My question for us as Christians is this: Are you gas station ready with your faith? If someone was to ask you why you believe in God or what is the gospel, would you be ready to respond? If someone asked you a question about Jesus or the Bible, would you be ready to answer? It is one thing to read the Bible- it is another thing to train yourself to share and defend your beliefs.

… in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 

1 Peter 3:15-16

Everyday is either a training day or game day. We either have an opportunity to prepare to lead people to be more like Jesus or to study and prepare so that we are ready for that opportunity. As a Christian, I can’t simply decide to read my Bible when convenient; I must decide to train everyday. I think one of the reasons that many people aren’t seeing the power of the Holy Spirit moving in their lives is because we have allowed the name “Christian” to simply mean, “someone who goes to church”. We think training, teaching, and discipling others is for the “professional” Christians- like pastors. This is the opposite of everything Jesus taught.

We are empowered as his followers.

We are empowered by his Holy Spirit.

We are equipped through our daily study of His word.

We are called to be GAS STATION READY.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT!

We’ve all been there. You have a few moments to kill so you check your social media feed. Hoping to simply find out what your crazy neighbor did over the weekend or hoping to see 150 pictures of your friend’s 1 year-old, you are hit with a seemingly harsh political opinion that clearly violates your standards of good taste or possibly your political viewpoint.  Perhaps you aren’t even sure what they’ve been offended by yet- but one thing is for sure- they are right, they know it, and they are going to tell the world. Not only will you get to hear why they have all of the knowledge, you will get to hear why you or others are wrong.
There were many times in Jesus’ life when others demanded an opinion from him.  For example, in Matthew 22, Some men demanded that Jesus give his opinion on Jews paying Roman taxes, which was a big deal in his day.  “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?”.   Instead of giving a strong opinion, he simply looked at the face on the coin and said, “give to Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is God’s.”.  That is all he said.  No passionate plea against Rome or lengthy sermon on tithing.
When you are confronted with a social media post or news story that seems to demand a response, you may feel a tingling in your bones to react and type out a sarcastic comment or even better- the perfect MEME!  Instead, let me give you some other choices that you may never have considered.  

1. You can choose not to care.
There I said it.  You have the right to not care about a particular issue.  We all have things we are passionate about. There are an infinite amount of things that you could get worked up about. For me, I am passionate about the history of ancient Israel, the potential of the local church, the plight of orphans in Ethiopia, the mission of the church in Southern Peru, reading good books, Brazilian Jui Jitsu, watching my kids do stuff, and watching birds at my bird feeder.  Beyond that, I have some other things that I will give money towards or volunteer with.  You know what I don’t particularly care about either way-

Donald Trump. 

Joe Biden. 

The “liberal media”.  

The “conservative talking heads”.

Whether New York City mandated a vaccine.

A million other things.

I simply don’t care about everything. I don’t have the energy and neither do you.  Marcus Aurelius made the point that if you were to suddenly hear about a war in another country, you would be tempted to have an opinion or worry about it.  But you were not worrying about it 5 minutes ago.  Simply knowing something exists is not the best reason to decide you need to have an opinion.  And if you get mad that someone doesn’t care about something that you care about, remember that you probably don’t care about the thing that is most precious to them! Would it make sense for me to get angry at you because you don’t care about our mission trip to Peru or my kid’s choir concert- both of which I find very important.

2. You can choose to be humble.
This is a crazy suggestion that is so “out there” I almost hesitate to share it. You could admit that you don’t know the answer or all of the details. You could admit it sounds like a problem, but you haven’t considered all of the angles and therefore you are not going to share your formative thoughts because you recognize that you mightBeing humble could mean you admit you don’ have all the information. Being humble could mean you don’t want to risk a relationship at the expense of feeling right. Being humble could mean you are self aware enough to know you will likely look back on that post or opinion someday and disagree with your younger, less humble self. Being humble could mean you decide to admit you don’t know enough yet but you are going to research both sides.

3. You can sympathize without piling on to the comments!
When I consider many issues, I have sympathy, but no solutions.  For example, I see the Bible clearly commands me to love the sojourner or alien.  I know I am called to love those who our foreign to our country, yet I also know that a strong society needs to have rules, taxes, and safety. Our country has enemies that I don’t particularly want walking across the border unchecked. I have strong opinions on both sides of this discussion. I think aliens should be welcomed and loved into our country. I also think borders should be secure. I don’t have the solution, but I care about people- whether they were born in this country or not.   For this reason, I spent years volunteering with refugees in Dallas. Sympathy and silence are ok.  My solution was to serve them in sympathy and silence on social media.

4. You can defer to your future, more informed self!
Decide to take a season to learn about the topic. Abortion, immigration, climate change, presidential candidates are all important. If you feel that you need to have an opinion on something, you should take the necessary time to form your opinion instead of simply going with your gut reaction.

• Discover what God says about the topic. I believe God more clear than most of us want to admit.  When we look at a topic theologically- not simply taking a verse or two, you will find certain threads of thought that clearly illuminate the heart of God.  
  • God is for the down and out.
  • God values all life.
  • God gives us boundaries and rules to protect us and let us thrive- not to limit us.
  • God welcomes those who admit sin and repent (even if they’ve done it 100 times before).
  • Sex is special to God and He has given us clear boundaries to enjoy it.
  • How we treat the down and out is clearly important to God.
• Find a story or two of people who would be harmed or not helped by your current stance. Take a moment to pray for them and see their perspective.  Acknowledge that this issue may be a complex issue with no easy solution.
  • For example, I am pro-life, but I should certainly consider the perspective of a young woman who thought she was in love and is now pregnant, but her boyfriend decided to find greener pastures.  Yes she was naive. Yes she didn’t understand love. But she also was 18. Every 18 year old is naive. No 18 year old understands love. Compassion should flow from followers of Jesus. We should seek to minister to her in any way possible rather than becoming angry; compassion should be our response. Even if this doesn’t change my mind on abortion, it will change the nature of the discussion. I am for the down and out because God is.
    On this issue, I believe God is clear on the topic of abortion, but I also acknowledge that those who don’t follow God’s sexual boundaries or are victims of sinful people are affected by this topic. So as I address this topic, I must do so with a prayerful and compassionate love for those that have found themselves considering an abortion. I must remember that God has forgiven me of many sins and He loves them just as he loves me.  I can stand firm on a principle but be soft in practice.  Perhaps you may choose to support an adoption or foster family or ministry.  Perhaps you will choose to adopt or foster yourself in order to support those who have made a difficult decision to have a baby, yet can’t take care of them.

My heart for our church is that we represent Christ wisely to the outside world. This means that we need to prayerfully consider our actions and words.  The will know us by our love- not by our shouting strong opinions!

Other verses to consider:
Romans 14:1-4 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Proverbs 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
James 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
Hebrews 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Colossians 4:5-6 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

It matters what we believe about the church. The church is the most important solution the world has access to. As followers of Jesus, we MUST understand its potential of the local church, the power of healthy church, and priority of living like God’s people. If we get these three things right, the world will be transformed by the power of God.

The potential of the local church!

Only the church has a connected global network that can be mobilized in times of tragedies and struggle. No other organization or non-profit or government entity exists in every town in every community and every country. If you are poor in Africa or wealthy in Australia, you are likely within walking distance of a group of believers that will help you when you are in need. It is our responsibility to steward this opportunity with intention and might.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, it took one phone call and one bank transfer for our church in Wylie to feed 200 families in Arequipa, Peru for 2 weeks! We didn’t have to book a flight or find a hotel. The logistics had been in place for 2000 years. The infrastructure was ready and waiting. No other organization, including the Peruvian or United States governments were able to move that fast. Within a day, we had money in the hands of local pastors who were able to buy groceries in the local stores and distribute them safely from their local church meeting location. There is nothing like the potential of connected local churches!

The power of a healthy church!

In order to see the impact and possibilities, a church must be healthy. We must desire for God to work in our lives to conform our hearts to His. The problem that the world faces is unhealthy churches that misrepresent the love and holiness of God. Poor leadership, nominal church members, self-seeking or apathetic believers who are unrepentant and uninterested are infecting local churches will always be a black eye for the kingdom of God.

• In a healthy church, the Holiness of God and His love for broken people are both protected and lived out.
• In a healthy church, sinners are given the grace to find forgiveness and freedom in Christ.
• In a healthy local church, the members of the church see their lives transformed by the Holy Spirit of God and shine like a beacon to those outside the church.
• In a healthy local church, the community can look inside and see how to love and forgive one another- even our enemies!
• In a healthy local church, the world can find solutions to all of our greatest challenges- hunger, disease, racism, and war.

The priority of a local church!

As we look at all of the challenges in this world, we are likely to look to our government or a particular leader to show us how to navigate the chaos. We may look towards a political platform or ideology. The world will not be impacted by any of those things because God has already chosen an instrument. God has mercifully decided to use imperfect people to carry out His perfect plan.

God has mercifully decided to use imperfect people to carry out His perfect plan.

God has rescued us so we can reach others. We can never forget that the local church is the hope of the world. Each local church member has an integral part to play in the story of God. We must relentlessly pursue Jesus in our own lives so that the world may see God’s power in us! We must passionately embrace all seasons of struggle, challenge, and success as if they are under God’s control. We walk humbly in adversity and prosperity. The world should be drawn to our lives, even if they can’t understand our doctrines.

In conclusion

The church is God’s people on earth. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 reminds us that we are his ambassadors: Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. This means that we are God’s chosen representatives to show people how to forgive, how to love, and how to follow faithfully.

God reveals Himself to us so that we can reveal Him to others. Everything He does for us has a purpose. The church is the mission of God. The church is the hope of the world.

I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 16:18-19

This post is also posted on the Connection Point Church blog. It is the first post in a series of blog posts about the core beliefs of our church.

^{As the last year seems to be a defining year for everyone alive- thinking and processing is at a premium. I’ve decided to start blogging in order to process my thoughts on a lot of the news and experiences of our day. As a verbal processor, writing allows me to figure out my beliefs with out constantly putting my foot in my mouth. So here goes…}

Last August, I went to the doctor for my annual checkup. I do this every year so I didn’t think much of it. I am trying out a new doctor, so he suggested I get a variety of tests so that we can determine a baseline for my health. Normally I wouldn’t have thought much of this, but the way he continued to ask me about my heart and health made me decide to take action quickly. I left his office and went two floors down to imaging. They were able to fit me in and I was given a calcium imaging test from my heart. I’ve always known my family history of heart disease, yet I’ve never thought how it will play out for me personally.

The test came back. I have heart disease.

But wait, there is more. They also discovered some other “nodules” in my lungs, liver, and spleen.

After another imaging, they were able to determine that I have benign cysts on my spleen and liver and the “nodules” in my lungs are “most likely” not cancer. We will keep watch on them.

All of this to say, this news has reminded me to “remember to die” (Memento Mori), which is a stoic idea that tells us to live each day fully. It is similar to the sport’s cliche, “leave it all on the court”. Most importantly, though, is the biblical idea to live fully today with the knowledge that some day I’ll stand before a divine judge.

Here are 3 insights from this experience that I’ve wrestled with over the past year.

1. The present is more important than the future. I tend to be future focused. This means I forget to live in the moment. This means I exercise for the person I want to be and not enjoying the process. I read less, converse less, and slow down less than I did in the past. This is going to have a cost. My kids will pay the cost. My wife will pay the cost. It is possible to be prepared to the future but live in the moment.
2. Health is at a premium. I have spent the last few years getting in better shape and losing weight. This decision has led to a happier life and feeling better. My only regret is that I didn’t start sooner. Youth is a liar. Just because you can run and jump and play sports does not make you healthy. Health is what you eat, how you think, and what you do. Youth is a liar. It tricks you into thinking you are doing the right things simply because you haven’t broken down yet.
3. You can play it safe and still lose everything. I’ve never been a smoker or drinker, yet I’m also going to die someday. Rather than using this knowledge as an excuse to party, I find it encourages me to take action and live a better life. I am glad I decided to plant a church, even though it was a risk. I love my church and every person that has helped build it. But even if it had not been successful, I would be no worse for the wear. I would have had to find another job, but I would have been ok. I need to be more intentional about taking important actions.

I’ve now been playing the guitar for over 30 years every day. (I’m not great, but much better than I used to be). Last year I did little experiment. I decided to see if I could learn to play Crazytrain by Ozzie Osborne. So each day for over a year, I played the opening riff two times. I spent less than 5 minutes a day on this task. After about 6 months, I could run through the opening riff (which is my favorite part of the song) quite easily.

Next I learned the four chords that make up the verses. It took about 2 weeks of practicing them for 5 or 10 minutes a day to get sufficient. Next I did the pre chorus and chorus. Then the transitions.

So now I can play Crazytrain. It took a little over a year. I still play it everytime I walk past my guitar.

This method of 10 minutes a day has challenged me in several ways.

What if I practiced Spanish for 10 minutes a day?

What if wrote for for 10 minutes a day?

Who knows what it will lead to or how long? Not me.

But I can play Crazytrain.

1. Timeline of Paul’s conversion. (Source: Paul the apostle by Robert E. Picirilli, pg. 52)

• 33/34 AD conversion
• 33/34 AD days in Damascus Acts 9:19-21
• 33/34-35/36 AD time in Damascus Galatians 1:15-17
• 36 AD ministry in Damascus Acts 9:22-25
• 36 AD first return to Jerusalem Acts 9:26-29; Gal. 1:18-20
• 36-42AD ministry in Tarsus Acts 9:30-31, Gal. 1:21-24
• 42-43 AD ministry with Barnabas at Antioch, Acts 11:19-26
• 44 AD second return to Jerusalem, for famine relief, Acts 11:27-30; 12:25 (Gal. 2:1-10)
• 45-46 AD first missionary journey Acts 13:1-14:28

2. Paul’s hometown: Tarsus

A close look of the ancient city of Tarsus reveals that Paul’s hometown was no small town, middle of nowhere, but a busy metropolis of diverse culture and international commerce. Its strategic location explains its significance and success. It was a port city, yet also a favorite vacation spot for Roman dignitaries.

God shaped Paul’s mission to the gentiles through his upbringing in Tarsus. It was a bustling metropolis where many different cultures interacted. Paul’s parents likely were well off, yet strived to raise Paul according to the Jewish law. They likely sent him to Jerusalem when he was around 12 years old. He sat under Gamaliel for around 5 or 6 years. Gamaliel was the Grandson of Hillel, who was one of the most famous Jewish rabbis that ever lived. Paul would have learned the scriptures thoroughly and learned to debate in the question and answer style known as the “diatribe”.

3. Paul’s conversion and the death of his dreams.

I believe that one of the many things Paul would have wrestled with during his time in Arabia is the loss of his personal dreams. Paul was working his way up the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court. He was gaining influence in Jerusalem and on the fast track. His conversion meant he would no longer pursue the dream he likely had since leaving Tarsus around the age of 12 years old to study under Gamaliel.

I heard TD Jakes make this statement the other day and it made me smile. I love the fact that God allows you and I to use creativity, even though we cannot truly create anything. Everything we make was given to us in raw materials, yet those raw materials call to us to create. God made the tree not the table. The table is yours to build!

Every thing you make glorifies God who gave us the materials. Every idea glorifies God who gave you a brain.

Lately I have had many of these moments, whether they were conversations over lunch, discussions following a sermon, or even surprise interruptions. Each time I’ve heard the whisper of God saying, “THIS IS CHURCH”. What a privilege it is to be interrupted by the will of God!

Perhaps you too have been at work and had this privilege. What seemed like an inconvenience becomes the point of your entire day. A simple interruption turns you into the hand, feet, and even mouthpiece of Jesus. This week I challenge you to anticipate these moments and instead of feeling unproductive or distracted, say to yourself, “THIS IS CHURCH!”

Today I thought I’d write about a book I just checked out at the library. It is called, “Wooly- The true story of the quest to revive one of history’s most iconic extinct creatures”. Yup. Jurassic Park is real. At this moment, Dr. George Church is attempting to bring the Wooly Mammoth back from extinction. I’m about half way through the book and I’ll spare you the technical details. Here is a quick summary of what I’ve read so far: 1. Dr. Church is wicked smart. 2. Scientist have mapped the DNA of the Wooly Mammoth. 3. Asian Elephants are the closest relative to the Wooly Mammoth.

As I read this book, I have thought a lot about the theological implications, the moral implications, and the practical implications. One of the most interesting theories that the book proposes concerns global warming. Most people believe that global warming caused the extinction of the wooly mammoths. This book flips it around and says that it is possible that the mass extinction of the mammoths caused global warming (back then). In essence, the presence of hundreds of thousands or even millions of large animals walking in Siberia would cool the ground several degrees. As man began to hunt the mammoths to extinction, the ground began to warm. As for what actually happened, who knows? I love to see scientist who openly challenge the accepted views of other scientist.

This book has spurred on many theological thoughts in my mind, but most of all it has drawn me back to the awesomeness of God’s creation. The amount of information in a strand of DNA to the uniqueness of man’s intellect. God is an amazing designer. Some people might be put off by the topic, but I am intrigued. I once heard TD Jakes say, “God makes trees, not tables.” It is amazing what man can do when he examines everything God has given him in this world!

In 2006, I asked my family and friends to give so that I could start a church.  I felt ashamed, but something crazy happened–> we started a church!

In 2010, I asked my family and friends to give money to start another church.  This might have been a silly thing to ask, after all, they had already given me money to start a church.  Only this time it was different.  I felt as if God had put a vision of a church on my heart that needed to be started.  So I asked and people gave.  And our church has led hundreds of people to Jesus in America and Peru.  We’ve seen God do great things because people give.

Each year I ask people to give towards the vision of our church and towards me personally as I go on mission trips.  I’ve learned the secret to fundraising is to have something that is truly worth giving to.  Instead of just asking for money, I now understand that I am really asking people to join me on a journey.

Fundraising is an opportunity. When someone gives towards a mission trip, they are going on a mission with me.  When someone gives towards the vision of our church, they are building the church with us.  God has given some people a spiritual gift for generosity.  They have money and love using it to further God’s vision.  If I don’t invite them to give with me or come on this journey with me, then they’ll never be able to do what God has called them to do.  And if they aren’t called to give, then I should respect and accept that too.

I’m not sure there has been one worthwhile ministry endeavor that I have accomplished in which someone didn’t join in with me financially.  We win together.  I succeed only when people join in my journey and vice versa.

So here is the short answer:

Never ask people for money, always invite people on a mission!

Many people are called to give to different things, but I’ll never be ashamed again to invite people to give towards something I am passionate about and I’ll never get offended if someone asks me to give to something that they are passionate about.  The only thing that truly offends me when people ask me to give towards something that they aren’t willing to give towards; something that they aren’t passionate about.  That is truly a shame.

For me, I am so thankful for the many people that have invested in God’s mission by investing in me!