Pastor Chuck's Blog

The New York Times put out a fascinating article this week called “Our Fix-It Faith and the Oil Spill” (read it at www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/weekinreview/30rosenthal.html).  Although the news coverage of the spill in the Gulf of Mexico seems to be pouring out as quickly as the oil itself, this story deserves your consideration nonetheless.  Basically the article is about our tendency to put our faith in technology and how this great spill affects that faith.  At one point the author states, “Americans have long had an unswerving belief that technology will save us – it is the cavalry coming over the hill, just as we are about to lose the battle.  And yet, as Americans watched scientists struggle to plug the undersea well over the past month, it became apparent that our great belief in technology was perhaps misplaced.”  Telling words…

Technology is amazing.  We encounter endless forms of it every day, making our lives easier and more productive.  I’m personally grateful for the medical technology that allowed doctors to repair my 2 yr old’s ill-performing kidney, for example.  And a lot of it is just plain cool.  But believing that technology will save us is just plain silly.

On Sunday mornings we’ve been in a discussion about a man who claims to be God.  We’ve been exploring the story of his early years (http://www.churchonmill.com/news_blog/?p=323) through the eyes of a medical doctor and expert historian named Luke.  As we continue this journey, Luke will recount many ways in which Jesus makes the ultimate claim – that he and he alone can save.

I wonder, where are you placing your trust?  Technology, education, looks, money, a job, a person…the list is endless.  But if Jesus is really who He claims to be and if He really did all Luke tells us He did, then Jesus and Jesus alone is the one who saves.

Technology is cool.  I’m grateful for it.  It saved my son’s kidney, but it certainly can’t save his soul.  Jill and I are praying Jesus will do that.

See you soon,
Chuck

As we discussed last Sunday morning at Church on Mill, Mary provides us with a great example of what it means to trust God and live for him no matter what the cost.  As a mere 12-14 year old girl, God gave her a monumental task — to be the mother of the Messiah.  This was a course-reversing, life-altering moment for Mary.  Her response?  ”I am the Lord’s servant; may it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). Wow!

We face many of those crisis moments, though probably on a smaller scale, every day.  Will we be obedient to God, trust him, and obey, or will we do our own thing?  It’s sounds simplistic but in many ways it really is.  How we respond in the small everyday things has a compounding effect on every aspect of life.  Will we be people of simple faith or disobedience and disbelief?

I’m grateful that God is bigger than our disobedience and disbelief – I’ve certainly exhibited more than my fair share of it.  Just as God’s grace covered Zachariah, it covers all his kids.  But, like you I’m confident, I sure would rather go the way of faith.

As Sunday is quickly approaching, I’d ask you a few questions to help you prepare your heart for worship on Sunday:

1. What are you trusting God for that only he can deliver?

2. In what ways are you exhibiting the kind of faith-laden obedience Mary exhibits?

3. Where are you acting more like Zachariah?

4. How can we, as a church, serve one another on the journey of moving from disobedience/disbelief to utter trust/obedience?

I’m loving hearing God speak through Luke to all of us!

Chuck

P.S. – Go Suns!

As most of you know, we started an epic journey last Sunday morning.  Lord willing, we’ll spend quite a few Sundays going through the Gospel of Luke: Investigating the Man Who is God.  We started a new series we are calling The Early Years.  It should be a lot of fun.

To maximize your growth through this compelling journey, I’d encourage you to do a couple of things.

1.  Read Luke during the week.  You’ll come much better prepared to worship and you’ll get more out of the sermons if you are familiar with the material being covered.  For the next six weeks all you need to do is familiarize yourself with Luke 1-2.  Everyone can give 10 minutes a day to this.

2.  Take the time to pray through the implications of what we talk about.  As someone who devotes hours a week in sermon preparation, I know most of what I say you’ll forget; however, look for that diamond in the rough each week…that special message from God to you personally.  As we explore Jesus Christ, make it your personal quest to come in contact with him through what we study.  You’ll be changed in the process!

3.  Consider getting together with a few other COM folks to discuss questions you have, ideas you are chewing on, and even things you may disagree with.  Part of being the church is entering into dialogue on important things.  What could be more important than sharing Luke’s discovery with some friends?  You could do this at breakfast, over lunch, in the evening in a coffee shop or somewhere on Mill Ave., or gather in a home and really fellowship. For this week (Lk 1:1-4), here are a few questions to consider:

a. What implications and applications exist for the manner in which Luke went about getting his information and writing his Gospel?

b. What does it mean to have certainty about Jesus Christ and the Truth?

c. Like Theophilus, in what areas are you lacking certainty when it comes to spiritual things?

d. If you are not yet a follower of Jesus or you are but are having significant doubts, what questions do you hope Luke will answer?

e. What compels you to share Jesus with others?

I can’t encourage you enough to get together & explore what we talk about.  You’ll be so encouraged if you do so.

Looking forward to this journey with you,

Chuck

Yesterday morning we heard from 4 terrific people about how God used churches and individuals to bring them to salvation.  I was thrilled to hear the accounts of all the varied ways God worked in peoples’ lives.  If you are like me, much of your spiritual journey is owed to someone else.  We also heard a great challenge from another Church on Mill member about the importance of living out our faith and sharing Jesus in the context of a real relationship.

I hope God’s Word and the stories of real people touched your hearts.  I hope Jesus’ compassion for the lost reminded you of when he reached down and brought you out of the mess you’d made of your life.  And oh how I hope you were compelled, as I was by God’s grace, to be someone who both lives and shares the Gospel.

But that was Sunday. Today is Monday. How do we live it on Monday?  Let me make two broad suggestions:

1.  Build missional living into your daily life.

If living like Jesus and talking about him doesn’t just become part of daily life, evangelism will always be some unmarked task on the back of your to do list.  It might provoke guilt sometimes, but nothing more.  Instead, let me challenge you to consider how you can adjust your life today (or how you can just think differently about what you are already doing).  How can you live in such a way that people will see Jesus today?  What can you do to be around people who need Jesus?  Here are some great suggestions I saw on another blog.

• Eat with non-Christians
• Walk and actually stop to talk with some of the people you pass
• Be a regular (at the same grocery store, gas station, coffee shop, gym, etc)
• Hobby with non-Christians
• Talk to your co-workers and classmates
• Participate in city activities
• Serve your neighbors – notice what they are doing and offer to help
• Get on board with Church on Mill mission events that come along
• Pray for those you know who are not Christians

Of course my point isn’t to do all of this today!  Just look for ways to build these kinds of things into your lifestyle and you’ll find opportunities abound.

2.  Be prepared to verbally share the Gospel.

People are hard-wired to enjoy stories.  You have a story – the story of how God has changed your life. Be prepared to share it!  I’m not talking about a canned speech, but a heart-felt recounting of what God did and is doing for you.  As you share, sprinkle in one of the two classic approaches to sharing the Gospel.

• God, People, Christ, Response – God is perfect and made everything, People are made in his image but rebelled and now live in sin, Christ came to deliver us and be the sacrifice for us, We can know God if we’ll respond with faith and repentance.

• Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation – God made the world perfect, People rebelled and there has been pain and chaos ever since, Jesus came as the redeemer and he’ll change your life if you turn to him, God is going to put everything together just exactly how he wants it — his children, his world, his universe.

I can’t wait to hear the stories of how God uses you!

Chuck

One thing I’ve already grown to love about Arizona is the plethora of things to do outside.  There’s no shortage of activities to pass the time and keep the body fit.  So many people are conscientious about their health here.  Even today in the rain I saw multiple people riding their bikes. Needless to say, this is a change from where I used to live.  The only sports in Oklahoma are eating and watching football…but don’t tell anyone I said that please.

Everywhere we turn, people tell us how to keep our bodies healthy.  From going to the gym, to eating the right kinds of foods, to supplements, to avoiding stress, there’s lots of advice on how to keep the body going strong.  Physical fitness is certainly important and I’m glad to be raising my kids in a place that cares about it.  But there are other things that need to be healthy too.  In the words of the Apostle Paul, “…bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim 4:8).

Church health is certainly an issue we ought to have on our radar.  Just like our bodies can get sick, injured, and die or can be pushed to grow strong and healthy, churches face similar plights.  On Sundays we are exploring what it means to be the church Jesus intends for us to be…a place of vibrant health where God is glorified, followers of Jesus are growing, and the world is being impacted with the truth of the Gospel.  Last Sunday we looked at a terrific story Jesus told about a man who was forgiven a huge debt but who wouldn’t forgive the small debt of a peer.  In a powerful way it teaches us that the insurmountable grace given to us by God comes with the responsibility to extend love, mercy, and grace to others.  The local church is to be a display of the Gospel.  I believe we are growing in this way at Church on Mill and I’m terribly excited about it!  No church is perfect, but God seems to be doing some great things among us right now.

I’d love to hear what’s on your mind as we walk through this series of messages on the church.  You can post comments here on the blog, email me directly, or look me up on Facebook.  Also, if you’d like to do some reading on this topic, a short but very helpful book on what it means to be a biblical church is Mark Dever’s What is a Healthy Church?  

Praying Jesus makes us more and more healthy!

-Chuck