[Subversive Underground]
The Poverty of Wealth
by Keith Giles
When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples in Matthew 10 he gave them some instructions which would seem odd to us today. Among other things, he gave them this command, "Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts."
One thing I've learned over time is that preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, living the life Jesus modelled for us to live, serving others and learning to love people doesn't cost anything at all. At least not in terms of money.
What it does cost you is time. It also means the possibility, and a very likely one, that you will change as a person. Counting the cost means being willing to change, and to allow God to change your heart in the way He wants. You may have to participate in the process of dying to yourself if you decide to take that step towards loving and serving others.
Some of us have to admit that we just don't care about the poor. We'd rather just write a check and be done with it. I can understand that, and I've been there before in fact. For most of my life as a Christian I was comfortable writing the checks so that someone else could step out and touch the poor and serve the lost.
Unfortunately, we are called to do more than write checks.
OUR GREATEST FEAR
What frightens many of us most is the suggestion that Jesus might be asking us to invest something more than just a check.
A check is easy. I don't have to touch anyone. I don't have to look them in the eye, or smell their breath, or become entangled with their problems.
A check is still, ultimately, about me. I even get to write it off my taxes at the end of the year.
But sharing what I have, listening to someone's story, touching another person, loving them the way I would love Jesus? That's frightening. That would take a lot of faith. It would involve trusting God like I've never trusted Him before.
And that would be exactly what Jesus was talking about when He asked us to lay down our lives for one another and take up our cross to die daily to ourselves.
IT'S NOT ABOUT MONEY
For the last five years or so we've been serving families at the Studio Inn in Santa Ana, California. During this time of service I've learned that the less program we have the more Jesus we can bring.
Our monthly motel service costs our little house church just over $100. That covers groceries for about 30 families, renting a bounce house and buying a box of popsicles for the kids. But again, it's not about money. In fact, there have been times over the years where we didn't have a bounce house, or treats, or free groceries. We just showed up, my wife and I and our two boys, and a few others, and we played games, ran relay races, made a craft and prayed for our friends. Those were honestly some of the more amazing times we ever had, actually.
Keeping it simple, and learning to love the people who are right in front of you, is all it takes. That doesn't cost anything. It doesn't take a small army of trained workers. All it takes is love.
STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS
One of the principles of the Kingdom is the power of weakness. Paul talks about boasting in our weakness because in our weakness the power of Christ is revealed (2 Cor 12:9). That's a huge lesson. I used to always believe that the power of Christ was revealed in my eloquence, or in my talent or skill or ability. Instead I've discovered that the more I come in weakness, relying on God's strength, the greater the outcome.
Living in Orange County, California I've come in contact with some very wealthy people. Many of them are paralyzed by their wealth. Because of their great supply of cash they are tempted to lean on that money to save their marriages, or to protect themselves from reality, or to insulate themselves from the poor. I wish for many of them that they were not so wealthy. If they didn't have all that money to make things easier for themselves, I wonder, would they lean more on Jesus to rescue them or challenge them or change them?
FREELY YOU HAVE RECEIVED, FREELY GIVE
So, what can you bring if you leave your money belt at home? If you have a wallet full of money to give away you'll be tempted to meet physical needs without paying attention to the spiritual poverty. If your focus is on what you can do, or give, or bring, you might just miss what God wants to do.
Jesus announced his ministry on Earth by reading from Isaiah 61 saying, "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favour..."
Even though the annointing that was on Jesus involved the poor, and even though he warned us that we would be judged based on whether or not we had compassion on the poor and the outcast and the forgotten (Matt 25), we cannot miss the fact that Jesus was called to the poor in order to preach the Good News of the Kingdom to them.
We have that same calling.
I've been reminded recently that if we bring the poor free groceries and we put on a big production for them, we can't forget to bring them the Gospel of the Kingdom too.
YOUR PORTION IS SMALL
If you can't bring them money, what can you bring the poor?
"Then Peter said, 'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." - Acts 3:6
Maybe this is what Jesus had in mind when he sent out the twelve to preach the Good News of the Kingdom? Maybe it's why God told Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver my people from the Midianites"? (Judges 7:2) Because when we are strong, we have no need of God's strength. When we come bristling with our own wealth and talent and power and possibility the best we can do is the best we can do.
Perhaps if we left some of our resources at home and simply went out with nothing in our hands but worship, nothing in our hearts but faith, nothing on our lips but the Gospel of the Kingdom, we would see more of the power of God revealed in our weakness.
I'm eager to find out. Aren't you?
-kg
**
NON-CON PODCAST NOW AVAILABLE
If you head over to my main website you'll see we've got the 3 main sessions worth of MP3's available for free download
HERE
**
DOWNLOAD MY BOOKS FREE
If you haven't done so, there's still time to download my two books for free in PDF format.
HERE
ABOUT MY BOOKS
THE GOSPEL: FOR HERE OR TO GO?
The Gospel is a way of life. It's more than telling people that Jesus loves them, it's loving them because He has loved us.
NOBODY FOLLOWS JESUS (SO WHY SHOULD YOU?)
A devotional book for this generation. This 205 page collection contains forty inspirational articles that address what it means to really follow Jesus, not just attend a service or agree to a set of beliefs. If you desire to know more about following Jesus and less about how to join a program or a religious organization, this is the book you've been waiting for.
**
SUPPORT FOR JACKIE PULLINGER AND HER WORK IN HONG KONG
DETAILS
HERE
**
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
If Your House Was The House of God
[Subversive Underground]
"If Your House Was The House of God" by Keith Giles
"I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord'"- Psalm 122:1
The year I was licensed and ordained as a pastor they handed me a key to the church building. I was barely 22 years old, newly married, with a heart full of hope about my calling to pastor God's people.
On Sunday evenings I would unlock the old building an hour early and wander through the dark corridors behind the stage, through the choir room, up through the narrow stairway to the baptistry, quietly talking with God as I moved through the silence of an empty church.
Those were sweet times for me. I remember pouring my heart out to God during those moments, dreaming of the future, wondering where my journey with God would take me, how things would turn out down the road.
Imagine my shock when someone suggested to me that God didn't actually live in that place. He didn't splash in the baptistry when no one was there. He didn't hum His favorite hymns in the darkness waiting for us to return on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening. He wasn't confined to that place as if it were some Holy container for His Glory.
That idea took me some time to process. I knew in my heart it was true. God's word even supported the concept that man could not build a house for him, nor did he ever ask for us to construct a castle for his Spirit to dwell. In fact, the only temple God has ever wanted was you and me.
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." - 1 Cor 6:19
The more this idea permeated my mind, the more revolutionary it became to me. I realized that I could have that same intimate experience with God that I enjoyed in the empty church building on Sunday evenings in my car, or at work, or in the park, or anywhere I went. It was very liberating and empowering for me.
Since we started our house church over 2 years ago, I have had another revelation about the House of God. As we've been hosting church in our living room, our family actually lives in the very place where our church gathers to fellowship and worship.
My own house is now the House of God. I eat in this same house. My family wakes up every single day of the week in this house of worship. We laugh here, we argue here, we cry here, we play here, and we live each day in the same house where the worship and the Bible study and the singing take place every week.
It begins to change the way you think of your house. It starts to affect the way you live. It changes the way you interact with God.
God is not hidden away in a large building somewhere. I do not visit Him each week and catch up on lost time. He does not remain behind when my family leaves to go out to lunch with friends, nor does He sleep on the floor waiting for me to return for Sunday worship.
God has made His home within me. My house is the place where we worship and fellowship each week, but I carry around in my soul the very presence of the living God. Even as I sit at my desk at work, I am on Holy Ground. Even as I pump gas at the gas station, I am in the presence of the King of the Universe. Even as I sit here, typing this article on my computer, sipping my coffee, listening to Snow Patrol, I am not far from Church.
In fact, I am the Church. God has made His home in me and this is simply a foretaste of the day when I move into His house and eat at His table and we are forever, eternally, together.
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” - 1 Peter 2:5
What if your house was the House of God? Would it change what you watch on television? Would it affect the way you treat your spouse or your children?
Welcome to the House of God, my friends- It's you!
-kg
**
NON-CON: DEBRIEF-
Last Saturday just over 100 people gathered together to share an open dialog about the Kingdom, God's heart for the poor and what it means to live an outward-focused life. It was phenomenal.
God showed up with amazing power and His presence was felt from our very first session.
I hope to collect a few testimonials from those who were with us that day and post them over at the Non-Con website (http://www.non-con.com) soon.
Special thanks to our leaders who volunteered their time and talent to make this day so amazing: David Ruis, Jackie Pullinger, John Thomas, Cindy Rethmeier, Crissy Brooks, Marti Clark, Spencer Burke, Scott Laumann, Bill Burgess, Heather Wright, Paul Martin and my wife Wendy Giles who was my secret weapon. She took care of all the food and a lot of the daily logistics so that I could focus on the rest of the day and facilitate our time together. I'll never do another one of these without her help.
**
IT'S YOUR FUNERAL - My article about the last day of your life is now online at http://www.theooze.com
Go check it out and leave a comment if you like.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
"If Your House Was The House of God" by Keith Giles
"I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord'"- Psalm 122:1
The year I was licensed and ordained as a pastor they handed me a key to the church building. I was barely 22 years old, newly married, with a heart full of hope about my calling to pastor God's people.
On Sunday evenings I would unlock the old building an hour early and wander through the dark corridors behind the stage, through the choir room, up through the narrow stairway to the baptistry, quietly talking with God as I moved through the silence of an empty church.
Those were sweet times for me. I remember pouring my heart out to God during those moments, dreaming of the future, wondering where my journey with God would take me, how things would turn out down the road.
Imagine my shock when someone suggested to me that God didn't actually live in that place. He didn't splash in the baptistry when no one was there. He didn't hum His favorite hymns in the darkness waiting for us to return on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening. He wasn't confined to that place as if it were some Holy container for His Glory.
That idea took me some time to process. I knew in my heart it was true. God's word even supported the concept that man could not build a house for him, nor did he ever ask for us to construct a castle for his Spirit to dwell. In fact, the only temple God has ever wanted was you and me.
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." - 1 Cor 6:19
The more this idea permeated my mind, the more revolutionary it became to me. I realized that I could have that same intimate experience with God that I enjoyed in the empty church building on Sunday evenings in my car, or at work, or in the park, or anywhere I went. It was very liberating and empowering for me.
Since we started our house church over 2 years ago, I have had another revelation about the House of God. As we've been hosting church in our living room, our family actually lives in the very place where our church gathers to fellowship and worship.
My own house is now the House of God. I eat in this same house. My family wakes up every single day of the week in this house of worship. We laugh here, we argue here, we cry here, we play here, and we live each day in the same house where the worship and the Bible study and the singing take place every week.
It begins to change the way you think of your house. It starts to affect the way you live. It changes the way you interact with God.
God is not hidden away in a large building somewhere. I do not visit Him each week and catch up on lost time. He does not remain behind when my family leaves to go out to lunch with friends, nor does He sleep on the floor waiting for me to return for Sunday worship.
God has made His home within me. My house is the place where we worship and fellowship each week, but I carry around in my soul the very presence of the living God. Even as I sit at my desk at work, I am on Holy Ground. Even as I pump gas at the gas station, I am in the presence of the King of the Universe. Even as I sit here, typing this article on my computer, sipping my coffee, listening to Snow Patrol, I am not far from Church.
In fact, I am the Church. God has made His home in me and this is simply a foretaste of the day when I move into His house and eat at His table and we are forever, eternally, together.
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” - 1 Peter 2:5
What if your house was the House of God? Would it change what you watch on television? Would it affect the way you treat your spouse or your children?
Welcome to the House of God, my friends- It's you!
-kg
**
NON-CON: DEBRIEF-
Last Saturday just over 100 people gathered together to share an open dialog about the Kingdom, God's heart for the poor and what it means to live an outward-focused life. It was phenomenal.
God showed up with amazing power and His presence was felt from our very first session.
I hope to collect a few testimonials from those who were with us that day and post them over at the Non-Con website (http://www.non-con.com) soon.
Special thanks to our leaders who volunteered their time and talent to make this day so amazing: David Ruis, Jackie Pullinger, John Thomas, Cindy Rethmeier, Crissy Brooks, Marti Clark, Spencer Burke, Scott Laumann, Bill Burgess, Heather Wright, Paul Martin and my wife Wendy Giles who was my secret weapon. She took care of all the food and a lot of the daily logistics so that I could focus on the rest of the day and facilitate our time together. I'll never do another one of these without her help.
**
IT'S YOUR FUNERAL - My article about the last day of your life is now online at http://www.theooze.com
Go check it out and leave a comment if you like.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
SOMETHING DIFFERENT
[Subversive Underground]Presents:
Something Different
By Keith Giles
I want to ask a question, "What if there was a way of doing church that made community easier, facilitated discipleship, and inspired organic growth? Why would anyone oppose something that helped people to follow Jesus in their everyday life, set them free to discover and practice their spiritual gifting in the context of worship, and helped encourage lifestyle of evangelism and personal mission?"
As someone who has been a licensed and ordained pastor for over 18 years now, in denominational, independent and charismatic expressions of church, I've witnessed first-hand the angst and frustration at the pastoral level in the traditional church. "Why can't we get people to give more? Why don't people feel connected here? Why don't these people take the words of Jesus seriously? How can we get people to share their faith and increase community?"
Even as I've agonized over these thoughts myself, I've also heard other pastors lament in much the same way when comparing their church with the one we see in Acts. "Look at the incredible devotion these people had for one another," the pastors say. "Why don't our people give and share and love in the same way?"
After years of struggling to help put butts in the seats, inspire the frozen chosen to serve others and live out their faith in their daily life, I finally did something out of desperation- I tried the method outlined in the New Testament, and what do you know, it worked.
ANOTHER WAY
Our house church has been thriving now for over 2 years and I can honestly say I've not once had to preach a sermon on tithing or giving, and yet our small gathering gave thousands of dollars to the help the poor in our community last year. In fact, we're on track to double last year's amount, and I've never had to beg or plead for our members to dig deep or give more. Why is this? What's the big difference?
The simple fact is that our people can tangibly connect every dollar and penny they give with how it directly assists people in need. We keep nothing for ourselves and give all of the money we receive away to the poor. When our members connect their dollars with actual people receiving assistance they are glad to give all that they can to help others.
I take no salary from the offering. We don't even use it to buy paper plates or coffee. All of the offering, every single penny of it, is spent on the poor in our community, and that inspires people to give hilariously.
THE GOSPEL- TO GO!
In our house church I've also seen people discover their personal mission and start to walk it out in their everyday life. One dear woman had always felt called to be a missionary to children overseas but that door never opened for her. Instead, she discovered that God had given her a mission field with her Fifth Grade class each week at a local elementary school where she teaches. We get to encourage her every week as she loves and serves these dear children God has given to her to bless.
Another woman has discovered that her art can speak to those outside the walls of the church and have a greater impact alongside works of art at local galleries. She's been liberated to take her art to the darkness and allow it to effect people who need hope and light. We get to support her art and encourage her as she encounters people in deep spiritual need who would never darken a church door.
Another man has realized a profound concern for the local homeless and has begun to spend his weekends befriending the homeless he encounters during his weekly job as a security guard. Our house church has helped him to purchase food and supplies to share with these new friends he's made. We get to encourage him and cheer him on as he struggles with how to love and help these people who are in desperate need.
Others in our house church have begun to identify their spiritual gifts and are being encouraged, many for the very first time, to utilize those gifts in the context of the weekly gathering, and to advance the Kingdom of God and make new disciples to Jesus, and live out the Gospel in their everyday life.
NOT PERFECTION
One thing about community is that we quickly realize that none of us is perfect. As our masks fall down we see the beauty, and the serious flaws, inside each of us. We get to learn how to forgive one another, how to love one another unconditionally, and how to extend grace to each other as we grow in Christ.
We know the early church wasn't perfect either. The New Testament makes no attempt to cover up their infidelity, pride and in-fighting. Yet it also makes no attempt to correct these flaws by changing the methodology. Instead, the Apostles encouraged the early church to love more, forgive more, serve more and be a true Family of God.
No, the house church isn't perfect. We are not more perfect people because of house church, in fact, we're probably a lot more imperfect than most, but that's part of how the power of Christ is revealed in us, as we embrace our weakness and cling to the goodness of God. (See 2 Cor 12:9)
SOMETHING NEW?
Someone once said, "To experience something you've never experienced before you will have to do something you've never done before." The same logic applies to the modern church in America. If we hope to experience something we've never experienced before as a Body, we will have to entertain the possibility of doing something many of us have never done before.
THE QUESTION AGAIN
So, if there were a way to take our traditional churches into a new place of life and hope and encourage real community and empower every person to live out their mission and utilize their gifts, why would anyone oppose this? Why would anyone be against putting these New Testament principles into practice? Are we so committed to our corporate-inspired, big business model of doing church that we cannot imagine any other way?
WHY IS THIS SO HARD?
It's very curious to me how Jesus could inspire his disciples to start a certain kind of family-based system of worship and community and fellowship, which had never existed before, and how those disciples could promote and build and encourage a household of faith for over 300 years, only to have the entire thing thrown out in favor of a new model that effectively chokes community, stifles the spiritual gifts and encourages a retreat from the culture at large.
We could go into the history of how it happened, but I won't take the time for that now. I simply want to ask the question, "If we knew a way to fix what's wrong with the Church today and inspire community, family, mission, evangelism and discipleship, why wouldn't pastors be lining up to give it a try?" Why is it we'll try everything else under the sun except for this Jesus-inspired, Apostle-promoted, family-based, Biblical model outlined for us in the New Testament?
I know I'm a dreamer and an idealist, perhaps. But it seems to make sense to me that if we want what the early church had, we should at least be willing to attempt to do what they did in order to get it.
MORE LIGHT THAN HEAT
Even as I write this I know that the vast majority of Christians out there, and probably most of you who are reading this now, are part of a traditional church built upon some of these same principles I am calling into question.
Please know that I do not raise these questions to be divisive. My own parents attend a traditional church that they love and I have several friends who are currently pastoring traditional churches that are doing amazing things for the Kingdom of God.
My aim is not to tear down the good that God is doing within the traditional church, but at the same time I do have to ask these sorts of questions, because the answer to these sorts of questions are necessary to help all of us understand who we are in Christ and how the whole Body fits together in God's Kingdom.
FOR THE RECORD
God is at work in every expression of His Church and no matter what form or model we employ Gods Kingdom is advanced, peoples lives are transformed and the Gospel is preached. I fully acknowledge and celebrate this fact.
However, my struggle lies in finding the best way to communicate the joy of what I've discovered as part of a house church, and affirming that God loves and is at work in the entire Body of Christ, worldwide.
Please extend to me a little grace on this issue, my friends. I know that whenever I talk about the freedom and the excitement I've experienced in the house church, there are some who can only hear it as an attack against those who are not part of the house church movement. This is not my intent and I'm honestly still learning how best to share what good I've seen over the last few years without insulting everyone else.
What I hope to do is to allow the testimony of God's wisdom to be released like the aroma of warm bread from the oven and tantalize each of us to imagine what being part of the Family of God could be like, if we try something many of us have never tried before.
"If there was a way to help facilitate discipleship and community and mission within the Body of Christ, and if that way were clearly outlined in the New Testament and if that same method was proven over a period of 300 years, why would anyone oppose this?"
-kg
**
JACKIE PULLINGER MP3S ONLINE FOR FREE
The Non-Con is only days away now!
For those of you who didn't make the registration deadline, and/or can't wait until this Saturday to hear Jackie Pullinger, my friend Bob Moffat posted a whole host of great sermons from Jackie online.
Here
**
REBELLION OF THOUGHT- DVD
Now available at Best Buy, Amazon and fine bookstores everywhere.
My great friend, Kent Williamson, has completed his film, Rebellion of Thought which is an amazing discussion starter for people who want to know more about why the modern church is broken and how our post-modern society views our faith and message.
Synopsis
The documentary release "Rebellion of Thought: Post-Modernism, The Church and the Struggle For Authentic Faith" explores the challenges of living a Biblically-oriented Christian life within the framework of an increasingly complex and confusing postmodern culture. ~ Nathan Southern, (All Movie Guide)
PURCHASE ONLINE
HERE
Well-worth your time and attention. My friends John and Lisa Wahrmund have a few songs on the soundtrack album too, along with J.J. Plasencio (formerly of Sixpence and Plumb). Check it out.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Something Different
By Keith Giles
I want to ask a question, "What if there was a way of doing church that made community easier, facilitated discipleship, and inspired organic growth? Why would anyone oppose something that helped people to follow Jesus in their everyday life, set them free to discover and practice their spiritual gifting in the context of worship, and helped encourage lifestyle of evangelism and personal mission?"
As someone who has been a licensed and ordained pastor for over 18 years now, in denominational, independent and charismatic expressions of church, I've witnessed first-hand the angst and frustration at the pastoral level in the traditional church. "Why can't we get people to give more? Why don't people feel connected here? Why don't these people take the words of Jesus seriously? How can we get people to share their faith and increase community?"
Even as I've agonized over these thoughts myself, I've also heard other pastors lament in much the same way when comparing their church with the one we see in Acts. "Look at the incredible devotion these people had for one another," the pastors say. "Why don't our people give and share and love in the same way?"
After years of struggling to help put butts in the seats, inspire the frozen chosen to serve others and live out their faith in their daily life, I finally did something out of desperation- I tried the method outlined in the New Testament, and what do you know, it worked.
ANOTHER WAY
Our house church has been thriving now for over 2 years and I can honestly say I've not once had to preach a sermon on tithing or giving, and yet our small gathering gave thousands of dollars to the help the poor in our community last year. In fact, we're on track to double last year's amount, and I've never had to beg or plead for our members to dig deep or give more. Why is this? What's the big difference?
The simple fact is that our people can tangibly connect every dollar and penny they give with how it directly assists people in need. We keep nothing for ourselves and give all of the money we receive away to the poor. When our members connect their dollars with actual people receiving assistance they are glad to give all that they can to help others.
I take no salary from the offering. We don't even use it to buy paper plates or coffee. All of the offering, every single penny of it, is spent on the poor in our community, and that inspires people to give hilariously.
THE GOSPEL- TO GO!
In our house church I've also seen people discover their personal mission and start to walk it out in their everyday life. One dear woman had always felt called to be a missionary to children overseas but that door never opened for her. Instead, she discovered that God had given her a mission field with her Fifth Grade class each week at a local elementary school where she teaches. We get to encourage her every week as she loves and serves these dear children God has given to her to bless.
Another woman has discovered that her art can speak to those outside the walls of the church and have a greater impact alongside works of art at local galleries. She's been liberated to take her art to the darkness and allow it to effect people who need hope and light. We get to support her art and encourage her as she encounters people in deep spiritual need who would never darken a church door.
Another man has realized a profound concern for the local homeless and has begun to spend his weekends befriending the homeless he encounters during his weekly job as a security guard. Our house church has helped him to purchase food and supplies to share with these new friends he's made. We get to encourage him and cheer him on as he struggles with how to love and help these people who are in desperate need.
Others in our house church have begun to identify their spiritual gifts and are being encouraged, many for the very first time, to utilize those gifts in the context of the weekly gathering, and to advance the Kingdom of God and make new disciples to Jesus, and live out the Gospel in their everyday life.
NOT PERFECTION
One thing about community is that we quickly realize that none of us is perfect. As our masks fall down we see the beauty, and the serious flaws, inside each of us. We get to learn how to forgive one another, how to love one another unconditionally, and how to extend grace to each other as we grow in Christ.
We know the early church wasn't perfect either. The New Testament makes no attempt to cover up their infidelity, pride and in-fighting. Yet it also makes no attempt to correct these flaws by changing the methodology. Instead, the Apostles encouraged the early church to love more, forgive more, serve more and be a true Family of God.
No, the house church isn't perfect. We are not more perfect people because of house church, in fact, we're probably a lot more imperfect than most, but that's part of how the power of Christ is revealed in us, as we embrace our weakness and cling to the goodness of God. (See 2 Cor 12:9)
SOMETHING NEW?
Someone once said, "To experience something you've never experienced before you will have to do something you've never done before." The same logic applies to the modern church in America. If we hope to experience something we've never experienced before as a Body, we will have to entertain the possibility of doing something many of us have never done before.
THE QUESTION AGAIN
So, if there were a way to take our traditional churches into a new place of life and hope and encourage real community and empower every person to live out their mission and utilize their gifts, why would anyone oppose this? Why would anyone be against putting these New Testament principles into practice? Are we so committed to our corporate-inspired, big business model of doing church that we cannot imagine any other way?
WHY IS THIS SO HARD?
It's very curious to me how Jesus could inspire his disciples to start a certain kind of family-based system of worship and community and fellowship, which had never existed before, and how those disciples could promote and build and encourage a household of faith for over 300 years, only to have the entire thing thrown out in favor of a new model that effectively chokes community, stifles the spiritual gifts and encourages a retreat from the culture at large.
We could go into the history of how it happened, but I won't take the time for that now. I simply want to ask the question, "If we knew a way to fix what's wrong with the Church today and inspire community, family, mission, evangelism and discipleship, why wouldn't pastors be lining up to give it a try?" Why is it we'll try everything else under the sun except for this Jesus-inspired, Apostle-promoted, family-based, Biblical model outlined for us in the New Testament?
I know I'm a dreamer and an idealist, perhaps. But it seems to make sense to me that if we want what the early church had, we should at least be willing to attempt to do what they did in order to get it.
MORE LIGHT THAN HEAT
Even as I write this I know that the vast majority of Christians out there, and probably most of you who are reading this now, are part of a traditional church built upon some of these same principles I am calling into question.
Please know that I do not raise these questions to be divisive. My own parents attend a traditional church that they love and I have several friends who are currently pastoring traditional churches that are doing amazing things for the Kingdom of God.
My aim is not to tear down the good that God is doing within the traditional church, but at the same time I do have to ask these sorts of questions, because the answer to these sorts of questions are necessary to help all of us understand who we are in Christ and how the whole Body fits together in God's Kingdom.
FOR THE RECORD
God is at work in every expression of His Church and no matter what form or model we employ Gods Kingdom is advanced, peoples lives are transformed and the Gospel is preached. I fully acknowledge and celebrate this fact.
However, my struggle lies in finding the best way to communicate the joy of what I've discovered as part of a house church, and affirming that God loves and is at work in the entire Body of Christ, worldwide.
Please extend to me a little grace on this issue, my friends. I know that whenever I talk about the freedom and the excitement I've experienced in the house church, there are some who can only hear it as an attack against those who are not part of the house church movement. This is not my intent and I'm honestly still learning how best to share what good I've seen over the last few years without insulting everyone else.
What I hope to do is to allow the testimony of God's wisdom to be released like the aroma of warm bread from the oven and tantalize each of us to imagine what being part of the Family of God could be like, if we try something many of us have never tried before.
"If there was a way to help facilitate discipleship and community and mission within the Body of Christ, and if that way were clearly outlined in the New Testament and if that same method was proven over a period of 300 years, why would anyone oppose this?"
-kg
**
JACKIE PULLINGER MP3S ONLINE FOR FREE
The Non-Con is only days away now!
For those of you who didn't make the registration deadline, and/or can't wait until this Saturday to hear Jackie Pullinger, my friend Bob Moffat posted a whole host of great sermons from Jackie online.
Here
**
REBELLION OF THOUGHT- DVD
Now available at Best Buy, Amazon and fine bookstores everywhere.
My great friend, Kent Williamson, has completed his film, Rebellion of Thought which is an amazing discussion starter for people who want to know more about why the modern church is broken and how our post-modern society views our faith and message.
Synopsis
The documentary release "Rebellion of Thought: Post-Modernism, The Church and the Struggle For Authentic Faith" explores the challenges of living a Biblically-oriented Christian life within the framework of an increasingly complex and confusing postmodern culture. ~ Nathan Southern, (All Movie Guide)
PURCHASE ONLINE
HERE
Well-worth your time and attention. My friends John and Lisa Wahrmund have a few songs on the soundtrack album too, along with J.J. Plasencio (formerly of Sixpence and Plumb). Check it out.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Monday, March 03, 2008
Part 5- How To Start A Ministry To The Poor
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY – Part 5
by Keith Giles
This is the final installment in our series on how you can start a ministry to the poor in your community.
If you have any questions, comments or ideas youd like to share please feel free to email them to me directly at "elysiansky" at "hotmail" dot com.
**
MINISTRY TO THE HOMELESS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Ministry to the classically homeless is much more challenging than you might think.
Our family has centered mainly on ministry to families who live in motels or to individuals who find themselves suddenly in danger of becoming homeless, or to the elderly.
Ministry to those who have lived on the streets for long periods of time, those I call "Classically Homeless", can be difficult. Here's some of why that is and what can be done to provide assistance.
WHY ARE THEY HOMELESS?
Many of those who live in a state of long-term homelessness are there because of drugs, alcohol or mental illness issues.
ADDICTIONS
For those who are homeless because of addiction and substance abuse issues, you should keep in mind that they will do whatever it takes to get money from you in order to get their drug of choice. Don't be surprised or offended if they lie to you. Don't be afraid to tell them you know they are lying (if you suspect it to be so). Honesty can go a long way and it helps them to know you're not easily fooled.
HOW TO HELP
Usually the best course of action to take is to help them with the condition in place that they seek out help for their addiction. So, if you buy them something to eat or if you put them in a hotel, etc. you let them know that next time your helping them will depend on whether or not they have followed through with getting off the streets and addressing their greater need to escape addiction.
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
Many of those who are living on the streets for long periods of time are dealing with mental health issues. Local mental health hospitals have the unfortunate habit of releasing residents who are not dangerous to themselves or to others due to over-crowding and a lack of funding. This puts many homeless on the streets who are not taking their medications and are suffering (not just due to hunger but also the pain of their illness) without any hope of getting better.
Communication with them can be difficult, if not impossible. Some cannot carry on a coherent conversation while others can appear lucid at first and then drift off into delusional behavior and display wild mood swings and unexpected changes due to their illness.
HOW TO HELP
In these cases I usually refer them, if possible, to a local mental wellness organization or to a non-profit that is more adept at treating people like this since it's very far outside my area of expertise.
Of course, not all of those who are homeless are mentally ill or struggling with addictions. Some of them have emotional issues and others have simply fallen deeper into the pit of poverty due to a loss of employment or other unexpected event.
CHALLENGES
Ministry to the classically homeless is much more difficult to do as a family due to the erratic and sometimes frightening behavior which can be encountered. Our family has focused mainly on ministry to the elderly and to families living in motels or in low-income housing since its something we can do with our children. However, there is plenty of great ministry to be done with those who are living in long-term homelessness. This will usually involve a more specialized skill-set and typically requires a person have lots of patience and a high level of discernment.
MINISTRY TO PROSTITUTES – INTO THE REAL DARKNESS
I've only been out about four times to the streets here in Orange County to minister to women caught in prostitution. Most of what I've learned is based on research and several crushing episodes of utter, empty defeat and failure.
This ministry is easily the most challenging and "outside my comfort zone". It means entering a dark, dangerous world where you are an outsider and the level of commitment required is off the charts.
First, a little bit of background about the issue.
HARD TO QUIT
Most girls who are on the streets will either get off and back into a normal life in the first three months or it will be another ten years before they can escape this lifestyle. Why? Because the work is so repugnant and degrading, at first, that if they're ever going to escape it has to be in those first few months. Otherwise, they get trapped into this lifestyle through fear of their pimp and/or through dependence on the drugs their pimp supplies them with.
HOOKED BY FEAR AND ADDICTION
What keeps most girls on the streets is the fear of being abused or killed by their pimp, and/or their need to keep an expensive drug habit going. Their pimps usually get them hooked on drugs as quickly as they can in order to control them. They know that no other lifestyle would afford their girls the kind of money they need to keep the drugs flowing, so the girls are essentially trapped into this life of prostitution.
HUMAN SLAVERY
Another difficult and impossible situation is where you have forced prostitution through organized crime syndicates. Many girls are here from Russia, the Ukraine, Romania, Thailand, Cambodia, and other impoverished nations. Many were tricked into coming here and are kept here by the threat of harm to their families back in their home country. They cannot leave, even if they desperately want to escape, because to leave would mean the murder of their mother, father, siblings, etc.
It's very shocking to realize that human slavery is alive and well in the United States of America. Just about a year ago the Orange County Police Department broke up the largest human trafficking/forced prostitution ring in the history of this region. I remember it because it was just weeks before the Freedom Day on March 25th at Vanguard where hundreds gathered to protest slavery and bring attention to this very real problem.
America is the number one market for human sexual slavery. Anaheim, the home of Disneyland, is one of the largest markets for human trafficking in the Nation.
You can find out more information about this online at
www.stopthetraffik.org/
DIFFERENT TYPES
You'll encounter one of four different kinds of girls who work on the streets.
1)Street level- Normally these are homeless girls who have no pimp and work prostitution for the food and for drugs. It's purely survival and quick cash.
2)Weekenders- These girls come and work to support their children or save money for college or other reasons. They are healthy and generally wear clean, attractive clothing.
3)Circuit Girls- These girls work a circuit throughout California, Nevada, Florida, etc. They wear exaggerated clothing (very Hollywood-esque). These look the most like obvious prostitutes and are the easiest to spot.
4)Transvestite- A man who dresses like a woman to turn tricks. Some have had surgery and take hormones to round off the illusion. You think it would be easy to tell the difference. You would be wrong.
MINISTRY IDEAS
*Stay Up Late
Due to the nature of this ministry, to find the girls you need to be where they are, and that means on the streets between 12am and 4am. You're guaranteed to loose sleep over this ministry.
*Mixed Teams
If you go out you need to always stay in mixed teams of guys and girls. It's a bad idea for guys to go out alone, since they might be arrested for soliciting, and it's not safe for girls to go out alone either. Mixed groups of at least four people work best.
*Pray, Pray, Pray
Prayer is crucial since you are entering into the Enemy's camp. This is where the Kingdom of Darkness clashes with the Kingdom of God. Expect a lot of spiritual attack at home and during the ministry time.
*Bless Them
You mainly want to get to know these girls. As with other ministries weve discussed thus far, consistency is the key. Build a relationship. Buy them breakfast if they'll let you. Listen to their stories. Ask them what they need and try to meet practical needs.
*Gift Bags
One local ministry to prostitutes brings gift bags to the girls with make-up supplies, gift cards to shops and food stores, clothing stores, etc. It brings down their guard and allows you a chance to smile, bless them, find out their names and ask if you can pray for them.
*The Pimps
Believe it or not, getting to know these guys can be a significant part of the process. One ministry I know of actually spends a lot of time trying to help these guys change their lives and turn to Christ. If they do, the girls usually follow and the operation is shut down because the girls, and their pimp, have surrendered to Christ and are seeking to live a new life.
*Statistics
Sadly, 98% of the girls who are on the streets now will stay there, and die there. This means that out of every 100 girls you reach out to, only 2 of them will get off the streets and stay off.
For those who do get off the streets, the process means getting off the streets and then relapsing over and over again for a few years before finally, eventually, getting off the streets for life.
Of course, these statistics don't tell the whole story. Some girls get off and stay off in one shot, some leave after several years, others after only a few months. But you should know what you're getting into before you commit to such a challenging ministry.
GETTING THEM REAL HELP
If you encounter girls who are under 18 you should refer them to "Children of the Night" (if you have one in your area) or even the local police department. These are minors who need to be rescued from this lifestyle.
The challenge I've run into is the lack of resources for girls who are under 18, don't have a Driver's License, or a SS card. These are usually girls who are here illegally or runaways.
If the girl is over 18 you can send them to Teen Challenge and/or another drug and alcohol treatment center where their addictions can be addressed and they can receive spiritual guidance and emotional healing. Sadly, most non-profit groups will not accept a girl who is under 18. Go figure.
What is really needed to minister to these girls is a long list of resources:
*Trained counselors
*Free shelter
*Addiction treatment
*Job Training
*Free Child Care
*Healthcare access (for health checkups, STD's, etc.)
As I said before, the most challenging and overwhelming ministry I've ever known is ministry to prostitutes. Not for the faint of heart.
**
I know this series doesn't even come close to scratching the surface of this topic of serving the poor and the homeless and people in need, but after a five week series I think it's time to move on to other topics at the [Subversive Underground].
I do hope you will email me directly if you have further questions or response to this series of articles. Many of you have already asked me for permission to reprint them and use in your Church or ministry efforts. That's what these are for. I do appreciate knowing about where these are being used and how, but otherwise they're meant to help you to serve others more effectively.
Peace,
Keith
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
by Keith Giles
This is the final installment in our series on how you can start a ministry to the poor in your community.
If you have any questions, comments or ideas youd like to share please feel free to email them to me directly at "elysiansky" at "hotmail" dot com.
**
MINISTRY TO THE HOMELESS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Ministry to the classically homeless is much more challenging than you might think.
Our family has centered mainly on ministry to families who live in motels or to individuals who find themselves suddenly in danger of becoming homeless, or to the elderly.
Ministry to those who have lived on the streets for long periods of time, those I call "Classically Homeless", can be difficult. Here's some of why that is and what can be done to provide assistance.
WHY ARE THEY HOMELESS?
Many of those who live in a state of long-term homelessness are there because of drugs, alcohol or mental illness issues.
ADDICTIONS
For those who are homeless because of addiction and substance abuse issues, you should keep in mind that they will do whatever it takes to get money from you in order to get their drug of choice. Don't be surprised or offended if they lie to you. Don't be afraid to tell them you know they are lying (if you suspect it to be so). Honesty can go a long way and it helps them to know you're not easily fooled.
HOW TO HELP
Usually the best course of action to take is to help them with the condition in place that they seek out help for their addiction. So, if you buy them something to eat or if you put them in a hotel, etc. you let them know that next time your helping them will depend on whether or not they have followed through with getting off the streets and addressing their greater need to escape addiction.
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
Many of those who are living on the streets for long periods of time are dealing with mental health issues. Local mental health hospitals have the unfortunate habit of releasing residents who are not dangerous to themselves or to others due to over-crowding and a lack of funding. This puts many homeless on the streets who are not taking their medications and are suffering (not just due to hunger but also the pain of their illness) without any hope of getting better.
Communication with them can be difficult, if not impossible. Some cannot carry on a coherent conversation while others can appear lucid at first and then drift off into delusional behavior and display wild mood swings and unexpected changes due to their illness.
HOW TO HELP
In these cases I usually refer them, if possible, to a local mental wellness organization or to a non-profit that is more adept at treating people like this since it's very far outside my area of expertise.
Of course, not all of those who are homeless are mentally ill or struggling with addictions. Some of them have emotional issues and others have simply fallen deeper into the pit of poverty due to a loss of employment or other unexpected event.
CHALLENGES
Ministry to the classically homeless is much more difficult to do as a family due to the erratic and sometimes frightening behavior which can be encountered. Our family has focused mainly on ministry to the elderly and to families living in motels or in low-income housing since its something we can do with our children. However, there is plenty of great ministry to be done with those who are living in long-term homelessness. This will usually involve a more specialized skill-set and typically requires a person have lots of patience and a high level of discernment.
MINISTRY TO PROSTITUTES – INTO THE REAL DARKNESS
I've only been out about four times to the streets here in Orange County to minister to women caught in prostitution. Most of what I've learned is based on research and several crushing episodes of utter, empty defeat and failure.
This ministry is easily the most challenging and "outside my comfort zone". It means entering a dark, dangerous world where you are an outsider and the level of commitment required is off the charts.
First, a little bit of background about the issue.
HARD TO QUIT
Most girls who are on the streets will either get off and back into a normal life in the first three months or it will be another ten years before they can escape this lifestyle. Why? Because the work is so repugnant and degrading, at first, that if they're ever going to escape it has to be in those first few months. Otherwise, they get trapped into this lifestyle through fear of their pimp and/or through dependence on the drugs their pimp supplies them with.
HOOKED BY FEAR AND ADDICTION
What keeps most girls on the streets is the fear of being abused or killed by their pimp, and/or their need to keep an expensive drug habit going. Their pimps usually get them hooked on drugs as quickly as they can in order to control them. They know that no other lifestyle would afford their girls the kind of money they need to keep the drugs flowing, so the girls are essentially trapped into this life of prostitution.
HUMAN SLAVERY
Another difficult and impossible situation is where you have forced prostitution through organized crime syndicates. Many girls are here from Russia, the Ukraine, Romania, Thailand, Cambodia, and other impoverished nations. Many were tricked into coming here and are kept here by the threat of harm to their families back in their home country. They cannot leave, even if they desperately want to escape, because to leave would mean the murder of their mother, father, siblings, etc.
It's very shocking to realize that human slavery is alive and well in the United States of America. Just about a year ago the Orange County Police Department broke up the largest human trafficking/forced prostitution ring in the history of this region. I remember it because it was just weeks before the Freedom Day on March 25th at Vanguard where hundreds gathered to protest slavery and bring attention to this very real problem.
America is the number one market for human sexual slavery. Anaheim, the home of Disneyland, is one of the largest markets for human trafficking in the Nation.
You can find out more information about this online at
www.stopthetraffik.org/
DIFFERENT TYPES
You'll encounter one of four different kinds of girls who work on the streets.
1)Street level- Normally these are homeless girls who have no pimp and work prostitution for the food and for drugs. It's purely survival and quick cash.
2)Weekenders- These girls come and work to support their children or save money for college or other reasons. They are healthy and generally wear clean, attractive clothing.
3)Circuit Girls- These girls work a circuit throughout California, Nevada, Florida, etc. They wear exaggerated clothing (very Hollywood-esque). These look the most like obvious prostitutes and are the easiest to spot.
4)Transvestite- A man who dresses like a woman to turn tricks. Some have had surgery and take hormones to round off the illusion. You think it would be easy to tell the difference. You would be wrong.
MINISTRY IDEAS
*Stay Up Late
Due to the nature of this ministry, to find the girls you need to be where they are, and that means on the streets between 12am and 4am. You're guaranteed to loose sleep over this ministry.
*Mixed Teams
If you go out you need to always stay in mixed teams of guys and girls. It's a bad idea for guys to go out alone, since they might be arrested for soliciting, and it's not safe for girls to go out alone either. Mixed groups of at least four people work best.
*Pray, Pray, Pray
Prayer is crucial since you are entering into the Enemy's camp. This is where the Kingdom of Darkness clashes with the Kingdom of God. Expect a lot of spiritual attack at home and during the ministry time.
*Bless Them
You mainly want to get to know these girls. As with other ministries weve discussed thus far, consistency is the key. Build a relationship. Buy them breakfast if they'll let you. Listen to their stories. Ask them what they need and try to meet practical needs.
*Gift Bags
One local ministry to prostitutes brings gift bags to the girls with make-up supplies, gift cards to shops and food stores, clothing stores, etc. It brings down their guard and allows you a chance to smile, bless them, find out their names and ask if you can pray for them.
*The Pimps
Believe it or not, getting to know these guys can be a significant part of the process. One ministry I know of actually spends a lot of time trying to help these guys change their lives and turn to Christ. If they do, the girls usually follow and the operation is shut down because the girls, and their pimp, have surrendered to Christ and are seeking to live a new life.
*Statistics
Sadly, 98% of the girls who are on the streets now will stay there, and die there. This means that out of every 100 girls you reach out to, only 2 of them will get off the streets and stay off.
For those who do get off the streets, the process means getting off the streets and then relapsing over and over again for a few years before finally, eventually, getting off the streets for life.
Of course, these statistics don't tell the whole story. Some girls get off and stay off in one shot, some leave after several years, others after only a few months. But you should know what you're getting into before you commit to such a challenging ministry.
GETTING THEM REAL HELP
If you encounter girls who are under 18 you should refer them to "Children of the Night" (if you have one in your area) or even the local police department. These are minors who need to be rescued from this lifestyle.
The challenge I've run into is the lack of resources for girls who are under 18, don't have a Driver's License, or a SS card. These are usually girls who are here illegally or runaways.
If the girl is over 18 you can send them to Teen Challenge and/or another drug and alcohol treatment center where their addictions can be addressed and they can receive spiritual guidance and emotional healing. Sadly, most non-profit groups will not accept a girl who is under 18. Go figure.
What is really needed to minister to these girls is a long list of resources:
*Trained counselors
*Free shelter
*Addiction treatment
*Job Training
*Free Child Care
*Healthcare access (for health checkups, STD's, etc.)
As I said before, the most challenging and overwhelming ministry I've ever known is ministry to prostitutes. Not for the faint of heart.
**
I know this series doesn't even come close to scratching the surface of this topic of serving the poor and the homeless and people in need, but after a five week series I think it's time to move on to other topics at the [Subversive Underground].
I do hope you will email me directly if you have further questions or response to this series of articles. Many of you have already asked me for permission to reprint them and use in your Church or ministry efforts. That's what these are for. I do appreciate knowing about where these are being used and how, but otherwise they're meant to help you to serve others more effectively.
Peace,
Keith
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY - Part 4
[Subversive Underground]
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY - Part 4
by Keith Giles
In our fourth installment in this series I wanted to share some specific ideas and insights about the kinds of ministry to the poor that you can initiate in your community.
I want to stress that most of these do not require a large budget, or a team of thousands. Most of these can be done with families, including children of all ages, and two or three adults who are willing to listen, love and share what they have with people in need.
IDEAS FOR MINISTRY TO THE POOR
*Lower-income families (Housing projects, apartments, motels, etc.)
*Motel Ministry (especially for kids and families)
*Food/Grocery Distribution
*Homeless Ministry (Hot Dogs in the Park)
*Senior Home Visitation
*Prostitute Ministry
*Single Moms/Widows (Free oil changes, yardwork, grocery assistance, etc.)
DETAILS:
*Lower-income families (Housing projects, apartments, motels, etc.)
This ministry works best when you get to know the management of the apartment or motel, etc. Explain to them that you're not there to preach or to promote your church. Disarm them with the idea that you really just want to bless people. Explain to them that your ministry will involve giving away free groceries (if possible) or hosting game times for the children (or puppet shows, crafts, etc.). Help them to visualize a monthly or bi-weekly carnival that they get to help bring to their residents. It makes them look like heroes and it gives you an opportunity to express the love of Jesus in tangible ways.
*Motel Ministry (especially for kids and families)
Essentially the same as above. I'd only add that befriending people is the key here. Pray for them. Listen to their problems. Find ways to help them that are practical. This should not be about money. It should be about helping them discover resources in your community, hooking up with other ministries doing work to help with education, rent, health concerns, etc.
Also, ask God to highlight one or two people or families that He wants you to focus on and love them with all you've got. Invite them to your house for pizza and a movie. Hang out with them. Learn to love them. This is where you realize that the real ministry is being done to you, not by you.
*Food/Grocery Distribution
Find a food bank nearby. Second Harvest is a national food bank, but you may have another in your area. Our small house church can purchase a week's worth of groceries for twenty or thirty families for under $100 a month.
As I've said previously, don't distribute the food after you preach. Just give them the food up front and bless them. Ask them at the end of the food line if they want prayer. Most will say yes. If not, just smile and bless them as they go back into their rooms. Consistency is vital.
*Homeless Ministry (Hot Dogs in the Park)
Again, this is very cheap and it's more about getting to know people who happen to be homeless and less about throwing food at the poor and running home.
We found a park where a lot of homeless hang out that also had barbecue stations at each picnic table. Our group set up the grill, cooked the dogs, laid out the fixings and then fanned out to invite the homeless to join us for a picnic. We sat with them, ate with them, asked them their names, where they were from, etc. Even our kids enjoyed getting to know our new friends.
*Senior Home Visitation
You will not believe the treasures that are hidden away in the senior homes near your house. Former Generals in WW2, former actresses, singers, engineers, writers, and even regular people who have amazing stories to tell. All they need is someone to listen. Give it time and you will soon find yourself falling in love with these people.
*Prostitute Ministry
This one is waayyy outside my comfort zone, but I've been out around 3 times with small teams to try to connect and pray for these girls. I'll write in more detail about the challenges and dangers of this ministry next week. Not for the faint of heart.
*Single Moms/Widows (Free oil changes, yardwork, grocery assistance, etc.)
This is more of a Men's Ministry thing, but it can be awesome to bless single Moms and Widows who need assistance around the house, with the yard, the car, etc.
Oh, and it's Biblical too.
OTHER IDEAS FOR MINISTRY
*Local Newspaper/Community Response Ministry -
This is one I've always wanted to do but have yet to attempt. Basically it involves reading the local paper and responding in compassion to people in your city who experience the death of a loved one, is the victim of abuse or rape or violence, tragedy, etc. This is one that I feel could have a huge impact on your community if your church or small group could consistently respond to people in need of comfort and prayer support.
*Community clean-up (graffitti cleaning, trash pick-up, etc.)
Steve Sjogren and Mike Pilavachi have championed this form of "no strings attached" service to the community. When I was at Soul Survivor I was involved with massive groups of teens taking to the streets and cleaning up parks, neighborhoods, etc. This may involve contacting city officials and cooperating with them to discover their needs and partner with their employees.
*Clean toilets for local businesses
Again, Steve Sjogren championed this one a long time ago. It's an amazing way to demonstrate the love of Jesus in practical ways to local business owners. Most will be blown away that you show up with a bucket and cleansers to do the ugly job that none of them wants to do. When you explain to them that you're doing it because Jesus washed feet and this is the closest thing in our modern society to that, you'll be amazed at the reactions you get. Worth it for the stories you get to tell later, if nothing else.
*Free Car Wash
Be careful. People will argue with you to take their money. They simply cannot bring themselves to receive a free blessing with no strings attached. Do it anyway.
NEXT WEEK: We'll finish off this series by looking at the specific challenges and dangers of working directly with the homeless and with prostitues.
-kg
**
HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED MY BOOKS YET?
Both of my books are now available as FREE PDF downloads!
Download them both for free while you still can-
HERE
About my books:
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?"
- The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"
- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY - Part 4
by Keith Giles
In our fourth installment in this series I wanted to share some specific ideas and insights about the kinds of ministry to the poor that you can initiate in your community.
I want to stress that most of these do not require a large budget, or a team of thousands. Most of these can be done with families, including children of all ages, and two or three adults who are willing to listen, love and share what they have with people in need.
IDEAS FOR MINISTRY TO THE POOR
*Lower-income families (Housing projects, apartments, motels, etc.)
*Motel Ministry (especially for kids and families)
*Food/Grocery Distribution
*Homeless Ministry (Hot Dogs in the Park)
*Senior Home Visitation
*Prostitute Ministry
*Single Moms/Widows (Free oil changes, yardwork, grocery assistance, etc.)
DETAILS:
*Lower-income families (Housing projects, apartments, motels, etc.)
This ministry works best when you get to know the management of the apartment or motel, etc. Explain to them that you're not there to preach or to promote your church. Disarm them with the idea that you really just want to bless people. Explain to them that your ministry will involve giving away free groceries (if possible) or hosting game times for the children (or puppet shows, crafts, etc.). Help them to visualize a monthly or bi-weekly carnival that they get to help bring to their residents. It makes them look like heroes and it gives you an opportunity to express the love of Jesus in tangible ways.
*Motel Ministry (especially for kids and families)
Essentially the same as above. I'd only add that befriending people is the key here. Pray for them. Listen to their problems. Find ways to help them that are practical. This should not be about money. It should be about helping them discover resources in your community, hooking up with other ministries doing work to help with education, rent, health concerns, etc.
Also, ask God to highlight one or two people or families that He wants you to focus on and love them with all you've got. Invite them to your house for pizza and a movie. Hang out with them. Learn to love them. This is where you realize that the real ministry is being done to you, not by you.
*Food/Grocery Distribution
Find a food bank nearby. Second Harvest is a national food bank, but you may have another in your area. Our small house church can purchase a week's worth of groceries for twenty or thirty families for under $100 a month.
As I've said previously, don't distribute the food after you preach. Just give them the food up front and bless them. Ask them at the end of the food line if they want prayer. Most will say yes. If not, just smile and bless them as they go back into their rooms. Consistency is vital.
*Homeless Ministry (Hot Dogs in the Park)
Again, this is very cheap and it's more about getting to know people who happen to be homeless and less about throwing food at the poor and running home.
We found a park where a lot of homeless hang out that also had barbecue stations at each picnic table. Our group set up the grill, cooked the dogs, laid out the fixings and then fanned out to invite the homeless to join us for a picnic. We sat with them, ate with them, asked them their names, where they were from, etc. Even our kids enjoyed getting to know our new friends.
*Senior Home Visitation
You will not believe the treasures that are hidden away in the senior homes near your house. Former Generals in WW2, former actresses, singers, engineers, writers, and even regular people who have amazing stories to tell. All they need is someone to listen. Give it time and you will soon find yourself falling in love with these people.
*Prostitute Ministry
This one is waayyy outside my comfort zone, but I've been out around 3 times with small teams to try to connect and pray for these girls. I'll write in more detail about the challenges and dangers of this ministry next week. Not for the faint of heart.
*Single Moms/Widows (Free oil changes, yardwork, grocery assistance, etc.)
This is more of a Men's Ministry thing, but it can be awesome to bless single Moms and Widows who need assistance around the house, with the yard, the car, etc.
Oh, and it's Biblical too.
OTHER IDEAS FOR MINISTRY
*Local Newspaper/Community Response Ministry -
This is one I've always wanted to do but have yet to attempt. Basically it involves reading the local paper and responding in compassion to people in your city who experience the death of a loved one, is the victim of abuse or rape or violence, tragedy, etc. This is one that I feel could have a huge impact on your community if your church or small group could consistently respond to people in need of comfort and prayer support.
*Community clean-up (graffitti cleaning, trash pick-up, etc.)
Steve Sjogren and Mike Pilavachi have championed this form of "no strings attached" service to the community. When I was at Soul Survivor I was involved with massive groups of teens taking to the streets and cleaning up parks, neighborhoods, etc. This may involve contacting city officials and cooperating with them to discover their needs and partner with their employees.
*Clean toilets for local businesses
Again, Steve Sjogren championed this one a long time ago. It's an amazing way to demonstrate the love of Jesus in practical ways to local business owners. Most will be blown away that you show up with a bucket and cleansers to do the ugly job that none of them wants to do. When you explain to them that you're doing it because Jesus washed feet and this is the closest thing in our modern society to that, you'll be amazed at the reactions you get. Worth it for the stories you get to tell later, if nothing else.
*Free Car Wash
Be careful. People will argue with you to take their money. They simply cannot bring themselves to receive a free blessing with no strings attached. Do it anyway.
NEXT WEEK: We'll finish off this series by looking at the specific challenges and dangers of working directly with the homeless and with prostitues.
-kg
**
HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED MY BOOKS YET?
Both of my books are now available as FREE PDF downloads!
Download them both for free while you still can-
HERE
About my books:
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?"
- The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"
- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Monday, February 18, 2008
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY - Part 3
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY - Part 3
by Keith Giles
So far I've received a lot of encouraging feedback from many of you regarding this series. My hope is that this helps many of you catch a vision for how you can step out and begin to serve others and learn to love as Jesus does.
This week's installment will continue to look at valuable lessons I've learned over the years. Next week we'll look at specific ideas for the types of ministry to the poor that can be done and a brief "How To" for each of them. After that I'll end off this series with more detailed discussions of what ministry to the homeless and to prostitutes looks like, and the specific challenges involved with each.
For now, here's the rest of the list we started last week:
A long list of valuable lessons-
*You Will Get Back More Than You Give, Everytime. - I used to drive away from our various ministry sites feeling depressed. In my heart I always felt like we could have done more to help, or that I was desperately inadequate to meet the incredible needs of the people we were in relationship with. After awhile I began to understand that this is part of what it's all about. I also began to realize that the blessing I was taking home with me was always greater than the one I had just brought to the people we were in ministry to. No matter how massive or outrageous our ministry was, I always felt like it wasn't enough..and it never would be enough. Part of what I learned was how to be ok with this.
*You Can Only Help People Who Want Help. - There's a great passage in the Gospel where Jesus comes upon a man who is laying beside the Pool of Siloam. He is lame and obviously in need of healing. However, Jesus looks at this man and asks him, "Do you want to be made well?" It seems, at first, like a very stupid question. However, in my years of ministry with the homeless and the addicted and the broken, I have been amazed at how many of them don't really want to be made well. For some of them, if I were to reach out my hand and take away their addiction, or their poverty, or their infirmity, they would hate me for it. Sometimes you have to ask people if they're really looking for healing or not.
*Some People Only Want Help Staying The Way They Are, Not Help Getting Better. -Honestly, I'm a push-over. If someone asks me for food or money or assistance I have a hard time saying "No" and turning them away, especially if it's in my power or ability to do something. I think it has something to do about the Lord Jesus saying, "Give to anyone who asks of you expecting nothing in return" (Matthew 5:42). So, I will almost always help someone who comes to me for help...the first time. However, I've learned to help them further by saying, "Here's food/shelter/money/assistance for tonight, but what about tomorrow and next week? You need a long-term solution to your problem. Here's a few phone numbers to call. These people can help you make long-term changes and get off the street/off drugs/self sufficient/healing/counseling, etc."
The next time I see them, if they ask for help again, I will ask them, "Did you call those numbers I gave you last time?" and if they say "No" then I explain that the reason I'm not helping them today is because they didn't take any steps towards helping themselves in the long-term. Another response is to help someone financially with the understanding that they need to agree to sit down and allow us to help them create a budget to live on. If they agree, we help them. If they don't then we've established the terms under which were willing to help them out. However, sometimes I do just hand them food or money or pay their rent without any conditions attached. It depends on the person, the situation, and a bit of discernment.
*Be Prepared To Welcome The Poor Into Your Church, Your House, Your Family, and Your Life. - I usually caution people who come to me asking how to start a compassion ministry with this statement: "If you're not willing to sit next to these people in Church on Sunday, or to have them play with your kids, or to invite them over for pizza afterwards, then don't start a compassion ministry." Nowadays I usually just let them get their feet wet and after they've been doing it a while I'll suggest that this ministry is more about loving people and less about an outreach. Outreach implies going out to accomplish something. It keeps the poor "Out There" and that's not what Jesus modeled for us. If we're going to step out and demonstrate to people that Jesus Loves Them it has be consistent. It has to mean "We love you too," otherwise what we're really saying is "Jesus loves you but we're not too comfortable around you. Stay out here and we'll come back next month and minister to you again." This isn't the Gospel and we can damage the true power of the Gospel if we say one thing and model another.
*Change Is Difficult. - As you begin to minister to people who are homeless or living in poverty you'll no doubt come across a few people who just can't seem to get the courage to take that big step towards escaping poverty. I've seen people, more than once, come right up to the point of escaping poverty only to run as fast as they can in the other direction. Here's what I've learned: Holding their hand is good, but doing it for them is a big mistake. Sometimes the psychological leap is too great. It's much easier to remain in the world they know than to take a big step and risk failure. Some people will need you to be there with them every little step of the way. It can be frustrating, but when they finally do escape their situation the celebration will be well worth it. Others will just not ever be able to take that test or apply for that federal aid or drive down to that learning center or make that phone call to the counseling center, no matter how much you hold their hand and urge them to take the step. Taking that step for them will ease your frustration in the moment, but unless it's their idea and they're ready to follow through with things, they'll just back out of things eventually anyway. Prayer is really your best weapon usually.
*Don't Withhold The Blessing. - This is one of my big pet peeves in compassion ministry. I understand that everyone does things their own way, but nothing makes me more angry than to watch Christians withhold the food or the assistance, etc. until after people have sat through an hour long sermon or church service. The Gospel is expressed just as much in showing love and compassion without cost or agenda…maybe moreso. People understand love. They understand compassion. They appreciate sincere giving done without an ulterior motive. Just try it. It's incredibly powerful. Maybe if you bless them without strings attached they will WANT to know more about why you love them, and why you love Jesus.
*Listening Is The Best Ministry Possible. - File this under "Bigger is not Better." When you boil it all down, people just need to know you really care about them. Listening to people is the most powerful way you can demonstrate real love to them. Spending time with people and really paying attention to them is the best ministry you can ever do, and it doesn't cost you a thing.
*Don't Forget The Poor Among You. - I'm embarrassed to say I needed someone from my compassion team to point this out to me. Our church was so busy knocking ourselves out to minister to the poor in the community that we were neglecting the poor and the orphan and the widow and the single Moms in our very own congregation. Let the blessing begin in the Family of God. There are those among us who are also poor and need the love and the compassion of the Body. Don't forget them.
*Don't Use This Ministry As A Way To Market Your Church. - File this under "Things that make me very angry". I've noticed a disturbing trend among some churches lately where ministry to the poor is seen as being trendy and hip. They treat compassion ministry as a selling point for their church because it makes them look cool and it looks great on their website and in their bulletin each week. However, caring for people in need is typically not what they have foremost in mind. It's marketing their church. This really ticks me off. So, when we first started our Compassion Ministry I told our team members that, although I wasn't forbidding anyone else, I would never wear one of our church t-shirts to our ministry events. "Why not?" someone would always ask me. Because I don't want them to ever see that t-shirt and say "Oh…that's why they're being so nice to us." In fact, recently we've been joined by another large mega-church at the motel. Although we've been there for five years now, this mega-church has been serving breakfast every other Sunday and setting up tents and chairs and tables and having an on-site Church service. Beause their presence is quite large, many of those we minister to often assume that we're from this mega-church. They will even end their prayers by saying, "And God bless the good people of **** Church" to which I always say, "Amen!" I love it that our specific church is able to bring Glory to Jesus and even favor to another local Church by serving these people. It's a great reminder that our service to these people isn't about making our church famous or competing with other churches. It's simply about modelling the love of Jesus for people.
*Don't think of it as "Outreach" but as Loving People. - After awhile the word Outreach becomes a dirty word. To me, the word carries the connotation of keeping people at arms length. I prefer to refer to what we do as Compassion Ministry or Service or simply "Being with our friends". Even to call them "The Poor" in some ways puts them into a classification that is demeaning and de-humanizing. Whenever possible think of them as your friends. They are people. They have the same needs as you and I. Love them as Jesus loves you.
-End Part 3
kg
**
THE NON-CON HAS ONLY 3 SEATS REMAINING!
At this point we're practically sold out...and when those last 3 seats have been taken we will officially close registration.
I'm SO EXCITED about this special day!
Your last chance is
HERE
**
"PHARISEE ME"
Please check out my article over at TheOoze.com this week and leave a comment if you like.
It's here
**
HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED MY BOOKS YET?
If not, what are you waiting for?
Both of my books are now available as FREE PDF downloads!
Download them both for free while you still can-
HERE
About my books:
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?"
- The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"
- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
by Keith Giles
So far I've received a lot of encouraging feedback from many of you regarding this series. My hope is that this helps many of you catch a vision for how you can step out and begin to serve others and learn to love as Jesus does.
This week's installment will continue to look at valuable lessons I've learned over the years. Next week we'll look at specific ideas for the types of ministry to the poor that can be done and a brief "How To" for each of them. After that I'll end off this series with more detailed discussions of what ministry to the homeless and to prostitutes looks like, and the specific challenges involved with each.
For now, here's the rest of the list we started last week:
A long list of valuable lessons-
*You Will Get Back More Than You Give, Everytime. - I used to drive away from our various ministry sites feeling depressed. In my heart I always felt like we could have done more to help, or that I was desperately inadequate to meet the incredible needs of the people we were in relationship with. After awhile I began to understand that this is part of what it's all about. I also began to realize that the blessing I was taking home with me was always greater than the one I had just brought to the people we were in ministry to. No matter how massive or outrageous our ministry was, I always felt like it wasn't enough..and it never would be enough. Part of what I learned was how to be ok with this.
*You Can Only Help People Who Want Help. - There's a great passage in the Gospel where Jesus comes upon a man who is laying beside the Pool of Siloam. He is lame and obviously in need of healing. However, Jesus looks at this man and asks him, "Do you want to be made well?" It seems, at first, like a very stupid question. However, in my years of ministry with the homeless and the addicted and the broken, I have been amazed at how many of them don't really want to be made well. For some of them, if I were to reach out my hand and take away their addiction, or their poverty, or their infirmity, they would hate me for it. Sometimes you have to ask people if they're really looking for healing or not.
*Some People Only Want Help Staying The Way They Are, Not Help Getting Better. -Honestly, I'm a push-over. If someone asks me for food or money or assistance I have a hard time saying "No" and turning them away, especially if it's in my power or ability to do something. I think it has something to do about the Lord Jesus saying, "Give to anyone who asks of you expecting nothing in return" (Matthew 5:42). So, I will almost always help someone who comes to me for help...the first time. However, I've learned to help them further by saying, "Here's food/shelter/money/assistance for tonight, but what about tomorrow and next week? You need a long-term solution to your problem. Here's a few phone numbers to call. These people can help you make long-term changes and get off the street/off drugs/self sufficient/healing/counseling, etc."
The next time I see them, if they ask for help again, I will ask them, "Did you call those numbers I gave you last time?" and if they say "No" then I explain that the reason I'm not helping them today is because they didn't take any steps towards helping themselves in the long-term. Another response is to help someone financially with the understanding that they need to agree to sit down and allow us to help them create a budget to live on. If they agree, we help them. If they don't then we've established the terms under which were willing to help them out. However, sometimes I do just hand them food or money or pay their rent without any conditions attached. It depends on the person, the situation, and a bit of discernment.
*Be Prepared To Welcome The Poor Into Your Church, Your House, Your Family, and Your Life. - I usually caution people who come to me asking how to start a compassion ministry with this statement: "If you're not willing to sit next to these people in Church on Sunday, or to have them play with your kids, or to invite them over for pizza afterwards, then don't start a compassion ministry." Nowadays I usually just let them get their feet wet and after they've been doing it a while I'll suggest that this ministry is more about loving people and less about an outreach. Outreach implies going out to accomplish something. It keeps the poor "Out There" and that's not what Jesus modeled for us. If we're going to step out and demonstrate to people that Jesus Loves Them it has be consistent. It has to mean "We love you too," otherwise what we're really saying is "Jesus loves you but we're not too comfortable around you. Stay out here and we'll come back next month and minister to you again." This isn't the Gospel and we can damage the true power of the Gospel if we say one thing and model another.
*Change Is Difficult. - As you begin to minister to people who are homeless or living in poverty you'll no doubt come across a few people who just can't seem to get the courage to take that big step towards escaping poverty. I've seen people, more than once, come right up to the point of escaping poverty only to run as fast as they can in the other direction. Here's what I've learned: Holding their hand is good, but doing it for them is a big mistake. Sometimes the psychological leap is too great. It's much easier to remain in the world they know than to take a big step and risk failure. Some people will need you to be there with them every little step of the way. It can be frustrating, but when they finally do escape their situation the celebration will be well worth it. Others will just not ever be able to take that test or apply for that federal aid or drive down to that learning center or make that phone call to the counseling center, no matter how much you hold their hand and urge them to take the step. Taking that step for them will ease your frustration in the moment, but unless it's their idea and they're ready to follow through with things, they'll just back out of things eventually anyway. Prayer is really your best weapon usually.
*Don't Withhold The Blessing. - This is one of my big pet peeves in compassion ministry. I understand that everyone does things their own way, but nothing makes me more angry than to watch Christians withhold the food or the assistance, etc. until after people have sat through an hour long sermon or church service. The Gospel is expressed just as much in showing love and compassion without cost or agenda…maybe moreso. People understand love. They understand compassion. They appreciate sincere giving done without an ulterior motive. Just try it. It's incredibly powerful. Maybe if you bless them without strings attached they will WANT to know more about why you love them, and why you love Jesus.
*Listening Is The Best Ministry Possible. - File this under "Bigger is not Better." When you boil it all down, people just need to know you really care about them. Listening to people is the most powerful way you can demonstrate real love to them. Spending time with people and really paying attention to them is the best ministry you can ever do, and it doesn't cost you a thing.
*Don't Forget The Poor Among You. - I'm embarrassed to say I needed someone from my compassion team to point this out to me. Our church was so busy knocking ourselves out to minister to the poor in the community that we were neglecting the poor and the orphan and the widow and the single Moms in our very own congregation. Let the blessing begin in the Family of God. There are those among us who are also poor and need the love and the compassion of the Body. Don't forget them.
*Don't Use This Ministry As A Way To Market Your Church. - File this under "Things that make me very angry". I've noticed a disturbing trend among some churches lately where ministry to the poor is seen as being trendy and hip. They treat compassion ministry as a selling point for their church because it makes them look cool and it looks great on their website and in their bulletin each week. However, caring for people in need is typically not what they have foremost in mind. It's marketing their church. This really ticks me off. So, when we first started our Compassion Ministry I told our team members that, although I wasn't forbidding anyone else, I would never wear one of our church t-shirts to our ministry events. "Why not?" someone would always ask me. Because I don't want them to ever see that t-shirt and say "Oh…that's why they're being so nice to us." In fact, recently we've been joined by another large mega-church at the motel. Although we've been there for five years now, this mega-church has been serving breakfast every other Sunday and setting up tents and chairs and tables and having an on-site Church service. Beause their presence is quite large, many of those we minister to often assume that we're from this mega-church. They will even end their prayers by saying, "And God bless the good people of **** Church" to which I always say, "Amen!" I love it that our specific church is able to bring Glory to Jesus and even favor to another local Church by serving these people. It's a great reminder that our service to these people isn't about making our church famous or competing with other churches. It's simply about modelling the love of Jesus for people.
*Don't think of it as "Outreach" but as Loving People. - After awhile the word Outreach becomes a dirty word. To me, the word carries the connotation of keeping people at arms length. I prefer to refer to what we do as Compassion Ministry or Service or simply "Being with our friends". Even to call them "The Poor" in some ways puts them into a classification that is demeaning and de-humanizing. Whenever possible think of them as your friends. They are people. They have the same needs as you and I. Love them as Jesus loves you.
-End Part 3
kg
**
THE NON-CON HAS ONLY 3 SEATS REMAINING!
At this point we're practically sold out...and when those last 3 seats have been taken we will officially close registration.
I'm SO EXCITED about this special day!
Your last chance is
HERE
**
"PHARISEE ME"
Please check out my article over at TheOoze.com this week and leave a comment if you like.
It's here
**
HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED MY BOOKS YET?
If not, what are you waiting for?
Both of my books are now available as FREE PDF downloads!
Download them both for free while you still can-
HERE
About my books:
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?"
- The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"
- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY - Part 2
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY - Part 2
By Keith Giles
This week I want to share a long list of valuable lessons I've learned over the last five years when it comes to serving others. Keep in mind that a lot of what I learned here had to be experienced. Even as I share this with you I understand that reading about this is no substitute for actually experiencing it for yourself. Hopefully as you move forward in your own journey with serving people you'll discover the truth of these observations in your own heart.
A LONG LIST OF VALUABLE LESSONS
As you take your first tentative steps into compassion ministry, you'll need to know what to expect. Here are some basic things I've discovered in my journey serving others in our community:
*Consistency Is Vital - We started ministry at the motel in Santa Ana almost five years ago. Over time we've consistently come every month with a bounce house, games, snacks and a puppet show for the kids who live in this motel. For over four years we only blessed them. We never preached a sermon or passed out maps to our Church. (Although we weren't shy about sharing with them if they had need or if they asked us why were doing this for them.)
Recently, in our fifth year, we've started passing out free groceries and asking them if we can pray with them about anything. Why? The goal of the ministry is to show the love of Jesus to them in tangible ways. Not to market our church or to get them to buy something. We have intentionally withheld a sermon or an evangelistic message so that we create the question in their minds- "Why?" We want people to respond to our compassion by asking "Why would you come out here and bless us like this every month?" When they ask us (and they eventually do) we then share with them the difference that Jesus has made in our hearts and lives.
Having no agenda disarms them and, more importantly, demonstrates that we really are only interested in loving them and blessing them in practical ways.
*You WILL Get Burned. It's Part Of The Process- A fellow compassion ministries pastor once suggested that we publish a guide to help local churches serve the poor. He wanted to include a section that would help prevent them from getting burned by some of the poor who take advantage of our goodwill. I protested against this quite vocally because the best lessons I've learned in loving the poor have come from the numerous times I've been played like a violin. Without those experiences of being lied to, taken advantage of and played for a fool I wouldn't have a shred of discernment regarding the poor. Getting burned is part of the process. Try to learn from it. The biggest challenge is to get burned and continue to love people and bless them, even knowing they might be playing you.
*Bigger Is Not better- For the longest time our ministry to the families in the motel was pretty much my wife, my two elementary-age sons and one other woman from our church. We still managed to put together great games for the kids, snacks, puppet shows and a meaningful ministry to the families who live in this motel. Sometimes having a massive ministry footprint means that the people you're ministering to get lost in the hype. I'd rather sit down and share a sandwich under a tree with one homeless guy than have a massive army of people running a huge event where the poor feel like outsiders.
*Don't Pet the Poor- Early on I was warned not to treat the poor as a project or an outreach. When we do this we end up treating them like people who are less than the rest of us. The goal in serving the poor is to make them feel like an equal human being. Look them in the eye. Laugh with them. Learn their story. Pray for them during the week. Get to know them. If you can think of your ministry as being more about making new friends (who happen to be living in poverty) and less about fixing these poor people you'll be fine.
*Don't Attempt To Cure Poverty In Your City- This is a common mistake for those who start off doing compassion ministry. In their zeal to bring justice to the poor they get off target and begin to see their ministry as a grandiose scheme to end poverty forever in their city. The sad thing is that when we do this we stop caring for the actual people who are in need. If our focus can remain on finding a few people and learning how to love them we'll be closer to the heart of Jesus. One of my early mentors, David Ruis, used to communicate it this way: "What do you see and what do you have?" Meaning, start with the people in front of you who have a need. Ask yourself what you have that you could share with them. Befriend people and learn to love them.
*It's About Sharing, Not Giving- Giving to the poor, although important is not what we're necessarily called to as followers of Jesus. We're called to share. Giving means writing a check and walking away (and taking the tax break on our IRS return). Sharing means taking something that is mine and giving it away to someone who needs it more than I do. That's an investment. That's also about friendship and relationship, not compassion from a distance.
*Befriend A Few and Learn To Love Them Deeply- When we first started our Motel Ministry I had grand visions of leading huge outreach teams to lead worship and preach the Gospel and rescue hundreds from the despair of poverty. God quickly corrected my vision and showed me one small family living in the motel. Love them, He said. Get to know them. Invite them to your house for lunch.
For the first two years or so that was the main focus of our ministry in that motel. The difference was that this ministry soon became less about ending poverty in that motel and more about the struggles of my new friends, Mike and Pam and their two children.
*You Will Learn More From Them Than You Teach- My relationship with Mike and Pam and their children taught me more about courage and forgiveness and humility than I could have ever learned from reading a book or a blog or listening to a sermon. The things I heard and saw and experienced by knowing this incredible family had the greatest impact on me of all.
(END PART 2)
-kg
**
ONLY 10 SEATS LEFT FOR THE NON-CON!
Saturday, March 15th - Costa Mesa, CA
More info online at
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
FREE PDF BOOKLET: "EMBEZZLEMENT: The Corporate Sin Of Contemporary Christianity"
This inspiring and challenging article by Ray Mayhew was largely instrumental in my family's decision to start a house church where 100% of the offering would go to the poor in our community. If you'd like a free copy of this great resource, please just email me directly at "ELYSIANSKY" (at) HOTMAIL (dot com) with the subject of "EMBEZZLEMENT" and I'll be happy to send you the free article.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
By Keith Giles
This week I want to share a long list of valuable lessons I've learned over the last five years when it comes to serving others. Keep in mind that a lot of what I learned here had to be experienced. Even as I share this with you I understand that reading about this is no substitute for actually experiencing it for yourself. Hopefully as you move forward in your own journey with serving people you'll discover the truth of these observations in your own heart.
A LONG LIST OF VALUABLE LESSONS
As you take your first tentative steps into compassion ministry, you'll need to know what to expect. Here are some basic things I've discovered in my journey serving others in our community:
*Consistency Is Vital - We started ministry at the motel in Santa Ana almost five years ago. Over time we've consistently come every month with a bounce house, games, snacks and a puppet show for the kids who live in this motel. For over four years we only blessed them. We never preached a sermon or passed out maps to our Church. (Although we weren't shy about sharing with them if they had need or if they asked us why were doing this for them.)
Recently, in our fifth year, we've started passing out free groceries and asking them if we can pray with them about anything. Why? The goal of the ministry is to show the love of Jesus to them in tangible ways. Not to market our church or to get them to buy something. We have intentionally withheld a sermon or an evangelistic message so that we create the question in their minds- "Why?" We want people to respond to our compassion by asking "Why would you come out here and bless us like this every month?" When they ask us (and they eventually do) we then share with them the difference that Jesus has made in our hearts and lives.
Having no agenda disarms them and, more importantly, demonstrates that we really are only interested in loving them and blessing them in practical ways.
*You WILL Get Burned. It's Part Of The Process- A fellow compassion ministries pastor once suggested that we publish a guide to help local churches serve the poor. He wanted to include a section that would help prevent them from getting burned by some of the poor who take advantage of our goodwill. I protested against this quite vocally because the best lessons I've learned in loving the poor have come from the numerous times I've been played like a violin. Without those experiences of being lied to, taken advantage of and played for a fool I wouldn't have a shred of discernment regarding the poor. Getting burned is part of the process. Try to learn from it. The biggest challenge is to get burned and continue to love people and bless them, even knowing they might be playing you.
*Bigger Is Not better- For the longest time our ministry to the families in the motel was pretty much my wife, my two elementary-age sons and one other woman from our church. We still managed to put together great games for the kids, snacks, puppet shows and a meaningful ministry to the families who live in this motel. Sometimes having a massive ministry footprint means that the people you're ministering to get lost in the hype. I'd rather sit down and share a sandwich under a tree with one homeless guy than have a massive army of people running a huge event where the poor feel like outsiders.
*Don't Pet the Poor- Early on I was warned not to treat the poor as a project or an outreach. When we do this we end up treating them like people who are less than the rest of us. The goal in serving the poor is to make them feel like an equal human being. Look them in the eye. Laugh with them. Learn their story. Pray for them during the week. Get to know them. If you can think of your ministry as being more about making new friends (who happen to be living in poverty) and less about fixing these poor people you'll be fine.
*Don't Attempt To Cure Poverty In Your City- This is a common mistake for those who start off doing compassion ministry. In their zeal to bring justice to the poor they get off target and begin to see their ministry as a grandiose scheme to end poverty forever in their city. The sad thing is that when we do this we stop caring for the actual people who are in need. If our focus can remain on finding a few people and learning how to love them we'll be closer to the heart of Jesus. One of my early mentors, David Ruis, used to communicate it this way: "What do you see and what do you have?" Meaning, start with the people in front of you who have a need. Ask yourself what you have that you could share with them. Befriend people and learn to love them.
*It's About Sharing, Not Giving- Giving to the poor, although important is not what we're necessarily called to as followers of Jesus. We're called to share. Giving means writing a check and walking away (and taking the tax break on our IRS return). Sharing means taking something that is mine and giving it away to someone who needs it more than I do. That's an investment. That's also about friendship and relationship, not compassion from a distance.
*Befriend A Few and Learn To Love Them Deeply- When we first started our Motel Ministry I had grand visions of leading huge outreach teams to lead worship and preach the Gospel and rescue hundreds from the despair of poverty. God quickly corrected my vision and showed me one small family living in the motel. Love them, He said. Get to know them. Invite them to your house for lunch.
For the first two years or so that was the main focus of our ministry in that motel. The difference was that this ministry soon became less about ending poverty in that motel and more about the struggles of my new friends, Mike and Pam and their two children.
*You Will Learn More From Them Than You Teach- My relationship with Mike and Pam and their children taught me more about courage and forgiveness and humility than I could have ever learned from reading a book or a blog or listening to a sermon. The things I heard and saw and experienced by knowing this incredible family had the greatest impact on me of all.
(END PART 2)
-kg
**
ONLY 10 SEATS LEFT FOR THE NON-CON!
Saturday, March 15th - Costa Mesa, CA
More info online at
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
FREE PDF BOOKLET: "EMBEZZLEMENT: The Corporate Sin Of Contemporary Christianity"
This inspiring and challenging article by Ray Mayhew was largely instrumental in my family's decision to start a house church where 100% of the offering would go to the poor in our community. If you'd like a free copy of this great resource, please just email me directly at "ELYSIANSKY" (at) HOTMAIL (dot com) with the subject of "EMBEZZLEMENT" and I'll be happy to send you the free article.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Monday, February 04, 2008
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY - Part 1
[Subversive Underground]
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY - Part 1
by Keith Giles
Over the last five years or so I have been involved in serving the poor here in Orange County, California. During this time I have learned a lot about what to do, and what not to do, when it comes to serving the least and the forgotten.
In the upcoming series of articles I will do my best to provide practical insights and information about what serving the poor looks like. I hope to inspire many of you to step outside your comfort zones and begin to serve the poor in your own community. Whether you volunteer at a local soup kitchen or if you lead a small group or a church team to go out and minister to the poor I hope you can benefit from these articles and catch a vision for serving others.
I am very excited about this new series of articles. My prayer is that this will inspire many of you to take first steps into an outward expression of God's love for others. I welcome your feedback and your questions as we take a few weeks to explore this subject and wrestle with these ideas.
BEFORE WE START
This series will not be about building a case for the "Why" we serve the poor, instead I will assume that most of you reading this have already come to terms with the overwhelming Biblical evidence regarding God's command to care for the poor and the example of our Lord Jesus towards the sick, the broken and the outcast.
It is my firm belief that, as a follower of Jesus, serving the least and the forgotten in our culture is expected of us. Jesus was our blueprint for living the Kingdom life. His example to us compels us to leave our comfort zones and to seek out the lonely, the forgotten, the least and the lost in our society. Jesus himself made it very clear that those who sincerely love him will be found caring for the hungry, the poor, the lonely and the imprisoned (see Matthew 25).
For more on the Believers Biblical mandate to care for the poor please refer to the numerous Scriptural references (over 2,000) concerning Gods heart for the poor and His expectation of compassion and obedience from us.
CATCHING THE VISION
So, with the assumption of an understanding regarding our personal calling to serve the poor and to love them as we love Jesus, (and as Jesus has loved us), I will try to share some of what I've learned over the last few years regarding God's heart for the poor and how we can step forward in obedience to care for them.
So, how do we live this out? What does it look like?
One of the first things I did when I realized that God was calling me to lead a ministry to the poor, (or Compassion Ministry), was to seek out other leaders who were already caring for the poor around me. There was a church in my neighborhood that hosted a weekly luncheon for the poor in their parking lot. I was also aware that they had started a Men's Shelter and opened a local Thrift Store to fund the ministry. After a few phone calls I got in touch with the pastor in charge of this ministry and took him to lunch. Over a cheeseburger I took notes and asked a lot of questions. From there I took this pastor's advice and got in touch with the chaplain of our local rescue mission. A meeting with this amazing gentleman proved very insightful and provided further understanding of what poverty in our community looked like and how best to help.
STARTING A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR CHURCH
OR SMALL GROUP: FIRST STEPS
If you feel called to start a ministry to the poor through your church, or small group, or just want to get involved in some way, here's what I recommend:
*Understand that this is a Spiritual Battle -The people you are about to minister to are trapped in the most unbelievable darkness you can possibly imagine. They are bound by drug addictions, sexual perversion, demonic possession, mental illness, physical sickness and more. You will need to recognize that you are not enough. You are perfectly inadequate in every way. You will need the power of the Holy Spirit. You will require a complete dependence upon God for help. You will not last a second without Jesus as your example, friend and constant strength. Pray.
*Partner with local ministries and churches who are already serving the poor- Don't reinvent the wheel. If there's already a dozen ministries in your area who are serving the homeless theres no point in starting another one. Partner with them and work together.
*Find out what causes poverty in your community- In Orange County there are several non-profit organizations who conduct annual surveys and publish community index reports on everything from education and crime to employment rates and homelessness. A call to your local Rescue Mission and/or the area Salvation Army office can probably put these reports into your hands. Learning what the specific causes of poverty and homelessness in your community are goes a long way to providing your next step.
*Become an expert in what causes poverty in your city. Soon you'll be teaching others about the problem, and the solutions. Because I've taken the time to study the causes of poverty in Orange County, I've had numerous invitations from local churches to come and share what I've learned. Part of my personal mission is to help others to see what I see and to catch a vision for serving the poor. This is a great way to do that.
*Piggy-back with others who have more experience and learn from them- When our group wanted to minister to prostitutes we did our best to find others who were experienced in dealing with this issue. When we felt called to minister in motels we partnered with the local Rescue Mission who was already organizing church groups to address the issue. Don't assume you know the needs, or the best methods for helping the poor. Every city is different. Every category of ministry (homeless, elderly, veterans, prostitutes, drug addicts, battered women, etc.) is unique. Learn before you step out.
*Build a team (from within your church or small group) who can serve with you- Don't start out alone. Even if it's only one other person, you need to have a partner in this adventure. Pray together. Research the needs and brainstorm your approach to ministry.
*Don't blindly copy what someone else is doing- Every community is different, and I believe we need to begin caring for "our poor" first. The homeless or the low-income family in your area is not the same as the homeless or the poor in San Francisco, or New York or Chicago, etc. Take cues from others, but don't assume you can "cut and paste" what one ministry does into your community and be successful.
*Start close to home- The poor who live within ten miles of you are "your poor" and getting to know them, and understanding their needs and what keeps them in poverty is crucial. Try not to do long-distance ministry to the poor. Find ways to be in fellowship with those you are serving.
(END OF PART 1)
NEXT WEEK: In Part 2 of this series I'll share a long list of some of the valuable lessons I've learned over the years. These insights should help you get an idea of what to do, and what not to do, as you step forward into the ministry of compassion.
We'll talk about things like "Consistency", "The Importance of Getting Burned", and the fallacy of "Curing Poverty", among other things.
If you'd like to respond to me or to anything I've shared in this week's [SU], feel free to email me directly at ELYSIANSKY (at) hotmail (dot com).
Can't wait until next week to share the rest of this series with you.
Peace,
-kg
**
[SUBVERSIVE UNDERGROUND] PRESENTS:
THE NON-CON
SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2008
ONLY 23 SEATS AVAILABLE
"A CONVERSATION - NOT A CONFERENCE"
WITH JACKIE PULLINGER, DAVID RUIS, KEITH GILES, JOHN THOMAS, CINDY REITHMEIER, SPENCER BURKE, PAUL MARTIN, CRISSY BROOKS, SCOTT LAUMANN, AND MANY MORE.
MORE INFO AND ONLINE REGISTRATION AT
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
CMA RESOURCES PRESENTS
"Organic Church Movements Conference" - Feb 8-10, Ontario, CA
Join Neil Cole, Alan Hirsch and others--THIS WEEKEND!
Find out more:
http://www.cmaresources.com/conference/
**
IT'S TIME FOR THE CHURCH TO LISTEN
"Conversational Evangelism Conference"
Feb 29 & March 1, 2008 in Menlo Park, CA
With Todd Hunter, Gary Poole, Dan Kimball and more.
More Info Online:
http://alphana.org/Group/Group.aspx?id=1000019447
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY - Part 1
by Keith Giles
Over the last five years or so I have been involved in serving the poor here in Orange County, California. During this time I have learned a lot about what to do, and what not to do, when it comes to serving the least and the forgotten.
In the upcoming series of articles I will do my best to provide practical insights and information about what serving the poor looks like. I hope to inspire many of you to step outside your comfort zones and begin to serve the poor in your own community. Whether you volunteer at a local soup kitchen or if you lead a small group or a church team to go out and minister to the poor I hope you can benefit from these articles and catch a vision for serving others.
I am very excited about this new series of articles. My prayer is that this will inspire many of you to take first steps into an outward expression of God's love for others. I welcome your feedback and your questions as we take a few weeks to explore this subject and wrestle with these ideas.
BEFORE WE START
This series will not be about building a case for the "Why" we serve the poor, instead I will assume that most of you reading this have already come to terms with the overwhelming Biblical evidence regarding God's command to care for the poor and the example of our Lord Jesus towards the sick, the broken and the outcast.
It is my firm belief that, as a follower of Jesus, serving the least and the forgotten in our culture is expected of us. Jesus was our blueprint for living the Kingdom life. His example to us compels us to leave our comfort zones and to seek out the lonely, the forgotten, the least and the lost in our society. Jesus himself made it very clear that those who sincerely love him will be found caring for the hungry, the poor, the lonely and the imprisoned (see Matthew 25).
For more on the Believers Biblical mandate to care for the poor please refer to the numerous Scriptural references (over 2,000) concerning Gods heart for the poor and His expectation of compassion and obedience from us.
CATCHING THE VISION
So, with the assumption of an understanding regarding our personal calling to serve the poor and to love them as we love Jesus, (and as Jesus has loved us), I will try to share some of what I've learned over the last few years regarding God's heart for the poor and how we can step forward in obedience to care for them.
So, how do we live this out? What does it look like?
One of the first things I did when I realized that God was calling me to lead a ministry to the poor, (or Compassion Ministry), was to seek out other leaders who were already caring for the poor around me. There was a church in my neighborhood that hosted a weekly luncheon for the poor in their parking lot. I was also aware that they had started a Men's Shelter and opened a local Thrift Store to fund the ministry. After a few phone calls I got in touch with the pastor in charge of this ministry and took him to lunch. Over a cheeseburger I took notes and asked a lot of questions. From there I took this pastor's advice and got in touch with the chaplain of our local rescue mission. A meeting with this amazing gentleman proved very insightful and provided further understanding of what poverty in our community looked like and how best to help.
STARTING A MINISTRY TO THE POOR IN YOUR CHURCH
OR SMALL GROUP: FIRST STEPS
If you feel called to start a ministry to the poor through your church, or small group, or just want to get involved in some way, here's what I recommend:
*Understand that this is a Spiritual Battle -The people you are about to minister to are trapped in the most unbelievable darkness you can possibly imagine. They are bound by drug addictions, sexual perversion, demonic possession, mental illness, physical sickness and more. You will need to recognize that you are not enough. You are perfectly inadequate in every way. You will need the power of the Holy Spirit. You will require a complete dependence upon God for help. You will not last a second without Jesus as your example, friend and constant strength. Pray.
*Partner with local ministries and churches who are already serving the poor- Don't reinvent the wheel. If there's already a dozen ministries in your area who are serving the homeless theres no point in starting another one. Partner with them and work together.
*Find out what causes poverty in your community- In Orange County there are several non-profit organizations who conduct annual surveys and publish community index reports on everything from education and crime to employment rates and homelessness. A call to your local Rescue Mission and/or the area Salvation Army office can probably put these reports into your hands. Learning what the specific causes of poverty and homelessness in your community are goes a long way to providing your next step.
*Become an expert in what causes poverty in your city. Soon you'll be teaching others about the problem, and the solutions. Because I've taken the time to study the causes of poverty in Orange County, I've had numerous invitations from local churches to come and share what I've learned. Part of my personal mission is to help others to see what I see and to catch a vision for serving the poor. This is a great way to do that.
*Piggy-back with others who have more experience and learn from them- When our group wanted to minister to prostitutes we did our best to find others who were experienced in dealing with this issue. When we felt called to minister in motels we partnered with the local Rescue Mission who was already organizing church groups to address the issue. Don't assume you know the needs, or the best methods for helping the poor. Every city is different. Every category of ministry (homeless, elderly, veterans, prostitutes, drug addicts, battered women, etc.) is unique. Learn before you step out.
*Build a team (from within your church or small group) who can serve with you- Don't start out alone. Even if it's only one other person, you need to have a partner in this adventure. Pray together. Research the needs and brainstorm your approach to ministry.
*Don't blindly copy what someone else is doing- Every community is different, and I believe we need to begin caring for "our poor" first. The homeless or the low-income family in your area is not the same as the homeless or the poor in San Francisco, or New York or Chicago, etc. Take cues from others, but don't assume you can "cut and paste" what one ministry does into your community and be successful.
*Start close to home- The poor who live within ten miles of you are "your poor" and getting to know them, and understanding their needs and what keeps them in poverty is crucial. Try not to do long-distance ministry to the poor. Find ways to be in fellowship with those you are serving.
(END OF PART 1)
NEXT WEEK: In Part 2 of this series I'll share a long list of some of the valuable lessons I've learned over the years. These insights should help you get an idea of what to do, and what not to do, as you step forward into the ministry of compassion.
We'll talk about things like "Consistency", "The Importance of Getting Burned", and the fallacy of "Curing Poverty", among other things.
If you'd like to respond to me or to anything I've shared in this week's [SU], feel free to email me directly at ELYSIANSKY (at) hotmail (dot com).
Can't wait until next week to share the rest of this series with you.
Peace,
-kg
**
[SUBVERSIVE UNDERGROUND] PRESENTS:
THE NON-CON
SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2008
ONLY 23 SEATS AVAILABLE
"A CONVERSATION - NOT A CONFERENCE"
WITH JACKIE PULLINGER, DAVID RUIS, KEITH GILES, JOHN THOMAS, CINDY REITHMEIER, SPENCER BURKE, PAUL MARTIN, CRISSY BROOKS, SCOTT LAUMANN, AND MANY MORE.
MORE INFO AND ONLINE REGISTRATION AT
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
CMA RESOURCES PRESENTS
"Organic Church Movements Conference" - Feb 8-10, Ontario, CA
Join Neil Cole, Alan Hirsch and others--THIS WEEKEND!
Find out more:
http://www.cmaresources.com/conference/
**
IT'S TIME FOR THE CHURCH TO LISTEN
"Conversational Evangelism Conference"
Feb 29 & March 1, 2008 in Menlo Park, CA
With Todd Hunter, Gary Poole, Dan Kimball and more.
More Info Online:
http://alphana.org/Group/Group.aspx?id=1000019447
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Trust: The Key To Everything (Part 3)
[SUBVERSIVE UNDERGROUND]
Trust: The Key To Everything (Part 3)
By Keith Giles
Here are some possible barriers we might face when it comes to fully trusting God:
*We don't really know God.
*We have a fear of letting go.
*We think we know what's really best.
*We don't want Gods intervention in our lives.
Let's briefly examine these four barriers to trusting God.
*We don't really know God.
If we really knew God, we would have no problem trusting Him. I believe this is why God sends trouble and difficulty into our lives. When things are going well we tend to ignore God, but when we are in financial difficulty or walking through uncertainty, we are suddenly desperate for God to rescue us. Whereas our goal during these trials may be to coerce God into making the pain go away, I believe God's goal during this time is simply to teach us that He can be trusted.
Time and again my family has been through crisis after crisis. Each time God has come through miraculously, and yet this fact is lost on me when that "next crisis" occurs. I still find myself wondering, "Will God rescue us this time? What if this time is different?" I believe that God wants us to come to a place where we immediately trust Him whenever we face trials. For now I still find myself freaking out first and then remembering to trust Him later.
*We have a fear of letting go.
I spent most of last year as an unemployed "temporary" worker. This made our financial future quite uncertain and called for us to daily trust God with everything. I can remember clearly the epiphany I had a few months into this ordeal- "If God is in control, that means that I am not." I needed to learn to be ok with being out of control so that God could be in control. This takes courage. It's not easy.
One of my favorite books of all time is "Let Go" by Fenelon. It's only a 99 page book, but the wisdom and spiritual insight found inside is solid gold. The overall theme, as you might guess from the title, is to remind us to let go of our lives and surrender fully to Christ. God knows that we need to develop a deeper sense of trust with Him and He is patient with us as we slowly learn that loving Him means trusting Him.
*We think we know what's really best.
Sometimes I believe we find it hard to trust God simply because we're pretty sure we already know what we want with our lives. God's ideas might not line up with our plans and letting go, trusting Him completely, will probably mean laying that dream (or that plan or hope, etc.) on the altar.
*We don't want Gods intervention in our lives.
Some of us aren't entirely comfortable with the idea of God running our lives as He sees fit, however this is what the Gospel of Jesus is all about. We're called to surrender our lives to Christ. We are expected to die to ourselves daily and put the words and teachings of Jesus into practice. The idea of living life "our way" and ignoring the clear instruction of Jesus is anti-Christian. God does not want to be your Co-Pilot. He is either "Lord" or you are living your life your own way. For many of us, our biggest problem is that we've not understood the "death to self" portion of the Gospel.
THE KEY TO TRUST IS COMPLETE SURRENDER
I know you probably believe in God and the Bible. You've probably received Jesus into your heart. But the Gospel is about giving up your life and allowing God to have His perfect will, even if it goes against your beautiful plans.
Do you feel like God is really calling the shots in your life right now? Is Jesus really your Lord or is He just your Savior? If you want to call yourself a follower of Jesus, you have to let go of your life, your way of living, and surrender everything to Him.
"Then (Jesus) said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." - Luke 9:23-24
REMEMBER THIS
As long as you are in the drivers seat of your life, you will always be miserable.
God isn't interested in having you believe in Him. He wants you to trust Him to make the decisions in your life. He wants to have your permission to allow Him to change your behavior.
God wants to be God, which should come as little surprise. He designed your life (and my life) to work best that way. I know in my life I've learned that it doesn't work when "Keith is Lord". That's when things get really screwed up.
But, if we can let go and trust God with our entire life, if we can make a total surrender to God and let Him lead us, that's what The Gospel is all about. That's when He can really transform us into something amazing.
This is why Jesus urges us to pray by saying, "Our Father who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done. On Earth (right now) as it is in Heaven..."
Its all about depending completely on God.
To fully trust God we must first fully surrender to Him. It's crucial for us to raise the white flag and let go of our way of doing life.
God is trustworthy. Isn't it time to really trust Him?
-kg
**
THE NON-CON IS NEARLY FULL!
Only 31 seats remain. I'm not in a hurry to fill them up.
Find out more at
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
CMA RESOURCES PRESENTS
"Organic Church Movements Conference" - Feb 8-10, Ontario, CA
With Neil Cole, Alan Hirsch and others.
Find out more:
http://www.cmaresources.com/conference/
**
IT'S TIME FOR THE CHURCH TO LISTEN
"Conversational Evangelism Conference"
Feb 29 & March 1, 2008 in Menlo Park, CA
With Todd Hunter, Gary Poole, Dan Kimball and more.
More Info Online:
http://alphana.org/Group/Group.aspx?id=1000019447
**
RESPONSES FROM [SU] READERS ABOUT TRUST:
Greg said...
"Our inability to trust can be traced, I believe, to our failure to believe that God is good.....really good...we simply do not believe that in our core. At a fundamental level we struggle with grace....we need to take heed to the Scriptural admonition to be reconciled in our minds.....God is reconciled to us but we sometimes don't allow ourselves to be reconciled to Him....He has accomplished an amazing thing by removing our sin and no longer counting our sin against us....we just need to learn to walk in the freedom He purchased.....He IS good, He has removed the law which condemned us, having nailed it to the cross! We absolutely can trust Him....but we never will as long as judgement hangs over our heads....it no longer does!!"
**
Chuck said:
"What can we do that will make us more capable of trusting God with everything?
The only thing we can do is submit. It's like jumping into the pool. It could be cold, it could not. You never know until you jump in.
"If we make the effort to come closer to God then He will come to us. I have relied upon this next passage when I have been in particularly hard times.
"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You." - Psalm 9:10
"I am by no means saying that there is some magic bullet that makes everything swell in times of trouble, but I am saying that there is comfort in knowing that God is near. Trials and tribulations are just that, and they suck to go through, but we must trust in God's wisdom in placing us in those times, or allowing them to happen, or predestining our lives around such things(how's that for all inclusive?)
"I think the very fact that we are fallen innately places us in a position of mistrust.
Blessings,
Chuck"
**
Ken Randolph said:
"Good article about trust,
Trust is one of those facets of life that when I think about it is like unraveling a tapestry. When I start pulling the threads apart I discover the Lord's hand in my life.It seems like growing in trust depends on my willingness to engage in this fatih walk that God is continually pointing to. Too many times I find myself steering towards a comfort zone yet I know that comfort is like poison. Think about ole' Moses spending forty years in the wilderness with his little family and the goats. His life was set. His routine predictable and then suddenly there is this bush that's on fire but it doesn't burn up. Moses could have walked away but he engaged.
"A few years ago the Lord put on my heart to pray for other countries. I attended a conference on short missions. This red neck southern boy was crying and so I went to the Philippines in 2000(no, my plane didn't fall out of the sky). I have some what of the same problem as Moses as I wasn't into public speaking. I found myself in front of about 500 pastors and used a canned message from home. I felt terrble. I cryed out to God and He sweetly said "Ken, I sent you for the message I built into you." That meant I needed to spend some serious carpet time and discover what that message was. God answered that prayer and I spoke to those pastors about the difference between dominion and domination.
"In 2001 we returned to the Philippines and I grew some more. Then 9/11 happened. The ministry group I was working under stopped their plans yet Susan and I knew God had called us to serve in that country. We chickened out and stayed home in 2002. Big misstake. I felt like I had abandoned a baby on the front door step.
"In 2003, I said, 'God I've lost my contacts and I dont have a clue what I am doing'. I had developed some fears and was wondering how to proceed. We sent out e-mails. Made calls. Nothing. I felt like I was dangling over an abyss. I had this huge desire and these huge fears fighting inside of me. Then I told Susan, "Buy the tickets. I don't care if don't do anything but walk around and pray. If God wants us in the Philippines then, by God, we are going to go". Suddenly the heavens opened and felt this huge grin coming straight from my heavenly Lord. The next day we began receiving e-mails with invitations to come and plans for ministry.
"Susan and I are still in this learning process and finding that trust like salvation is an event and a process that we walk out on a daily basis. But you have to choose to engage.
Blessing to you Keith,
Ken Randolph"
**
"Keith- A thought on trust. We work with a lot of very broken people, and it seems that your thots on why we cant trust are very inner directed. They do not allow much for very wounded people who do not trust because their trust has been so broken, Their lack of trust is not really a choice. Much healing must happen before they can decide to trust.
Well, have to go, we are moving this weekend.
Peace
Jude Tiersma Watson
InnerCHANGE LA
(Fuller Seminary too)"
***
[END TRANSMISSION]
Trust: The Key To Everything (Part 3)
By Keith Giles
Here are some possible barriers we might face when it comes to fully trusting God:
*We don't really know God.
*We have a fear of letting go.
*We think we know what's really best.
*We don't want Gods intervention in our lives.
Let's briefly examine these four barriers to trusting God.
*We don't really know God.
If we really knew God, we would have no problem trusting Him. I believe this is why God sends trouble and difficulty into our lives. When things are going well we tend to ignore God, but when we are in financial difficulty or walking through uncertainty, we are suddenly desperate for God to rescue us. Whereas our goal during these trials may be to coerce God into making the pain go away, I believe God's goal during this time is simply to teach us that He can be trusted.
Time and again my family has been through crisis after crisis. Each time God has come through miraculously, and yet this fact is lost on me when that "next crisis" occurs. I still find myself wondering, "Will God rescue us this time? What if this time is different?" I believe that God wants us to come to a place where we immediately trust Him whenever we face trials. For now I still find myself freaking out first and then remembering to trust Him later.
*We have a fear of letting go.
I spent most of last year as an unemployed "temporary" worker. This made our financial future quite uncertain and called for us to daily trust God with everything. I can remember clearly the epiphany I had a few months into this ordeal- "If God is in control, that means that I am not." I needed to learn to be ok with being out of control so that God could be in control. This takes courage. It's not easy.
One of my favorite books of all time is "Let Go" by Fenelon. It's only a 99 page book, but the wisdom and spiritual insight found inside is solid gold. The overall theme, as you might guess from the title, is to remind us to let go of our lives and surrender fully to Christ. God knows that we need to develop a deeper sense of trust with Him and He is patient with us as we slowly learn that loving Him means trusting Him.
*We think we know what's really best.
Sometimes I believe we find it hard to trust God simply because we're pretty sure we already know what we want with our lives. God's ideas might not line up with our plans and letting go, trusting Him completely, will probably mean laying that dream (or that plan or hope, etc.) on the altar.
*We don't want Gods intervention in our lives.
Some of us aren't entirely comfortable with the idea of God running our lives as He sees fit, however this is what the Gospel of Jesus is all about. We're called to surrender our lives to Christ. We are expected to die to ourselves daily and put the words and teachings of Jesus into practice. The idea of living life "our way" and ignoring the clear instruction of Jesus is anti-Christian. God does not want to be your Co-Pilot. He is either "Lord" or you are living your life your own way. For many of us, our biggest problem is that we've not understood the "death to self" portion of the Gospel.
THE KEY TO TRUST IS COMPLETE SURRENDER
I know you probably believe in God and the Bible. You've probably received Jesus into your heart. But the Gospel is about giving up your life and allowing God to have His perfect will, even if it goes against your beautiful plans.
Do you feel like God is really calling the shots in your life right now? Is Jesus really your Lord or is He just your Savior? If you want to call yourself a follower of Jesus, you have to let go of your life, your way of living, and surrender everything to Him.
"Then (Jesus) said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." - Luke 9:23-24
REMEMBER THIS
As long as you are in the drivers seat of your life, you will always be miserable.
God isn't interested in having you believe in Him. He wants you to trust Him to make the decisions in your life. He wants to have your permission to allow Him to change your behavior.
God wants to be God, which should come as little surprise. He designed your life (and my life) to work best that way. I know in my life I've learned that it doesn't work when "Keith is Lord". That's when things get really screwed up.
But, if we can let go and trust God with our entire life, if we can make a total surrender to God and let Him lead us, that's what The Gospel is all about. That's when He can really transform us into something amazing.
This is why Jesus urges us to pray by saying, "Our Father who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done. On Earth (right now) as it is in Heaven..."
Its all about depending completely on God.
To fully trust God we must first fully surrender to Him. It's crucial for us to raise the white flag and let go of our way of doing life.
God is trustworthy. Isn't it time to really trust Him?
-kg
**
THE NON-CON IS NEARLY FULL!
Only 31 seats remain. I'm not in a hurry to fill them up.
Find out more at
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
CMA RESOURCES PRESENTS
"Organic Church Movements Conference" - Feb 8-10, Ontario, CA
With Neil Cole, Alan Hirsch and others.
Find out more:
http://www.cmaresources.com/conference/
**
IT'S TIME FOR THE CHURCH TO LISTEN
"Conversational Evangelism Conference"
Feb 29 & March 1, 2008 in Menlo Park, CA
With Todd Hunter, Gary Poole, Dan Kimball and more.
More Info Online:
http://alphana.org/Group/Group.aspx?id=1000019447
**
RESPONSES FROM [SU] READERS ABOUT TRUST:
Greg said...
"Our inability to trust can be traced, I believe, to our failure to believe that God is good.....really good...we simply do not believe that in our core. At a fundamental level we struggle with grace....we need to take heed to the Scriptural admonition to be reconciled in our minds.....God is reconciled to us but we sometimes don't allow ourselves to be reconciled to Him....He has accomplished an amazing thing by removing our sin and no longer counting our sin against us....we just need to learn to walk in the freedom He purchased.....He IS good, He has removed the law which condemned us, having nailed it to the cross! We absolutely can trust Him....but we never will as long as judgement hangs over our heads....it no longer does!!"
**
Chuck said:
"What can we do that will make us more capable of trusting God with everything?
The only thing we can do is submit. It's like jumping into the pool. It could be cold, it could not. You never know until you jump in.
"If we make the effort to come closer to God then He will come to us. I have relied upon this next passage when I have been in particularly hard times.
"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You." - Psalm 9:10
"I am by no means saying that there is some magic bullet that makes everything swell in times of trouble, but I am saying that there is comfort in knowing that God is near. Trials and tribulations are just that, and they suck to go through, but we must trust in God's wisdom in placing us in those times, or allowing them to happen, or predestining our lives around such things(how's that for all inclusive?)
"I think the very fact that we are fallen innately places us in a position of mistrust.
Blessings,
Chuck"
**
Ken Randolph said:
"Good article about trust,
Trust is one of those facets of life that when I think about it is like unraveling a tapestry. When I start pulling the threads apart I discover the Lord's hand in my life.It seems like growing in trust depends on my willingness to engage in this fatih walk that God is continually pointing to. Too many times I find myself steering towards a comfort zone yet I know that comfort is like poison. Think about ole' Moses spending forty years in the wilderness with his little family and the goats. His life was set. His routine predictable and then suddenly there is this bush that's on fire but it doesn't burn up. Moses could have walked away but he engaged.
"A few years ago the Lord put on my heart to pray for other countries. I attended a conference on short missions. This red neck southern boy was crying and so I went to the Philippines in 2000(no, my plane didn't fall out of the sky). I have some what of the same problem as Moses as I wasn't into public speaking. I found myself in front of about 500 pastors and used a canned message from home. I felt terrble. I cryed out to God and He sweetly said "Ken, I sent you for the message I built into you." That meant I needed to spend some serious carpet time and discover what that message was. God answered that prayer and I spoke to those pastors about the difference between dominion and domination.
"In 2001 we returned to the Philippines and I grew some more. Then 9/11 happened. The ministry group I was working under stopped their plans yet Susan and I knew God had called us to serve in that country. We chickened out and stayed home in 2002. Big misstake. I felt like I had abandoned a baby on the front door step.
"In 2003, I said, 'God I've lost my contacts and I dont have a clue what I am doing'. I had developed some fears and was wondering how to proceed. We sent out e-mails. Made calls. Nothing. I felt like I was dangling over an abyss. I had this huge desire and these huge fears fighting inside of me. Then I told Susan, "Buy the tickets. I don't care if don't do anything but walk around and pray. If God wants us in the Philippines then, by God, we are going to go". Suddenly the heavens opened and felt this huge grin coming straight from my heavenly Lord. The next day we began receiving e-mails with invitations to come and plans for ministry.
"Susan and I are still in this learning process and finding that trust like salvation is an event and a process that we walk out on a daily basis. But you have to choose to engage.
Blessing to you Keith,
Ken Randolph"
**
"Keith- A thought on trust. We work with a lot of very broken people, and it seems that your thots on why we cant trust are very inner directed. They do not allow much for very wounded people who do not trust because their trust has been so broken, Their lack of trust is not really a choice. Much healing must happen before they can decide to trust.
Well, have to go, we are moving this weekend.
Peace
Jude Tiersma Watson
InnerCHANGE LA
(Fuller Seminary too)"
***
[END TRANSMISSION]
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
TRUST- The Key To Everything (Part 2)
[SUBVERSIVE UNDERGROUND]
Trust: The Key To Everything (Part 2)
by Keith Giles
"I believe in God, but it's so hard to trust Him sometimes."
This is a phrase I've heard more than once from my friends as we've shared together. Heck, I'm sure at one time or the other I've said the same thing myself, but as I analyze this statement I realize that we don't really understand the meaning of the phrase "I believe in God."
In fact, if I could outlaw one word in the Christianese language it would be "Believe" because so many of us really have no idea what the word really means in the context of faith in God.
Biblically, the concepts of belief, trust, and faith are one and the same. So, for us to say, "I believe in God but I don't trust Him" is like saying, "I trust in God, but I really don't trust Him."
A "Believer" is by default also a "Truster" of God. The concept of trusting in God is imbedded in the definition of "Believer". Why then is trusting God, in our minds, a separate concept from believing in Him?
I think it is partly due to our misunderstanding, and therefore our misuse, of the term "Believe." I think most of us use the term belief to refer to an idea we think is true. So, when we say, "I believe in God" we're saying, "I think God is real" but we don't necessarily mean, "I trust in God."
It's also fascinating to me that people who identify themselves as follower of God, or as Believers, find trusting God difficult. Imagine the headline: "Study shows that 90% of Christians don't trust God" or "People of Faith Find Trusting God Difficult." I mean, shouldn't it be the other way around? It would make sense to me to read that the majority of unbelievers find trusting God difficult, that would explain why they remain in their unbelief. But, for Christians to find trusting God to be a problem seems more than strange- it seems wrong.
In the amazing New Testament book of James this concept is explored in full, which means that our modern misunderstanding of the term "Believe" is nothing new. In his book, James demonstrates the uselessness of leaning on belief in God, as opposed to really trusting, or having faith, in God, when he says, "You believe in God? Good! Even the demons believe and they shudder." (see James 2:19)
James, in this passage, wants to illustrate to us the impotency of belief alone. If we think that believing God is real means anything at all, let us consider the demons who don't just believe God is real- they know it! Not only do the demons know it, they quake in fear. But does this knowledge of God's realness save the demons? Of course not. What the demons lack is trust in God. They know God is real, they even shake in fear of Him, but they refuse to trust in God. They refuse to have faith in God.
My question is, are we more like the demons than we are like disciples? Do we believe that God exists but refuse to trust in Him? Do we resist putting the words of Jesus into practice? Do we refuse to surrender our will, our plans, our ideas, our dreams to God and crown Him as the King of our lives? If so, we are more like demons who believe in God but have not yet trusted Him with our lives.
WHY DO WE FIND IT HARD TO TRUST GOD?
Here are some possible barriers we might face when it comes to fully trusting God:
*We don't really know God
*We have a fear of letting go.
*We think we know what's really best
*We don't want God's intervention in our lives
We'll explore more of this in next week's [SU] –
Trust: The Key To Everything - Part 3
-kg
**
PLEASE SEND EMAIL RESPONSE DIRECTLY TO KEITH AT:
ELYSIANSKY (AT) HOTMAIL (DOT) COM
**
ONLY 38 SEATS REMAIN FOR THE NON-CON
Register today at:
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
NEW STUFF AT KEITHGILES.COM
- The Big Kahuna YouTube clip is online now. This the amazing scene referenced in my book, "The Gospel: For Here or To Go?" with Danny DeVito's incredible dialog. Watch it while you can.
-Mmmm....Crucifixion Never Tasted So Good!
Another reminder why we need to "Destroy The Christian Subculture"!
-I Dream Of A World Where Even Stuffed Long-Arm Kung-Fu Monkeys Love Jesus
Must see to believe....
-THE ONE THING
Observations of what the NT concept of "One Thing" really is...and what it's not.
Go explore, learn, leave a comment at:
http://www.KeithGiles.com
**
SHARE A LINK?
If you have a blog or a website, I'd like to ask if you'd post a link over to my blog at
http://www.KeithGiles.com
Spread the love!
**
WE HIT 200!!
After mentioning last week that we were at 195 subscribers we've just hit our 200th subscriber this week! Very cool to have all of you on board.
Thanks for reading, thinking and living the Jesus kind of life.
Peace,
kg
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Trust: The Key To Everything (Part 2)
by Keith Giles
"I believe in God, but it's so hard to trust Him sometimes."
This is a phrase I've heard more than once from my friends as we've shared together. Heck, I'm sure at one time or the other I've said the same thing myself, but as I analyze this statement I realize that we don't really understand the meaning of the phrase "I believe in God."
In fact, if I could outlaw one word in the Christianese language it would be "Believe" because so many of us really have no idea what the word really means in the context of faith in God.
Biblically, the concepts of belief, trust, and faith are one and the same. So, for us to say, "I believe in God but I don't trust Him" is like saying, "I trust in God, but I really don't trust Him."
A "Believer" is by default also a "Truster" of God. The concept of trusting in God is imbedded in the definition of "Believer". Why then is trusting God, in our minds, a separate concept from believing in Him?
I think it is partly due to our misunderstanding, and therefore our misuse, of the term "Believe." I think most of us use the term belief to refer to an idea we think is true. So, when we say, "I believe in God" we're saying, "I think God is real" but we don't necessarily mean, "I trust in God."
It's also fascinating to me that people who identify themselves as follower of God, or as Believers, find trusting God difficult. Imagine the headline: "Study shows that 90% of Christians don't trust God" or "People of Faith Find Trusting God Difficult." I mean, shouldn't it be the other way around? It would make sense to me to read that the majority of unbelievers find trusting God difficult, that would explain why they remain in their unbelief. But, for Christians to find trusting God to be a problem seems more than strange- it seems wrong.
In the amazing New Testament book of James this concept is explored in full, which means that our modern misunderstanding of the term "Believe" is nothing new. In his book, James demonstrates the uselessness of leaning on belief in God, as opposed to really trusting, or having faith, in God, when he says, "You believe in God? Good! Even the demons believe and they shudder." (see James 2:19)
James, in this passage, wants to illustrate to us the impotency of belief alone. If we think that believing God is real means anything at all, let us consider the demons who don't just believe God is real- they know it! Not only do the demons know it, they quake in fear. But does this knowledge of God's realness save the demons? Of course not. What the demons lack is trust in God. They know God is real, they even shake in fear of Him, but they refuse to trust in God. They refuse to have faith in God.
My question is, are we more like the demons than we are like disciples? Do we believe that God exists but refuse to trust in Him? Do we resist putting the words of Jesus into practice? Do we refuse to surrender our will, our plans, our ideas, our dreams to God and crown Him as the King of our lives? If so, we are more like demons who believe in God but have not yet trusted Him with our lives.
WHY DO WE FIND IT HARD TO TRUST GOD?
Here are some possible barriers we might face when it comes to fully trusting God:
*We don't really know God
*We have a fear of letting go.
*We think we know what's really best
*We don't want God's intervention in our lives
We'll explore more of this in next week's [SU] –
Trust: The Key To Everything - Part 3
-kg
**
PLEASE SEND EMAIL RESPONSE DIRECTLY TO KEITH AT:
ELYSIANSKY (AT) HOTMAIL (DOT) COM
**
ONLY 38 SEATS REMAIN FOR THE NON-CON
Register today at:
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
NEW STUFF AT KEITHGILES.COM
- The Big Kahuna YouTube clip is online now. This the amazing scene referenced in my book, "The Gospel: For Here or To Go?" with Danny DeVito's incredible dialog. Watch it while you can.
-Mmmm....Crucifixion Never Tasted So Good!
Another reminder why we need to "Destroy The Christian Subculture"!
-I Dream Of A World Where Even Stuffed Long-Arm Kung-Fu Monkeys Love Jesus
Must see to believe....
-THE ONE THING
Observations of what the NT concept of "One Thing" really is...and what it's not.
Go explore, learn, leave a comment at:
http://www.KeithGiles.com
**
SHARE A LINK?
If you have a blog or a website, I'd like to ask if you'd post a link over to my blog at
http://www.KeithGiles.com
Spread the love!
**
WE HIT 200!!
After mentioning last week that we were at 195 subscribers we've just hit our 200th subscriber this week! Very cool to have all of you on board.
Thanks for reading, thinking and living the Jesus kind of life.
Peace,
kg
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Monday, January 14, 2008
Trust: The Key To Everything (Part 1)
[Subversive Underground]
Trust: The Key To Everything (Part 1)
by Keith Giles
The other day a friend of mine made the comment that trusting God seems to be the hardest thing for us to do, even as followers of Jesus who should find it easy...or at least fundamental to our daily practice.
Several thoughts splinter outward from the impact of this statement. First, I wonder why it is that we find it so hard to trust God. Second, I wonder if this isn't the central key to everything.
WHY IS IT HARD FOR US TO TRUST GOD?
There are several possible reasons for this. One being that we may have a problem with trust in general. Meaning, all of us have been manipulated by the media, society, politicians, teachers, lovers, parents, etc. all of our lives. After a while we simply lose the ability to completely trust anyone or anything 100%.
There is no logical reason not to trust God. After all, if you could name only one being in the entire known Universe whom you should be able to trust with absolute certainty, it is God.
Author Jan David Hettinga suggests that the issue of trust is a big part of what God was doing on the cross in the first place. Even though God had all power and all authority at His disposal, including the ability to force us to do whatever He wanted us to do, God instead chose to lay it all down (see Philipians 2) and embrace a posture of servanthood and humility.
When Jesus laid down his life on the cross he was demonstrating that his intentions for us were good, that he only considered what was best for us, and that therefore we can trust him completely.
Not only did God not abuse his power over us, he allowed us to have the power of abuse over him! He took the punishment and refused to lash out. He forgave us for the nails and excused our ignorance.
When we look at Jesus, God in the flesh, hanging upon the cross, enduring the shame meant for us, we look into the eyes of a God who says, "Look at me. I will not trick you. I will not manipulate you. I will not lie to you. I love you."
If we cannot trust Jesus, we have no hope of ever trusting anyone, or anything, ever.
IMPERATIVE TRUST
The author of Hebrews reminds us that "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (see Hebrews 11:6) and the more I meditate on this concept of trusting God the more I realize that "Faith", "Belief", "Trust" and "Obedience" are practically synonyms.
If we believe God, we will obey His commands. Jesus says that if we love him we will obey his teachings. To trust someone is to believe them. To have faith in someone is to believe, and to trust them.
I now also realize that our joy in Christ, our ability to enjoy peace, or contentment in this life, is tied directly to our ability to trust God.
If we can trust God, completely, with everything in our life, we can experience peace because we know He is in control. If we really believe that God loves us then we can trust that He knows what is best for us.
The question then becomes, if we can't fully trust God with our everyday life, why not? What is it that prevents us from trusting God? Why is it so hard? What can we do that will make us more capable of trusting God with everything?
This concept has gripped me and so I want to spend some time exploring this idea of trust and specifically how important it is for us to trust God with everything.
More on this later next week here at the [Subversive Underground].
-kg
**
TO REPLY TO ME: Send an email to "elysiansky" at "hotmail" (dot) com. I'd especially love to hear a testimony about a time when you trusted God and He came through...or even if you failed to trust God and regretted it later. Maybe we can share our struggles with trust and help one another understand this better?
**
KIND WORDS
Here's a brief word from Neil Cole regarding his thoughts about my book, "The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?":
"Using easily understood examples and insightful commentary, Giles brings out a multi-faceted understanding of the implications of the gospel in our context. This book is challenging, compelling and a quick read. I recommend it to all who would wish to live a life of significance and break free from the status quo of an irrelevant and unengaged life."
-Neil Cole, (Author of "Organic Church"), Long Beach, CA, January 2008
Purchase the book online or download a free PDF copy here:
http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1073843
**
THE NON-CON 08
Only 45 seats are left!!
Find out more about this day-long conversation with Jackie Pullinger, David Ruis, and myself in Costa Mesa, California on Saturday, March 15th.
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
GROWING BIGGER:
The [Subversive Underground] distribution list is now at 195 people. Just five more subscriptions and we'll hit the magic 200 mark! Wow.
If you know someone who would be blessed by receiving these articles each week, please take advantage of the "Forward To A Friend" link at the bottom of this email, or simply share the web address with them to sign up.
Thanks to all of you who've supported me in this weekly endeavor. You're all a huge blessing to me.
-kg
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Trust: The Key To Everything (Part 1)
by Keith Giles
The other day a friend of mine made the comment that trusting God seems to be the hardest thing for us to do, even as followers of Jesus who should find it easy...or at least fundamental to our daily practice.
Several thoughts splinter outward from the impact of this statement. First, I wonder why it is that we find it so hard to trust God. Second, I wonder if this isn't the central key to everything.
WHY IS IT HARD FOR US TO TRUST GOD?
There are several possible reasons for this. One being that we may have a problem with trust in general. Meaning, all of us have been manipulated by the media, society, politicians, teachers, lovers, parents, etc. all of our lives. After a while we simply lose the ability to completely trust anyone or anything 100%.
There is no logical reason not to trust God. After all, if you could name only one being in the entire known Universe whom you should be able to trust with absolute certainty, it is God.
Author Jan David Hettinga suggests that the issue of trust is a big part of what God was doing on the cross in the first place. Even though God had all power and all authority at His disposal, including the ability to force us to do whatever He wanted us to do, God instead chose to lay it all down (see Philipians 2) and embrace a posture of servanthood and humility.
When Jesus laid down his life on the cross he was demonstrating that his intentions for us were good, that he only considered what was best for us, and that therefore we can trust him completely.
Not only did God not abuse his power over us, he allowed us to have the power of abuse over him! He took the punishment and refused to lash out. He forgave us for the nails and excused our ignorance.
When we look at Jesus, God in the flesh, hanging upon the cross, enduring the shame meant for us, we look into the eyes of a God who says, "Look at me. I will not trick you. I will not manipulate you. I will not lie to you. I love you."
If we cannot trust Jesus, we have no hope of ever trusting anyone, or anything, ever.
IMPERATIVE TRUST
The author of Hebrews reminds us that "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (see Hebrews 11:6) and the more I meditate on this concept of trusting God the more I realize that "Faith", "Belief", "Trust" and "Obedience" are practically synonyms.
If we believe God, we will obey His commands. Jesus says that if we love him we will obey his teachings. To trust someone is to believe them. To have faith in someone is to believe, and to trust them.
I now also realize that our joy in Christ, our ability to enjoy peace, or contentment in this life, is tied directly to our ability to trust God.
If we can trust God, completely, with everything in our life, we can experience peace because we know He is in control. If we really believe that God loves us then we can trust that He knows what is best for us.
The question then becomes, if we can't fully trust God with our everyday life, why not? What is it that prevents us from trusting God? Why is it so hard? What can we do that will make us more capable of trusting God with everything?
This concept has gripped me and so I want to spend some time exploring this idea of trust and specifically how important it is for us to trust God with everything.
More on this later next week here at the [Subversive Underground].
-kg
**
TO REPLY TO ME: Send an email to "elysiansky" at "hotmail" (dot) com. I'd especially love to hear a testimony about a time when you trusted God and He came through...or even if you failed to trust God and regretted it later. Maybe we can share our struggles with trust and help one another understand this better?
**
KIND WORDS
Here's a brief word from Neil Cole regarding his thoughts about my book, "The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?":
"Using easily understood examples and insightful commentary, Giles brings out a multi-faceted understanding of the implications of the gospel in our context. This book is challenging, compelling and a quick read. I recommend it to all who would wish to live a life of significance and break free from the status quo of an irrelevant and unengaged life."
-Neil Cole, (Author of "Organic Church"), Long Beach, CA, January 2008
Purchase the book online or download a free PDF copy here:
http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1073843
**
THE NON-CON 08
Only 45 seats are left!!
Find out more about this day-long conversation with Jackie Pullinger, David Ruis, and myself in Costa Mesa, California on Saturday, March 15th.
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
GROWING BIGGER:
The [Subversive Underground] distribution list is now at 195 people. Just five more subscriptions and we'll hit the magic 200 mark! Wow.
If you know someone who would be blessed by receiving these articles each week, please take advantage of the "Forward To A Friend" link at the bottom of this email, or simply share the web address with them to sign up.
Thanks to all of you who've supported me in this weekly endeavor. You're all a huge blessing to me.
-kg
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Return Of The King
The Return Of The King
by Keith Giles
Most people who call themselves "Christians" would explain the Gospel like this: "Jesus died on the cross for your sins and if you believe in Him and confess your sins and invite him into your heart you can go to heaven when you die."
Unfortunately, this is not the Gospel. Although it is a fairly accurate (although oversimplified) description of the Doctrine of the Atonement, it is not the Gospel message.
I've wondered how it is that followers of Jesus who spend hours in Sunday School and at Church services and at Bible Studies could possibly misunderstand the Gospel message. Obviously the problem is that we have teachers who don't understand the Gospel either. We also have years and years of Evangelism where the Atonement is all we've communicated and thousands, perhaps millions upon millions, of "Christians" came through the door with this misunderstanding.
Up until a few years ago I was not only one of those "Christians" who misunderstood the Gospel, I was also a licensed and ordained pastor who miscommunicated the Gospel message to others.
This Atonement Gospel makes the message all about salvation in the afterlife and largely about what happens once I am dead. Consequently Pastors around the globe struggle to inspire their flock to do good works in the here and now, and find it near impossible to lead their people to practice the spiritual disciplines or even to live Godly lives. "Why shouldn't I do what I want? God will forgive me of all of my sins won't he?" And the one who has largely communicated an Atonement Gospel has no real answer to this.
I believe that this fundamental misunderstanding of the Gospel has also lead us to a misunderstanding of faith and a blurring in the focus of our lives as followers of Jesus.
Because we have churches full of people with a Gospel that only addresses our afterlife, and an idea of the Gospel as a "Get Out Of Hell Free" card, we inherited a behavior pattern of sin, arrogance, and materialism within the Body of Christ.
SO...WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
If there's one thing that Jesus spent his time communicating during his earthly ministry it was the Gospel of the Kingdom.
"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." (Luke 4:43)
"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)
"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness." (Matt 9:35)
"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom.." (Matt 4:23)
REJECTING GOD AS KING
In the Old Testament we read (see 1 Sam) where the people of Israel asked God for a King to rule them "such as all the other nations have". Samuel the prophet was grieved and felt that the people were rejecting him personally but God's response was, "they are not rejecting you, they are rejecting me".
In short, God's plan was to be the King over his people and they decided to rebel.
When Jesus announced his ministry and began to preach the "Good News" of the Kingdom he was announcing that God was re-establishing His Rule and Reign on Earth. This Kingdom of God would be established in the hearts and minds of those who wanted to have God as their King.
There are many today who read the words of Jesus and take his message of the Kingdom of God as being about the afterlife. This affectively makes 90% of what Jesus preached irrelevant for our lives here and now. For those who read the Gospels this way the only way to enter the Kingdom Jesus describes is to die. However, Jesus clearly meant that the Kingdom was for the here and now. That was why it was "Good News" and it's also why it threatened the religious establishment of his day. They clearly understood that his message was about right now and they met this threat head on by putting Jesus to death.
One thing that remains true is that we DO have to die in order to enter the Kingdom of God. This is why Jesus tells us that unless we take up our cross (the instrument of our death) daily and follow Him we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. It's also why Paul says in Romans 12 that, in view of God's mercy we are called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (dead to sin but alive to God).
Ultimately what Jesus is asking us is if we are willing to stop living our lives under the banner of "Keith is Lord" and start living, right now, under the banner of "Jesus is Lord".
The King has announced his Kingdom and the door is wide open.
Are you ready to step inside?
kg
**
To reply to me you must send an email to "elysiansky" at "hotmail" dot com.
**
NON-CON '08 - Just 49 seats remaining!
Saturday, March 15th
Join a small group of practitioners in the conference that's not a conference; It's a conversation.
We're officially over the "Hump" now. 51 people have registered. Only 49 seats remain. Don't miss out!!
Find out more at
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED MY BOOKS YET?
If not, what are you waiting for?
Both of my books are now available as FREE PDF downloads!
More info at my main site here:
http://www.keithgiles.com/
About my books:
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?" - The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
**
BIBLE STUDY GUIDES BASED ON MY ARTICLES
Just stumbled upon this online. Kind of cool.
http://www.doorofhope.org.au/content.php?folder_id=18&page=1
**
Most Churches Tend to Talk First and Ask Questions Later
Let the dialog begin:
CONVERSATIONAL EVANGELISM with Todd Hunter, Dan Kimball, John Ortberg and many others
Feb 29 - Mar 1
Menlo Park, CA
http://www.conversationalevangelism.net
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
by Keith Giles
Most people who call themselves "Christians" would explain the Gospel like this: "Jesus died on the cross for your sins and if you believe in Him and confess your sins and invite him into your heart you can go to heaven when you die."
Unfortunately, this is not the Gospel. Although it is a fairly accurate (although oversimplified) description of the Doctrine of the Atonement, it is not the Gospel message.
I've wondered how it is that followers of Jesus who spend hours in Sunday School and at Church services and at Bible Studies could possibly misunderstand the Gospel message. Obviously the problem is that we have teachers who don't understand the Gospel either. We also have years and years of Evangelism where the Atonement is all we've communicated and thousands, perhaps millions upon millions, of "Christians" came through the door with this misunderstanding.
Up until a few years ago I was not only one of those "Christians" who misunderstood the Gospel, I was also a licensed and ordained pastor who miscommunicated the Gospel message to others.
This Atonement Gospel makes the message all about salvation in the afterlife and largely about what happens once I am dead. Consequently Pastors around the globe struggle to inspire their flock to do good works in the here and now, and find it near impossible to lead their people to practice the spiritual disciplines or even to live Godly lives. "Why shouldn't I do what I want? God will forgive me of all of my sins won't he?" And the one who has largely communicated an Atonement Gospel has no real answer to this.
I believe that this fundamental misunderstanding of the Gospel has also lead us to a misunderstanding of faith and a blurring in the focus of our lives as followers of Jesus.
Because we have churches full of people with a Gospel that only addresses our afterlife, and an idea of the Gospel as a "Get Out Of Hell Free" card, we inherited a behavior pattern of sin, arrogance, and materialism within the Body of Christ.
SO...WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
If there's one thing that Jesus spent his time communicating during his earthly ministry it was the Gospel of the Kingdom.
"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." (Luke 4:43)
"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)
"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness." (Matt 9:35)
"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom.." (Matt 4:23)
REJECTING GOD AS KING
In the Old Testament we read (see 1 Sam) where the people of Israel asked God for a King to rule them "such as all the other nations have". Samuel the prophet was grieved and felt that the people were rejecting him personally but God's response was, "they are not rejecting you, they are rejecting me".
In short, God's plan was to be the King over his people and they decided to rebel.
When Jesus announced his ministry and began to preach the "Good News" of the Kingdom he was announcing that God was re-establishing His Rule and Reign on Earth. This Kingdom of God would be established in the hearts and minds of those who wanted to have God as their King.
There are many today who read the words of Jesus and take his message of the Kingdom of God as being about the afterlife. This affectively makes 90% of what Jesus preached irrelevant for our lives here and now. For those who read the Gospels this way the only way to enter the Kingdom Jesus describes is to die. However, Jesus clearly meant that the Kingdom was for the here and now. That was why it was "Good News" and it's also why it threatened the religious establishment of his day. They clearly understood that his message was about right now and they met this threat head on by putting Jesus to death.
One thing that remains true is that we DO have to die in order to enter the Kingdom of God. This is why Jesus tells us that unless we take up our cross (the instrument of our death) daily and follow Him we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. It's also why Paul says in Romans 12 that, in view of God's mercy we are called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (dead to sin but alive to God).
Ultimately what Jesus is asking us is if we are willing to stop living our lives under the banner of "Keith is Lord" and start living, right now, under the banner of "Jesus is Lord".
The King has announced his Kingdom and the door is wide open.
Are you ready to step inside?
kg
**
To reply to me you must send an email to "elysiansky" at "hotmail" dot com.
**
NON-CON '08 - Just 49 seats remaining!
Saturday, March 15th
Join a small group of practitioners in the conference that's not a conference; It's a conversation.
We're officially over the "Hump" now. 51 people have registered. Only 49 seats remain. Don't miss out!!
Find out more at
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED MY BOOKS YET?
If not, what are you waiting for?
Both of my books are now available as FREE PDF downloads!
More info at my main site here:
http://www.keithgiles.com/
About my books:
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?" - The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
**
BIBLE STUDY GUIDES BASED ON MY ARTICLES
Just stumbled upon this online. Kind of cool.
http://www.doorofhope.org.au/content.php?folder_id=18&page=1
**
Most Churches Tend to Talk First and Ask Questions Later
Let the dialog begin:
CONVERSATIONAL EVANGELISM with Todd Hunter, Dan Kimball, John Ortberg and many others
Feb 29 - Mar 1
Menlo Park, CA
http://www.conversationalevangelism.net
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
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