The Purpose of the Church

Recently I watched the Revival Hymn, which is a 30 minute video made of audio clips from various pastors who saw revival.  One of the pastors talks about how Christianity has become muddled by humanism.  Humanism is the thought that people exist simply to be happy.  Therefore, Christianity has been warped to portray God as a ticket to eternal happiness and not the all powerful God that He is.  This pastor talked about how God sent him to Africa to reach the heathens there.  When this man got there, he found out to his dismay that they were perfectly happy in their ways and didn't want God.  When he was in his room, this pastor was telling God how he was so upset that God had dared send him to Africa.  God's response was, "I didn't send you to Africa for their sake, I sent you there for My sake."

The Church is the Body of Christ, so we should be moving and doing things to bring God glory.  However, it seems like we spend a lot of our time, effort, and money on things that bring us glory.  We build big, beautiful buildings and we have pastors who worry about how big their paycheck is.  This isn't at all about glorifying God.

In SEND we learn about Life Shapes, which are shapes that help explain ways that followers of Christ live.  One of the ones we focus on the most is the Triangle, which breaks down our relationships UP with God, IN with other believers, and OUT with people who aren't yet Christians.  In churches, it's very easy to focus on the UP and IN and just become a country club, or a place to be involved for the status.  We're just bringing ourselves glory by being a country club and this needs to stop.

We need to stop focusing on building our churches and pulling people in with gimmicks.  Christ NEVER tells us to build His church.  He tells us He will, Jesus just commands us to make disciples.  This means we need to teach each other how to have a relationship with God, reach those outside of the church, and also continue to build disciples.  As a part of discipleship, we need to be real with each other.  That's the only way we can hope to build relationships with those who aren't yet Christians and bring God glory through that.

God's given me this vision of seeing my hometown, Ypsilanti going through a revival.  It seriously makes me cry every time I think or pray about it.  I want nothing more than to see God moving in the lives of the people.  I would even give up my favorite bar if it got shut down because of this.  I have a vision of the strip club closing and people filling their lives with Christ.  I think that God will bring revival with or without me, but I want to be a tool that God uses to bring revival.

As a part of this vision I see God using the churches to find and remember those who are lost and forgotten.  As a Christian, we need to listen to God's voice in finding people to reach.  God is always preparing people for us to reach out to, but we need to know where God is sending us.  I had a meeting with a guy named Tom today and he said that he plays tee ball with God.  He just waits for God to put the ball on the tee so that he can hit it.  This is such a good way to describe how mission work should be.

How can we reach others?  By asking God to open up opportunities for it.  At work my manager isn't a Christian, but he asks me questions about God sometimes.  I've been praying that God would continue to open the door in my boss's life.  Sure, this means bringing up Christianity to my boss, but if I truly love him, wouldn't I want him to know God?  Wouldn't I want my manager to bring God glory?  Who has God put in your life to bring into a relationship with Him?  Who has God put in your life to disciple? If you could please join me in praying for my boss, I would greatly appreciate it!

What does this mean for the Church?  This means actually learning how to make disciples and how to be real with each other so we can reach those around us.  It also means having an attitude where we want to bring God glory over bringing ourselves glory.  Is what you're doing really bringing God glory?  God deserves all of our time and effort, because He is worthy.

You May Have Noticed

For those of you who are new to my blog, welcome! I have decided to use this space to spend time writing about what God is doing in my life, how I am serving God, and write reviews of books.  I haven't been reading a lot lately, so I don't have any new reviews to write.  Hopefully I start reading more soon.  I do have some leadership books that I am about to start, but I am not sure if I will include these in my reviews.

Now, for those of you who have stuck around with this blog for a while, thank you for being a loyal reader.  It means a lot to me!  I have decided to delete a bunch of my older posts because they simply weren't reflecting where I want to take the blog.

I also wanted to take this post to take some time to explain how I decided to lay out this blog.  I feel that God is calling me to reach out to the people that "normal" church goers don't want to reach.  This means those who are found in the "smoking sections" of life.  I don't mean I feel called to reach those who are smokers, but it means that I want to find a way to reach those who are often forgotten by society.  I might get a lot of flak for listening to the music I listen to and watching the films I chose to watch and that is okay with me.  I know that there are people out there who enjoy these things just like I do.  If God can use my interests to reach a single person, then it is worth it in my mind.

I've been given a sense of empathy because of the experiences I've had in life, which is awesome because it means I can understand where people are coming from in many different ways.  When coupled with the SEND training I am receiving, it makes for a very interesting way of looking at the world.  Today we had a teaching from Kent Hunter about culture.  I think understanding culture is an important part of being a missionary.  The culture in which you're operating needs to be understood to be effective.  I also think that it is important to remember not to live in a way that you are participating in the sin you find in that group of people.

I know that I have decided to choose an interesting background image for my blog.  I think the barbed wire represents in a modern way, the thorns used to make a crown for Christ.  It also reminds me of the prisons we all find ourselves in.  I think it is important to remember that we are all imprisoned in some fashion in our lives.  This truth really hit home when we went as a group to Ohio to learn about prison ministry through SEND.  Even though some people are behind bars for their actions, I am no better, because I live in prisons I've made myself through my actions.  This is a good reminder for any Christian that we are called to help redeem the lives of people to help them find freedom from sin.

I know that is impossible in a few ways, as we live in a world where no one is perfect.  In fact, I John reminds us that anyone who says they are without sin is a liar.  On top of that, the truth is not in them.  However, we are saved when we repent of our sins.  Repent literally means to turn away from something.  We are called to turn away from our sins as Christians and turn to Christ instead.  Christ is the ultimate place to be freed from our self made prisons.

This blog is a place I am dedicating to writing about how God is moving in my life.  This can be in any way that God decides to move, whether that is through SEND or if God gives me a clearer vision on what He wants in my life.  I know God is calling me to be a pastor and it will be interesting to see how God takes me on that path as I know that there are only two avenues for me in the Lutheran church.

I also feel that God is calling me to bring life back into the Lutheran denomination, even though this is a huge task.  I know that if it's God's will, God will foot the bill. I know it isn't the exactly same application, but it has truth.  If it's God's will, God will make it happen.

I am excited to see where God calls me and even though I'm feeling kind of beaten down by what is going on in my life right now, I am reassured knowing that it's in these times that God grows me the most.

SEND Update for November

Greetings everyone!  With Thanksgiving coming up, I would like to say I am thankful for the ability to be in SEND right now.  Even though it is hard being away from my friends and family, I know that what I am learning will be a blessing to the Kingdom later on.

This month has been a crazy one with SEND.  If you're unsure of what SEND is, you can learn about it by clicking on the SEND tab above this post.  Anyway, this month for our Mission Weekend, we traveled to Holland, MI to visit the Rescue Mission there.  The Holland Rescue Mission is a place where people who are experiencing homelessness can go to get shelter and food.  They also offer a Gateway program which is where the residents go through classes for a year to help them become active members in society.  This program also requires that the men attend church and also volunteer their time at the church they attend.

As a part of our time at the Rescue Mission, we spent the night with the residents.  The men in our group slept at the men's Mission and the women spent the night in the Family Rescue Mission.  It was an interesting experience to say the least.  There were sixty bunks in all in the room I slept in.  Not all of the bunks were filled, but it was still a very interesting experience sleeping in a room with forty plus men.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well, but it was still something I would do over again if given the chance.

We spent time at the Family Mission providing child care for the women and the girls spent time painting the nails of the residents.  We also served meals at both the men's and women's missions.  It was awesome because even though we were serving the residents, they wanted to serve us as much as they could.

While I was spending time with the men, I was able to have conversations with a couple of the residents.  One of them was Tom, a man who ended up at the mission because he attempted suicide.  It was his choice to be there, and it was awesome seeing that he wanted to make changes in his life.  We spent hours talking and I feel like I got to know him quite a bit.  I think he was pretty lonely because he spent a lot of time talking, but it's okay.  Part of being a missionary I've learned is taking the time to respect people and if someone wants to talk, it's best to just listen.

The theme of the current unit in SEND is relationships.  We've spent some time learning about the five love languages.  It's pretty awesome to learn that people express and receive love in different ways.  I know that my love languages are physical touch and quality time.  This means that I like to touch and be touched by people that I enjoy.  It also means that I enjoy spending meaningful time with those that I love.

The other three love languages are gifts, acts of service, and words of affirmation.  Gifts is best summed up by giving and getting gifts makes someone with this love language feel loved.  Acts of service is where you like to serve others and be served by them.  Words of affirmation can be described by saying nice things to each other.  With the love languages, it is important to remember that we're all different, so learning how someone else shows and accepts love is an important thing to learning about those around you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post!  Keep checking back to get the latest update!

Location, Location, Location

In Revelation 3, John was writing a letter on behalf of Jesus talking to the church in Laodicea. John talks about how Jesus rebukes the ones he loves. In response, we must repent or turn from what we are doing incorrectly. Then, he talks about how Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts knocking. If we chose to answer, Jesus enters our hearts and eats with us.


"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Revelation 3:19-20


"To rebuke" means to offer sharp criticism because of someone's actions. This is often times seen as a form of hatred by not only children, buIn business, one of the most important things is location. Where you are physically located makes it either easier or harder for you to be successful. If you're located in a prime spot, people can very easily receive your good or service. However, if you're in an out of the way area, it makes it a lot harder for people to get to you.

t us. However, earthly parents, like God love their children. If my parents gave me criticism today I wouldn't like it, but I know they are doing this out of a place of love. As Christians, we need to remember that when God smacks us upside the head with something we don't like, it's because God loves us and in response to this, we need to do something about it.


Now, back to location. Think of your life as a house for the rest of this post okay? Before you think I'm crazy, hear me out. So, if Jesus is standing at the door of the hearts of people who are not Christians, then we can assume that Jesus is inside the homes of our hearts as Christians.


In Jewish culture, the heart was the center of someone. It was where there desires, emotions, and pretty much everything else came from. In Western culture, our hearts are where mostly just our emotions come from. When Jesus enters our hearts, He wants ALL of it to be devoted to Him, not just SOME of it.


In Western culture, our hearts our like our homes, they have different compartments or rooms. If we accept Jesus, we only let him into the mud room, which is where we take off our shoes and coats. There, Jesus waits with patience for us to let Him into the next room. We often times think of our priorities as God, then family, friends, then work, and then hobbies.


Jesus wants to be in ALL of the rooms in our hearts. He wants to be in every compartment of our lives. Instead of putting God first on the list it should go God and family, God and friends, God and work, and then God and hobbies. Colossians 3:23-24 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."


Clearly, this is about doing works and can be applied in many ways, but I think it can also be applied to having Christ in our hearts. If God resides in every area of our hearts, we are then that much closer to doing everything we do as if we are doing for Him. This is important because when we realize that God wants to be in every aspect of our lives, it gives us something to strive for. When we're in the presence of God often, it lets us not only commune with God, but it also helps us fight temptations.


Now finally, to the image of eating with Jesus. In pretty much every culture, eating with someone is not only a place to share food, but also to share friendship. I think it was meant in this context that Jesus wants a friendship with us more so than wanting to literally eat with us. You could argue that is what Communion is for, but I'll save that for a later blog post.


When we eat with others, we tend to eat out, but I think there is something more wholesome about sharing meals with people in our homes. It lets them into our spaces and in a way, into our hearts. This is part of the reason why I love having people over for meals, it creates a space of being open with my heart and thus makes me more vulnerable to the other party.


I think Christ wants us to not only be friends with Him, but also vulnerable. If we can't be open with God, how can we be open with other people in our lives? I John 1: 8-10 says "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us." This word sin literally translates as missing the mark. I have recently been reading a book about stories, and how there are deeper meanings within the stories. One of the authors Henry Graf talks about sin as "bull" and how it takes a pair of people to talk about the bull in our lives. If we say we have no bull, we can't smell the crap we have on our knees, everyone else can, but we can't.


God wants to talk to us about the crap in our lives, because He wants to clean us off or forgive us. Think of it like a parent washing their child off after they were playing in mud. If the kid doesn't realize they are dirty, it's a lot harder to wash them.


When it comes to location, Christ wants to be in every location of our lives. He wants to be in every room of our lives and have a relationship with us where we can be not only open, but clean us. We should also pursue relationships with those around us so that we can talk about the bull in our lives.


More Than a Story by Dani Tietjen and Henry Graf

Only One Good Man

Since I was a young lad, I have been exposed to a rich fantasy universe called Warhammer. Although, it is super expensive, it is a lot of fun to play. You buy plastic or metal miniatures, paint them, then fight battles with them.

There are many different factions, but I really want to focus on two of them. The first is Chaos, they are the epitome of evil and there are four different factions of Chaos. The followers of Tzeentch love change and most of the time they are powerful wizards and have strange bird like mutations. Nurgle is the god of disease and most of his followers have disgusting growths and are rotting. Slaanesh is the god of pleasure and his followers are often found engaging in orgies and taking various drugs. My personal favorite is Khorne as Khorne is the god of rage. His followers are known for shouting "Skulls for the Skull Throne! Blood for the Blood God!"

The good races in the universe spend their time trying to eradicate Chaos, but they are failing to push the tide of Chaos out of their lands. The Empire follows the mighty god Sigmar and their sole purpose is to fight the forces of Chaos.

In one of the many Warhammer books I have read, I remember one of the characters lamenting about how Chaos would someday overrun the world. One of the other characters responded by saying Chaos won't win as long as one good man fights the powers of Chaos.

This reminds me of the real world as we as Christians are bombarded by the World, satan, and our sinful nature to fall away from Christ's teachings. We are surrounded by evil and even though it seems to us that we will be unable to push back against the hordes of evil surrounding us, we need to remember that satan hasn't won until the last Christian has stopped fighting.

Now, this seems even more daunting as I know for myself I am a sinful and broken vessel in comparison to what is needed. That said, I am reminded of Isaiah 64:6 "We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind."


Now that is both a terrifying thought and a comforting one. This means that my best is basically comparable to a used tampon in contrast to how Holy or set apart God is. All of these big scary thoughts usher in the awesomeness of Jesus though as Colossians 1:27 reminds us that For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory."

This means two things for us, first of all, we don't need to worry about all of this evil in our world on our own. This also means that Christ, who is present in us is helping us with our quest. Which is such a relief as I know I would be drowning in sin if it weren't for Christ in me. Therefore, I know that Christ in me is fighting for me and with me.


Thank you for reading everyone!