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.

100% God+100% Man=100% Savior!

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14).

The One who spoke the entire universe into being made a decision to rough it.  As the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son was 100% God.  Then something absolutely crazy happened.  Somehow, someway, He added to 100% Godness.  He took on 100% humanity too!  That’s the new math.  The new DIVINE math.  

100% God+100% Man=100% Savior!

But the Son didn’t sit back and chill out after taking on His brand new humanity.  He was about to make a road trip.  He had mission.  The Son packed up and headed to earth.  He headed into the very creation He shaped and formed.  But when He left the lap of heaven’s luxury, He didn’t check into the Four Seasons or the Plaza.  He “dwelt among us.”  John tells us that the Son of God went camping.  The original text tells us us that He literally “tabernacled” (Gr. skeno’o) once He got to earth.  In other words, Jesus set up camp and pitched a tent.  The Message describes how Christ “moved into the neighborhood.”  For the Second Person of the Big Three, His accommodations were just a bit less posh than the glorious palace He enjoyed back home in heaven.  God went camping.  God was roughing it.  And if you have any doubts about all that, remember where Jesus made His arrival.  In a stinky old barn behind the Motel 6 in Bethlehem.  

At this point, John jumps into the story and tells us what he saw.  “We have seen His glory.”  Since we know Jesus’ buddy wasn’t hanging out with the shepherds when the angels lit up the sky in glory, that can’t be what he’s talking about.  The apostle could be talking about that crazy day Christ took him, his big brother Jim and their fishing buddy Pete mountain climbing.  Once they arrived at the summit, something wild happened.  Jesus started changing and glowing!  Their Leader pulled back the curtains of heaven to let them know just who He really was.  Or John could be describing Jesus’ appearance after His resurrection.  And their’s a chance that this is his way of summing up all of their experiences with the remarkable Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilean.  His teaching exposed God’s glory.  His miracles revealed God’s glory.  His love disclosed God’s glory.  John and the boys saw Jesus’ glory with their own eyes.  They didn’t get this crazy stuff second hand.

John and the rest of the posse realized Jesus was more than Mary and Joe’s kid from Nazareth.  He was the one and only Son of God.  While he was a great dad, Joe was His adoptive father.  He and his wife had other kids.  But Christ was an only Child.  His Dad in heaven just one Boy.  Jesus was someone special.  That’s the meaning behind the term we translate “only.”  This is monogenes, which means unique, one of a kind, one and only or the only one like it.  Jesus is unique.  He’s one of a kind.  He’s the one and only.  He’s the only one.  There was and is NOBODY like Him.  Ever.  It’s interesting to understand that the word “Son” isn’t there in the original Greek text.  You can actually write this phrase in English as “the unique of the Father.”  The First Person of the Trinity had only one Son.  There was and is no one else like Him in the history of the universe.  Jesus, the one and only.  

One of the things that made Christ unique was the fact that no one who was so overflowing in goodness spoke so bluntly.  Jesus was “full of grace and truth.”  Everywhere He went, He opened up the fire hose of God’s blessing.  Healing.  Teaching.  Loving.  Caring.  But Christ also pulled no punches when it came to telling the truth about sin.  Just ask the lady caught in adultery.  Or the woman sitting by the well in Sychar.  Or the religious bullies known as the Sanhedrin.  He told them the truth.  He made it perfectly clear that they needed a Savior.  One way to understand John’s wording is that Jesus made the Good News REALLY good because the bad news is REALLY bad.  

That’s what happens when you experience the one-of-a-kind Son of God. 

100% God+100% Man=100% Savior!

Christmas Preps

Over in the book of Matthew, we see folks getting ready for Christmas (Mt 1:1-25).  Getting ready for the FIRST Christmas.  As a matter of fact, God is the One making all the preps.  Unlike me, He didn’t wait until the last minute.  God has been getting things ready for a few thousand years.  I need to remember that the first Christmas wasn’t just this cute, quaint one time event.  It was thousands (if not millions) of years in the making!  And God was behind it all.

Before we read of His birth, we get a meticulous telling of Jesus’ family tree through His adoptive dad Joe.  It’s VERY interesting and important for a couple of reasons.  First, this establishes the Child as coming through the line of Abraham and David on Joe’s side.  God had made super specific promises to Abe and Dave about one of their descendants (more on that later).  Take a moment and check out some of the names of Jesus’ ancestors.  Holy moly!  There are double dealers, cheats, backstabbers, oppressive dictators and a wide variety of knuckleheads.  Not exactly a series of hall of famers.  That’s because this story isn’t about them.  It’s about the one and only Hero of the story.  Christ Jesus.

Second, Matt never refers to Joe as Jesus’ dad.  He makes it very clear here in chapter one that he’s “the husband of Mary” (v16) and “her husband Joseph” (v19).  On the other hand, Matt clearly wants us to be sure Who the real Dad is, the “Holy Spirit” (v18, 20).  Wait, what?!?  Yup, that’s right.  Not the heavenly Father.  But the Third Person of the Big Three.  Joe is a blue collar laborer from the backwater boondocks of Nazareth.  He might be a descendant of the great King David, but he swings a hammer for a living.  His kids will grow up with a strong work ethic.

Third, we read that despite the supernatural influence from His Dad’s side, this Baby has a human mom.  Matty lets us know that after that spectacular conception, Mary experienced a pretty normal pregnancy.  It became clear that “she was found to be with child” (v18).  She would go into labor and give “birth to a Son” (v25).  Mary was the one chosen by God to carry and nurture the Christ.  She was the one “of whom Jesus was born” (v16).  Mary is almost certainly a teenager, maybe as young as 13 or 14.  Joe the carpenter has popped the question and they plan to marry.  But plans change when God gets involved.

This amazing combination of divine paternity and human motherhood comes together in a way no one expected.  He’s not some 50/50 combo of God and mortal.  Nope.  He’s 100% God.  He’s 100% Man.  How does that all work?  Don’t have a clue.  It’s all part of the miracle of the Dude we’ve come to call the God-Man.  The funny thing is that one of my pet peeves is when an athlete says they’ve given 150% effort.  It’s not possible.  The most anyone can give is 100%.  Well, anyone except Jesus.  He can give 200%.  100% God.  100% Man.  And it took every bit of that to save my sorry self.  

Fourth, there’s the Child.  An angel gives Joe instructions on naming this Baby.  “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save people from their sins” (v21).  This is the Greek form of the ancient Hebrew name Joshua which literally means “Yahweh saves.”  When look closely at verse 21, you see that this Child isn’t just some sort of undercover operative sent by God.  He’s the One who’s coming to do the saving.  He’s flesh-wrapped incarnation of Yahweh.  He’s coming on the greatest rescue mission the universe has ever seen.  This One who’s coming to save will have a name to match.  

Matt tips us off to a second title for Joe and Mary’s Boy: “Christ” (v1, 16).  This is the Greek version of the OT title Messiah.  In other words, Jesus is the One everybody’s been waiting thousands of years for.  God first promised our first parents of this Hero back in the garden (Gen 3:15).  He pledged to Abraham that One of his descendants would be a blessing to the entire planet (Gen 12:2-3).  Yahweh assured King David that a Member of his family line would sit on the royal throne for eternity (2Sam 7:13-14).  These are just three of the hundreds of predictions of this God-sent Hero who would come to not just save the day but our very souls.  This Child is the long-promised, long-awaited Messiah.  He’s the Christ.  This term means “Anointed One.”  He’s anointed by God the Father for this incredible search and rescue mission.  He’s anointed with God the Spirit in order to have the supernatural power to accomplish it.

The angel tells Jesus’ adoptive dad Joe about one of the many predictions about this Boy.  He’ll be called “Immanuel, which means, God with us” (v23).  God first shouted this promise through the prophet Isaiah a few hundred years before.  Matt pulls back the curtain and sheds a little more light on the name.  It “means, God with us.”  He doesn’t want Joe to miss the point.  He doesn’t want us to miss the point.  This is not going to be just another Jewish baby.  When Jesus makes the scene in that smelly barn, God will have come down in a way the universe has never seen.  He is God with us.  He is Immanuel.  And what I need to always remember that He wasn’t just with us for a short 33 years.  God is STILL with us!  God is STILL with me!  Just before His breathtaking liftoff back to His Dad, Jesus promised that He wouldn’t ever truly leave us alone again.  God is STILL with us.  God is STILL with me.

Is This Really Happening?

I continue to be absolutely bowled over by the work of God. It seems to happen just about every week these days in the crazy group of folks we call the Church at the Triangle. I'm constantly pinching myself. Is this REALLY happening?

This weekend was no different. Lead Pastor Lee Towns asked me to interview Joshua so we could present his testimony on video during Sunday morning's Experience. So Saturday afternoon, Joshua and I sat down for a quick video shoot. For the next 26 minutes, I heard a man describe in very real, very raw terms what Jesus is doing in his life RIGHT NOW!

The difficult thing was editing it down. What in the world do you leave out of this incredible story? Somehow, someway, I cut the interview down to 3 minutes. I'm honored to share Joshua's story with you.



I'm humbled to say that Joshua is my friend. I just love the way he loves Jesus. And I love what Jesus is doing in His life.

In Christ,
Jay

More

We called it "More." It was truly that.

This past Sunday night, Church at the Triangle hosted our first ever night of worship. Attendance was light at the Royal Event Center. But God's presence was thick in the room. Very thick. I will never do justice in describing what happened. As the saying goes, "You just had to be there."

The evening was a combination of music, prayer and communion. Under Lee Towns' excellent leadership, we entered into times of deep, guided prayer. This was a first for our young church. That seemed to set the stage for an amazing evening in the presence the Lord. This was intimate, heart-changing prayer. The kind of prayer that remolds you in such a way that you leave the room a different person than when you entered.

We're planning another event like this in August. While I'm hoping God moves in a similar way once again, what happened June 28th cannot be duplicated.

Something happened Sunday night. Maybe I should say Someone happened.

In Christ,
Jay

Rattling My Cage

Ever get your cage rattled?

You know, something happens in your life that is totally unexpected. Out of left field. A belt from the blind side. Never saw it coming. But yet you deserved it. You had lost focus on the main thing and started majoring in the minors.

Then... WHAMMO! God does some serious cage rattling.

Well, that's what happened to some folks who were simply minding their own "bidness" while doing "bidness." Suddenly out of nowhere, this Guy storms in, chasing away their livestock and dumping their cash registers on the ground. You see, these people had lost their focus on what was really important.

Jesus not only did that to the moneychangers and animal vendors in the Temple courts, but He does it to us as well. In the same way that He ferociously cleared the Temple, He upsets the apple cart in our lives. Especially when He needs to get our attention.

What in the wide, wide world of sports is the connection between what Jesus did 2000 years ago recorded in John 2:13-25 and my life as a Christ-follower today? Don't forget that each believer is a Temple for the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 4:7). Jesus will ferociously protect this Temple as well.

Gotta admit, I'm not crazy about this when it happens. And God rarely does it the same way twice. Illness. Death of a loved one. Loss of a job. Major life crisis. The Lord will definitely use these to get our attention back on the main thing. Namely, Him.

I may not like it, but a little cage rattling now and then is really good for me.

In Christ,
Jay

The Prodigal God

Thank you, sir. Can I have another?

These words rang in my head as I read Tim Keller's amazing book "The Prodigal God." This itty bitty 132 page punched me in the gut like Buster Douglas pounded Mike Tyson. With each paragraph, Keller's insights on Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son landed body blows on my soul.

And somehow, I liked it. In someway, it was good for me. In the words of the great philosopher and theologian John Mellancamp, "It hurt so good." Kinda like a velvet hammer.

Thank you, sir. Can I have another?

In "The Prodigal God," the author points out that we have long overlooked the powerful Second Act of the parable, what Jesus had to say about the Older Brother. He correctly reminds us that the Older Brother is just as lost as his younger sibling. The Older Brother has obeyed his Father in order to get something in return...NOT out of love.

For someone like me that's worked hard to obey the Lord, it makes me stop and wonder about my motive. Am I obedient simply because I want something? Shouldn't the Father's love be enough. Ouch.

Thank you, sir. Can I have another?

Do yourself a favor. Read "The Prodigal God." But be warned. It packs a punch.

In Christ,
Jay

A Lame Hobby

Church is a really lame hobby.

I heard Matt Chandler of the Village Church in Dallas say that in his weekly podcast. No truer words were ever spoken! He talked about if church is only a hobby to you then it's really nothing more than weekly Christian version of Halloween. You get all dressed up in your costume and pretend to be something you're not.

Church is a really lame hobby.

I think that's what Jesus was talking about when He said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God" (Matt 15:8-9 NLT).

If church is only my hobby then I'm just wasting my time. And yours. Church is SO much more than that. It's folks in community who share a radical and counter culture belief in Jesus and who are on a mission to reach as many others with His message as possible. Church is no hobby. It's a passion. A passion for Jesus. A passion for people.

If that's not what church is to you, then go home. Do something else. Sleep late. Play golf. There are plenty of great hobbies out there. But Matt Chandler was right...

Church is a really lame hobby.

In Christ,
Jay

A Heart away from Home

Ever go some place far away yet it feels just like home? Well, that's how I feel about "The Heart," a wonderfully funky church in Boone, NC.

Over the past few years, my wife and I have dropped in on the folks at "The Heart" on some of our little weekend getaways to the North Carolina mountains. Our first visit just felt right. Do you know what I mean? Even though we didn't know a soul in the place, we felt right at home. We love the people. We love their band. We love the sermons. But most of all, we love the way they love Jesus.

My relationship with the folks at "The Heart" took a couple of giant steps forward in December. Pastor Richard Miller graciously asked me if I would preach while he was out of town. So, I humbly took him up on the opportunity, continuing his series "The Grinch: Enlarging Your Heart."

On December 14th, we looked at enlarging our heart to be more passionate. Using Mark 12:33 as the basic text, we learned that Jesus wants to change our hearts so we would have...
-A Passion for His Presence
-A Passion for His People
-A Passion for His Plan

It was great to be back preaching again. First time since September 28th at Freedom River.

Then two weeks later, the worship pastor at "The Heart," John Hawkins, asked me if I could fill in on guitar. Wow, did that feel good! Again, the first time to play in a praise band since October 5th, our last service at FRCC.

If you're ever in Boone over a weekend, I highly recommend a visit to "The Heart." They meet at Watauga High School and the service starts at 10:30am each Sunday. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Check'em out at http://theheart.us/.

I want to thank Richard Miller, his wife Terri and John Hawkins for graciously inviting me to be a part of God's work at their church. But most of all, I want to thank Jesus for opening the door and making this happen.

Can't wait to see what He's up to next!

In Christ,
Jay

Church Search Part Seven

As we close out a VERY eventful 2008, some of us are still searching for a new church while others are settling in somewhere. As we wrap up our "Church Search" series, we need to remember one very important fact...

Plug in and get your serve on!

A couple of thousand years ago, Paul wrote about the importance of each believer not only being connected to other believers in a church, but totally plugged in and serving. He compared the church body with the human body and said, "God has put each part just where He wants it" (1 Corinthians 12:18b NLT).

Kinda reassuring, isn't it? God's going to make sure that He has you right where He wants you. The next part is up to you. Find out what your spiritual gift is and then find out how you can use that gift in helping folks at your new church.

Plug in and get your serve on!

Let's take a quick back look at our checklist in finding a new church home...
1-Do they worship the Jesus of the Bible?
2-Do they preach and teach from the Bible?
3-Do they have a passion for reaching people for Jesus?
4-Do they have a passion for discipleship?
5-Do they preach a Christ-centered, biblical Gospel?

We also looked at four books that can help us in the search...
"Church: Why Bother?" by Philip Yancey
"Who Moved My Church?" by Mike Nappa
"More Jesus, Less Religion" by Stephen Arterburn & Jack Felton
"Nine Marks of a Healthy Church" by Mark Dever

I want you to know that it has been an honor to serve as your interim pastor...even in the past couple of months after we didn't have a church. I hope that I've been able to provide you with some encouragement and instruction during this time of transition. I pray for you and your search daily.

And when Jesus does place you where He wants you...

Plug in and get your serve on!

In Christ,
Jay

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

The Church Search Part One

So, for whatever reason, you're looking for a new church.

Where do you start? What do you look for? What's important? How big? How small? What style? What denomination?

The answers to many of those questions are really up to your own personal preferences. Let's call those "the non-essentials." But as we search for a new church, there are a few things that we must not compromise. We'll refer to those as "the essentials."

First of all, do they worship Jesus?

This question is so simple that it may seem obvious. Let's face it, just about every church mentions Jesus' name in some way. But there are often subtle, yet VERY dangerous views of Christ. Maybe the better question is what Jesus do they worship?

We must remember who the Bible says Jesus is.
The one and only Son of God.
The one and only Savior.
The one and only Way to the Father.
Fully God and fully Man.
Lived the perfect life that we couldn't live.
Died the death that we should've died.
Risen to life so that we could attain eternal life.
Ascended to the right hand of the Father.
Ruling and reigning from heaven.
Returning one day soon for His people and judge the world.

Paul describes Jesus in one of the great passages in the Bible...

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see--kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through Him and for Him. He existed before everything else began, and He holds all creation together. Christ is the head of the church, which is His body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so He is first in everything. For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of His blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-22 NLT)

When we visit churches, let's make sure to check out what they stand for and whom they worship. Research their doctrine and theology on their websites. Ask questions of the pastor and folks who attend.

And, first of all, make sure they worship Jesus. Our Jesus.  That's essential.

In Christ,
Jay

The Search Begins...

Last Sunday was different. Last Sunday was difficult. For the first time in seven years, Deb and I were no longer members of Freedom River. For the first time in seven years, Deb and I were searching for a new church.

We decided to check out Triangle Community Church in Cary (www.tcc.org). We visited there back in 2001 when they were meeting at an elementary school. They’ve since moved into a beautiful new facility.

Honestly, I was fine until we started walking through the parking lot to the front door. Suddenly, I had huge empty feeling in my gut. At first I thought it was a bad bowl of cereal, but soon realized I wasn’t going to FRCC. As a result, I didn’t want to go.

But I did.

Despite the fact that the church is basically in our neighborhood, we didn’t know a soul. Once again, I felt very alone.

The band was excellent. But they didn’t play our songs. And they only played one song that we knew (“Better Is One Day”). And they didn’t play that one our way. Sheesh.

It was hard to get an idea of what their full service was like because they spent most of the hour baptizing folks. Young. Old. Middle aged. It was an excellent example of Christ’s work in their church right before our eyes.

In the end, I was glad to go. David wrote, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD’” (Psalm 122:1 NLT). Despite all of my loneliness, it was good to be with God’s people. We’ll definitely give TCC another shot in a few weeks. But there are other great churches to visit in the coming months.

I realize that it’s going to be hard for many of us to go anywhere other than FRCC. And I write all this to let you know that you’ll probably have some powerful feelings when you do go. That’s OK. It’s part of the process.

It would be very easy for some of us to punt this church thing…at least for a while. Let me encourage you NOT to do that. Keep in mind the powerful words of the writer of Hebrews: “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25 NLT).

Can’t wait to hear updates of where you guys have visited.

In Christ,
Jay

No Words

No words.

I really want to say "thank you." But there are simply no nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs or conjunctions that will do the job. And "thank you" seems so shallow and so ineffective in communicating my gratitude to you. Let me try anyway.

Thank you SO much for the humbling opportunity to be your pastor. You showered me with so much love, grace and encouragement in my role of shepherd. While the past few weeks have been extremely difficult, the Freedom River family has made it an absolute joy. I really appreciate how you gave the "rookie preacher" a lot of rope.

No words.

Thank you SO much for the opportunity to be your worship leader. From the moment I walked in the door, I could sense a passion for worshiping Jesus, especially through music. You made it so easy. You allowed me to take chances and continually pulled for me to succeed. I will always cherish our Sundays singing and praising our Savior together.

No words.

There are a boatload of folks I wish there was space to mention, but I would like to specifically thank a few people...

The Worship Team--WOW! You guys have amazed me for seven years, not only with your gifts and talents, but your heart for Jesus.

Ross Turner--What a friend, mentor and brother in the Lord.

JJ Swick--Always there, never wavering...that's why he's Elder Rock.

Jay Izso--Gotta love a guy who'll speak hard truth with a soft heart.

Ryan Keeter--He loves Jesus and my daughter...a great combination.

Scott Barfoot--Thanks for your endless trust and support.

But most of all, I want to thank the two most important people in my life. First, my wife Debbie, absolutely the greatest wife and partner a man could ever dream of. Baby, you're the greatest.

Finally, I couldn't fathom doing any of this apart from Jesus. My Savior continues to do such amazing things right before my eyes. In the words of the Caedmon's Call song Lead of Love: "How You've made good of this mess I've made is a profound mystery."

See I told you. No words.

In Christ,

Jay

Die and Let Live

It just doesn't make sense.

So often in life, we rely on common sense. We do what's intuitive. But there are times when it's best to do what doesn't make sense. We do what's counter-intuitive.

A great example might be our family vacation to Disney World several years ago. A friend of ours moved to Orlando and just loved to be a tour guide when folks went to see Mickey. She gave us the pregrame speech.

With the passion and focus Knute Rockne, she told us, "We're going to get to the park early, ready to go when the gates open. When they open the gates, just about everybody will go to the right. But we're going to the LEFT!"

But her strategy didn't stop there. We would wait in line for a ride and when the doors would open she would grab us and say, "Wait...wait...let 8 to 10 people go on ahead of us...NOW! GO! GO!" And sure 'nuff, we'd be sitting right smack dab in the middle of the row.  Right in the perfect spot. 

She knew what to do, when to go. And many times it was counter-intuitive.

The Bible is chock full of counter-intuitive teaching. 

-The first shall be last. 

-Love your enemies. 

-Gain the world and lose your soul.

Jesus provides us a classic example when He teaches about dying in order to bring life in John 12:20-26. He tells His disciples that we must die and let live.

It all begins when a group of Greeks in town for the Passover ask Philip for an appointment to see Jesus. One of those "have your people talk to my people" kinda moments. When He hears of their request, Jesus' response seems out of left field.

23 Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into His glory.
24 The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone—a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.
25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26 All those who want to be My disciples must come and follow Me, because My servants must be where I am. And if they follow Me, the Father will honor them.” (John 12:23-26 NLT)

But the Savior was saying, "They want to see Me, huh? Well, just wait until Friday when they see Me on the Cross. Just wait until they see Me laid in the tomb. But most of all, just wait until they see Me on Sunday, the Risen Lord!"

The heart of Jesus' teaching is the counter-intuitive idea of how death brings new life. Like the seed that must die, planted in the ground, brings about new life, so the crucifed Christ must die, planted in the ground, and brings about new life.

Die and let live.

And Jesus asks His followers to do the same. Die and let live.

As Freedom River considers bringing this ministry to a close, we must find hope in the fact that death brings about new life. While we don't have the perspective of time, I truly believe that the dying "seed" of FRCC can bring new life in many ways, to many other churches. It's one of the most counter-intuitive you can imagine. The death of the church actually bringing life.

Die and let live.

I realize that so many of us are struggling with feelings of failure. That's certainly understandable. But research about church planting reveals some very sobering statistics. Depending on your source, 70-80% of all church plants fail. I think that points to the fact that the only real failure is not trying at all.

Is Freedom River a failure? Well, the apostle Paul never led a mega-church. Matter of fact, several churches he planted closed their doors. Was Paul a failure? I don't think so. How about the eleven apostles. Ten of the eleven were martyred for the sake of the Christ. Were they failures? Not in the least. Again, the only real failure is not trying at all.

There is life in death. There is hope in failure. God makes sure that absolutely nothing is wasted!

Die and let live.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church in Raleigh, NC on September 21, 2008.

The First Supper

As a seminary student, I study great theologians and philosophers like Calvin, Luther and Spurgeon. I also enjoy such modern day thinkers as Carlin, Letterman and Seinfeld. OK, so they may not be as deep as the previous three, but they are no less insightful.

They have a unique perspective on our language and culture, which is chock-full of goofy words that really don't make any sense. For instance...
-Why is it called a "hot water heater"? Why do we need to heat water if it's hot?
-Why do we drive on a parkway and park on the driveway?
-If we get corn oil from corn, where do we get baby oil from?
-If they call it tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
-Why do "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?
-Why is the word "abbreviated" so long?
-Does it bother you that doctors call what they do "practice?"

And we do the same in our faith as well. We use words and phrases that really aren't appropriate. The classic example is what has become known as "The Last Supper."

Actually, when Jesus gathered His twelve followers in the room upstairs, they were actually celebrating "The Last Passover." It's the meal Jews refer to today as the Seder. Just a few hours later, Jesus would offer Himself on the Cross as the ultimate Passover Lamb (1Cor 5:7).

In those tender evening hours with His closest friends, our Savior gathered for what we should more appropriately call "The First Supper." It was at this meal when Jesus boldly offered the Cup of the New Covenant, the long-awaited promise from the Old Testament (Jer 31:31-34).

"After supper He took another cup of wine and said, "This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you--an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you." (Luke 22:20 NLT)

So as we celebrate the Lord's Table again, let's remember that evening that Jesus gathered His disciples for "The Last Passover." The night they took part in "The First Supper."

In Christ,
Jay

Glorious: Love Is a Verb

Wow, it's hard to believe our "Glorious" series is just about over! Over the past few weeks, we've examined the breath-taking attributes of our glorious God. We've seen that...

-God is Faithful. Our faith is only as strong as what we put our faith in.
-God is Holy. His holiness convicts, cleanses and commissions us for service.
-God is Eternal. As the Great I Am, Jesus is always in the present tense.
-God is Good. Celebrating the Lord's Supper, we tasted and saw that He is good.
-God is Powerful. He has the power to do as He pleases.
-God is All-Knowing. Jesus sees every breath you take.
-God is Humble. And we're to have the same attitude.
-God is Sovereign. The Father sent the Son and now the Son is sending us in His authority.
-God is Near. How good it is to be near God.

And finally...
-God is Loving. Love is a verb.

It's hard to find anyone today who does not play fantasy football. And there is nothing more important in fantasy football than the draft. You pour over magazines, scouting reports, websites and TV shows to glean any tidbit of info that you can use to make the absolute best picks. You want that player who can do the most for you...score the most touchdowns, catch the most passes, run for the most yards.

But in the book of Deuteronomy, we see God make His number one pick in the draft...and it's anything BUT the best player. Check it out.
7 “The LORD did not choose you and lavish His love on you because you were larger or greater than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations!
8 It was simply because the LORD loves you, and because He was keeping the oath He had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you with such amazing power from your slavery under Pharaoh in Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8 NLT)

God chose the Jewish people not because they were big, powerful, good-looking or lived in a great neighborhood. The Bible says that it was simply because He loved them. Nothing more. And because God loved them, He did something. He freed them from slavery in Egypt.

Love is a verb.

Let's take a look at Five Facts of God's Loving Acts.
-God loves GRACIOUSLY (Rom. 5:8)
-God loves SELFLESSLY (John 3:16, Gal. 2:20)
-God loves CEASELESSLY (Psalm 136:1)
-God loves SACRIFICIALLY (1John 4:10)
-God loves UNBREAKABLY (Rom 8:38-29)

God's love is always in action. That's because Love is a Verb.

What's our response? To live and love like God. Love is NOT a warm fuzzy feeling. It's action, always action.

Love is a Verb.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church on September 7, 2008.

154 Shopping Days Until Christmas!

Well, that headline may have caught you off-guard. Why in the wide, wide world of sports should you be worried about Christmas when it's not even September? That's because it won't be long before we start the 2008 edition of Operation Christmas Child.

Operation Christmas Child is the shoebox ministry of Samaritan's Purse that sends Christmas presents to underprivileged children in desperate situations around the world.

Freedom River has used OCC in years past to touch the hearts of kids half a world away. We're excited to take part again in 2008.

So what do you do? Well, start hanging on to those shoe boxes. Pray about how God might use you to make an impact through this very simple, yet powerful opportunity. If you want more info on OCC, go to http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/index/.

One difference we're making in 2008 is that we're asking our small groups to head up this project. I can't think of a better mission project for our groups as we head into the Christmas season.

We'll have more information for you soon. But remember the words of Jesus who said, "When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" (Matthew 25:50 NLT)

In Christ,
Jay

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.