Philosophy of Digital Discipleship, Post 3

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I just went potty. Who cares? How much personal stuff should people (maybe even specifically leaders) throw out into cyberspace? How do you balance personal and public? Figuring this out is a lifelong journey for most leaders (at the pulpit and the computer). Some err on the side of being very private (not me). Others share too much (could be me). But, I think that there can and should be a healthy balance (where I try and want to be).


Rick Warren and John Piper ascribe to this philosophy. There are 2 main responses to all this...


One says: These media tend to shorten attention spans, weaken discursive reasoning, lure people away from Scripture and prayer, disembody relationships, feed the fires of narcissism, cater to the craving for attention, fill the world with drivel, shrink the soul’s capacity for greatness, and make us second-handers who comment on life when we ought to be living it. So boycott them and write books (not blogs) about the problem.


The other response says: Yes, there is truth in all of that, but instead of boycotting, try to fill these media with as much provocative, reasonable, Bible-saturated, prayerful, relational, Christ-exalting, truth-driven, serious, creative pointers to true greatness as you can.


Read more by CLICKING HERE!


I mostly agree with this. But, I think that sharing nothing personal strongly limits the chance that I will listen to what you have to say spiritually. In short, here's my very intentional philosophy:


  • Share something personal.
  • Share several things that are spiritual.
  • Share something funny.
  • Share several things that are inspiring.
  • Be real and human.
  • Be deep and provoking.
  • Open a window into your humanity.
  • Then, point them to your savior!


I have sufficient evidence that people listen when they think they can relate. If they see you as real, they may really listen to and respond to your spiritual direction and encouragement.


I am not sure what people are hiding. We are all human. We all like a good joke. We all crave General Tso Chicken from time to time. If we are going to do life together online, then let's!


The question, then, is....where and how do we cross the line. What and where is "the line"? Thoughts? Do share.

Pursuit Message 2 (Notes)

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Sorry, not trying to blog 100 times today, but I promised some folks I'd post my notes from last Sunday. Here's the snapshot:

Hungry people aggressively PURSUE food! We will not PURSUE God with passion if we are not hungry for him. And we are not HUNGRY for him because we’re FULL! We’ve already eaten. The wrong stuff!!

We have no room or hunger for God because we fill ourselves with THINGS and SELF!


THINGS were meant for Man’s use, but there were meant to always be EXTERNAL to him and subservient to him! (Romans 1:25)

A.W. Tozer: In the deep heart of a man is a SHRINE where none but God was worthy to come. Our trouble begins when God is forced out of his royal shrine and THINGS are allowed to enter.

Jesus spoke to this tyranny of things in Matthew 16: 24-25 and Matthew 5: 1-3.

The story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 is another GREAT example of what we are talking about.

NOTHING can reign on our hearts! This is the place that God wants. God never intended that Abraham should kill Isaac, he just wanted him to remove Isaac from the THRONE of his heart that he may reign UNCHALLENGED there.

Romans 1:25- “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”


We will not pursue something we do not want. Do you want Him?

Philosophy of Digital Discipleship, Post 2

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Why the Internet? Why Facebook? Why Twitter? Why blog? Why the online presence in ministry? Where do I begin? I could easily say too much, which is sometimes saying nothing at all. So, let me TRY to be concise here (and then write more over the next few days):

  1. Although the message never changes, our methods in ministry absolutely have to change as culture changes. Watch the news or listen to the radio for 15 minutes and count how many times you hear/see the words twitter, blog, Faceboook, etc... The church needs to wake up, catch up....and in my opinion get ahead of everyone else. We are a decade behind half the time. On the ocean of the Internet, there are many, many, many fish to catch! Ignoring it can be detrimental to Christian Mission.
  2. 30-45 minutes of preaching in Sunday is not enough for me! Maybe it is for you, but not for me. As a Pastor, it leaves me hungry to share more, teach more and impart more. Look, as long as I am dwelling with the Father and His word, I am being filled with truth that I want to share. As a Pastor, I preach, meet with Staff and a few partners throughout the week and attend a Small Group...and that's it. That's the extent of my platform for impact. Social networking and online opportunities exponentially increase the potential for impact every week! I cannot pass that up! I care too much about lost and hurting people to ignore that chance to impart.
  3. The Mystery of Ministry Measurement. I love the mystery in this whole thing. You just never know who reads what, and what difference it makes. I have received emails, comments and calls from people indicating a moment of impact in their life over something they read or received at just the right moment. I think of this in terms of Mark 4 and the scattering of seed. You never know what kind of soil a blog, tweet or status update may be falling on.
A few final bullets for this morning:
  • I am NOT advocating for Twitter, Facebook, or Blogging specifically. They just happen to be popular now. If that changes (and it will), I will change with it to remain effective on this front.
  • Tomorrow I will write about how and why I balance personal and ministry stuff in this scene.
  • In the next few posts, I will address building community and connection, how relationships are impacted (good and bad), dealing with online excessiveness and addiction and more...
This is helping me to think out loud and articulate my own thoughts. Add to this. Challenge it. Improve it. I'd value hearing from you.

Idolatry; What I was TRYING to say Sunday...

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In this 10 minute video, Mark Driscoll addresses idolatry in a very profound way. (He picks on women/moms a tad much in my opinion, but he makes some strong points.) This is in stereo with some of what I was TRYING to say yesterday in our talk at CCF. There is a shrine on our hearts that only GOD is meant to fill. Check out the way that he breaks it down:

A Philosophy of Digital Discipleship, Post 1

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You may have noticed that I have a pretty regular web presence. Well, that's intentional. Very intentional. There is a method to my madness. But, to be honest, I catch some heat for it. I catch some judgement for it. I field some passive aggressive comments for it. When I first started blogging, it was opposed by some. When I first started twittering...the same. Facebook...the same. Still is. Not sure why, either. But, guess what? When the Bible was originally translated and distributed to people, leaders were killed over it. Every new thing that is introduced to the church (any form or result of social change) has been initially opposed. Then, it became common and accepted. Then, the next new thing is opposed. Then accepted. Repeat. It's been the story of the church and change.

This week, I want to process my philosophy of digital discipleship. I think that I first heard the term digital discipleship from Mark Batterson. The term itself implies something of what I think.
Here are some of the things I will touch on this week:
  1. Why I do what I do online?
  2. How can social networking and ministry work together?
  3. The balance between personal and spiritual stuff online.
  4. Increasing impact and continuing the conversations beyond the pulpit.
  5. The innumerable evangelism and discipleship moments created in front of a screen.
  6. More...
I invite you to tune back in throughout the week and join the chat. I would LOVE to hear from you and learn from you in this too.
--Noah

What If? (Jesus's Church, Not Mine)

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What if we ACTUALLY started believing that the church was Jesus's, and not ours?

After all, I think that it all comes down to this. You go to your church on Sunday. I preach at my church. I like _____ at my church. I would not want _______ at my church. You should come see my church! Have you heard about Joel Osteen's church? Man, I wanna visit TD Jakes church.
  • My
  • Mine
  • Theirs
  • Yours
These are the common adjectives for referring to church. When is the last time that you heard someone invite you to Jesus's church...the one that they happen to attend?
What if? What if we made his decisions for his church based on his heart and his word, instead of our decisions for our church based on our desires and our opinions?
Would this not impact some of the other questions that I asked this week? Is this not a crucible issue for the church?

What If? (Old Church, New Church)

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What if older, struggling churches making little impact on their neighborhood handed their church buildings over to church plants and church planters to start fresh works?

I know that some will not like my assertion that struggling churches are dead churches. But, I am sorry..."being a tight knit family of the same people for 20-30-40 years" is NOT CHURCH!! The church has a mission and that is to spread the gospel and make disciples. If that mission is not happening, than it is not the church Jesus commissioned. Very clear to me.
(I am also aware that some church planters do not have "owning a building" in their plan. That's cool too.)
So...
What if churches that have passed their fruitful season, handed the keys over to a work that is entering their fruitful season? What would that do for total kingdom harvest?
What do the people in the releasing church do?
  • If they are mature enough to release and realize that it is not "theirs" anymore....never was....then, they could stay and give their whole hearts to the vision of the new ministry.
  • If there is too much emotional baggage and territorialism, they they'd be best suited to find another ministry that they could pour themselves into.
What if? You have any thoughts? Maybe you agree? Maybe you disagree? Push this out with me.

What If? (Less Sermons)

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What if we only had 1 or 2 sermons a month and devoted more time and effort toward LIVING the messages we hear?

Here’s what could/may be happening for some Christians today:

  1. Hear a sermon on Sunday.
  2. Do little to nothing with it during the week.
  3. Hear another sermon the next Sunday.
  4. Do little to nothing with it during the week.
  5. Repeat 52 times a year for the rest of your life.

Is it possible that people need some time to put sermons into practice?

Is it possible that people need some practice to make the truth they heard a reality in their life?

Is it possible that it takes longer than 6 days for these things to happen?

What if:

We preached one sermon a month and then spent the rest of the Sundays in conversation, accountability and action. Kinda like a lab. Learn, do, learn, do, learn, do…

What if? Any thoughts?

(I am also wondering what it would be like for Pastors to preach only 12 sermons a year? Hmmmm. May be quite challenging.)

What If? (Churches Combining)

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What if small, struggling or stagnant churches in the same areas began selling and combining into one church with a new vision?

What if...
  • The Pastors and leaders united their hearts to reach the lost.
  • Swallowed their pride.
  • Sold the least useful facilities.
  • Kept the one facility that is best suited for growth.
  • Combined all resources (which would in most cases leave a heft sum of money).
  • Developed a fresh team vision to take their city.
  • Learned to sacrifice their minor doctrinal differences to work together.
  • And took their city for God.
Imagine 4 churches of 50-100 people collapsing into one church of 200-400? They were all struggling to keep their doors open and lights on. Now, they have more resources than ever before and a fresh start...
What if? You have any thoughts?

Pursuit Message 1

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We printed in the notes yesterday that you would be able to access some of the sermon content on my blog this week. Well, here are some of the key verses and takeaways:

There are many places in the Bible that we see God going after people. He goes out of His way to seek and save people. But, what about people going after God? Are we supposed to? Are we doing it?


A.W. Tozer: Come Near to the holy men and women of the scriptures and you will soon feel the heat, of their desire after God. They mourn for him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found him, the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking period.


Moses: In Exodus 33 and 34, he used the fact that he knew God as an argument for knowing him better! Show me your glory, Lord!


David: David’s life was a torrent of spiritual desire, and his Psalms ring with the cry of the seeker and the glad shout of the finder. (Psalm 42:1, Psalm 63: 1 and 8)


Paul: Paul confessed the main spring of his life to be his burning desire after Christ. “That I may know him” was the goal of his heart- Phil. 3:10. And then, Phil. 3:8 is also amazing!


Then, there is Jesus…In Matthew 16: 24, Jesus says to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my FOLLOWER, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and FOLLOW me.

Some key concepts:

  • Journey of discipleship is ACTIVE, not PASIVE!!
  • We are not called FOLLOWERS of Jesus for nothing!!!
  • Too often, when we find things we no more SEEK them.
  • Believing in Him and Following him are 2 different things!
  • Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.
  • Jesus seeks lost! But, the found are called to seek Jesus!
  • Pursuing God is about HEART transformation, not MIND information. We can fill our heads with the words of scripture and our hearts be as cold as ice.
  • God is not interested in our programs! He is waiting on us to be hungry for his presence.
  • If we fill up with junk food, we will not have room for dinner!!!
  • Satan’s ploy is to keep us so FULL OF JUNK, that we are not hungry for GOD….and it has worked magnificently for centuries!!!

(Next week, we will discover the things that are filling our "spiritual bellies" and robbing us of an appetite for God!)

Some more verses about going after God:

  • Deuteronomy 4:29
 "But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him."
  • 1 Chronicles 16:11
 "Search for the Lord and for his strength;
 continually seek him."
  • 2 Chronicles 7:14
 "Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."
  • Psalm 105:4
 "Search for the Lord and for his strength;continually seek him."
  • Isaiah 55:6
 "Seek the Lord while you can find him.Call on him now while he is near."

A prayer for you: Oh God, I have tasted your goodness and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. Oh God, the Triune God, I want to want you; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me your glory I pray, so that I may know you indeed. 

Father, I want to know you, but my cowardly heart fears to give up its toys. Please root from my heart anything that I have cherished that has become a very part of my living self so that you may enter and live in my heart without a rival! Begin in mercy a new work of love in me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then, give me the grace to rise up and follow you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

What If?

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What if we got what if type of people together and asked what if questions about how to be a church radically impacting the world? And then what if we actually believed for the possibility and probability of the what ifs?
Today was a special day. 4 hour drive to Williamsport, PA for a conference gathering, and then 4 hours home. My time with Pastor Nelson and Harry Pereira in the car would have been worth it alone. These dudes...
Well, at the meeting today, we grappled with some deeply provoking questions that just catapulted me into even deeper thinking. As my mind wandered, I began a list of crazy, out there, what if questions about rethinking church as we know it.
This coming week, I will be posting about some of those what ifs. Some will be wacky! But, this should be fun. Now, only IF, you will come back to read them....
;-)

Empty Aisles and Straight Rows

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More and more, I am hungry for the move of the Holy Spirit in my life and church!! This weekend, as we begin this series called “Pursuit”, I am praying that the Lord will substantially increase our hunger for him! I read this again today. It’s an excerpt from a book I read this past summer.

“The Almighty one is out to restore the sense of his awesome manifest presence in our lives and places of worship. Over and over again we talk about the glory of God covering the earth, but how is it going to flow through the streets of our cities if it can’t even flow through the aisles of our churches? ...Since we don’t want to be too radical we line all our chairs up in nice rows and expect our services to conform to equally straight and regimented lines as well.” –Tommy Tenney, “God Chasers”

I have no desire to force something made of man, but an intense and growing desire to prepare and welcome something made of God!

Frankly, I am growing weary of empty aisles and straight rows!

Your Job or God's Job?

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How do we best figure out what is OUR job and what is GOD'S job? This could apply to lots of areas. Here is one that I find quite difficult (in my own life and the lives of those I Minster to as a Pastor):

It is clear in scripture what I am supposed to do if I have a problem with you. If I have "ugly" in my heart toward you, I need to love you, and go to you in the spirit of Matthew 18 and work it out. I am not supposed to sit on it and let it stir and grow. That is NOT the will of God. Soon enough, the Holy Spirit will grab ahold of me and straighten me up.
BUT....and this a BIG BUT (not a big "butt")...
What if you think and sense that someone else has a problem with you, but is not sharing it. You feel it, you smell it, you see it...but they are not telling you what's up.
  • What do you do?
  • What is your job?
  • And what is the role of the Holy Spirit?
  • Do you get your relational fishing pole out and start fishing for the problem that you "sense" is there?
  • Or do you pray and leave it to the Lord?
  • Do you dig it out with your relational shovel?
  • Or do you let them let it out when the Lord gets them ready for that?
  • But they are in sin if they are harboring bitterness!! Yes, BUT...is it ALWAYS your job to point that out, or might the Lord possibly have other channels through which to get to them?
Here's where I am at on this (for today):
  • If it is YOU that they are upset with, than YOU just may not be the best person to come at them about it. The chances that they will be receptive to you are slim.
  • The best thing that you can do is PRAY about the situation and for the person! Prayer moves the hand and heart of God in all things.
  • Do not let your pride deceive you, you are not the savior. It is not your job to fix everything. The Holy Spirit is the expert on convicting and changing people when they have "ugly" in their heart.
  • (Oh, and there may be nothing wrong at all or it may have nothing at all to do with you. We need to be careful about what we imagine!!)
Basically....
Instead of forcing and pulling, how about trying prayer and trusting the Lord to do what needs to be done!
Oh, and chill out!!! Read yesterday's post HERE about the need to please people. If you are waiting for everyone to like you, you got a LOOOOOONG wait!
(Note: the preceding words are for me as much as they are for anyone else!)

Trying to please people? Good luck with that!

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Am I the only one that has to relearn some things over and over and over again? Some things I get...and I get them good! Other things I get, forget, get, forget....

Recently, I am re-learning this:
No matter how hard you try, how "good" you do, how pure your heart may be, you will never please people. You may please some, but not all! Heck, sometimes you may please most, but never all! No matter what you do, somebody is going to have some issue with it (especially if you are in the leadership spotlight).
I am finding this:
  • Do not focus your attention on who you let down or disappoint. That just leads to despair and discouragement.
  • Do not focus your attention on who is "proud of you" and applauding you. That just leads to pride and self attention...putting the glory where it does not belong. And besides, in a month from now, they may be the very one that has a problem with you.
  • (Note: both of the above are geared toward PEOPLE!)

Instead....

  • Place your full attention on pleasing the LORD!! Obey him! Make choices that please him! Do what HE is prompting you to do, and say what HE is prompting you to say. Worry most about his approval and his opinion. I know, I know. This is hard! But...
  • The more that we live to please the Lord, the more clearly we can tell who in our lives has the heart and mind of Christ. People that are upset with you for seeking the Lord, are not people you need to be allowing to shape you.
My love language is words of affirmation. As a Words of affirmation guy, this is extra hard stuff for me. But I am learning. Slowly.
Jesus was a "Father-pleaser", not a "man-pleaser"!! If anything, he was a "man-ticker-offer"!! (I made that word up...wow!)
And then, the Apostle Paul said this....
"Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant." Galatians 1:10