JohnYouell.com

The Shift Has Begun

Yesterday, I listened to a conversation between people who are grapling with the shift that is facing tranditional print media as they come face to face with the present digital age.  These are dedicated people to their industry who are seeing a major decline in traditional subscriptions to their magazine and are discussing ways to turn the trend around.

There are great people with great ideas on this call but I honestly think they have yet to realize that we are not dealing with a "trend" we are dealing with a "shift."  One is temporary the other is foundational. Trends can be predicted and manipulated.  Shifts are changes that are so massive that it is impossible for things to return to what they were.

Ask youself these questions.  

1.  How much reading of printed material do you choose to do?

2.  How much reading do you consume online or in digital format?

3.  How much has reading as a habit decreased in your life over the last few years?

4.  Where do you turn to get your news and information first - the newspaper, broadcast news, or the web?

These are just a few questions that people are grappling with.  To those who understand what is happening, they are already building new constructs that will be able to run on this shifting foundation. Others will find that time and energy will be wasted away.

In regards to the church, are we relying on tradtional media to spread the word about our churches or are we strategically building in ways to set our people up for positive conversations about our church and there by leverage our greatest asset - our people - to gain ground in the shifting culture?

The shift has begun.  Are you ready for it?

 

Next Level Virtual Coaching Network

Imagine this...

9 Pastors...from all over the USA...coming together to help each other become better leaders, speakers and problem solvers.  Imagine being guided into this process by an experienced leader who has started a church with less than 20 but who now leads an organization of over 1800.  Now imagine that it's all done from the comfort of your own home office at a cost of an average dinner out for a family of four per session?

Here is a snapshot of what it looks like...

Now let me ask you, church leader...how many times do you want to go around that same mountain before you allow others into your world?  I am telling you.  Next Level Coaching with Matt Keller can not only lead you to effectiveness, it just might be the hidden key to taking your church to the next level.

I strongly encourage you to check out Next Level Coaching.  Yea.  It's that good.

The Challenge of Growing a Church

One of the toughest and most rewarding things I have ever done is leading a group of young adults in planting Fellowship Church.  We still don't know what we are doing but the mistakes we have made and the ride we have had the last two years has lately been wonderful.  We have seen our church steadily grow this year from the low 30's in March to over 100 in October this year.  That's amamzing growth in just 8 months.  So right now, we are figuring things out and enjoying our journey. 

Yet, this has not always been the case.  There have been many more times in our journey where I have come home and just wanted to fold up shop and quit.  I said things like, "This is not going to work" and "why would anyone want to come to this church...I wouldn't come back next week!" When it all came to a crashing hault was when I began to do two things.

First, I began the painful process of learning to pray.

I can't remember when I got saved. Don't remember the place where I chose to make Him my Lord and Savior.  But I can take you to the place that I died to my pride. It was in March of 2011 in the corner of the auditorium of The Crown Center, our parent church. This is the place where I came face to face with the realization that there was way too much of me wrapped up in this church plant thing and I was actually the cancer that was keeping the church from growth. 

I believe far too many of us as church leaders have our self-esteem tied to the size of our churches. It is liberating to truly come to understand that He didn't create us to "do" anything except be in relationship with Him.  To know that it is He who not only calls and equips but it is He who will build the church if we let him build us first.

Since then, I have developed a very steady and consistent prayer life and now live by the simple principle of "pray and obey everyday."  

If you are a church leader and are feeling the weight of building a church, struggling with feelings of failure or seriously concidering quiting, before you do anything I would encourage you to honestly pray and deal with any areas of pride that reside inside.  You are more than just a church planter.  You are more than just a minister.  You are a child of God whose value to the Father goes way beyond your value to your organization and if your organization gives you more value than your relationship with God, then you really need to deal with the fact that the Church may have the key place in your heart instead of the Father.

Second, I opened my life to a coach.

One of the greatest experiences of my life has been the relationships that I have built through our connection to Next Level Church in Fort Myers, Florida.  Their pastors, Matt & Sara Keller and their associate pastors, Mike Ash and Scott Drummond, have played a major role in our developement as leaders.  

In planting a church or growing an organization you will go through a phase where you have to define the voices that you give influence into your life.  There was a time when I had too many voices speaking...too many ideas...too many opinions.  Finally, I settled on Next Level Coaching with Matt Keller and we have never looked back.  

I know what it's like to feel frustrated, scared and alone as a church leader.  I understand how easy it is to put on the ministry mask and fake it while inside the dream is crumbling before your eyes.  It was one of the darkest moments of my life.

Then, out of no where, Matt Keller called.  He was concerned and just wanted to check up on me.  Well, the flood gates opened and I poured out my pain and worry.  My marriage was not failing but it wasn't progressing either. The church was sliding in the wrong direction. Marriages close to us were in trouble and some were breaking at that very moment.  

In a way only Matt can communicate, he reminded me of some thing he had shared previously with me in regards to planting a church.  He suggested I go back and begin putting some systems in place.  More than anything he shared his belief in me, my wife, our calling and our vision.  By the end of the phone call, I was pumped and ready to tackle it again.

Coaching, at least from Next Level Coaching, is more than just information.  The information is second to none because it is born out of a church that has gone from the tens to the thousands in under 10 years so they know what they are talking about.  As great as that is, it's the relationships that you can form with them and other pastors through the virtual coaching network that give you a support group when the hard times hit.

I can truly say that Next Level Coaching has played a major role in our recent upswing and will continue to have an influential part in our developement moving forward.

If you are a struggling pastor or church planter, let me strongly encourage you to consider allowing Matt Keller and Next Level Coaching into your life.  It's life changing and liberating to know for sure that you are not alone in this ministry thing.  

The challenge of reaping the harvest is too big for us to take this stuff lightly. Lives are on the line. Yours and mine included.  Don't try to do this without prayer and coaching.  To do so will only lead to frustration and burnout.  

For more information on Next Level Coaching, check out their site at www.mynextlevel.me.  This is a life changing opportunity for those who are willing to take it. 

The Challenge to Connect

This past weekend we had met several new guests who attended our service at the movie theater.  It is always great to meet new people.  This weekend thought I left with a deep thought that has been stiring inside me and has come up often during my prayer time over the past few months.  The thought is one that is easily brushed to the side.  Yet, if wrestled with, its answer could have ramifications and thus cannot be ignored.  So here is the thought...

In a metro area filled with people, how do we best foster the ability for people to connect?  Do we even see connection outside of church as a need?  

What am I talking about?  Connect Groups.  We have always said that our church must grow larger and smaller at the same time.  Now, just 2 years into a church plant, I am grappling with the question of focusing on growing smaller and convincing people of the value of forming connect groups within Fellowship Church.

Historically it has been the thought that you don't need small groups until established in the 100's.  I have always ascribed to this thought.  During my summer prayer time, I have been challenged in this thought.  What if we found that things are starting to shift in our culture?   What if those who are looking at joing our churches - those who have a passion to see their generation impacted - what if one the key factors they are looking for IS connection?  Is it possible that we have to rethink things?  Could it be that getting better at Connect Groups (growing smaller) is the key to reaching more people (growing larger)?

At some point, ever leader has to deal with this issue of building a crowd or growing disciples.  But this thought has stuck in my spirit this summer and is fueling my fire this fall.  

Jesus build disciples WHILE building the crowd.  He did them both at the same time.  He didn't get the crowds then draw out disciples from them.  He chose his disciples and they were the key to his sustained ministry.

Perhaps we would be more effective if we begin up front to build relationships - structure our churches around them - encourage them - birth them now rather than waiting until later?

I hope that if you are a member of Fellowship Church you will concider hosting a Connect Group this fall. It may just be the key to changing your life.

A Few Life Lessons From Baseball

This time of year is one of my favorite because the boys are playing the great american past time. Baseball is more than a fun activity that occurs every summer and fall.  It's one of the best life lesson teachers of all time.  Tonight our baseball team played a game.  Though they lost, my son and I had one of "those" conversations about life afterwards.  Here are a few things that we discussed about life vs. baseball.

1.  Money is not handed out like walks. 

The world is only going to be more difficult in the future.  Sometimes it is easy to step up to the plate and take a walk - playing cautiously because of a fear of striking out.  But the worst of all strike outs is to stand there and watch strike three that goes right down the plate.  Albert Einstein once said, "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." Baseball is not just about getting on base - it's about how you get on base.  Walks are a part of the game but they are not the goal of the game.  The goal of the game is to learn to hit the pitch.

Life is going to give our boys lots of opportunities to succeed.  Pitch after pitch.  Chance after chance.  If we never learn to take a risk, never learn to swing, we will miss the opportunities that are the key to unlocking Destiny's path.  No one is going to give you anything because you are patient.  You have to learn when to swing.

2.  The fundamentals will make you or break you.

In baseball, fundamentals are incredibly important.  On fly balls, your first step is always back.  On ground balls, position the ball between your feet, keep you rear down and glove on the ground.  When you run the bases keep you eye on the bag and your coach.  In baseball, fundamentals will either make you or break you.  They can be your friend or your worst enemy.  If you play with the right fundamentals, you increase your chances to win because you will do the little things right.

Life is the same way.  Don't spend more than you make.  Don't spend everything you make - learn to save.  Work hard everyday and earn the breath you breathe.  Don't be lazy because lazy people will not prosper.  The Bible even teaches it's the little foxes that can spoil the vineyard (Song of Solomon 2:15 NLT).  If you don't get the basics of hard work down you will never make a living for yourself or be able to take care of a family.

3.  Baseball happens between the lines.

It's amazing how many people know how to play baseball and how few people really play the game of baseball.  It doesn't matter how well you know the rules.  If you are going to really undertand the game, you have step inside the lines.  You have to get your jersey dirty while stealing second base.  You have to get hit with a pitch in the back if that what it takes to get on base.  You have to get a hit in the bottom of the 3rd with 2 on and 2 strikes and 2 outs.  You have be that catcher who catches the relay and tags the last guy out sliding in at home.  You can read books and watch movies but to really understand the game and learn all it can teach you, you have to play the game.

Life itself is a wonderful teacher.  But you only learn from it's instruction by getting in the middle of it and digging out your space.  It's not going to be given to you but if you learn the rules, apply solid fundamentals, and play the game with heart, you can become a success. And as a Christian, to be a success for the glory of God, thats the grand slam, baby.

 

Slavery in the Bible

In today's SOAP covering 1 Timothy 6 the first section of this chapter deals with slavery. 

1 Timothy 6

1 All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered.

2 Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them. 

This begs the question, does the Bible support slavery?

To those who only view the Bible based on its english word translation, the thought would have to be yes becuase of these and other scriptures like it throughout the Bible.  But is that really the case?

In Biblical days the Jewish people had a system that resulted in slavery.  In fact, the system is the same today only we don't use the words, "slaves or slavery" even though those words would apply.

One way that someone would enter into slavery is through debt.  When their debt was too great to an individual that they could not repay it, they would work off the debt.  The Bible says, "the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7) and in the case of Jewish society that is exactly correct. This is one reason why God instructs us to owe no man anything.  Only then are you truly free.

Another way that someone would become a slave was to enter it wllingly.  In Leviticus we read the process where people would sell themselves into slavery in exchange for a short-term loan that must be paid back within 49 years.

So a slave wasn't a peice of property based on race or something like what we experienced in America. Slaves were people who were in debt and the only way they could repay the debt was through  slavery. So a slave in the Bible referred to someone who was in debt over their head.

I know many young adults in our country today that are slaves.  Slaves to debt, slaves to fear, slaves to food, slaves to self.  Slavery is not a new concept or an American only issue.  What we did in America was take this idea to a whole nother level because we removed one of the key components of biblical slavery that most people know nothing about.

Leviticus 25

54 “ ‘Even if he is not redeemed in any of these ways, he and his children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee,

The year of Jubilee occured every 50 years.  An on this year, every slave was released.  All debts forgiven.  It was like a reset button on their society.  The long term debt idea was a foreign concept to the Jewish people and to the Bible.

So when you read about slavery in the Bible, I hope this helps you to understand the context within which to view this controversial subject.

Under Armor - Part 2 - The Belt

(Ephesians 6:14) “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..."

Have you ever tried on football pants?  They are not like fitted jeans.  They are designed to accomodate multiple body styles and waist sizes.  So what is it that keeps a player from being caught on the field with their pants down? A BELT!  Belts have many functions but three stand out to me today.

1.  CONNECTS

A belt is one of the most overlooked pieces of football gear but it's incredibly important.  Pants are designed with loops.  They are manufactured with the concept of a belt being used.  Every person has been created with the capacity to have a relationship with Truth.  And truth is defined by Jesus when he said....

(John 14:6 NLT)  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” 

The belt that we need to apply to our life that will keep us from being caught in life without our pants down is to rightly be tied to Truth.  How does this happen...one of the keys is falling in love with the Bible.

(2 Timothy 3:15 NLT)  “You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.”

The scriptures give us wisdom.  If they are important for helping us come to Christ, how much more important are they when it comes to living for Christ?

2.  CORRECTS

(2 Timothy 3:16 NLT)  “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true ... It corrects us when we are wrong...”

Those who love the Bible are those who love becoming more and more like Christ.  The Bible will teach us that God loves to find weakness in us.  He loves it when we realize those areas and turn to Him for strength and stamina.

A belt takes lose fitting pants and helps them to correctly fit individual people.  When was the last time that we allowed God to correct us?

3.  DIRECTS

A belt helps keep pants facing in the right direction.  It keeps them from sliding from one side to the other.  Left alone, pants move and response our movement.  But a belt directs their presentation.

(Psalm 37:23 NLT)  “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”

Through the Bible, God will direct our lives and keep us going forward in a positive way.  Those who live life tossed from one extreme to the next - from one issue to the next - one fire to the next fire may be those who are living life without direction.  To those who follow Christ, that direction from a relationship with Him in prayer and study.    

(Psalm 3:5-6 NIV)  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

What are you putting your trust in?  What are you using to gain direction for your life?

4.  PROTECTS

For those who struggle with being standing in the midst of pressure, be encouraged today!

(2 Thessalonians 3:3)  “the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”

(Psalm 37:23 NLT)  “Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he who sustains you.  I have made you and I will cary you; ... I will rescue you.”

So, what is under the armor? YOUR WAIST

Have you ever thought about the fact that your waist is one of the keys to your flexibility?  What is it that allows us to walk through a doorway that lower than normal?  Our ability to bend - be flexible at our waist.  

The truth of God will allow us to be flexible in a time of great transition and stress. 

Not only does our waist give us flexibility to but it is a source of great power.  The key to hitting a drive over 300 yards is to turn at your waist.  This action builds up connect energy that is released on the downswing.

Rightly having truth in our lives give us the ability to generate positive momentum in our lives.

Lastly, have you ever thought about the fact that you will only be able to move forward in the direction you waist determines?  Try to move forward wil twisted at the waist and you will see it is impossible. Our waist determines our direction.

Likewise, when we have Truth buckled and rightly applied in our lives, it will set the course of our direction and ensure that will follow the gameplan of God for our lives.

How securely is Truth buckled around you?  If you are tired of getting caught in life with your pants down, put the Truth of Christ in the proper place in your life and watch things begin to turn around.

 

 

 

 

Under Armor - Discovering the Armor of God - Part 1

Today I am going to begin sharing the notes from the 5 messages that are included in the Under Armor series that we just completed at Fellowship Church.  It has proven to be a good, thought provoking series. The idea behind the series was to take a look at the Armor of God but correlate them to something that we are much more familiar with than armor.  But I am getting ahead.  Let's lay a little foundation.

Let's begin here. We understand that there is no "REAL" armor of God that you can go and purchase at your local Christian retailer. Instead, Paul - while in prison, received a download from God containing heavenly truths.  In attempting to explain these truths, Paul used the same process that Jesus used - parables. Parables are simply earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.  Well, instead of using an actual story, he used parable / illustrations.  Since he was a prisoner of Rome, he was very familiar with Roman armor. More importantly, his readers were very familiar with these images.

Now I don't know about you but I am just not that familiar with Roman Armor but I am vary familiar with football gear.  What would it look like if Paul shared these heavenly insights using football gear?  Well, that is the direction that this series has taken.  Now there are many fantastic books and messages with great, deep truths.  The purpose of this series is not to compete or repeat those great truths but to take a fresh look using a modern illustrative image.  With that, let's look at the foundational scriptures for this series.

(Ephesians 6:10-13) “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

I think there is nothing like a goal line stand in all of football.  When the offense has driven all the way down the field and is only a few yards away from a touchdown - to watch a defense hold them out is an amazing thing to behold.  Many defenses are often described as bend but don't break defenses - they just seem to be able to stand when it counts.

In life, there is nothing more important than being able to stand when it counts.  Far too many Christians live life on the sidelines because they are not strong enough to withstand the pressure that comes with making a difference that counts for eternity.  They are on the team but they never really see the big time.  How many of us long to be in the limelight.  Long to lead great movements that impact people.  Many of us have the ability but the Coach is doing us a favor by not putting us in a position to that He knows will overwhelm us.

YET - He longs for all of us to take the field.  He believes that we can play in the big leagues.  He has already given us everything we need to succeed if we would just understand it, apply it and believe it. Actually, Jesus understood the importance of standing more than most of us. Look at his thoughts...

(Luke 21:19 NLT) “By standing firm, you will win your souls.”

I can hear you thinking right now, "I thought my soul was won at the cross? Isn't that what Grace is all about?"  Yes, that is true but Jesus is expressing something really amazing.  It's one thing to be on the team - it's another to earn time on the field.  There are a lot of us who are on the team but since we can't stand firm agains the slightest temptation, we never break through with a chance to take the field.

What areas of your life have you struggled with for years that you just can't seem to overcome?  If you will stand firm, you will win the freedom of the cross because you will begin applying it's truth and earn some time on the field.

(1 Corinthians 9:27 NLT)  “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should."

Paul, was a great sports fan.  He was amazed at the training that an athlete would go through in order to perform under pressure.  What if we would take the same determination to prepare - to practice - to be ready?  Paul encourages us to train our body like an athlete so when it's first and goal at the one we can stand strong when it counts.

It doesn't matter who your favorite team is there is nothing like GameWeek.  The anticipation grows each and every day in anticipation of what is to come.  Though each team has it's own way of preparing there are a few things that all teams have in common.

1.  GAME WEEK WORKOUTS

During the season, the players continue to work out and get stronger so their body would be able to stand the pressure of the game.

(Proverbs 24:10 NLT) “If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.”

(1 Chronicles 16:11 NLT) “Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him.”

Church leaders, the trials during the week and our ability to overcome them directly impact our success on the weekend.  If we can't make it through the week, it's because we are not strong enough and we are not strong enough because we are skipping the workouts with the spirit (prayer, fasting, worship) that are there to increase our strength. 

2.  GAME WEEK FILM STUDY

The best Quarterbacks are the ones who not only have a great mind and arm but a great ethic for studying film.  They study their opponent so that they learn their tendencies.  

(Luke 9:10)  “They (the opposition) encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, ‘Who will see them?’ They ...  say, ‘We have devised a perfect plan!’”

(Ephesians 6:11 NLT)  “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.”

 

How wise are you of the schemes of your opponent the Devil?  One of the key benefits of the truths of the Armor of God is that you will be able to stand firm against the strategies of the devil.  How does that happen?  Because you learn how he opperates.

I can't help but wonder how many of us lose battles when we already know his schemes and yet he still wins?  If you struggle with being drunk but keep going to bars, you will stay on the sidelines.  If you struggle with lust but still watch porn on the internet, you will stay on the sidelines.  If you struggle with anger but still feast at the buffet of bitterness and unforgiveness, you will remain on the sidelines.

Let's overcome the strategies we know so we can make the field where the battle is the strongest!

3.  GAME WEEK GAME PLAN

Every team goes into a game understanding what they are going to try to accomplish.  By studying the tendencies of their opponent they develop a strategy that they believe will give them success during the game.  Did you know there is a game plan that will never fail?  

(Psalm 33:11 NLT)  “But the Lord’s plans stand forever; His intentions can never be shaken.”

(Ephesians 6:12 NLT) “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

Jesus prayed three times a day and he was the Son of God.  Can we really know the GamePlan of God if we never spend time with the Coach everyday?

I encourage you today to take an inventory of your life.  Are you making the decisions necessary to earn the right to step onto the big stage of life?  We are only as strong as the strength we display.  It's time to get strong in the right places so that when the time of pressure comes, we are still standing.

 

Your Dream Is Still Alive

(Text from message delivered at Harvest Life Church in MidWest City)

Wow.  What an honor to be with you today!  Pastor Kent and Kelley and the entire Tucker family have become very dear friends of mine and I know that you realize what a great blessing that they are.  Earlier this morning, Pastor Kent spoke for us at Fellowship Church and I might add that he did a great job and represented you very well.  Come on let’s show him how much we all love him! 

 Well this is Columbus Day weekend! It’s a day when our nation honors a great visionary leader.  A man who faced a long, hard journey through wind and rain and several near death experiences in a belief that his dream of a land on the other side of the ocean was real.  Have you ever thought about how in that one year the world was changed forever?  

 As I was praying about what God would have me share today I couldn’t help but recognize how much the world has changed for a lot of us, even from just a year ago.  

A year ago, my friends list on Facebook was smaller because I didn’t know many of the leaders of this great church.  What a difference a year makes. A few weeks ago I was speaking with someone here who said, “If I am being honest, it’s been a really rough year...things are just really tough at home...”

That story isn’t isolated is it?  So many of us are worried about our homes, our retirements, our kids - our jobs.

One thing is for certain....

When the worries of the world get big, our dreams have a tendency to get small.

For some, the last 12 months have almost completely deflated our dreams.

Financial Dreams:

That dream of Retirement is all but gone.

That dream of that college fund....gone.

Home ownership...gone.

Relational Dreams:

Stories of marriages that aren’t surviving.

Kids that are buckling under the pressure.

The dream of “The Perfect Family” - washed away.

The Single person who had dreamed of being married by 30...still searching.

The couple who dreamed of being pregnant...still waiting.

 

This morning I want us to look at two men who felt like many of us have felt this year.  Each of these two men had given up everything to follow a dream and it wasn’t turning out so well.  Two men who had to battle through the wasteland of their past, navigate the troubled waters of their present all in an effort to catch a glimpse of their future.

(Matthew 4:18-20 NIV) “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  ‘Come follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once they left their nets and followed him.”

Have you ever wondered why they just dropped their nets?  What was it about those words spoken by this man that caused them to walk away from their business?

To understand what was really happening here we need to look at the culture that these men were involved in.

All jewish boys, once weened would go to Torah school where they learned the five books written by Moses.  By the age of 9, a jewish boy would have been able to quote the entire Torah and would then graduate to Septuagint school.  By the age of 13 a jewish boy would be able to quote the entire Old Testament and would then be quizzed by the Priests.  

The quizzes of the Priesthood were not like our quizzes today where we are judge by how well we can answer questions that are asked.  In the jewish tradition, the true test of knowledge was shown by how well of a question you could craft.  That’s why in
Luke 2:46-47 we see Jesus astonishing the teachers with both his responses and his questions.

Once the priests had heard enough to make a decision they would then share with the jewish boy their finding.  If the priest did not choose the jewish boy as an apprentice, the boy would return home to learn the trade of his father.  But, if they saw in the boy someone that they believed could one day become a minister in the court of the Lord, they would say, “Come, follow me.”

Those three words were a young boys ticket out of the class structure he was born into.  It’s was the validation that they were more than just average.

The fact that Jesus finds Peter as a fisherman, means that Peter had faced this rejection.  He had been told by someone else that he was nothing special - that he was average at best.  When compared with the others, he was told that he didn’t cut the mustard.  

When Jesus said, “Come follow me!” he was saying to Peter, “you have the potential to go from a humdrum life following your dad around in a fishing boat with no dream beyond what you have known to the carrier of a dream!”  

So when he hears those words, “Come, follow me” - the words he had waited 13 years to hear - he jumped at the chance.

In one day, Peter went from Nothing Special, to the chaser of “The Dream.” 

Do you remember the moment, that day, that hour, that class, that interview when the dream of your life came alive in your heart?

I remember in 1995, when Shandra and I were spending a weekend shopping at Grapevine Mills Mall in Grapevine, Texas.  While shopping I recognized across the freeway a church whose materials I had been receiving in the mail for years.  The building looked nothing like a church which just enticed me even more.  I found out that they had a Saturday night service so we decided to go and visit.

We didn’t realize how important this single accidental event would become in our lives.  I will never forget setting in what felt like an auditorium and completely loving the service.  Then when the pastor stepped up at the beginning of his message and said, “Welcome to Fellowship...” something hit us both like a ton of bricks.  In those few moments a dream was birthed in us.  And part of that dream would be to stand up and someday say, “Welcome to Fellowship.”  

That was the beginning of the dream that is now Fellowship Church. 

Each one of us can point to a time in our lives when “The Dream” came alive in our hearts!  A word, thought, email, love note, and invitation...that moment where our whole world changed because “The Dream” was now alive in us.

Well, for the next 3 years, Peter was obsessed with “The Dream” that Jesus taught about.

Jesus had a new approach to the messages Peter had learned in the priest school since childhood.  This message of Jesus was challenging the old way of thinking about God and Peter was right there as one of the 3 closest people ever to Jesus on Earth!

Imagine the late nights around the campfire dreaming about what it would be like one day!  They were dreaming and planning....strategizing day in and day out about what life would be like when Jesus “established His Kingdom!”

Peter has a Front Row Seat to this dream.  He saw Miracles and crusades.  He ate with the most famous people in town.  He graduated from the boat away from the masses to being a person of fame and prestige.  I mean, he’s living the dream!!!!!

We can relate to that too, can’t we?

For several years, maybe even decades, many of us knew what it was to go Head-On into our dreams!  We gave it everything we had!  We sacrificed, we worked, we pushed, we plotted, we strategized.  We laid awake at night with our spouse talking about it & dreaming about “The Dream.”

Then, all of a sudden, things began to shift.

Jesus starts talking crazy about “The Dream.”  For Peter, it wasn’t an all of a sudden thing, but just every now and then Jesus would start saying weird stuff.  Stuff that didn’t match the picture Peter had built up in his head about the dream!  Jesus started talking about “having to die” & “laying down his life.”

(Matthew 16:21-22 NIV)  “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.  Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  “Never, Lord!” he said.  “This shall never happen to you!”

Can’t you just see Peter standing there and going, “Jesus, stop all that.  That’s crazy talk.  ‘The Dream’ happens differently!”

One thing about having a dream is that those who are drawn to you because of your vision may try to steal it.  

They will try to tell you what to do as if they know the dream better than you.  

That’s what Peter is doing to Jesus.  It’s no longer Peter messing with the dream of Jesus....Now Jesus is messing with Peter’s dream.

Do you remember 2005 when everyone was saying that 35% gains in Real Estate were the new normal?

Some of us remember when our boss promised us that our job was secure.  Our 401(k) was going up 25% a year!  We remember when the doctor said that the treatment had a “very high” success rate.  Or when that relationship looked so positive.  But somehow, over time, it’s like it started to erode, did it?

The next thing you know, the ball drops.

Peter finds himself in this Upper Room celebrating the Passover - this Jewish Meal that symbolized a lamb being sacrificed for the sin of the people.

(Matthew 26:26-28 NIV)  “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’  Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.’  ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’”

Can’t you just hear Peter thinking, “Why is he talking like this whole thing is about to end???”

So they sing a song & then leave to head out to this vineyard and the entire time, Peter’s thinking, “What is happening to ‘The Dream’?  It’s not supposed to go down like this.  Jesus is supposed to be The King & we’re supposed to be beside Him!”

(Matthew 26:31-35 NIV)  “Then Jesus told them, ‘This very night you will all fall away on account of me...’  Peter replied, ‘Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

Peter has had enough and is like, “No Jesus!  Stop it!  This is not the way ‘The Dream’ is supposed to play out!  Stop it before you ruin everything!”

‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’  But Peter declared, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’  And all the other disciples said the same.’”

Peter is not willing to let this thing go down without a fight!  This is ‘The Dream’ and he’s hanging on with all of his might!!! 

Have you ever done that?

Ever wanted something so badly that you were willing to fly in the face of Greater Wisdom in an effort to not let it go?  Desperate times call for Desperate Measures!!!! 

So they go to a garden to pray & they get invaded by armed soldiers who seize Jesus, and check out what Peter does...

(Matthew 26:50-52 NIV)  “...then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.  With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.” 

Peter is like, “No....You will not take my King...you will not take MY DREAM away from me!”  To which Jesus responds...

“‘Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.’”

In other words...We’re not going to play that way 

With that, they whisk Jesus away to be tried and crucified....

Imagine being Peter....Imagine giving your life to someone who had painted an amazing picture of ‘The Dream.’  Imagine how you would feel watching him be dragged away and tried illegally.  Imagine seeing him be whipped 39 times the next morning and his beard and flesh being ripped off his body!

This is the same guy who just a few weeks earlier had been talking about “When he entered his kingdom...” and now he’s having his entire life stripped from him!  Can you imagine that??? 

Many of us CAN imagine that because in the last year, The Dream of our lives has been ripped from us!  We have watched The Dream we worked so hard for whittle away, or fall away, or walk out, or miscarry, or slip through the cracks.... 

Is it really that surprising who Peter did next....

(Matthew 26:69-70 NIV)  “‘Now Peter was sitting in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him.  ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee,’ she said.’  But he denied it before them all.  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he said.”

In other words, “I don’t know ‘THAT’ man.”  That’s not the man I spent 3 years of my life with.”

And Peter stood there and watched His Dream slip away.

By morning the false trials are over and all that’s left is the sentencing....

The Bible records that they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha...and they crucified him...it was nine in the morning when they crucified him.”

(Matthew 27:57-60 NIV)  “As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.  Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.  Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock.  He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.”

With the placement of that stone, ‘The Dream’ died.

Some of us have had a Stone rolled in front of us this year.

The Foreclosure stone.  The Lost Job stone.  

The Laid-Off stone.  The Miscarriage stone.

The Disappointment stone.

The Divorce stone. The Break-Up stone.

The Lost Fortune stone. The Disability Stone.

The Depression stone.

The Separation stone. The Downsize stone.

The Cancer stone. The Flunked Out stone.

The Death stone.

With the placement of that stone, ‘The Dream’ of our lives has died.

When Peter’s future laid in a cave behind a big stone, he became a prisoner - a prisoner locked up inside by the chains of ‘Why’ and ‘What if’.  With his future gone he became trapped in the present dealing with the voices of his past that said, “see...there’s nothing special about you.  You are just average.”

And with that...Peter hid himself away. 

The book of Revelation records the story of another disciple who’s life also didn’t turn out like many of us would have expected.  In fact, we see him in the upper room with Peter.

While the disciples were arguing amongst themselves as to who would set next to Jesus when He established His kingdom, this disciple...the teenager of the bunch...was setting next to Jesus with his head upon Jesus’ breast.

There was such a connection there.  This disciple even describes himself as the “one who Jesus loved.”  Not the one who loved Jesus.  See that’s where some of us are yet today....trying to love Jesus.  But John, the teenage disciple understood it’s much better to be loved by Jesus.

There was something so profound about his display of affection to the Master.  Perhaps that is one reason why John was the only disciple to die of old age.

Some of you here today ... you are trapped just like Peter.  Your dreams are dead to you.  Your past pounds in your head and crushes your heart.  But God has sent me on a mission today...to tell you...YOU ARE LOVED!

Revelation 1 finds John trapped on an island bound in chains.  Hidden away ... a slave ... forgotten by the world ... God shows up to speak to John and remind John that he is loved.  In that moment John who was in chains writes in verse 10, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day and heard him speak to me from behind.”

Some of you have been trapped way to long...forgotten way to long...In fact it’s been so long you wonder if God has forgotten you but if you will open your heart again to the Spirit that is in this place...the spirit that is breaking your heart right now...you will hear him speaking life to you again!

This visit from the Father for John came with a clear directive.  We find it verse 19.

(Revelation 1:19 NIV)  “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place after this.”

Three zones that John is suppose to hit.  The things which were (Past), the things which are (Present) and the things that will take place after this (Future).

You can take the approach of study of Revelations and find that chapters 1 John wrote about the things which were.  Chapters 2-3 john wrote about present things when he wrote letters to existing churches.  But when it came time to write about the future....we find this in Revelation 4:1

(Revelation 4:1 NIV)  “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.  And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

In other words, you got to come up higher.

You have exhausted you study of the past...you understand the reality of the present but if you are going to gain the answers to the real questions of your life....If you are going to get a glimps of what is yet to come ... if you are going to get the answers to those high questions ... you are going to have to change your location...you are going to have to come up higher 

For those who feel like the stone has rolled over the dream of your life....for those who want desperatly to find a vision that gives life to your heart...for those who have asked God about your purpose on this earth...I have had a word burning in me for a month for you and God’s answer to those who are trapped in the present and tormented by the past because your future seems to have vanished...

YOU CAN’T SEE IT FROM WHERE YOU ARE!

Your dreams are to low.  Your talk is to low.  Your faith is to low.  Your commitment is too low.  Your vision is too low.

If you want me to answer questions about your past and help you to understand the issues of your today then you can stay right where you are 

BUT

If you are going to uncover the key to your destiny...if you want to catch a glimpse of what you can achieve for me...If you want to look over the chasim of fear and peer through the binoculars of vision you’re going to have to realize that you can’t see it from where you are.

Just as Peter once receiving the invitation of Jesus stepped out and walked on the water and as John was invited to a new realm where he saw the future so the Spirit is inviting use today to release the pain of our past and break the bonds that keep our vision on our present steps and soar to new realms of faith and fullness in the Spirit of God.

Are you ready?  Some of you there is building tension in side of you.  You are just waiting on the word go to leap to your feet and run to this altar but others are battling the thought that the pain of the past and the disappointments of the present are just to big to overcome.  How can you reach for a fresh encounter with God when the issues before you are just too big?

(Mark 16:1 NIV)  “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.  Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?”

Here were two devoted followers, going to honor the body of their leader one last time....they have stepped out ... walked down the road and never thought to figure out how to move that stone...that really big stone...till now?

Maybe in your life you look at the things that are in your way and wonder how in the world am I going to get beyond this. Who is going to move this out of the way?

BUT WHEN THEY LOOKED UP ....

(Mark 16:4 NIV)  “...they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

There are things that have rolled up dead in your life and you are wondering how you are going to get beyond them.  You are looking for people to move them...someone to open a door...someone to be the answer to your prayer...someone to move the stone that separates you from your destiny...

But I serve a God who still moves real big stones!

(Mark 16:6-7 NIV)  “‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said.  ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.  He has risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples AND PETER, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

In other words, Go tell Peter ... The Dream ... is still alive ... and Peter ... your included!

(Luke 24:9, 11-12 NIV)  “When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.”  “But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.”

DON’T MISS THIS

“Peter, however, got up and RAN TO THE TOMB.”

If there is a chance that this dream is still alive.  If there is still a chance that I have not waisted three years of my life.  If there is still a possibility that I am more than I thought I was...I have to know.  I have to find out.

And in that moment, The Dream was resurrected and Peter’s hope was restored.

Peter didn’t know what all this meant.  He didn’t have it all figured out.  He didn’t even know what the future would hold for him, but what he did know was there was a chance the dream could still be alive and he was not going to see it from where he was ... he had to run towards the dream.

I believe the same thing is true for us today.  We may not know what the future holds.  We may not know all the details of how God is going to do it.  We may not understand why everything had to happen this way, but his much we know...

We serve a God who still moves big stones and we have to go higher in God to rediscover His dream for us.

It may not look like we think it was going to.  It may not turn out like we thought it was going to.  All the details might not be the same as we had hoped, but ...

The God of our salvation is the God of our Dreams and He’s still in the business of moving big stones around!

So if you’ve had a Big Stone pushed in front of your life this year, I want you to know that God is in the “Stone Moving Business!!!”

And His dream for your life is still alive!!!!

 

*Special thanks to Pastor Matt Keller for his insight into Peter through his message.

P90X - The Basics - Part 1

P90X - the extreme physical workout.  This month, my wife Shandra and I have begun the P90X workout program.  Man it's a beast.  While in the midst of one of the exercises where we were testing both of flexibility and balance we became painfully aware of how inflexible and out of balance we really are! The Bible teaches that we are all tri-part beings - body, mind and spirit.  What affects one affect all others.  I don't know if I will ever forget the thought coming strongly into my mind as I realized how inflexible and out of balance I was physically that this was also a sign of inflexibility and unbalancedness mentally and spiritually as well.

Around this same time I was asked by a mentor, Matt Keller - Lead Pastor of Next Level Church, about our experience with the workout P90X for a new series they were writing dealing with prayer.  This prompted me to begin going in the same direction for a teaching series for Fellowship Church.  

Over the next several posts I will share with you our thoughts from this series as well as others.  

Our approach was to use the ideas presented in P90X to build the teachings on a prayer that can transform our lives.  As with all our teaching series, we needed a founding scripture to ground our thoughts and we settled on the following.

(James 5:16 NLT) “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

THE BASICS

Every workout program sets forth the basics first.  Likewise, it is importnat to establish some basics if we are to get the most out of this spiritual exercise as well.

1.  Prayer is a ACTIVE CONVERSATION between God and humanity.

(Psalm 91:15 NLT) “When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble.  I will rescue and honor them.  I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

 

So often we forget the fact that prayer is a conversation and not a monologue.  So often our prayers consist only of our words.  But if we will take the time to actively listen, we will hear the voice of the Father speaking to us.  If this sounds foreign to you perhaps the reason you don't "hear" God is because you don't believe that He actually will speak to you.

I have found that God speaks to me in many ways.  Through thoughts, scriptures, life events, others. God is actually always speaking.  Much like there are radio waves transmitting constantly around us, God is always speaking.  Question is are we taking the time to allow the conversation to happen.

This understanding and application are so importnat the Jesus, the Son of God understood and applied this truth.

(John 5:19 NLT) “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself.  He does only what he sees the Father doing....”

Question - How was he able to recognize what the father was doing?  Prayer.  He was in constant communication with His Father.  If Jesus practiced the habit of prayer, how much more do you and I need to practice it also?  

The first Basic Point as we begin looking at prayer is to deciding to enter into a conversation with God.

2.  Keep It REAL.

Have you ever been in a church service where someone begins praying in King James?  Have you ever thought, "Why are they talking that way?"  I have and let me tell you something, God hears you just fine if you pray in modern day english.  The point here is that prayer needs to be real...from the heart.  Don't try to impress God or others when you pray.  True communication happens on the heart level not the head level.  Jesus said it this way:

 (Matthew 6:5 NLT) “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in synagogues where everyone can see them.  I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.  

 

(Matthew 6:7-8 NLT) “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do.  They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.  Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

So when you pray, be real with God.  If you are angry, trust me He is big enough to handle it.  If you are frustrated or perplexed, He's got it.  Just be real with God because he already know what's going on in your life and He will always be real with you.

Continued tomorrow.