Jesus' Freak Show

My wife and I recently made a trip to Southern California. As if SoCal’s already not wacky enough, we spent a lot of time in the bizarro belly of the beast…the legendary Venice Beach Boardwalk. What a CRAZY place! I’m tellin’ you, it’s the greatest people watching on the planet. Hippies, surfers, skaters, mimes, musicians, jugglers, break dancers, fortune tellers, tattoo artists…even medical marijuana “clinics.” 

If Venice Beach sounds a freak show, you would be right. There is even a real carnival freak show there! 

This is gentleman who goes by the name of Morgue. And yes, he’s shoved a meat hook into his nose and out his mouth. I told it was a crazy place! 

But is it really different than the church? Because I have a sneaking suspicion this is pretty much how Jesus sees us at Hope Community Church. Not buying it? Then check out what Paul wrote to a church he planted in the city of Corinth…

“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived:  Neither will the sexually immoral, nor idolators nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards, abusers nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And that is what some of you were.  But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1Cor 6:9-11 NIV).

Did you catch that? “And that is what some of you were!” The power of the Gospel radically changes the most jacked up, goofed up and messed up lives! You might think Paul is describing his trip to Venice Beach vacation. But he’s describing the Corinthian church! Before Jesus got His mitts on this crazy crew, they were and endless parade of sinners, goofballs and weirdos. While Christ comes to our rescue, He doesn’t make us “normal.” 

We’re still a freak show. We’re His freak show. Jesus’ freak show.

Ever think of your church as God’s freak show? If you hang out at Hope, there’s a darn good chance you’re spending time with a fair share of people on the list from 1st Corinthians. But then Jesus radically came to our rescue. 

He washed us. 

He sanctified us.

He justified us.

He didn’t make us any less weird. Christ specializes in doing God stuff through goofy people. Paul’s describing the crazy Corinthian church when he says, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise” (1Cor 1:17).

As members of First Impressions, we need to remember these are the people God is bringing through our doors today. As we say, we’re broken people serving broken people. Or better yet, weird people serving weird people. Freaky people serving freaky people. Our mission here at Hope is to love people where they are and encourage them grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. That includes the sinners, goofballs, and weirdos…just like you and me. 

We’re a freak show. His freak show. Jesus’ freak show.

The Church Search Part Six

Is their Good News really THE Good News?

As we continue our search for a new church, we really need to make sure that our new church preaches the Gospel.

But pump your brakes, Jay! Doesn't EVERY church that talks about the Gospel, preach the Gospel? Sadly, no. There are a lot of churches out there that preach the Gospel, but it's probably better called "a gospel." Not the great news of salvation in Jesus, but something much less.

Some proclaim a health and wealth gospel, that Jesus died so that you will never get sick and be rich as Rockefeller. Some preach a law of attraction gospel, that if you simply believe something strong enough, you can make it happen. Others teach a do better gospel, that Jesus may have died for your sins to the point of your conversion, but it's all up to you now. That's just a handful of the heresies out there today. Be very, VERY careful.

It would be a good idea for us to listen closely to Paul's warning to the church at Corinth some 2,000 years ago.

"You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed" (2Corinthians 11:4 NLT).

In his book "9 Marks of a Healthy Church," Pastor Mark Dever warns...
-The Good News is not simply that we are okay.
-The Good News is not simply that God is love.
-The Good News is not simply that Jesus wants to be our friend.
-The Good News is not simply that we should live right.

The Gospel is that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God who left the comforts of heaven to live the life we couldn't live and die the death we should have died. We must admit that we have fallen short of God's perfect standard, that we have sinned and turn to Jesus for His forgiveness. When we accept Christ's death on the Cross in our place, He not only forgives us, but graciously adopts us into His family forever.

Now THAT'S GOOD NEWS!!

In Christ,
Jay

The Church Search Part Four

The Great Commission. Or the Great Omission.

As we continue our search for a new church, it's imperative that we select a fellowship that places a high value on evangelism. Before the Risen Christ ascended to heaven, His last words were crystal clear.

"I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)

Talk about famous last words.

Notice that Jesus' final command was not just for pastors. Or elders. Or deacons. Our Savior commissioned ALL of His disciples to make disciples. That means you. That means me.

That being the case, it's critical to see how the churches we visit view evangelism.
-Are people trained in sharing the gracious Good News of God?
-Are people encouraged to pray and seek opportunities to tell people about Jesus?
-Is the Gospel clearly presented on a regular basis?
-Are there opportunities for folks to respond God's invitation?

Let's be clear. I'm not saying that every sermon must have an extensive presentation of Jesus death on the Cross. And I don't mean that every service must conclude with a guilt-driven altar call. The Good News needs to simply be part of a healthy church's DNA.

Let's make sure that we're obedient to the Great Commission. And not guilty of the Great Omission.

In Christ,
Jay

On Your Mark...

The 4x100 meter relay fascinates me. You take the four fastest runners and see how fast they can circle the track, passing the baton every 100 meters. The race is lightning fast, over before you know it. And because of the blazing pace, there is absolutely no margin for error handing off the baton.

That was not the case for both the men's and women's 4x100 meter relay teams at the Olympics in Beijing. Both teams were favorites for the gold, but both teams failed to make it out of the preliminaries. Why? They dropped the baton. Years of training and hard work down the tubes as the batons bounced on the track.

In the book of Acts, Jesus makes sure that He passes the baton of the Gospel off to His followers. We see that, like the starter of the race, He gives them instructions.

On your mark. Get set. Go!

Just before He heads back to heaven, Jesus tells His disciples...

4 In one of these meetings as He was eating a meal with them, He told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what He promised. Remember, I have told you about this before.
5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking Him, ‘Lord, are You going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?”
7 “The Father sets those dates,” He replied, “and they are not for you to know.
8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 It was not long after He said this that He was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and He disappeared into a cloud. (Acts 1:4-9 NLT)

First He tells them, "On your mark."

Stay in Jerusalem. Like a relay runner waits inside the designated exchange area for his teammater to deliver the baton, Jesus' followers were to wait in Jerusalem.

Once in Jerusalem and waiting, they observe their next instructions, "Get set."

For approximately ten days, our Savior's first followers hung out. Waiting. He had told them to be ready for the Holy Spirit, but they had no idea what to expect. Suddenly, it happened. While they waited in a loft apartment they heard the roar of whirlwind. They saw tongues of fire. Whammo! God baptized all of them in the Holy Spirit. And He gave them power to communicate the message of Christ to a lost and dying world.

"Go!"

This was the signal Jesus told them about. Now, they were to take the Gospel first to Jersusalem. That was convenient since they were already there. And God blessed them as they met in the Temple, shared life together in each other's homes, studied the Bible and prayed together.

It was a great time to be a Christ-follower in Jerusalem. God was adding folks to their numbers each and every day. And the members of this new movement were loved by all the citizens of the city.

It would have been easy to simply stay in Jerusalem. Things were going well. It's comfortable. This is home. But that's not what Jesus commissioned them to do. They were to take the Gospel to not only Jerusalem, but Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.

God made sure that happened. One of the young church's deacons named Stephen got himself in a boatload of trouble. The Jewish leaders arrested him and had him stoned. Stephen's execution turned the tide of the city against Jesus' followers. Once the toast of the town, now they are a target.

Saul was one of the official witnesses at the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem, and all the believers except the apostles fled into Judea and Samaria. (Acts 8:1 NLT)

Did you notice what happened as a result of the persecution? Yup, that's right, believers fled into Judea and Samaria. Anybody think that's just a coincidence? Not a chance. God used the persecution to carry out His plan and purpose to spread the Gospel. If that's not enough proof for you, check out what else Luke writes...

But the believers who had fled Jerusalem went everywhere preaching the Good News about Jesus. (Acts 8:4 NLT)

Jesus would insure that the baton would be passed. The new church may have had a false start and missed the "Go!" command, but the Lord would make sure they hit the road.

As we wrap things up here at Freedom River, God is making sure that His message of grace and repentance is going beyond the walls of our church. While we don't know exactly His reasons in closing our fellowship, it's clear we're to "Go!"

Hopefully we'll run into each other somewhere along the road. Maybe we'll see you in Samaria.

"On your mark. Get set. Go!"

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church in Raleigh, NC on September 28, 2008.

Tell Them Jesus Sent You

As a member of the liberal, godless news media, I'm often given press passes to cover various events. Presidential visits. The Super Bowl. The Olympics. The Final Four. These media credentials allow me to go places because someone in authority has approved my access.

In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), Jesus tells His doubting disciples that His Father has given Him all authority in heaven and on earth. And because of that authority, He is sending them to go and make more disciples.

When they saw Him, they worshiped Him—but some of them still doubted! (Matt 28:17 NLT)

Is that not one of the more troubling verses you've ever read in the Bible?! Why in the world would Matthew include this? If it were left to me to write and edit Matt's gospel, I would have never allowed this one past my desk. But thankfully, the former tax collector was writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, not under my less-than-inspired direction.

The doubt of the eleven was real. How do we know? Well, one of them wrote it down! My guess is that Matthew was one of the doubters. This verse also hints at the accuracy of the Bible. It allows us to see an unsanitized look at these men. We see them, warts and all. Just as their doubt was real, so were these men. Let's face it, all of us have our doubts at some point.

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave His charge: “God authorized and commanded Me to commission you…” (Matthew 28:18 The Message)

But their doubt did not change the fact that Jesus had ultimate authority. Daniel's vision gives us a glimpse of the Heavenly Coronation (Daniel 7:13-14). Let's take a quick look at Six Marks of Jesus' Authority.

1-Jesus is the ultimate TEACHING authority (Mark 1:22).
2-Jesus is the ultimate RULING authority (Ephesians 1:10).
3-Jesus is the ultimate FORGIVING authority (Matthew 9:6).
4-Jesus is the ultimate LIFE-GIVING authority (John 10:18).
5-Jesus is the ultimate CHURCH authority (Ephesians 1:21-23).
6-Jesus is the ultimate INDIVIDUAL authority (Philippians 2:9-11).

So often we struggle with the practical application of Scripture. What do we do with what we've read? Well, Jesus was kind enough to provide specific instructions in Matthew 28 regarding our response to His authority.

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt 28:19-20 NLT)

We are to "go." As a matter of fact, Jesus assumes that we will go. The literal translation from the original Greek says "after going." We're not to sequester ourselves in some bomb shelter or monastery. Jesus expects us to interact with real people in the real world.

We are to "make disciples." Notice it does NOT say "make converts." And this is NOT about forcing people into false conversion. That's a mark of so many false religions. We're to urge or convince others to become a follower of Jesus. Then we are to teach them what it means to follow Him. How can someone ever follow Him if they don't know what to do?

We are to take the amazing message of His Gospel "to of all the nations." Literally, we are "to make disciples from all ethnic groups." His amazing grace is not offered to only people like me. He's calling me to get out of my comfort zone. Reach out to people of every race, nationality and culture.

We do this because Jesus sends us in His authority. We can tell them that Jesus sent us.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church on August 24, 2008.