"Where do you sometimes see a gap between what you know is true and what you functionally believe in a given moment?"
— Pastor Mike Wilkerson (I think)
War on God

Why do we think we are God?

You are probaly thinking: “I never think I am God”.

Have you ever disagreed with Jesus on what would make you happy? If you determine what will really make you happy, you play God. If you believe that porn or that person, or that job will satisfy you, you play God, determining what will make you happy.

Have you ever determined what was true? Have you ever disagreed with what God says to be true? When you try and determine what is true, you play God. Do you disagree with God about Hell, gender roles or sexuality? When you try and determine what is true, you think you are God, the Truth.

Have you ever punished yourself for your sin? Have you cut yourself? Have you starved yourself? Have you isolated yourself because “you are not worthy to be in public”? When you try to be your own judge or redeemer, you play God.

You may not be the drug dealer or the drunk, but do you think you are God? When you think you are the judge, the arbiter of truth or what satisfies, you worship yourself, believing you are God.

Believing this lie is to believe the original lie: “…you will be like God…” (Gen. 3:5).

The truth is Jesus is God, He satisfies, He is the Truth, He is our Redeemer and Judge. He is such a better God than we are. He has come and died for our sin, our self-worship, to set us free, to be satisified in Him, to believe Him, to let Him be the Judge and Redeemer.

Sparks

I have talked to College Pastors from 3 big churches in the last 2 days, here are some of the topics that sparked up, and helped me. Hopefully they will casue you to think fresh or new, about some awesome Gospel work.

  • Serving the city as the front face of the church.
  • Student led, staff owned vs. Staff led, student owned, mixture
  • Adult led college groups vs. student led groups
  • Student led, but adult hosted.
  • Freshman group that meets together one night a week as a big group.
  • There is difference between structuring for growth vs. structuring for control.
  • Weekly Service as Rallying point
  • Small groups as Microcosm of the Church
  • Integrating: Community, Discipleship, Evangelism, Worship
  • Trying not pigeon hole groups as just Bible study
  • Groups led by adult and paired with a student leader.
  • Mentoring: Life long commitment vs. 3 month rotation with some being life-long
  • Holistic and Developmental
  • Holistic: Community, Discipleship, Evangelism, Worship
  • Developmental: Can never transition from “kidult” to adult unless they have older more mature believers leading them.
  • Serving is vital to discover spiritual gifts.
  • Local and global mission.
  • Retreats throughout the year, international trips in the summer.
  • Calendaring = Seeing everything in three seasons. Fall, Winter, Summer or 4 Seasons Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer
  • Calendaring series, events in the right season
  • Strategically aligning the small groups on certain teaching pieces.
  • Reinvent or re-org every season for growth and as new leaders rise and transition out.
  • Summer groups are helpful, but don’t stick completely in the fall.
  • Sub-Grouping in larger groups vs. replication.
  • Reggie McNeal — The Future Present / Missional Renaissance
  • Order of service for a weekly gathering. (Notice the amount of music!)
2 Songs
- Pastoral Welcome
Greet the new People:
Why are we here:
Read some scripture
“I am here for God” segment
3 Songs.
Sermon
2 Songs
Announcements on Back end
  • Most People say “:: Decide target audience” But is that true?
  • Sunday Night Service of young adults can be a front door to College Ministry
  • Having an “Add-on” that is very intentional to what happens before and after the services as a bridge to where you want to take them next…
  • “After thought”, an after service small gathering lead by a small group leader that can transition into a small group . Meet small group leader at the “after thought”.
  • The Marginalized
  • Full Time Paid Staff
  • Core Student Leadership Team
  • Students have different leadership roles.
  • Let students speak into literally everything we do.
  • Support of leaders and on going training.
  • Dinner meeting an hour before the weekly meeting with leaders to discuss roadblocks and evidences of God’s grace.
Makings of a Young Leader

Here’s a list of 29 qualities of a leader from 2 Timothy Chapters 1 & 2. 2 Timothy has been one of my favorite books of the Bible for the last few years. I shared this list with the College Mission leaders Monday night.

Sincere Faith 1:5
Spirit Empowered 1:6
No fear, but power, love, & self control 1:7
Not ashamed 1:8
Shares in suffering for the gospel 1:8
Called to a holy calling 1:9
Follow the scriptures “sound words” 1:13
Guards the gospel 1:14
Makes disciple making disciples 2:2
Shares in suffering as a “good solider” 2:3
Not entangled in civilian pursuits 2:4
Competes according to the rules 2:5
Works hard 2:6
Thinks hard 2:7
Remembers Jesus 2:8
Reminds people of the gospel 2:14
Charges people, doesn’t just make suggestions 2:15
Rightly handles the word 2:15 
Avoids irreverent babble 2:16
Sanctified for service 2:21
Flees youthful passions 2:22
Pursues righteousness 2:22
Avoids foolish controversy 2:23
Kind to everyone 2:24
Able to teach 2:24
Patiently endures evil 2:24
Corrects opponents with gentleness 2:25
Leads towards repentance 2:25
Leads away from lies of Satan 2:26

Summer Training

We had a great time last night at Summer Training. I will debrief the fishbowls later, but I had a a ton of fun. Hard to believe last years Summer Training could all gather around one conference table!

Fishbowls

Eating Elephants

How do you eat an elephant? Answer: piece by piece.

Summer is plan and prepare season for me and the College Mission. This illustration has been helpful to me since I heard it Sunday. You can tackle almost anything if you break it down into small enough chunks, but if you try to figure out how to swallow the whole thing at once, you are done.

Simple, I know, but for someone that is into results, not the planning, this motivates me to plan, so I can eat lots of big elephants. (This picture was chosen over this pic of the lady standing over an elephant she killed with a bow and arrow. I live in Seattle, and don’t want a riot outside my house.)

Are you planning or just hoping things work out? Are you thinking about things like: “Reverse Engineering”, “Milestones”, “Quarterly Goals” and “Monthly Goals”? I don’t trust in my plans, but I am planning because I trust that Jesus is going to “do work” here next year.

Look for future posts on “Playbooks”, “Launch Plans”, and “Missional Goals”.

"A typical night looks like this: As I make my way home, I pass by young women arm-in-arm with a friend that is incapacitated from a night of drinking. They struggle to hold her up as they walk and try to decide whether to call a cab or not. A little further and I come across a few students on the street corner smoking pot. Yet a little further and a group of young men pass by and I overhear them bantering about a girl they slept with, a guy they fought, and how much they drank “that one time”. When I get back to my apartment, I lay in bed with the cool summer breeze flowing in through my window. In with the air comes the bass from the party next door along with the screams of girls, police sirens, and the occasional gunshot. Jesus is needed here. Desperately."
— From Devin’s New Website
1001 rules for my unborn son

Some good stuff here.

war on god

When I stop making war on my pride, I make war on God.

“You save a humble people,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.” (2 Samuel 22:28)


“God opposes the proud…” (1Peter 5:5)

Pride has been manifesting itself in my heart recently with selfish ambition. In addition to thinking about the ministry I am called to serve in, I drift towards thinking about my influence and platform. Ironically, the men I respect the most seem to think very little about their platform and influence and just lead and do what they are called to do with humility and self forgetfulness.

James 3:13 “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”


Convicting questions for me:

1. Am I trying to put myself “before the great” or let God exalt me at the right time?

Proverbs 18:16 “A man’s gift makes room for him
and brings him before the great.”

1 Peter 5:6 6 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you…”

2. Why am I so concerned about getting the credit?

“The tension between these two dangers (Acclaim for Christ vs. Craving Praise) calls for wisdom and humility. Our aim is that people would “glorify God,” not us (Matthew 5:16). On the one hand, we know that reputation matters: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches” (Proverbs 22:1). On the other hand, we know that people-pleasing reveals idolatry: “… not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord” (Colossians 3:22).

The great issue here is our heart. We have all heard people going on and on about how they mean for God to get the glory as they do their public ministry, but it sounded hollow. The very words seemed part of the act. Yet public ministry is inevitable and good. The focus should not be on techniques of self-effacement. The focus should be on our hearts. What do we really crave? Really. Have we been broken by our sin? Are we overflowing with thankfulness for truly all the good we don’t deserve? Do we really stand in awe of Christ? Is his reputation a happy burden to us?” (DG Article)

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