Category: Thursday Greenhouse Gathering

bigCHURCH “Big Country Club”

Whatever your experience growing up…wasn’t it cool to belong to a club? Whether it was Beta Club, Phi Kappa Phi, Letterman Jacket from Sports, Letterman from Band or the Key Club, wasn’t it fun? If we’re honest we love that! To have the prestige and honor to be a part of something bigger than you…people who had the same mindset as you! Guess what, we treat the Church the same way…but was that really it’s intended purpose? Was it supposed to be a bunch of like minded individuals who looked the same? Let’s see how the early Church responded to this!

How has the Church become like a Big Country Club?

Acts 15

• After Growth We Become INSIDER FOCUSED > OUTSIDER FOCUSED (Acts 15:1-5)
  • After experiencing a tremendous amount of growth in the Jewish population, the Church to the rest of the world (the Gentiles)…and all of a sudden it went from a gathering of folks who talk, walk and look like us to a blending of people! And that made the Religious Pharisees upset. So they set up rules to be part of the Church. Sound familiar?
    • Some of us may have had that Church experience. We have been excluded from the Church for the color of our skin, the way we talk, divorce or even a past sin! That’s not at all why Jesus came.
  • Jesus didn’t stay insider focused to reach us…instead He became outsider focused and came to us. Many times we start in the Church that way to bring in the outsiders. Yet, we seem to gravitate to folks like us like a Middle School dance 😀
• We tend to stick to the LAW > GRACE (Acts 15:18-21)
  • To the Jewish people Moses represents the Law because he brought it down from Mt. Sinai (Remember the 10 Commandment). But at this time in the Church the Ten Commandments had grown to over 600+ laws. Each one becoming more and more exclusive. The Early Church didn’t accept to stay in the Law alone to move forward.
  • Jesus came to fulfill the Law and by the Grace He gives us we are saved. So did Jesus model one over the other? NO. He operated fully in both…GRACE and TRUTH!
• We tend to SURVIVE > ADVANCE (Acts 15:30-31)
  • The Early Church sent a delegation. Not an email…not just a letter…a delegation to not hinder growth but to accelerate it around the world. They didn’t decided to keep it in house!
  • So many times as we grow in the Church we reach a magic number where we don’t want to grow any more, but don’t want to lose what we have!
    • When we start we take risks and step out in FAITH…but then comfort and routine sets in & the momentum we were a part of at the beginning brings us FEAR at this point.

When you look at the Church (the people not the building) around you…does it talk, walk and look the same as you? Or is it an multinational, multigenerational, multicultural group of people brought together to lift of the name of Jesus! We often get to be a part of the biggest miracles when we are surrounded by others who aren’t like us…like the early Church! Let’s stop making rules for Membership and start stepping out to meet others right where they are—just like Jesus did for us!

Take Away:
Who is Jesus placing in your life that doesn’t talk, walk or look like you? Can you see the beauty of His purpose in bringing you together?

 

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bigCHURCH “Big Reach”

I remember when I first moved out West looking for a Church! It was the strangest thing to me to have to look for a Church. Down South we have multiple ones on every corner! It lead many to ask “Why was I even looking?”…And I remember asking “You don’t?” And if we are completely honest about the Church in America it’s an institution (an icon if you will). It’s the place we go for weddings, funerals and the occasional family baptism…and even if you attend weekly it’s become the comfort of “I’m a good person because I go to Church”. The Church never started that way though! It was a MOVEMENT of BOLD people kicking back the gates of Hell at every opportunity. So How Did the Church extend it’s reach?

Acts 5:22-42  Acts 7:54-8:3  Acts 9:1-31

• REACH is not a DESTINATION but a LIFESTYLE of OBEDIENCE to CHRIST!
  • The Church (the Way) has exploded to over 5000 people! This is almost 10% of the Jewish population in Jerusalem at the time!
  • The Church met in homes, the street and in the Temple in Jerusalem! The Church was causing Holy Havoc (sorry…Pastor Joke :D)! The elders decide to free them in Acts 5 and say that if this is of God the movement will not be stopped…otherwise it will die with the previous leaders who died and there followers disappear!
  • There are leaders springing up through the new Church! One is the first martyr we find out about in Acts 7…Stephen
    • Stephen was chosen to lead the distribution of the food to widows
    • Stephen, was full of faith and power, and performed signs and miracles
    • Then…Stephen is accused of Blasphemy against the Temple and is carried out to be stoned. He preaches the Gospel while he is on trial and then asks for God to forgive those who are stoning him
  • Enter Saul in Acts 8.
    • He fought to destroy the Church by dragging people out of homes and put into prison any one who spoke the name of Jesus
    • For 3 years Saul persecutes the Church…and then asks permission to go to Damascus to stop the “reach” of the Church!
    • On the way we know of Saul’s Conversion in Acts 9
    • Here is how Paul’s life played out
      • 33 AD He becomes a Christian on the way to Damascus
      • 33-47AD Paul goes around preaching and teaching
      • 47-57 AD Paul plants Churches all over the known world
      • 58 AD Paul is put in prison and writes his letters to the ROMANS
      • 66 AD Paul is put in prison and is eventually killed by Nero

Paul’s life was so radically changed by Jesus that he lived out his life so that we could know the Gospel! God worked through him to bring the Gospel to those who weren’t Jewish or knew the Torah! He gave his life so that we could search for a Church today! I wonder why those of us who are Christian, who have stepped in the same faith as Paul and radically been changed by Jesus, take the Church as an institution…a destination…a place?

Take Away:
How far would your “reach” extend if you lived a life that was meant to be beyond you?

 

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bigCHURCH “Big & Bold”

When I hear “BOLD” I think of a few things….Flavor and Business! Maybe that’s the brokenness of my heart speaking! What About you? When I say the Church was meant to be BOLD what do you imagine? What if I told you that the BOLD Church is not the one shouting how wrong the world is around them! Would you still have hope for the Church? Let’s Dive IN and See what the BOLD Church really looks like!

Acts 3  Acts 4
What is Bold?

• BOLD is about JESUS—It’s Not About ME (Acts 3:1-10 Acts 5:12-16)
  • Context of the time frame. Jesus has walked the earth for 40 days after the Resurrection! Then Ascends to Heaven. The Holy Spirit comes down at Pentecost and 3000 added to the Church (called the Way). The Jewish Festival of Weeks celebrating the Torah coming down has just given way to The Jewish Yahrtzeit! So Jews from all over are gathered in Jerusalem at this time! Coincidence or God’s timing?
  • After Peter gets to preach at Pentecost he comes to a man at the gate called Beautiful! The man asks for alms (2.5% of income that was given to the poor) and Peter tells he doesn’t have the money but the power of the Holy Spirit. And the lame man walks! Peter knew it wasn’t about him but stated “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up!”
  • The sick were laid in the street to even be healed by Peter and the Apostles’ shadow. In John 14:12 Jesus promises greater things we will do in His name! The Apostles shadow healed…Jesus was touched to be healed! His promise is true!
• BOLD is about STEPPING OUT in OBEDIENCE—It’s Not About MY GOOD IDEA
  (Acts 4:1-11)
  • The Church goes from praying in an upper room in Acts 1 to preaching Jesus’ name at the Temple in front of the very leaders who put Jesus to trial!
  • Peter tells that this isn’t an idea of 12 that grew to 100 that exploded to 3000 as to why The Church was growing. But was instead the obedience to do what Jesus told them to do! And then to preach Christ Crucified.
• BOLD is about HEART KNOWLEDGE—It’s Not About RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
  (Acts 4:13-14)
  • The High Priest Annas (the Priest who Jesus was sent to before He went to Pilate), Caiaphas (who is thought to originate the plot to kill Jesus and was in the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus) were there! As well as all of the Jewish elders! They had just seen Jesus crucified less than 2 months ago…and the empty tomb—but their religion would not allow them to see who Jesus is! They’ve seen Jesus do miracles, and the Apostles are doing miracles and they are still blinded as to the why behind it all…though they could build the case for God better than anyone!
  • Peter, an uneducated man (didn’t have the Torah memorized…remember what the Festival of Weeks Celebrates)…preaches to them Christ Crucified for redemption of our sins!
• BOLD is about ETERNAL DESTINATION—It’s Not About CURRENT POSITION (Acts 4:15-22)
  • When they were intimidated to not spread the Gospel—the Apostles grew bolder! Instead of using a position of intimidation (Religion) they instead preached Jesus’ name. They were operating out of Obedience to God’s eternal plan not fear of man’s worldly plan!

***Aren’t you glad that someone from a BOLD Church invested in you? Kept praying for you? Believed the best in you? The Church wasn’t always meant to be BOLD…not religious police!

Take Away:
What would BOLD look like in Your life? Your Work? Your Community?

 

What Area is God Calling you to be BOLD in that comfort has crept in?

 

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Opening Day

When I say “Church” what images come to mind? Some of us may say the building down the road, the online church we attend, the school my children go to—others may have a much darker image come to mind…one of hurt, anger and mistreatment. This week, we are going to dive in to what the Bible says about Opening Day for The Church in Acts 2 and how we can the same image in mind He did for The Church!

Acts 2

• The Church is a MOVEMENT Not A SYSTEM (Acts 1:4-8 Acts 2:1-13  Matthew 28:18-20)
  • Jesus promised in Acts 1 that when the Holy Spirit came down it would be the movement that spread the Gospel to the ends of the Earth and fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28
  • There are at least 14 different groups hearing their own languages spoken at Pentecost in Acts 2
    • That lead to the moment Peter, the one Jesus told in Matthew 16 would lead the Church, was made for…to kick off Opening Day of the Church
• The Church is a PEOPLE Not A BUILDING (Acts 2:22-24,32-33,36-39)
  • The Greek word for Church is Ekklesia…translated to an Assembly/Gathering
  • The English word for Church is Kirche…translated to Lord’s House
    • This has been the source of bad theology about the Church for generations!
  • It was never meant to be one church in one location but to be a body of people spread all over the world!
  • The Church wasn’t meant to be a style, a ritual, or location…it was meant to be a people together working towards one mission
• The Church is The MISSION for MULTIPLICATION Not A SUGGESTION For ADDITION (Acts 2:40-41)
  • The Church has always had the mission to do one thing: Create Followers of Jesus. When that happens, Jesus does what only He can do and multiplies what only we could add.
  • We can get caught up in buildings and styles of worship but when we do we miss the point of it all! The Church is the people gathering together for one mission one purpose…to point others to the Hope that is only found in Jesus.

 

Take Away:
What was your most vivid experience from Church? Good Or Bad? Why was it so?

 

 

How has learning about what the Church is supposed to be changed your perception of Church? Is Jesus calling you to be a bigger part of the God’s movement?

 

 

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Playlist “In The End”

One of my favorite things to do is to play strategy games. There’s just something about the excitement of taking what I have a using it to further where I’m going. Classic Board games like Monopoly, Clue or Life (Pastor Joke…had to put it in there :D) are great strategy games! With the right strategy you can be the winner! But here’s the thing when the game is over it all goes back into the box. The things you had in the game weren’t yours…you just stewarded them for the length of the game! All of the things you steward go back in the box until the next time you play the game! Can’t we all say we’ve stewarded some things well and some things not so well in our lives. What does Stewardship have to do with Following Jesus?
This week’s Playlist Song is by Linkin Park: https://youtu.be/eVTXPUF4Oz4

Luke 16:1-13

• I’m A STEWARD Not An OWNER (Luke 16:1)
  • Many times we mistake what we have as ours vs. Gods. We box God into a percentage or try to bargain with Him what to give. When we do we miss the point of stewardship
  • The Shrewd Manager understood what was given to him wasn’t his…but His Master’s
• I Will Give An ACCOUNT Of My STEWARDSHIP In The End (Luke 16:2-4)
  • Everything We have been given to steward will be called to account by the Master
  • If we live everyday knowing we will give an account it will completely change our perspective ( 20:11-12)
• My STEWARDSHIP is Not For MYSELF But To BLESS OTHERS (Luke 16:5-13)
  • 16 of 38 parables Jesus taught in the Gospels are on money and possessions. Not because Jesus wants your money…but because He knows our heart!
  • John 15 is all about bearing fruit when you are connected to the source…why do we bear fruit? To Bless Others!
  • When we Live to Bless others we are Jesus to them (Matthew 25:34-36)

When we are done with the game it all goes back into the box! Same can be said when our lives are over. All have the same story…we entered this earth with nothing and we leave all when we die.

 

Take Away:
Is it difficult for you to steward your finances well for Jesus? Why or Why Not?

 

 

What is Jesus calling you to steward well? What steps are you taking to be obedient?

 

 

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