Who are you bringing?

This time of year is awesome, especially in Florida! Sports leagues are in swing, March Madness watch parties are coming to a head. We are out and about gearing up for all the spring things. This weekend, we'll gather together to celebrate the Triumph of Christ's resurrection. The reality is that EVERYONE wants to experience winning in their life, but most people are still trying to figure out what that really looks like. Success in life is one of the greatest gifts that Jesus gives us.

Eight out of every ten people will accept an invitation to church on Easter. As you are out watching the Final Four or at a school award ceremony or at a company barbecue, remember that people are searching for what Jesus can give them and extend an invitation to them to come with you this weekend to our service at 11am at The Mission.

We'll be offering free family pics before the service starting at 10:30am and having an Easter Egg hunt for the kids after the service. We'll be sharing what the Triumph of Christ's Resurrection means for us every day...I guarantee you don't want to miss it.

Easter blog series: Takes 1 to know 1, Dishing on Church Folk-We know everything about the Bible..

Having been in church most of my life, I know a lot of "church" people.  I've been lucky though, because I've been able to have a wide array of experience in my life and part of that is knowing a lot of people who aren't "church" people.  It's amazing what people not in church think about church folk...most of it due to experience with a "church" folk who has somehow become representative for everyone.

From my experience, I thought I'd dish on some church folk and some common thoughts about them that ARE and AREN'T true.

Myth:  We know everything about the Bible.  IN fact, so much, if I talk to church people, I'm just going to feel stupid trying to explore "spiritual things".

Here is a myth I can relate to.  You've got a document, roughly 2000 years old (some parts older, some not so much), that's basically been one of, if not THE most influential document in existence.  It's wisdom is culture-less, time-less, technology-less...it fits in every situation and it continues to last...and something that complex...can ANYONE be an expert on it?  The Bible in my bag is over 1000 pages...that's kind of standard, some are shorter, some are longer, but the truth is, all of them have the same verbiage roughly (different translations might choose "ran" over "sprinted"...6 of one)...it was written by men INSPIRED BY GOD, who no one can completely understand (it's unfathomable), so can anyone ever know everything there is to know?

Here's what's funny...if you are an Atheist, you intimidate church people lots of the time, because they feel like you've studied the Word and are armed with all these questions that are designed to hang them up that only a Seminary professor can answer...so, guess what, we think the same thing about YOU.

Here's the truth:  We are just trying to learn and apply...the stuff we learn is HARD to apply, it may take a moment for some, but years for others to understand...it's not an intelligence thing, it's an experience thing, that's based on experiencing life with God.

Some people outside church feel that people inside church know so much more about spiritual things and their questions might be seen as stupid, because you don't hear Christian people ask the question...so you think..."Oh I must be the only one that doesn't know".  It's been my experience in the church that on some subjects and everyone has them, they just keep their heads down and hope no on calls on them...they feel the same way.  They can't articulate it.

We took the Lord's Supper (or Communion) last week and I had a man pull me aside.  He said he'd been a Christian for almost 8 years and didn't know if he should take it...we talked about it and he found out that he absolutely should.  Because he was brave enough to ask the question (fair enough after 8 years), I got to talk with him about it, he has an informed position about it and he can explain that to someone else.

Why does this happen?  Well, sometimes, we, as leaders, tell this stuff so much, we gloss over basic details.  We might use a term, like "justification"*** (see below), that carries a lot of meaning, assuming that everyone knows what's up with that...they might not, or they might get the concept, but not have it associated with that word, so there's a disconnect.  

Sometimes there's processes in the church that are confusing that we've just learned to navigate by attending over and over, that we've come to accept...but confuses a new person at church because it doesn't make sense.  The Bible makes sense, but a lot of the time, we humans make it sound like it doesn't...that's on us, and it's because we are learning.

When I talk to the people at Bay West on Sundays, I try very hard to make sure that I address any "elephants in the room" in communication.  I try to make sure that everyone understands that questions are "the devvvle" (to quote Bobby Bouche's mom in Waterboy).

Sometimes, church people have this immense pressure when a religious questions arises...  1 Peter 3:15 tells us to this "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you."  It's almost like the room goes into slow motion...all the lights dim and the spotlight goes on you and Regis goes "final answer?" in some "Who wants to be a millionaire" moment, but instead of losing the "million" dollars, you feel like you are about to send someone to Hell with the next words you say.  That verse is not talking about being able to settle every spiritual conundrum that has every come up...it's about being able to quickly point to Jesus Christ for the reason that you have hope and do what you do...that answer is EASY.  Another Bible verse puts it this way (2 Timothy 2:15) "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."  That says do your best, not if you are learning and don't know it all, you are dismissed from Heaven...lighten up, God is using your life to teach you and for you to teach others, as sub-plots to the big plot of REVEALING who He is to all of us.

It's that important that we help others out...it's intimidating at times...but taking that pressure on yourself is not productive in the moment.  I try to be informed, but if I don't know, making something up is worse...better to be honest (that's what the Bible tells us to do, see how that works).

If I don't know something, I'll flat tell you most of the time.  If things are working right, I'll try to find someone smarter than me or if it's a matter that there is no clear solution, I'll tell you.  I think as the leader, if it's okay for me to have a question, it makes everyone more open to share their questions about things, so we all can be used by God to teach each other.

I'm not perfect either...no one likes to be wrong and the more you expected to know (like a pastor), the easier it is for you to fall into the trap of saving your rep...If I'm feeling prideful and have an "I-don't-want-to-look-bad" moment, I might try to hem-haw.  I think all people can fall into that...

So, if you come to church as a first timer or someone who hasn't been in a while, don't be afraid to ask questions...the truth is, your fresh take might bring up something that others need answered...it might clear up something that we've communicated by "taking for granted" that everyone understands something back down the line that we didn't explain well.

I'm not an expert...here's what I am.  I'm a guy, as the Campus Pastor and leader, that believes that God specifically called him out to lead.  It's not because God thinks I'm especially smart...it's not because God thinks I'm especially holy...it's not because God thinks I'm the best Christian there is (or in the local vicinity -- let's clear that up, I'm not).  Then why did He call me?  Because through me being obedient and trusting Him to lead people to Him, He will show His glory and accomplish His plan...part of it might even be the world thinking "how in the world did THAT happen with that guy playing a prominent leadership role --- he's a moron."  God's been doing stuff like that for centuries...while He uses the smart and talented, He also calls the ignorant and the seemingly untalented, so ALL kinds are in the church, not just the ones who know everything about the Bible.

Church people are just learning, no different than anyone else...let's do it together and help each other.  That's why church is here.  That's it.  We don't bite and if we do, doesn't that prove that we need Jesus all the more.

What does that mean for non-church people?  Lighten up...your church going friend will not have every verse in the Bible memorized and can make a mistake.  You don't have to know it all to go to church either.

What does that mean for church people?  Lighten up...if you don't know, say you don't know.  God won't disown you if you tell the truth...

***Incidentally, if you were wondering, justification is just the process by which God justifies us being a part of His family forever (Jesus' death for our sin, our acceptance of that belief and following Christ with our lives -- )  It's not just forgiving us, but it's making us "righteous" or "just" or satisfying the Law of God -- kind of like Him paying the fine, we aren't just forgiven of it, God makes it right for us.

The "last" weekend of an era

This weekend, we'll take another step in the changing of an era...we'll say "goodbye" to FBC's Senior Pastor Dr. Larry Bazer and his lovely wife, Gayle, in their role as "first couple" (so to speak, you know what I man) of FBC Melbourne.

For 25 years (he became the pastor here the year I graduated from high school and honestly before a lot of folks who'll read this were even born), Larry has been the leader of FBC Melbourne. He has baptized, counseled, married, buried, effected, launched into vocational ministry, taught, visited and cared for a boatload of people in his time here.

God has blessed and multiplied Larry & Gayle's influence to reach over county lines, church lines, state lines, country lines, denominational lines, philosophical lines and governmental lines in this area. Many of the churches in the area have been either started or guided or directly effected by his desire to teach, mentor and make disciples...which is shown by his reassignment to continue doing that fulltime in the US and the rest of the world by devoting himself fully to training/mentoring pastors from Melbourne to Ecuador to Panama to Romania and beyond.

We should be especially thankful for Larry's determination in following what God has set before him in Palm Bay. After many short-lived works in church planting, the Bay West Campus began in 2009, under his direct influence and work and we will hit 2 years next month....two months of being a church in Palm Bay, Florida. That's two years of continuous steady growth, leaving us poised to continue the growth of God's kingdom in a historically tough place to grow.

I think that as we celebrate the God who Larry follows with a different spin this weekend, we shouldn't ever forget that MANY churches have been started in Palm Bay (many in conjunction with FBC Melbourne during Larry's tenure), that have not made it as long as Bay West has. A lot of these churches struggled, but all of them were collectively part of God's work to get us to where we are now...just as Bay West is another link in the chain of God's work in Palm Bay, along with 63 or so more churches in Palm Bay currently trying to reaching 103,000 people approx.

Bay West is truly blessed and a lot of that has come from Larry's faithfulness in the midst of what the world would mistakenly call "failure". The truth is that we are as ill-qualified to pronounce the judgment of "failure" on something as we are ill-qualified to definitively say that all scientific discovery is over or that we have measured the Universe to the inch. God works and plans far beyond the scope of our analysis....so what does that mean for us personally?

Here is what it means. Do what you know honors God with every decision...no matter how small or how great, then let God judge the failure or success. Live this consistency in belief and in 25 years, maybe you'll look back at your journey and be pleasantly surprised at the trail that God has left in the wake of one God-honoring decision at a time...just like we are doing at the end of this era with Larry & Gayle, as they move on to a new thing in God's journey for them. Thanks, guys.

GUEST BLOGGER today: Rebekah Lorenzo

Rebekah Lorenzo is one of our students that participated in one area of the Radical Experiment (click here for info on that) this summer by stepping out of her comfort zone and going to West Virginia to show Christ's love to the people up there.  I asked her to blog a little about her experience and here is what she wrote.  Enjoy how God is speaking to and through our students...you might learn something.  I did.

In Luke 9:23, Jesus tells the disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” I’ve almost always felt something like guilt or anxiety when I’ve come across this verse, although I’ve never completely understood it. What did Christ mean by “come after” and “take up his cross daily”? I never realized how much of this verse’s message I had just been glossing over before until we started to read the book Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman on our way to West Virginia. The book was basically about what it means to be follower of Jesus rather than just a fan of Jesus, and Idleman explains that this is what He’s telling us about in Luke 9:23. Idleman also explains that the Greek term that was translated to “come after” really means to pursue, almost as a boy would pursue a girl. So what Jesus is saying is that if we want to pursue a relationship with Him, we need to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily and follow Him. I also learned that “denying myself” and “taking up my cross daily” means denying my own needs and any other selfish causes so that every day I can “take up” God’s cause, instead.


Another thing addressed in the book that stood out to me that week was that one way people sometimes “cheer” for Jesus as fans would instead of following Him as real disciples should is by putting on masks and hiding behind rituals and boundaries so that others can’t see their weaknesses. I felt really convicted about holding back from my friends in that way, especially the ones who weren’t Christians. My group at the camp spent a few days visiting a birthing center for female prisoners, which was basically a place where women came from prisons all over the country when they were six months pregnant and stayed until their children were old enough to go up for adoption. On the first day there, I met a mother who told us that she had spent a lot of time in prison, and that some of the best and most interesting people she had ever met, she had met there. She said that this was because, when someone is incarcerated, they can’t be identified anymore by money or status or even their old friends. We heard similar ideas when we went to visit a men’s prison, and heard testimonies from some violent offenders who had formed a support group. Prisoners in a way are stripped of their resources so that all that remains is their character and the memory of what they’ve done to get where they are, and so their character is what defines them. I think now that this is what Christ wants from us as followers. He wants us to be totally open and genuine, and not to worry about people holding our faults against us, because really only He can know and judge us, and His forgiveness is all the justification we need. If we just let go of the past and focus on God, we’ll stumble less often and we’ll be able to find peace and satisfaction.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience, Rebekah...nice job.

Facebook and affairs? What's the real problem here?

For some time, Facebook has become more popular as a communication and social media tool.  With the rise of that popularity and usage, the concerns of Facebook increased.  Addictive games, addictive info supply, and massive time wasted leading to lack of productivity are among the list. 
While these seem more controllable and harmless, more dangerous games are "played" like marital affairs.  John connects with Jennifer from high school and driven by strong early emotions and a lot of rose-colored glasses about the past, John and Jennifer begin a relationship online that leads them to connect emotionally again...one problem, John and Jennifer are married and not to each other...and they end up leaving their previous soulmates to be together in some sort of "we found our real soulmate...no, REALLY...not like the other soulmates, but the real only one for me" moment. 

There's a growing trend to outlaw Facebook in business and religious circles, and, from ministers to counselors, to "demonize" it.  So is Facebook a marriage killer?  I don't think so.  The pattern of online affairs usually seems to follow the same pattern as any affair...connection, emotional attachment, improper contact, secretive continuance, adultery and ultimately, announcing that you've found "the one" to "the one" you've already found.  Facebook isn't the problem, it's an opportunity for connection and at ANY opportunity for connection people can stumble.  Without discipline and transparency and honesty, anyone can sin.  I think the Bible shows us how sin happens in James 1...

14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.  16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

This passage is talking about the subject of whether or not God tempts us to sin and while the answer is "no", this passage gives us the pattern by which sin...ALL sin...happens.  There is a desire that tempts us, we linger with that desire and hang around with it...then it takes hold of us and we act on it (gives birth to sin) and then that sin leads to death.  Sounds a lot like the process of an affair...online or otherwise.

I've thought rather than demonize Facebook, maybe we should look at the real problem which is ourselves and put our guards there.  There's no denying that Facebook gives more occasion for connection, that's why it's popular, but just like any other area of connection, it shouldn't give us some "free pass" to throw off all safeguards and just act however...that's where the real problem comes.

In real life, I don't ride in a car by myself with a member of the opposite sex that isn't family, if I can help it...I don't tell things to members of the opposite sex that I haven't told my wife.  I don't have personal conversations with members of the opposite sex, but if a conversation turns that way, I talk about it with Katye.  She is privy to all parts of my life...and loads of that are things that I tell NO ONE but her and vice versa with her.

I don't violate those things on Facebook either... and then there's other guards as well, if I don't know you, I'm probably not going to accept your friend request.  I stay off private chat, if I can help it...if I do get on and talk with someone, I'll let Katye know what we said.  That's transparency...that's a big part of safety.  If I'd feel weird telling Katye about an interaction, then it's a safe bet, I don't need to take that connection opportunity...that's a good safeguard for me.

The truth is that affairs start at ANY connection point...too many affairs start at work, so should we stop working?  or make work segregated sexaully?  No.  Work isn't the problem...and neither is Facebook.  The problem is the lack of discipline of the people who use it...and to an experience, that's exactly how sin works...regardless of the medium.

Time

“Time, why you punish me?” That’s the beginning line to an old song by Hootie and the Blowfish (some people will hate me for saying "old song", but it’s been 15 years people…that’s broaching oldie). Even though it’s been 15 years (ouch again), I can still identify with that line…though probably not in the way it was intended. Sometimes, it feels as though time is flying at you and just punishing you. I remember hearing a story told by a comedian about how a man tried tying himself to a post on a seashore once to prove he was fit enough to withstand the force of the wind…the comedian calmly pointed out that it wasn’t the force of the wind that got you, it was what the winds blew at you. His words were “When you get hit by a Volvo, it doesn’t really matter how many sit-ups you did that morning.” Clever and true.

Time is like that as well. It sweeps in and through, going seemingly faster as you age, and then you think it’s punishing you, but it’s not time, it’s the things that time blows at you…the tragedies, the changes, the harsh realities, the seasons of life that pass and the seasons that never seem to end. It is like this for EVERY person on the planet…we are not alone.

It’s at times like these that I am most comforted to be a follower of Christ. Jesus tells me in John 15:5 that He is the vine and we are the branches and promises help for us as we remain in Him and He remains in us. He supports us from without protecting us from what comes…and then bolsters us from the inside helping us to withstand tremendous collision. He tells us in 1 Corinthians that He controls the things He lets get to us and provides for help even in the toughest of situations. In Romans 10, Paul writes that “all things work to the good of those who love and serve the Lord”, showing us that even the most seemingly cruel situations, God controls and turns them to good in our lives and the lives of others as we continue to love and serve Him.

It’s times like these, when I read the word and see the massive amounts of gigantic debris that time has thrown at those who have followed the Lord throughout the ages that I understand one truth for sure…

God is bigger than time, and time, at times, may “punish me”, but God will sustain me and bless me, if I refuse to be the servant of time, and remain the servant of Christ.

Radical AND the Power Team

The Power Team had a GREAT time last week and God really moved in the lives of some people, but, NOW, the real work begins for us as a church.  "Do you mean that setting the stage and all that stuff wasn't work?"  No, it was...but it's just the beginning.

Last week, 181 people made decisions for Christ for the first time, & 59 people who are returning to Christ in rededication.  That's almost 200 new people in God's kingdom...We just finished a series on our theme for the year, Radical....time to step up, people of God.

In Radical, it walks about multiplying yourselves and being a part of a multiplying community, here's where the rubber meets the road for that...it's not just seeing decisions for Christ, it's deciding to step in and take people who've made decisions and helping them grow in Christ...taking responsibility for the spiritual "babies" (if anyone who accepted Christ for the first time is reading this, I'm not trying to slam you, but to make a point to existing Christians...you are new, and you need some help to know where to go from here - that's all.)

Don't bring me any weak stuff like "I don't know enough"...every person who's been a Christian knows SOMETHING to pass on to the next one.

Here's where the RADICAL challenge/experiment meets the road now...what are YOU going to do about those spiritual babies?  Not me...not Larry...not Dennis or Doug or David or Jenny or Tom or Scott or Randy or Nate or Bevan or the deacons or whatever group you can categorize... but YOU...What are you gonna do?

Here's my suggestion:

If you know ANYONE personally who made a decision, then YOU take the personal responsibility to be PROACTIVE in offering yourself as a resource and mentor through this time for them.  I'm not talking about just once, but to call them and then check up on them...ask them to lunch (guys with guys, girls with girls...please)...talk to them about their decision...encourage them once a week for the next two months...help them get to church by inviting them, offering them a ride...be availble, but not just that, be proactive in contacting them.  Point them to where you read...not reading the Word?  START NOW...you don't have time to waste, them read it with them.

There shouldn't be ANY young Christian that has to wait to ask for help...that's the job of ALL Christians in our churches.

Time to step up people...God dropped 200 spiritual children on your door, church...rubber is meeting the road as you read this...what you gonna do?