, ":Love your neighbor...". Having a strong Biblical worldview myself, I no longer wrestle with questions with obvious answers I tend to just agree and move on. If you wrestle with people, than ask yourself the question what is my worldview? If you can't support or follow your declared worldview, maybe you're not of that persuasion at all. One's worldview really comes down to what one really believes.

Something to think about...

What Do You Believe?

This question to some of us is answered very easily.  You may be a good communicator, you have the ability to put your thoughts together and articulate what you believe.  The words that you say appear to be genuine and heart felt.  Why would I have any reason not to believe you?

Let me ask this question, if I were to ask someone you work with or someone that knows you personal the same question about you, would they come up with the same answers.  Does what you believe come out through what you do?  There are many of us that can talk a big talk, can present an argument or defend a certain truth statement but the evidence of our lives are weak at best. 

In the day we live we are so influenced by what people say.  We are so quick to follow a word, a well thought out dissertation or a carefully prepared presentation.  The Internet has opened the door for people to express thoughts, opinions, beliefs.  Without any knowledge of that individuals personal lifestyle or behavior their band wagon is full of eager followers.  The question you must ask yourself or at least take pause long enough to think about is, does it matter if what a person says has no impact on what a person does? 

There's a book in the Bible that addresses this issue very clearly, the half brother of Jesus presents a clear argument for why it should matter.  In this book James argues that faith without works is dead, saying if you believe something with out the supporting evidence of a changed life is not believing at all.  In James 2:19, even the demons believe. 

Are you tired of being tossed to and fro by every slick tongue on the web, if you're ears are itching be careful where you turned to get them scratched.  The answer to this is get linked up with the church, be part of a community of believes that express what they believe by the way they live.  The church is God's people who are called, equipped and sent.  Find a church that you can build relationships with.  Be around people that live what they believe. 

New Identity

Have you ever asked yourself the question, "who am I?" If you haven't asked it you've probably heard someone else say, "I'm trying to figure out who I am."  So much of ones life is about figuring out "who they are", investing both time and resources to come up with something we are comfortable with or can at least tolerate.  Years go by and you realize that's not who you are at all.  Have you ever heard someone say after divorcing their spouse of 30 years, "that's just not who I am anymore, I've changed".  The pursuit of our identity can become a life time travel expose, with documented journaling to support your adventure.  People live there entire life without being satisfied with who they are. 


The church today has found themselves struggling with their identity.  We have become a people that are more concerned about how people see us vs. who we are.  The Bible is very clear that our identity is not wrapped up in what people see, that's old covenant doctrine.  Jesus in Matthew 5 begins to unfold the new covenant, the new life we have in Christ.  Jesus hits a cord when he says in vs. 20 "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  The question that might follow this statement is, "than who can be saved?"  This is the very point Jesus is making, you can't fulfill the righteous requirements of the law.  No matter what standard you put up for yourselves you will never measure up.  Jesus was preparing them for the greatest illumination of revelation known to mankind, He was their righteousness.  It was no longer about them being righteousness; where they failed He was going to succeed. Our Identity is no longer in what we do, but rather what He did. 


Can someone say, "Thank you Jesus!!!"


More to come...
Warren

Is God Love?

I would have to agree that God is love, is he love exclusively?  Rob Bell would say that love wins, I would agree His love did win!  The real question isn't whether or not God is love but rather what He did with that love? 

It's in our nature to want to serve, worship and love a God that in return loves us back.  No consequences for sin, just love.  Can't we create in our own image the type of God we want to serve?  Can't we interpret how we want to interpret the type of God that is only love?  Sure we could, but should we? 

When I read the Bible I see a God that loves me so much that He sent His son to die for me.  Did He have to do that?  If we are all going to heaven anyways why would God send His son to be beaten, brutalized, poked, stabbed, mocked and finally killed.  That to me doesn't sound like a very loving Father.  Jesus died because there was a price to pay, He became our propitiation--the perfect substitution for you and for me. The God of the Universe wants to have a relationship with you, take Jesus out of the picture and that doesn't happen.  Sin and God do not co-exist very well, when we accept what Jesus did we are telling God, "don't look at me, look at your son", when God does that He sees us as righteous rather than a bunch of selfish brats.

Rob Bell's book, "Love Wins" is coming out March 15th.  I don't want to judge a book by its cover nor by its critics.  I'll let Bell speak for Bell. 

Love doesn't win, Jesus wins!
Warren

Eyes to See and Ears to Hear

Have you ever stopped and wondered is it possible to be so in tune with what the Lord is doing that you don't lift a thumb without hearing from Him first? I've not lived that way and maybe you haven't either. This I know, He is speaking, the question is are you listening. That's the challenge we face as a people and as a church. If we want to go into the years ahead of us blind, than it doesn't matter what we hear. Just think of this, what if and I mean what if, we heard Him first. What if, all that we did was a response to His voice.

I believe that many read the scriptures everyday without a clear understanding as to what they're saying. Anyone with some intelligence can read the Bible and come up with some kind of an interpretation. Is that what He's asking us to come up with, some kind of interpretation? Should we not be challenged to stop and listen, to wait on the Holy Spirit to speak to us through His Word.

If you're like me than you're tired, tired of walking without knowing is this the direction I should be going? I understand faith to be the evidence of what we don't see, which is actual the proof that what we don't see is as real as real can be. There are times that we as people of faith use faith as a liberty to be ignorant. I love believing in what is unseen, because I know in my knower that what is unseen is more real that what I actually see. What we need to see is what He sees. I want to stand along the prophet Elisha and say, "What should we do, we're surrounded by the enemy?" Than to have Elisha pray, "Father open his eyes to see that those that are with us are greater than those that are with them." With my eyes still looking at the enemy my vision begins to refocus on the horizen, there before me the army of the Lord surrounding the enemy.

May we truly beleive that God is for us!

This week in our church is a week of Hearing, Waiting and Listening. How many of us will take the time to put down the remote and listen to His still small voice, or the loud thundering boom that declares this is the way walk in it.

I for one, am listening. Sure there are a lot of needs filling the airways. Good things to pray for, to ask for and I'm not saying their isn't a time to do that. Today, I wait! Today, I put aside what I want and I listen and I listen and I allow the Spirit of Almighty God, Bigger than Life no rather the Creator of Life to speak, to speak to me.

Lord we are your children and we are listening.

Warren

Easter at the rc

Wow, what a great day with family and friends. Hanging with old friends and building new ones. When I looked out over the congregation this morning I was encouraged to see a great group of people that had come together to celebrate such a wonderful occasion.

Than I have to stop and ask myself this question, "Why can't every day be like today?" Well the answer isn't so obvious as one might think. Yeah, you could say "it should be." But in reality it's not. You may ask how does that make me feel? I would say, ask me later because right now I feel pretty good. I know that one game doesn't make a season, nor does one service set the tone for the year. There are times when one moment in time can change a life. Are we looking for those moments, are we positioning ourselves to encounter a life changing moment, I'm not sure. This I do know when I attend a church service whether it's on Easter, Christmas, November or July I anticipate something happening that day. The scripture is powerful, worship takes us to a place where we can focus on Him and sharing that with other people is a mixture that has the potential for a spiritual explosion.

Looking forward to next week, we're starting a series called "Influence or Compromise" looking at the book of Daniel. Pastor Ben is kicking things off when Daniel has to decide if he will compromise his beliefs as he engages a new culture. It's interesting when culture and faith collide. This happens in so many different areas of life, as our culture changes and puts more pressure on you to "go with the flow" (that's an 80's term), are we called to influence or be influenced. I understand that in order for us to reach our culture we need to be flexable and moldable, but at the same time truth never changes it's the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I've said this before and I'll say it again, methodology may change but truth remains the same. We struggle with culture when we think methodology is unchangeable. If we look at our personal lives how we do things now verses 10 years ago is very different. How we do church today isn't about following a receipt but rather following the leading of the Holy Spirit. I've looked in scripture and I've yet to see the outline of a service--welcome, prayer, three songs, offering, 30-45 min message, song, close. It's just not there. We can get hung up on our methodology that we become religious about something that not religious, it's just the way we've always done it. The question is, "is how we've always done it the way we should be doing it today?"

Thanks to everyone that hung out at the RC today, it was great spending a couple of hours together.

Blogging, Why?

This is not something I've been craving to do for any certain amount of time. Just thought it's about time I do it. Blogging to me was a disturbing word, for one it ment that others might actually read something you say and not agree with it. Others may even enjoy what you say. Others may be thinking why is this guy saying anything he has nothing too say. Than I thought about our next generation leaders and blogging didn't seem so bad.

Leading the Church at the River Center I thought it might be helpful for people to hear what's going on here at the RC. What I want to do with this blog is...I'm not sure what I want to accomplish other than share my thought, ideas, heart about a local church in a rural area called Lebanon. We get a lot of bang for our buck with a city called Lebanon. I can't tell you how many times I've had to explain to someone I'm not from the middle east. Look at my profile pic do I look like I just walked off the set of "Three Kings" as one of the native extra's? It's usually a laugh when they figure out our city is located in the northwest in a valley called Willamette (try to pronounce that if you're outside the state of Oregon).

I would say that Lebanon is the best kept secret in the whole state of Oregon, we're about an hour or so from everthing-mountains-ocean-big city. It's a wonderful place to live and raise a family. It's also a great place to be pastoring a church, the RC (River Center).

For those of you that will be dropping by I trust you will enjoy what's going on "Here at the RC".