“Missional” is useless if Jesus is not

“Missional” is useless if Jesus is not the center. If we are not making disciples, we are not following Jesus. http://ow.ly/kMWZK

Interesting article on role of evangelic

Interesting article on role of evangelical faith and therapy. A secular writer cites the value of prayer. http://ow.ly/k4rGF

150+2+90+30,000+1

Check out this video of 150 people from 2 churches working together for 90 minutes packaging food to feed 30,000 for 1 meal.  Thanks be to God!

 

What I learned on Halloween 2011

“Why should the Devil have all the good candy?”

That’s the upshot of what I learned.  Let me explain…

Christians usually approach Halloween in one of two ways: we either hide in our basements or we hand out tracts.   We try to escape Halloween, to not give in to the culture, to not celebrate evil, or for some other reason just avoid the night altogether.  Others take the opportunity to pass out tracks – we offer a piece of candy but stuff in an invitation to worship or some other gospel writ.

I’m normally in the first camp.  I loathe Halloween.  We would, on occasion, hide in the basement or take the kids out to a movie – anything to avoid the night.  I had my reasons – In California, the devil was seriously glorified where we lived and in Michigan I just tired of being a candy dispenser.

But this year, I trust by God’s grace, two things changed my thinking:

The first was a post on John Piper’s Twitter feed that referenced counsel from Jeff Vander Stelt.  He basically says, “Serve the best candy on the block.”

• Give out the best Candy. Please, don’t give out tracks or toothbrushes or pennies…kids are looking for the master loot of candy. Put yourself in their shoes.
• Think of the Parents. Consider having some Hot Apple Cider and pumpkin bread or muffins out for the parents who are bringing their little kiddos around the block. Make your entry-way inviting so they want to come closer and hang for a bit if possible

Second, brother pastor and staff member, Bob De Boer, shared with me that in his previous church, the church set aside resources to have church members grill hotdogs and serve them to the neighborhood on Halloween.

So, Ann and I decided to go for it.  We had a blast.  We turned our driveway into a Lambeau Field tailgate party (minus the booze, of course).  We served hotdogs and handed out candy.  It was an absolute blast.  If we didn’t know a name, we’d ask.  We got to know the people who came to our ‘hood.  One fun moment came when kids at the end of the block ran into their friends coming the other way.  They screamed, “Get to that house over there- they’ve got hotdogs!”  A few parents got out of their cars to talk.  And one man I will not forget quickly – he wore hunger in his eyes and was immensely grateful for the small gift of a hotdog.

And, we even served a Viking fan or two.  How’s that for mission!

I don’t know if we’ll get to do it next year, but it made me want to think of ways to tap into cultural moments to be missional.

Happy All Saints Day!

An Invitation to think about 24/7 Prayer in Orange City

October 24, 2011

Hi friends,

I’m taking some time this afternoon to ask you to think with me about and to give me your wisdom on an idea I have regarding prayer in our community.

Ever since my first Church History class at Northwestern, back in the Paleozoic Era (circa 1986), I have been gripped by the variety of prayer movements God seemed to use as precursors to great works – Zinzendorf and the 100 year prayer at Hernhut, the Haystack Prayer Meeting, and others like it.

At different times, the churches I pastored sponsored week-long prayer times for specific occasions – usually times of decision in the life of a congregation.  These have been times of great joy, with God always seeming to bring about blessings – often in ways we did not expect.  There are only 168 hours in a week, and it generally was not hard to fill the time with committed people.

I have also been captured by cotemporary movements of prayer like 24/7 – http://www.24-7prayer.com/.  They have a number of short videos and at least two books – one is a guide on how to set up 24/7 prayer and the other is a collection of stories called “Red Moon Rising.”  I have also learned a bit from IHOP in Kansas City, but am not quite where they are theologically.

In any event, it is my desire to see if others in the Orange City faith community share similar interests or ideas.

One opportunity that has presented itself to us is that Trinity has taken a short-term lease on the former Mr. Movies building.  We did so primarily to use for Sunday School and occasional Wednesday night use.  But that leaves a lot of unoccupied time – like 166 hours!  I have prayed in the space and I keep thinking it would be a great place to have 24/7 community wide prayer.

I make no claim that this is “of God” or that “I heard God say….”  I only can tell you that I sense God nudging me in this direction.  Part of confirming that is to see if the Holy Spirit is working in any of your lives with similar desires.  Our elders have granted me their blessing to pursue others who may be interested.

I don’t know that we’re ready to launch into a full 24/7 schedule, but I do wonder about trying a few stated times of prayer.  Like “morning prayer” or “evening prayers”, maybe even using some of the classic guides for prayer or themes for a gathering (Monday for schools, Tuesday for business, Wednesday for churches, etc.).

Anyway, this is my first putting out the fleece to see what God might say through you. Leave a comment below with any thoughts you may have.  If there’s enough interest, I’ll set up a meeting for us to gather.

Blessings,

Jon Opgenorth

The Gospel @ Work

This is basically a “re-tweet” of a blog posting on the Verge Network, which was basically a re-tweet from another source.  And it may seem very simple, but sometimes we need a reminder.

Here are the first of 30 ways to bring the gospel to work.  Of course, these are beginning places to build bridges; not the full gospel.  But start somewhere and just do it -

From VERGE:

Many times it’s difficult to find practical ways to be a blessing in your workplace. Rapid pace, mounting deadlines, or co-worker conflict can often derail even the best of intentions to say and show the love of Jesus at work.  Recently, Josh Reeves posted some very practical ideas for blessing others in the workplace:

1. Instead of eating lunch alone, intentionally eat with other co-workers and learn their story.

2. Get to work early so you can spend some time praying for your co-workers and the day ahead.

3. Make it a daily priority to speak or write encouragement when someone does good work.

4. Bring extra snacks when you make your lunch to give away to others.

5. Bring breakfast (donuts, burritos, cereal, etc.) once a month for everyone in your department.

6. Organize a running/walking group in the before or after work.

7. Have your missional community/small group bring lunch to your workplace once a month.

8. Create a regular time to invite coworkers over or out for drinks.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST.

 

What is a missional community?

Allow me to share one more post today – this one from Desiring God Ministries, who is hosting a National Conference called “Finish the Mission.”  One of the speakers is Jeff Vanderstelt of Soma Communities in Washington.  He has a wonderful little primer on missional communities.  His basic definition is ….

A missional community is a family of missionary servants who make disciples who make disciples.

CLICK HERE for a blog post that unpacks that phrase.

Spirit Powered Evangelism

This is Part 5 of a five-part posting on notes taken from Rick Richardson‘s talks at the annual Pastor’s Family Camp that we attend at Inter Varsity’s Cedar Campus in Cedarville, Michigan. Rick heads up Wheaton College’s Masters in Evangelism and Leadership and is a leading expert on various missional movements in the United States.

SPIRIT POWERED EVANGELISM

Church is being set loose to not only pray for healing in local church, but to see it happen.

John 5:1-19

-          What Father does, I do.

-          And John 20 – “So send I you!”

Part of our problem is we get into a scripted activism that keeps us from listening to God.

How doe we see what the Father does?

-          Scripture, community, others, but also…. LISTENING PRAYER

• Still small voice – interior voice
• We tend to dismiss the mystery
• John Paul II – Rejection of imagination = absence of God’s presence.
• Dallas Willard – what happens in the Bible is to be normal human experience with God.
• It is hearing the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit

Why Listening prayer?

1. Increases our power and impact
2. Increases our wisdom for life
3. Increases our sense of intimacy and reality with God.
4. Demonstrates the reality of the Kingdom to the outsider.

Rick spends one day each 6 months listening to God for what to pray during this season.  “As we grow, God gives us less answers and more wisdom.”

How do we listen?

-          The heart of the practice is learning to ask God good questions and waiting until he speaks into your heart.  Jesus, what are you saying?  What are you saying to me?

How do you know it is from God?

-          Unexpectedness – weight of authority

-          Content that conforms to the character of Christ

-          Confirmation by the other lights God has given:

• Scripture, community, common sense

-          We have been taught to doubt whispering

• When we first do it, it’s like coming out of a fog

-          Put the focus on God’s ability to speak more than your ability to listen.

One barrier is that we picture God as formless and void, or a vapor and ghost-like.  But C.S. Lewis in “Miracles” on the presence of God – …… Most real thing we ever encounter.

John Wimber’s 5 steps [still on Vineyard’s website]

1.  Interview – Mk 9:14-22 – Ask questions, listen, risk by saying what you see – be cautious about asking anything.  Don’t try to perform or impress people.  Just follow God’s leading.
2. Diangosis – Mark 9:25 – listen…. Unforgiveness, sin, possession
3. Pray – Mark 9:25
4. Dialogue – Mark 8:26
5. Post-prayer Dialogue – Mark 8:26

APEST and Ephesians 4. Do Apostles exist today?

This is Part 4 of a five-part posting on notes taken from Rick Richardson‘s talks at the annual Pastor’s Family Camp that we attend at Inter Varsity’s Cedar Campus in Cedarville, Michigan. Rick heads up Wheaton College’s Masters in Evangelism and Leadership and is a leading expert on various missional movements in the United States.

One key to leadership in some missional movements is understanding Ephesians 4:7-16 in terms of the architecture of church ministry.

The Way it has been preached –

-          1-10 (unity, bond of peace) and 11-16 (leadership)

-          Leaders equip member to minister, and everyone loves each other.

But there is another view – Marcus Barth

-          V7 is the beginning of the section

• “to each one of us…”

-          V11 – “some to be apostles…” Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers (APEST)

2 shifts

1.  5-fold gifting is the basic make-up of the church.  APEST are not leadership gifts – these are the basic architecture of the church – everyone has either A, P, E, S, or T (or some combination)
2. It’s not the APEST who prepare God’s people, but Christ himself.  We equip one another.

Does this view do away with leadership?  No.  Christ is leader of it all.

Christendom pushed out Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist.

Christendom institutionalized pastor and teacher to maintain ministry.

Christendom divided the gifts.

Church needs to recapture the 5-fold gifts.

Missional Leadership Team –

[Some ways of looking at each APEST gift along with some vulnerabilities]

APOSTLE – Missional

1. Custodian of DNA
2. Pioneer
3. Entrepreneur
4. Architect

Vulnerability –

-          Hard-charging, autocratic, pressure, wounds people, can heap it on.

 

PROPHET – Incarnational

1. Guardian of the Covenant
2. Questioner of the status quo

Vulnerability –

-          Factious and Dogmatic in approach

 

EVANGELIST – Attractional

1. Connector to a cause
2. Recruiter
3. Entrepreneurial
4. Story teller

Vulnerability –

-          Numbers

-          Doesn’t care about people

 

SHEPHERD – Communal

-          Discipler

-          Harmonize

-          Sustainer

-          Social integrator

Vulnerability

-          Codependent

-          Can’t pass on faith

 

TEACHER – Instructional

1. Mediator of wisdom and understanding
2. Trainer, educator
3. Theological information

Vulnerability –

-          Moralistic and uptight

-          Throws bombs

 

Goal is synergy – combined leadership team with APEST.

The barriers are the clergy and the people.

Not living up to the expectations, our soul gets stuffed into a box.

Clericalism is an idolatry – desire to be ordained can be an idolatrous desire.

Temptations eMerging Missional Churches Face

This is Part 3 of a five-part posting on notes taken from Rick Richardson‘s talks at the annual Pastor’s Family Camp that we attend at Inter Varsity’s Cedar Campus in Cedarville, Michigan. Rick heads up Wheaton College’s Masters in Evangelism and Leadership and is a leading expert on various missional movements in the United States.

Temptations eMerging Missional Churches Face 

1.  Kingdom without God at the Center (McClaren)
2. Cross without judgment (Bell)
   -God’s wrath is God expressing God’s love toward us.
   -God loves you just the way you are but he loves you too much to leave you there.
3. Church without Spirit at center
   -Intellectual abstraction did not lead to ethical transformation – so they focused on Jesus, but activism of living like Jesus starts to miss the Holy Spirit.
4. Missional rhetoric without missional reality
   -Tend to miss the point of reaching lost people for Jesus
   -Rhetoric is high to reach out but reality is low.
5. Evangelism without words-Our culture resists “evangelism” as sales, proselytism, but Jesus IS Lord.  Someone has to break the “spell” (illustration from Disney movies..)
   -Words fall on deaf ears because we have words without actions.
   -We use wrong words that reinforce consumerist culture.
   -We preach a gospel that doesn’t quite set people free from their idols.
6. Epistemology without foundation.
   -We need greater epistemological humility – this takes the edge off of our clarity.
   -But we can know much about Christ and the Word.
   -Most cultures have some seeds of God’s glory and some evidences of Satan’s power.