Dennis Muse

Church blocking the peoples view of Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:44:00 +0000

There is a church that I have been listening to their podcasts for a few weeks now called City of Grace in Mesa AZ. And I have been enjoying their recent teaching series, the pastor has been doing a very a good teaching with some great insight as to how to live out the word of God as related to the series. But for the last two weeks he has talked about a new project of the church, they are seeking to buy a house next to the church that is occupied by a dental office. This house apparently bocks the church building from being seen well from the main road. And for some reason this house is seen as an obstacle to the churches growth, they seam to believe if the house was not there.... read more>>>

Why I go to church: Something every church planter should know!

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:32:00 +0000

A church planter should answer this question of themselves, why they go to church, the reason as a Christian. The answer as to why will determine what they invasion the church they plant is to be like for the members, what they will experience at the church gathering.

Why I go to church, I gather with other follower of Christ in order to: Read here>>>

Church planting, Why do you want to plant a church?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:32:00 +0000

I have come to see that in church planting the First thing one must do is answer Why do you want to plant a church? And the Second is to define church. Because your definition of church and why you want to plant one is foundational to what you do, A.K.A. plant. They both combined will define what it looks like and how it functions and its purpose for existence. I have come to understand how these two issues are so critical, they will set in motion the chain of events that determine what is created, the answers will mold and shape what you do.

First, The Why? So Why do you want to plant a church?

First off one must understand Church Planting is about Jesus, about having a passion for the community life and reaching the lost. I have met so many “church planters” that the only place that they want to plant a church is in the rich parts of a metro area, I would say 99% of all new plants in the last five years have occurred in the rich areas of my cities metro area, and I believe that really reviles the planters heart and motives.

Like one young planter I challenged to plant in the poor or even the blue collar areas instead of the rich (high income) area he was targeting, he replied “there is no money in starting a church there” the truth came out as to the why he wanted to plant a church. It was all about money, he was approaching it more as an entrepreneur stating up for a for-profit business. Approaching it like starting a career to provide for him, in monetary ways, to fund his big material dreams of what a church is all about, and his personal desired income.

(I have an idea how about if we say that for the next few years we only plant churches in the inner city and blue collar areas of our cities.)

If you see church planting as a income providing career, something better to do than try and get a career in corporate America, to a be your own boss instead of working for and answering to someone else, you have a very wrong motive.

You must ask yourself, what is my motive. Why do I want to plant a church?

If your vision is a church of 10,000 with a Starbuck’s in it, see a mega complex starched and a nice six figure income with book deals in your future, you are doing it for yourself, only for self gain. You not only have the wrong Why you want to plant, but also the wrong definition, an un-biblical definition of church and motive.

I will continue this in my next blog. Read all at my personal website here.

I am now blogging on my personal site

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:25:00 +0000

I am now blogging on my personal web site, read it at

http://dennismuse.com/wpblog/

Why Missional, Missional church

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:41:00 +0000

A lot of people debate the term “Missional” and “Missional Church”, being Missional.. And that I do not understand, missional simply means on mission, or on a mission which ever you prefer. Missional is not a program, a movement or even a mythology. It is both a command and a way of life, way of living, and for someone to say the church is not to be missional, is in essence calling Jesus a liar.

We read in Mat 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” Here Jesus is sending His people, the church into the world with a mission to fulfill. We are to make disciples, baptize them and then teach them the word. There it is our mission, the life we are to live, the calling, purpose of our life in Christ. It was at that point the church was commanded to be Missional. Jesus gave His church mission, these marching orders just before His ascended to the Father.

Then just a short time later Jesus returns and tells His disciples Acts 1: 8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” In today’s time this would read, be my witnesses in Kansas City, Missouri and America, and to the end of the earth.

So why do so many not understand this command of Jesus, the mission given to the Church? He could not have made it any clearer. Not only did the early church understand the mission, they focused on living out that mission their entire lives. That is the first characteristic we see in the first churches, they where missional, they where on mission, and no matter what anyone says, that was not something for them back then, but Not for us today, that is a deception of Satan.

Christians should not have to debate why be missional, it should be enough that Jesus said GO into your neighborhood, city, state and the entire world. What more do we need to know other than our Lord said GO, said make disciples, said baptize, said teach the word, that should be all we need to know, GO! And Do!

There it is our personal mission, the church is to be on mission, live on mission, the church is on mission, mission is not a department, a program, it is a way of life, a way of being. The answer to why be missional? Jesus said to!

Every Church should have the mindset that they are on a mission today, on Missio Dei, God’s mission. That they are to Go! That they are sent into the world!

I am now blogging on my personal site also

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:46:00 +0000

I am now also blogging on my personal web site, read it at http://dennismuse.com/wpblog/

On Mission today?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:54:00 +0000

The word mission simply means on a mission.

Did you wake up today with the mindset that you are on a mission today, not just any, not your personal ambitions in life, but The Mission, Missio Dei, God’s mission?

Did you wake up thinking I am a missionary and when I leave my house I am going into my mission field?

My neighborhood is my mission field, my job or school is my mission field, my grocery store is my mission field, everywhere I go is my mission field today?

Did you wake up thinking God has something for Me to do today?

And say – God help me to accomplish your mission today!

What ever it is help me to accomplish it.

That is the mind set God calls us to. He said Go, proclaim the gospel and make disciples, this is the primary mission of all true disciples of Christ, there are no exceptions to this calling, sending out.

This is how I want to live my life for now on, every morning to wake up and ask myself those questions.

To wake up and say:

I am a missionary!

I am on mission!

God help me to accomplish your mission today!

Church getting it right as to money! Element Church

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:56:00 +0000

The second church that has it right that, that is following the lead of Pastor Francis Chan is a church gathering called Element in Nashville, TN. Their pastor Jared Wilson after hearing the story of Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, California, see yesterdays blog. Pastor Wilson said “it grabbed my heart and wouldn’t let go. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and dreaming it. I was thinking about the ministry buzzword “missional,” and I began to think that, while Element has already been operating and teaching as such that “missional” is not just empty sloganeering for us, it could and should mean more.”

So he went to his board and got them to voted to do the same, so "Element will designate minimum 50% of its budget to missions, and 10% to church planting or to other gospel-driven ministries. This means that for every dollar we receive, 60 cents will go back out the door. Our operating budget will be 40% of our offerings."

Pastor Jared Wilson stated that "We will give to both foreign and local missions, but more will go to local missions, because our idea is not just to write a check (or checks) and wipe our hands of it, but to be giving regularly to local mission agencies that we can actually visit, partner with, and do on-site service projects with.

Here’s what gets me: Jesus said to his followers that whatever they do to the “least of these,” they are doing to him. This means it’s not some nameless, faceless people out there who are shivering and starving and dying. It means it’s Jesus who is shivering and starving and dying. And while it shouldn’t matter if someone is nameless or faceless, while not seeing someone shouldn’t dissuade us from action, we are seeing this as a great way to bless Jesus, to worship Jesus."

Amen, see how one revolutionary can start a fire, as everyone knows California is being ravaged buy wild fires right now. And it is there that God has started a wild fire in one man, one church that has now leaped, like wild fires are know to do, clear across to Nashville. May this spread like the California wild fires through the church all across America, and go up to90% going to God, by giving it to the hurting, poor, starving, dying and missions and only 10% or less to building and salaries, Jesus said when you give to one of them you are giving to Him. Amen!

The United Nations estimates that the cost to end world hunger completely, along with diseases related to hunger and poverty, is about $195 billion a year. And that if the Church in America gave just 50% of its income to fight poverty it would bring an end to poverty, no one would go hungry.

The number one criticism of God is why does He allow poverty, starving children, that a lot of people refuse to accept God on that issue alone, they blame God for it, for not doing something. When the truth is God did do something, He commissioned, commanded His people, His church to do something about it, gave His people, the church the resources to do something, but they have chosen not to, to disobey Him. To spend the money on fancy building, programs and salaried staff.

How much the church would be a living, tangible expression of the love, compassion and mercy of God if they did what He said to do, and that is exactly what it is to be? No one could accuse God of being unloving or uncaring. The church would be the light to the world it is called to be, be the interment of Restoration, Renewal, Reconciliation and Redemption to our world that it is to be, reflect who God is to the world.

May a thousand churches follow Cornerstone and Element this year and more the next tell every church does as they are.

Church getting it right as to money! Francis Chan does

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:50:00 +0000

I blogged back in December about churches not giving the money they take from their members to God, giving only on average less than 3% to God,that they instead spend 97% of it on buildings, salaries and other worldly things. They do not use it for what God said, how we are to give to Him, by giving to the needy, poor, orphans, widows and starving, and as we read in the book of Acts, that no one in the church was in need because they took care of each other.

I just read about two churches that have it right, are doing it the way God said to. One of them is Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, California.

Around nine months ago Cornerstone Community Church when the church was set to spend $20 million on a new facility the pastor Francis Chan said, “No” He said he could not in good conscience be the pastor of a church that spent $20 million on a building. Instead He suggested that they build a much, much cheaper facility, an outdoor amphitheater and community park. And the multi-millions left over? He said they should give it away. His board agreed. Apparently several hundred people left the church, because they where so outraged by this decision. Which I think goes to show that a lot of people give only to reap the benefits to themselves, amenities they can enjoy, you know a Starbuck in the lobby and cushy pews with cup holders and elaborate sound systems, the biggest building in the city. But Chan and his fellow ministers committed to giving away millions and millions of dollars. Chan said that one great benefit of the outdoor space is that whenever it was too hot/cold/rainy/windy, it would remind those gathered that there were many people around the world who never have a roof over their head.

So Cornerstone Church amended their budget to now give 50% to missions. Half of everything they receive goes right back out the door to the hurting, poor, starving, and dying. They even made an additional pledge to give $1 million to the Children's Hunger Fund over the next year and they made that mark in April, in less than a year. And have committed to give as much every year.

Amen and praise God, a church that has it right, that has read the bible and is doing what Jesus said to, how God said to give to Him.
I applaud pastor Chan and his staff and the people of that gathering of the church, and there is so much more to this church, more to talk about later. Take note pastors, take note body of Christ, behold a real church that is doing it right. Tomorrow on the other church that has followed Chan lead after hearing his story. Read part two.

Who is and what is a real Christian? Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:45:00 +0000

Matthew 28:18-20 (known as the Great Commission) is by far the most quoted passage on mission. But it is not the only one, aside from the entirety of scriptures saying that God’s people are a sent people, a people who are to live their whole life on mission, it is their main purpose for living. We have three other passages where Jesus gives the command for us to go, be missionaries, live on mission. Or another way to say it, what Jesus expects from His followers, what He wants His followers to do, to carry on His mission.

1. Commission: “I am sending you.” “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
2. Strategy: Make disciples. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
3. Content: the Gospel. “Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:44-49).
4. Geography: your city, national and international. “… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

We read in John 20:21 that Jesus explains that He is sending us as like the Father sent Him. Therefore all true followers of Jesus are sent just as He was sent, we believers are sent out, are to live on mission just as Jesus did, and the first disciples did, as Paul said imitate me just as I inmate Jesus.

Second, Jesus explains the design behind being sent out into the world, which is to make disciples of all nations. How? By conversion and entry into the community of God, baptism, and by teaching followers of Jesus to obey all that He commands.

Third, Jesus explains the content of the message is the Gospel and He is the Gospel, and He wants to go out into, be taken into the ends of the earth, the entire earth. And the Gospel,is based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is centered on the person and work of Jesus (biblical Jesus), and it achieved the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation to the Father for those who repent and believe in Jesus (biblical Jesus.

So a Christian is someone who is sent, living sent, living on mission, missional, any which way you wish to call it. A Christian is one who is taking the gospel to the world, and that world begins in but not limited to their neighborhood, their city, and goes to the ends of the earth, as long as they are spreading the gospel where ever they are. Baptizing in the name of the trinity and making disciples (and doing so as Jesus showed us to, a daily commitment to their lives, teaching them by example.)

God told Abraham to Go, Mosses to Go, and on and on all through the bible, He is a sending God, and we have Jesus sending everyone, commanding everyone to GO.

I can see no way of describing, defining who and what a Christian is without saying they are someone who is sent and they are living sent, someone taking the gospel to the world,and making disciples. Jesus says that is who a christian is. It has always been the calling of Gods people to live sent, to go to the world.

Scripture reading plan for July

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:54:00 +0000

Here’s a suggestion for your personal reading of and meditation on Scripture for the remainder of the month of July:

First, read the Gospels noting specifically the life and person of Christ, Who He was, how He lived, what He spent His life doing and saying.

Second, pray for spiritual illumination to understand and faith to believe who He is, His Deity.

Third, give sustained and prayerful thought on the glory of these great realities so that your heart is lifted up in joyful worship and awe that He is God.

Fourth, preach the truth of these texts to your own heart every morning, afternoon, and evening with abandonment to who He is, God.

Fifth, taking note of how He lived and what He did in His daily life, remember that John said in 1 John:2:6 “walk in the same way in which he walked”, Peter advises in I Pet 1:22, "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps", that Paul said in I Cor 11:1 “...be imitators of me as I am of Christ”. And most of all that Jesus said "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. John 14:12.

Sixth, take the life of Christ as your blue print for you life, go and do as Christ did, be like Paul and inmate the life of Jesus, be like Him be found daily about your heavenly Fathers business.

Seventh, share the fruit of this spiritual exercise with others within the sphere of your Christian community for their spiritual encouragement

Bad Church Equals bad Fruit

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:28:00 +0000

Thursday in my morning reading of the scriptures I read in Mat 8:17 “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” I witnessed this very clearly on the 4 of July while attending a BBQ get together at a friend of a friends place. They all belong to the same church, about 30 to 35 people, which was the connection for all of them, except for me.

During the course of the night I never heard one person mention Jesus, God or anything about their daily relationship with Jesus nor the word of God. Nothing about what God is doing in their life, nothing about living for God, serving God in any capacity, not one conversation involving the word of God, or Him, nothing in 4+ hours of conversation. I heard nothing that reviled any person who was in love with Jesus, someone who's whole life was centered in Christ, who was in a love relationship, intimately involved with God.

In my past years as part of churches such as Calvary Chapel, The Vineyard, The ROCK, and FCF every encounter with other members, ether at a church gathering or outside of the gathering included at the core of every conversation was God, Jesus and the word. No one could hold a conversation at any length with out talking about Gods involvement in their daily life, what God was doing in them, with them and through them, what they where or where wanting to do for God. They could not hold a conversation with talking about the one they loved, their intimate love relationship with Jesus, without praising Him, loving on Him, talk about their prayer life, their intimate times with Jesus and His love for them.With out talking about the Word of God, what they read that day, what the Spirit taught them trough it, discussing it in detail, how they where applying it to their lives and or life situation.

No one could tell you their life story with out it being filled with God, how and where they have served, how God has worked in every circumstance in their life, directed their life, and interceded in their life. And they could not talk about their future plans with talking about where God is leading them, their passion to serve and accomplish things for God, a calling to be fulfilled, and a passion for the things of God.

This really brought this scripture to life for me on the 4^th, "a bad tree cannot bear good fruit", I really saw as that scripture says that a bad tree (church in this case) cannot produce good fruit. If the church leadership is not passionate about God, nether will its body. If it is not Christ centered in all its teaching, nether will its people be. If it is not passionate about the word of God, does not teach word for word, encourage by example love for the word of God, nether will its people be. If the leadership is not in love with Jesus, in a intimate, personal, passionate relationship with the Real Biblical Jesus, than it will not saturate their teaching, an nether will the people be in love with the Real Biblical Jesus, in a intimate, personal, passionate relationship with Jesus, and it will not saturate their lives and conversations. If the pastor’s sermon is not filled with the word of God and passion for Jesus, gospel centered, then the people will not be. If the church is spiritual dead, so will the people. A bad tree / church leadership can not produce good fruit.

Who is and what is a real Christian?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:22:00 +0000

With 81% of Americans claiming to be a Christian, with over 3000 different Christian denominations in the US and 39,000 world wide, one is left to ask themselves, who is and what is a real Christian.

There are a estimated 39,000 different denominations, and really a denomination is a different set of beliefs, so that is 39,000 different Jesus, different versions of who God is, 39,000 different ways to be a Christian, and 39,000 interpretations of want the bible teaches, that makes Christianity second to Hindus in number of god’s they worship. Before you say all Christian denominations have the same God, you need to look at the facts, understand that they all do not, they have a different belief, some very different version of who God is, who Jesus is and what He said, what the gospel is, what salvation is, how one gets salvation, and that makes them have different gods. Resulting in different definitions of what a Christian is, they each have a definition based on what they believe about the scriptures, salvation, who Jesus is, the gospel and ultimately who God is, His mission on earth, Missio Dei.

For example Rob Bell's definition of repentance is "repentance is not turning from sin" "anyone who tells you that you need to repent is not talking about Christianity." And a survey done of pastors in the US reveled that over 50% of them did not believe in Hell, even though Jesus spoke more on it than heaven, so obviously they have a different Jesus than the one in scripture. Over 50% say they do not believe the bible is the word of God, so apparently they have a different Jesus, because Jesus said He was the word and they say they do not believe in it. See the difference on just these two things. And a very popular pastor just last year made the statement “It does not matter what version of Jesus you believe in, only that you believe in some form of Jesus.

As for me I only know of one, the one reviled in scriptures, the one that I have meet and is my Lord, the one who is God come in the flesh.

Joel Osteen and a host of others tells us that being a Christian is all about: “Living a life of joy, peace, fulfillment” That “Jesus was executed for the purpose of making us rich and happy” They convey the idea of a Santa Clause God who will give people what they want, and that the mark of a true Christian is "you are rich and never sick", and get anything and everything you pray for. What they are saying in essences is that the creator of the universe became a man to suffer and die in order to become our servant, our genie in a lamp to grant our every wish, to put us on the throne to rule over Him.

The vast majority of the time you hear Christians ask people “do you know you are going to heaven?” Why? Because their theology is that being a Christian is all about getting a "ticket to heaven" only, that was the sole goal of Jesus’ life and death, the goal of the gospel. It’s totally a personal thing about you getting your ticket, once that happens, Jesus’ life and His death have served there only purpose, the gospel has accomplished it's mission. Then you just bide your time here tell you get there. The said thing is they have not even read the scriptures well enough to know that it not all about getting to heaven. The focus of salvation is not about moving to heaven when we die, because we only return with Christ to inhabit the new earth (Rev 21), the focus of salvation is ones immediate relationship with God and others in the here and now and His mission on earth here and now, and yes our eternal destination too, but that’s not the only purpose.

Salvation is about returning to fellowship with God, about entering life with God, with Christ now and right here, it is about Restoration, Renewal, Reconciliation and Redemption of all of creation. It's is about admitting our sinfulness and alienation from God, and accepting God sacrificial death in our place and receiving His free gift of forgiveness, salvation. It is about stopping to be my own God and my own lord and savior and making God my God and savior. It is about being transformed, born again into a new creation, in the image of Christ. And joining God in His mission to bring Restoration, Renewal, Reconciliation and Redemption to the whole earth. About dying, not living for self and living for God and the good of others. About incarnating the life of Christ, imitating the life of Christ.

The scriptures and Jesus tells me a much different explanation of who and what a Christian is. Jesus describes the Christian life much differently than Osteen and so many other do.

And "Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." Mark 1:17, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them......." Mat 28:19, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation" Mark 16:15. That sounds like a purpose other than getting a ticked to heaven, being rich, fat and happy, or just biding time tell you get there. He did not say, I will make you rich, happy or successful but He did say" But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake" Luke 21:12, that sure does not sound like the happy and rich life so many describe the Christian life being about.

I read the apostle Paul saying "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" I Cor 11:1, but yet the life I read Paul living and the others in scriptures is not the one taught by Osteen or taught by most pastors today or seen being lived out, demonstrated by "church going Christians", with there being more different brands of church and versions of Christianity than there are McDonald's, this leaves many confused.

So far here we have Jesus and Paul saying a Christian is one:

Who fishes for men
Who Goes into the world
Who proclaims the gospel
Who will suffer persecution
Who imitates the life of Paul
Who imitates the life of Jesus

Part 1

Christ-Like, really?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:51:00 +0000

As Christians, those in our midst interpret everything about us, what we do, how we speak with an intense scrutiny. And these messages that we emit "cues." Cues are things that others recognize and interpret as a character trait, intention, subtle message or passed judgment. We rarely think of every action as a "cue" left for others to interpret, and because of that in-attention, we leave ourselves open to mis-interpretation. Cues require that we must be very self-aware of every aspect of our lives, our words and deeds or lack of them.

As Christians we are particularly susceptible to cues, being the title comes from a Greek word meaning Christ-like, that was given to followers of Christ because they imitated the life of Christ right down to being crucified for living like Him. A simple act of neglect such as doing nothing to help the poor can may be perceived by others as an indication that Jesus cares nothing for them. After all your are claming to be Christ-like, therefore everything you do is suppose to be what He did, what He cares about. Not being a forgiving person gives the impression that God is not forgiving, after all your actions are an imitation of His. Not loving other, particularly the poor, needy, orphaned and sinners, if you are Christ-like then you are saying Christ does not love them, so how can you preach the gospel, claim John 3:16 is true when you being like Him do not love them as they are, you are a contradiction to them.

The way you speak to everyone, how you teat others, is processed with scrutiny, who you chose to talk with, be with, love, help, befriend. Cues can quickly ruin a Christian’s reputation and ultimately their witness, but most of all it tarnishes God’s, teaches others things about Him that are not true, makes the scriptures a book of lies, after all if you are Christ like, an imitation of who He is, and it does not match what the scriptures say, one of you is untrue, one is a lie, and the world is left confused and dismayed with God and Christianity.

But cues are managed by self-awareness, by truly becoming Christ-like, loosing your life in Him, exchanging you life for His, after all that is the biblical definition of who a Christian is, one who imitates the person and life of Jesus.

Church, asking the right questions.

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:15:00 +0000

It all stated with my discontent with church in America, my heart longed from something more, I found my self in total discontent with church, my spirit cried out for something more. It was as if it knew that what I have experienced was not the way it was to be, so I studied every verse about the church to get a picture in my mind of what the first church was like, and I wrote out a paper, a blueprint of what the Church looked like described in the N.T, the church started by Jesus with His first disciples. I quickly discovered that the church blueprint I had written out from the scriptures did not match the church I see in America. The one stated by Jesus, modeled in the N.T. is not found in the traditional American church. But what I did find in the scriptures matched my hearts longing; it was what I ached for inside my soul. In the course of my studying and seek the Lord about His church, the process of my seeking out what is the church, the Lord gave me a greater vision of Himself and His church than what I have seen in the church in America. I feel that what I have discovered is that the Lord is calling true believers out of the consumer church, out of the religious church and into the Christ-centered community of Kingdom life He started with His disciples two thousand plus years ago.

In my dialog with others who are on the same page, fellow church planters, those whom their souls also cry out for the church Jesus started, the one we see in the bible, feel the same call of the Lord to His people and His church; I have found my discontentment in the hearts of so many others.

I agree with one of my fellow pilgrims in the quest of the church we see in scripture that we are asking the wrong questions about the broken and flawed imitation of the church we see, it is not the one that Jesus built, the one the disciples continued building and spread across the known world in the first century. We must begin asking the right questions. We must seek to allow the Lord to exchange our old paradigms for new ones, we must not as the scriptures say pouring New wine into old wine skins. This sort of revolution will only come by us honestly asking the Lord to give us the right questions to ask to reveal to us the true knowledge of Himself and His bride, the church, and to be willing, open to, submissive to, to receive, accept and put into practice what He would revel to us, without discrimination to our personal wants and personal vision as to what it is to be and who He is.

How is it possible for us revolutionaries to conquer the old paradigms? Scripture is the key because Christ is the key within them that unlocks the church. The written word of God reveals the living Word of God, Jesus; it unveils the mysteries of God, and the mystery of the Church. Unfortunately too often believers stop short of their purpose for the church, they are too nearsighted, me-sighted in only seeing their ticket to haven as the sole purpose of salvation and church as nothing more than a dispenser of religious consumer goods for their own pleasure and entertainment. And to often even the revolutionaries stop short too, they are in such a hurry to get out of the old in into the new, that they ask the wrong questions thereby getting the wrong answers, resulting to leaving out Jesus also. They pursue other passions, things other than Jesus and His real church as well. The answer is not found in a method, movement, or post-modern emerging, emergent postmodern philosophies or a set of new programs to join. The problem is not the scriptures, Jesus or Church itself. But the turning away from the scriptures, the real Jesus and what they say and want Church to be. The answer is not found in purpose-driven products, you’re Best Life theology or some other religious gimmick. It is found in Christ; He is the answer to our problems in the church today, it is in the scriptures that we find the blueprint for the church not in culture or the latest guru of the post-modern believers and their philosophies. We do not need to reinvent Jesus, we need to seek out and embrace the real Jesus and reinstate Him as Head of the Church. We do we need to reinvent the church but rather to reinstate the original Church, that is follow the model of the church set before us in scripture. And ask the right questions of Jesus as to how do we get out of Your way, and follow what we see in the first century church. So, in order to see a biblical image of Church we must ask questions which are biblically sound instead of denominationally, culturally, me-centered or emerging that are missed colored with bias and misconception and bad theology.

Doing what Jesus would do. hanging with Marilyn Manson

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:19:00 +0000

In a resent interview Newsboys' guitarist Paul Colman was asked which mainstream artist he would like to tour with, he answered Marilyn Manson, not the answer the typical Christian would have expected, or an acceptable answer the American Church would want from a Christina artist.

But he had it right, that is an answer that every Christ-Like person should both expected and applauded, Paul has it right, that is the typical answer Jesus would have given. Because He hung out with the worst of the sinners. That is who He came to reach, every Christ-Like person should want access to people like Marilyn Manson and his followers, the chance to take the light of hope into their world of darkness. To expose them to the gospel and person of Jesus Christ, take the Kingdom of God near them to see and touch and experience in real time, real life, Jesus and the Gospel in us lived out before them, experience the love, mercy and forgiveness of God. To take God’s reconciliation and restoration to them in a tangible way, a real person transformed by the Gospel, love, forgiveness and mercy of God.

Paul Colman has it right, going to and being among the sinners is where we should live, be found daily, hanging out with prostitutes, drug uses and dealers, thieves, hanging out in the pubs having a beer with the prodigals, with the downtrodden, the oppressed and the outcast, taking the gospel, the light into the darkest of places.

That is doing what Jesus would do.

Beat the Coke Truck

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:31:00 +0000

“Reports have been circulating that the Coca-Cola International Corporation has a business plan with a goal of being able to get a cold Coke within one mile of every person on earth by the year 2020.”

In The January-February issue of Mission Frontiers Magazine that I received in the mail there is an article by Steve Schadrach states that some of his co-workers are “use this company’s goal to motivate Christians to get the gospel within a mile of every human being [some don't know there is a Jesus to believe in] . . . . Although God has supplied us with infinitely more resources (than Coca-Cola has) to get His message out, are we as committed to seeing our job finished as they are?” They came up with the name “Beat the Coke Truck” and use Coke’s company vision and put the Gospel within a mile of every human being.

I agree with their challenge, because Coke’s vision also fits well with mine, is similar to Mission Frontiers, I want to put a church on every street, that Christians would be the church instead of going to church, and the each one would be the church in their neighborhood. That there would be a community of faith, a house church in every neighborhood, on every street in our city, nation and the world. That every disciple of Jesus would live sent, be on mission taking the gospel to the world, that they would be taking Jesus to work, to school to every place their foot steps. My vision is a Christian who is living sent and as the Church be in every neighborhood, thereby every one would be a house away, a cubical a way, a desk a way from the gospel, from the church.

Blueprint of the God life and church

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:48:00 +0000

I have come to understand the God life and church much differently than the traditional belief of the American Church. What I read in the scriptures and see in the life of Jesus is something much different. So I have come up with a new blue print for the God life I desire to live, of what the church is and how it functions. This is still a work in progress, I am still trying to come to grips with and understand the God life, Christian life and church. Above is a diagram of a flow chart of a missional God life that is to be the foundation, blue print of my life in Christ. Each layer, phase of the missional flow of the God life links to a web site that I have made explaining, laying out that part of the life, church and what I see God saying it is to be, that Christ lived and modeled for us to reproduce.

Individual expression of Jesus

www.thechristiannextdoor.com

Individual expression of the Church

www.churchnextdoor.us

Collective Expression of the Church and Kingdom life

www.thecrowdedhouse.us

Synergetic[1] expression of the Church and body of Christ

www.fourteentwentysixgathering.thecrowdedhouse.us

I believe our life should be the touch point for others to see and experience the person and life of Jesus, they should know that He was and is because they see Him and the life the bible said He lived manifested in our life, world view, thinking and actions.

That our home should be the touch point for the Kingdom of Heaven, God life for them, you, your wife and children should be first where they see the kingdom life manifested, lived out. And should be where they see the church lived out (where two or more are their I am), their touch point for the person of Christ. Be where they see and touch the Kingdom community life lived out just as Christ lived it out with His disciples. You at work or school or while shopping at Target should be where they encounter the church and Jesus as well, all of these instances should be where they see the life of Jesus on lived out. Our homes should be more known and identified as the church in the neighborhood than the cold stone buildings that have a sign out front call it a church. Our lives and homes should be know as the place to go to experience church, be part of church, not some glamorizes entertainment center that calls it self the church.

Mouseover the image to and click on to see full flow chart, copy and paste in your browser the links from center of page to visit websites.

[1] Synergetic \Syn`er*get"ic\, adjective. [from Greek expression, from to work together; sy`n with 'e`rgon work.]. Definition: Acting together; enhancing the effect of another force or agent.

The 80/20 church must go away

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 20:20:00 +0000

All churches in America are made up of what pastors call the 80/20, that is20% of the people doing all the work, the truth is what we have is 20% working to provide a Christian country club to the 80% of the attendees. And those 80% do nothing but consume the religious goods and services provide by the 20%. And so that 20% cannot exist for Missio Dei, but for only the comfort and selfish needs of the 80% so that they might have their comfortable religious experience and fulfill what they believe is their obligation to God, so that they can get their ticket to heaven.

Statistically less than 3% of the people and recourses are actual being used for Missio Dei, less than a 10^th of a percent serve as missionaries (and the rest believe that it is only that 10^th of a percent that is responsible for the Missio Dei) and less than 3% of church income is used to fund missions and feed the poor and need, provide for the widow and orphans of the world, they very things we are to be doing something about and using our recourses for. The church would be better off the just remove the 80% who are nothing more than dead weight prohibiting the other 20% from being the real church. What we need it for the church be 100% people who are living as the church in their every day lives, on missio Dei, and being the church for the sake of the world, using recourses to take care of the poor, widow and orphan as God said to. And to live sent into the world, each one going out on mission, living out and taking the gospel to the world, making disciples of them. Their would no longer be the need for multi million dollar entertainment centers, no need or buildings at all really, no need for programs or paid staff. Just the real church we see in scriptures, especially in Act’s, remove the element of church being a building, and institute, and entertainment center that must cater to the 80% that are nothing but consume the religious goods and services provide by the 20%, and you change the pyridine of how church is church.

You can read more about my personal life as a Christian and being the church at www.thechristiannextdoor.com and www.churchnextdoor.us

Whose responsibility is it to carry out the Great Commission?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:21:00 +0000

The following is a test to see how well you know the scriptures and the essentials of Christianity.

Take out a peace of paper and answer the following question:

In fifty words or less, tell me whose responsibility the Great Commission is?

Actually it’s a trick question, it does not take 50 words to answer the question, not even 40, the answer take only one word.

If you answered anything other than ‘mine.’, sorry you fail. You must repeat the class again, please pick up your textbook the Bible and open to Matthew chapter one and re-read paying close attention to the life and words of Jesus. Then repeat this for each of the books of the NT. Then you may re-take the test.

Am I sent?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:17:00 +0000

We are sent, because God is a sending God, it is His nature, His character. So the question is never “Am I sent?” everyone who is truly in Christ is sent. The question to ask to whom am I sent? To where am I sent?.

God has placed you in the neighborhood that you live in for the same mission, to live the same life with the same purpose as He has sent someone to Mozambique or Botswana. He has sent you to the people at your job, school, grocery store, Wal-Mart or a restaurant just as someone He is sending to Thailand or Nicaragua, to join Him in His mission, to be His massager, to be the church among the people of your neighborhood, work place, grocery store just as much as someone sent to the people Nicaragua or Mozambique.

We should them say I am sent, and I am sent to…….fill in everywhere you go today. I am sent the the people of my....... fill in every person you meet at any given moment of the day.

What did Jesus call us to, our mission or His?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:52:00 +0000

When Jesus said, “Come follow me,” this must have stopped the disciples dead in their tracts, cause their hearts to start of pound a thousand times a minute. This was a bunch of ordinary people with ordinary lives being called by an extraordinary man with an extraordinary life. This was the man who healed people, restoring their dignity and inviting them out of oppression. He touched lepers without harm, turned water into wine and caused the fish to over fill the nets. Caused a little to feed thousands, He healed multitudes. He ate and hung out with the outcast, prostitutes, drunkards and the poorest of the poor. While both shunning and condemning the religious. To follow Him was an daring call, a moment to be part of something grater and against the grain of what was established as goodly, righteous and holy way of life.

Then He invited them to come to the local synagogue on Sunday morning for a couple of hours and Wednesday night for another couple of hours. Forget following him around and watching Him do things. And when they got to there, he sat them down and led them through a couple of songs. Everyone sat in the same direction facing Jesus as they listened to him speak from behind a small upright box. The message was on average an hour long, tightly scripted with an introductory joke to arouse the crowd and was primarily about how to “not sin”. It usually included three points, a story from His personal life, and a summary to wrap it all up. He always finished with a challenge to his disciples to do better and closed with another song. At some point in the process he passed a large basket around expecting them to put a little something in to pay the rent and help build a larger meeting place, and for advertising and marketing plans and hire professionals to plan their programs to attract others and to get people to come and join there tight little group. The reality was that those in setup were tired of unpacking and packing up each time they met in this rented building. A new, obviously larger building just made sense. After all them more we pack in the more we get in the basket. Under this scenario you have to imagine the original call to “Come follow me” seems to lose its impact, doesn’t it?

The problem is that this isn’t in the Bible, it is not the life Jesus lead, the disciples where called to or lead. But yet this is exactly what the church and Christendom has practiced over the last 1,700 years, the blue print for every traditional church in America for the last 300 years. And yet Jesus never did it this way, nor did the church in the first three centuries. He went out to the people and restored them. He sought out reconciliation and healing. He engaged His Father’s mission, it was His way of life. Can you imagine watching Jesus heal someone? But in doing so He showed the disciples the way to life, to function in everyday life. He modeled a leadership that empowered them to do it themselves. It was an apprentice model of leadership that taught them how to engage the mission themselves. Nor did Jesus did not say I will assemble a bunch of people together so they can hangout, have free coffee and donuts and be entertained great performers, videos and skits and here some motivation feel good about yourself preaching.

But rather He said I am sending you.

He did not say service to Him was changing diapers, hading out programs or parking cars, He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Paul said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” Paul got it, he understood what Jesus meant when He said follow me, it meant imitate my life, every detail of it, even on to death for the good of others.

We must ask ourselves,

Do I know My Father’s mission?

Jesus understood that God had always been on a mission of restoring all of His creation. He said to Mary when she was looking for Him “Do you not know that I must be about My Father's business? Can you say the same thing?

Is my life structured in a way to accomplish this mission?

Ninety percent of what we think when we say “church” does not exist in Jesus’ blue print. He took ordinary people created a people who changed the world. A people who where the church, not a building that was the church, not an organization with lots of programs made to entertain a bunch of pew warmers and coffee drinkers. But a people who lived exactly as He did and did every thing and even can do grater things than He did, people whose lives looked just like His. Does you life look just like His, are you doing every thing He did, and greater as He promised that His followers would do. "Most assuredly I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

His very invitation invites us into a larger mission of restoration, of true relationship with God, the building of the Kingdom of God on earth, not the building of buildings.

Purpose driven life

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:19:00 +0000

When we do not live on mission, it produces a very marginalized Christianity, a very narrow understanding of Christianity and what it is, when we are not living with a bigger purpose of what a Global God is doing in the whole world. Then your Christianity is going to be about you and you alone, about making you happy, meeting your needs, its about God serving you because what else are you left with? And this can been seen in our traditional church services our contemporary worships services, they are focused soly on the individual and that churches needs only.

If we are not living with the bigger pitcher of what God is doing in the earth, then it is just going to boil down to what God is doing in my life. Our lives are to complex to ask God to give me a “Purpose Driving life” or a “Your Best Life Now”, I do not want God to step down into my existence and give me a individual purpose, I want Him to lift my eyes up to Him and say this is what I am doing now, this is My purpose on earth today and you can be involved in it, be a part of it. That gets me excited, not wow God blessed my little enterprise, my self-purpose, self-plans. Are we so really small minded to think that the God who created all that is, who was and is to be, who decides who take one more breath of not. Is the one I call to be my assistant in life, to do my biding, to enable my plans, to follow my lead or even depend on me to come up with the right plan for His work on earth.

The eternal God of the universe, who is and always will be is actual dong something, working, on mission from day one on the earth, He just not setting there on the side lines waiting on someone to do something to come up with a plan to save the world, reach the lost. He has a plan from before creation and His is actively working in out on earth. And not only is He doing something, He has chosen not to have the angles carry it out His work, and could do so a 1000 times better. But has chosen week and broken vessel who are the most need of Him and redemption to be His emissaries to go out and be His hands and feet to ministry to other who need Him the most. We are a desperate broken messed up people going to other broken messed up people and say we need God, we cannot save ourselves, lets go to God together. That is a bigger and greater mission than I could ever come up with myself anything as great and anything less is a waste of life, for self-glory not God’s glory.

How do we be missional?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 22:41:00 +0000

How do we be missional? Here is a collaborated list of thoughts on how to be missional.

Think Missio Dei. God is a missionary God. As God the Father sent Jesus, Jesus sent us, and empowered us by the Spirit. Isaiah 61:1-2 is God’s manifesto; it is what Jesus gives as his first sermon in his hometown. He opens the Isaiah scroll and read what is to be his manifesto also, and it is mine also, Isaiah 61:1-2 is the goal if missio Dei. As God sent His Son with His manifesto, mission, so Jesus sends His people, His bride the church with the same manifesto, mission.
Think biblically. Be a student of the word of God, Jesus was. Be someone who studies them day and night, who thinks, eats and breathes the scriptures.
Be a Missionalest. If you aren’t, what’s the purpose of you life? Everything in your life should be directed toward participation in God’s mission, accomplishing God’s mission in the world, the restoring, renewal, redemption and reconciliation of all creation. (i.e. “Missio Dei is central in all that we say and do in life.”)
Be a Gospelists. The Gospel must be the very “heartbeat” in the soul of every believer, his worldview it molded by the Gospel, what he thinks about and meditates on is filtered through the Gospel. So then being gospel-centered means the gospel is functional central to your life, at the core of your being, what defines you. (i.e. “The gospel is central in all that we say and do in life.”)
Have a functional gospel-centered identity. Being gospel-centered means the gospel is functional central to your life, at the core of your being, what defines you. It is at the core of your identity, who you are.
Think contextually. If it was good enough for the apostle Paul, it’s good enough for me (1 Cor. 9:19-23). One-size never fits all. The Gospel never changes, but how we communicate it does.
Think culturally, act biblically. We live, breathe, and swim in culture. What's more, it's impossible to be a Jesus-follower in a non-cultural context. If we are serious about being missional, we need to understand the culture and subcultures surrounding us.
Practice incarnational principles. Incarnational living brings the living embodiment of the gospel to our neighbors, manifesting the reign of Jesus to our neighbors, and therefore liberates their suffering. We should consider how we can live in a way that makes the gospel most accessible to the people around us, that is see it at work in your life and Jesus tangible to them be cause you are the living image of Him.
Practice love. As in love God with all that you are, and love your neighbor with the same kind of love you show yourself.
Practice caring for those in need. Give loaves of bread and fish to those without, physically touch today’s lepers, and if you have more than one of something someone needs, give it to them.
Practice compassion. Bringing the same love that Jesus would bring to the broken and the lost.
Practice mercy. Bringing the same love that Jesus would bring to the broken and the lost.
Practice grace and forgiveness. Most people will need to see the gospel in action before they can adopt and practice it. Give grace, give forgiveness. Even if you think it will kill you.
It is about justice. Standing alongside the neglected, the falsely accused, and the abused.
Actively engage in restoration. In God’s mission of restoration, actively working to restore al of creation to wholeness. Not to condemn others who are in a fallen state, but on the mission or restoring them to wholeness and a right relationship with God.
Live in and build authentic community. Jesus was about intentional community, communities engaged in the restoration of each other and the world.
Practicing missional discipleship. Actively teaching one on one others to duplicate the life of Christ by imitating your example of dong it, by your life being about restoring, renewal, redemption and the reconciliation of all creation lived out right before them to see how it is done.
Practice the Great Commission. Share your faith in word and deed. Engage in doable evangelism. Don't discriminate. Instead, share the gospel with everyone regardless of ethnicity, religion, economic or social status.

I intend to make these my non-negotiable way of living a missional lifestyle.

To Be Like Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Dennismuse) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 01:30:00 +0000

This is a great list I came across and add my twist to some of them, this is something to think about, and act on, what it would be like to live like Jesus.

1. Get baptized by the craziest guy in town.

2. Say and do things that are guaranteed to make religious people want to kill you. Repeat again, and again, and again, and again, and again and don't stop unless forced.

3. Do amazing things for people and ask them to not tell anyone.

4. Hang out with the most despised, marginalized, looked down upon, and shunned people you can find. Prostitutes, gang members, druggies, est.

5. When possible, forgive and restore people, even if they betrayed you.

6. Live in a way that provokes gossip.

7. Win the most grace competition.

8. Keep the party going, hang out at the local bar, and buy a round or two.

9. Serve people (note: nose plugs may be required).

10. If you're sad cry.

11. Empower people to do the extraordinary.

12. Act like a rock star in a ~~hotel~~ church.

13. Radically simplify theology. “Explain it to me like I was a 10 year old.”

14.Break human-made religious laws. Repeat consistently.

15.Prioritize the most important over the important.

16. Let women with questionable backgrounds pay your bills.

17. Be courageously willing to demonstrate your love for others.

18. So trust God to rescue people that you don't feel compelled to run around spouting off predictable religious language.

19. Reject the secular-religious dichotomy by treating all of life as the place where God works and spiritual things occur.

20. Be bold on things that matter, but always be driven by genuine love for God and others.

21. Join Scripture to life and life to Scripture, allowing both what God has said with what he is saying to permeate your thoughts and life.

22. Expect, as Jesus did, that living in a fallen world will always make you susceptible to hypocrisy. (What makes him amazing is that he never succumbed to this, but others often did, which is why he warned them/us.)

23. Point out the harmful tendencies of the religious (but do so in a way that demonstrates that you are not bitter but rather angry at those whose ways misrepresent God and hurt people).