New Wine Skins?

In one of Jesus’ many arguments with the Pharisees, Jesus throws out this kinda strange remark about not putting new wine in old wine skins, or not sewing a new patch on an old garment. When you look at the context of the passage you think, “Wow, Jesus was like schitzo! That makes no sense.” But then you [I] realize that he makes perfectly good sense. He has argued with the Pharisees so many times that he is slightly exasperated. It’s like he says, “Ya know these guys are never gonna get it. They are too stuck in their old mindsets.” They [Pharisees] wanted the Messiah. They wanted new fangled things. New spiritual insights, but they wanted them to fit into their mental and theological boxes.

Don’t you find it interesting that we read the passage in Isaiah where God said, “I’m doing a new thing….” And we jump on the soap box and talk about embracing the freshness of the Good News, and all the new things that God is doing……..as long as it fits into our current structure of beliefs. Don’t believe me? Really? Think about it…….Go on, think for just a second. How often do you purposefully hang out with and spend time with people of other belief structures than you? I’m not talking Muslim and Buddhists. Let’s start with easy ones……..If you’re Baptist, how often do you purposefully hang out with Methodists? If you’re Pentecostal how often do you hang out with Catholics?

Let me shock you a bit…….If all we ever do is hang out with people of our own makeup [spiritual belief structures] then how do we grow? How do we learn? How do we become bigger, better, and stronger? Of course if you go into all of these relationships in order to force change in their thinking then you will never learn anything, nor grow. But when we go into it not to change the other, but to actually engage in a meaningful dialogue then two things happen: We become more aware of what we believe, and our spiritual ‘tank’ is enlarged through compassion and understanding for the other.

Let’s be honest, as long as you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal savior, then we should be able to call each other brother. That’s easy to say, hard to walk out. In Proverbs we are told that iron sharpens iron. Last time I checked that is not a feel good situation. But if I want to sharpen my leadership skills, if I want to grow, if I want to be able to receive the new things of God then it might just get uncomfortable for me. I might have to endure some things that are just not easy. I think it’s time for “mature” Christians to grow up and enlarge their borders. Allow themselves to be sharpened and challenged. Be around others that are…….well……..different. Who knows, we might just learn something. Our boxes of theological oddities might begin to dissolve. We might just be able to receive some new wine, in some new wine skins.

Ministry Musings

Our first Newcomers was a huge success! We had just shy of 100 people show up at McAllister's. Wow! I was yelling over everybody and I'm not sure if the people in the back heard a word I said, but it was a phenomenal turn out, and time together. It was so nice to actually get to talk to people and say more than, :"Welcome to SouthPoint."

The team has been working their fingers to the bone and the results have shown. [no I was not planning o that rhyming.] Some of our team members have still not even been in the main service once. They have sacrificially given and given. They have worked to make it a memorable experience for others. AND it's working! We have had just under 30 people get saved since we've started. Now is that crazy cool or what? I saw the above picture on Flickr and it arrested my attention. The fact that I didn't take the picture amazed me. Also that i didn't even know the picture was being taken, and I'm not in the picture. No I'm not some ego-maniac, I'm merely saying that it is so awesome that all this stuff goes on without a hitch b/c we have the greatest team in the world. Trailers get unloaded, people get saved, lives are transformed, a community is given hope, and God gets the credit! YEA GOD!

So now we step into our influential roles in the community. We're here, now what? Now we influence. We change the culture of our community, not by pointing out flaws......any moron can do that.....but by living Life. I mean living life in a Life-giving way. See it's like this, obedience to God is great, but for leaders that's not enough. Leaders need to obey, and influence others in a godly way. Leadership is not a plaque on the wall, or a name plate on your desk. Leadership is not a backstage pass, or company car. leadership is not the corner office, or even the infamous title that goes with it. Leadership is influence. Influencing others is what Jesus did. It's what Moses did. Wait let's do a random list of influencers: Abraham, Isaac, Jonah, Nahum, Nehemia, Rudolph Guiliani, Adoni Bezek, Saul, David, Solomon, Nathan, Deborah, Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Samson, Gideon, and the list goes on and on. All of the above are leaders. And all of the above are influencers.

So what now?
Influence.
It's not dragging people. It's not debating people.
Influence.
Just live the life of Christ. Share truth. Share love.
Influence.
Trust God. Trust the Holy Spirit that's in you.
Influence.

Desoto Appeal Article

A newspaper team came to service Sunday, and I woke up with my ugly face on the front page of the paper. Wow! Memphians must be scared today! :)

Check out the article here: http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local
/article/0,2845,MCA_25340_5345441,00.html

Bread, TP, and Jesus

What does sliced bread, toilet paper, and Christianity all have in common? At first glance you laugh, and then you’re slightly offended that those three things are even compared. We climb up on our high horse and say, “How dare you compare Christianity to toilet paper!” We go off on a tirade and tell everyone we know how horrible that comparison is. Of course if you do that, you would only be helping me make my point that much stronger.

Sliced bread, toilet paper, and Christianity are all practical things, things that are used on a regular bases. (I know Christianity is lived not used, so take a deep breath and follow my analogy for a moment.) We use items everyday and they become a natural part of our lives. Yet some how Christianity, Jesus Christ, is something so special we only experience it on Sunday morning. Like fine China, or mom’s good silver. Is that really how Jesus is supposed to be taken? Did he really do all that he did to only be experienced once a week, maybe twice? Last time I checked the bible it talked about Jesus being a life change not just an addition. We are not supposed to make the Christ and addendum in our lives, but an integral part of everything we live and do.

Living for Christ is truly a life change decision that not only changes our schedules on Sunday morning, but should inevitably impact every area of our existence.