What’s that smell?

I went for a much-needed bike ride this morning. While the bike ride was needed, it was the alone time with God that I was actually pursuing. It was such a refreshing time… emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

If you’ve ever spent much time outdoors, you know that a variety of SMELLS exist. This became very evident for me while on my ride. There were many smells, but I just want to mention two. These two smells would be “bookends” on opposite ends of the spectrum. So, what were they?

The stench of the SEWER TREATMENT PLANT and the refreshing aroma of a HONEYSUCKLE VINE. See I told you that they were complete opposites!

As I considered these contrasting odors, I began to think about and ponder the following scripture…

Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this? (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

So, the reality is this… to some YOU JUST STINK… and to others YOUR LIFE IS A SWEET FRAGRANCE.

To those who are rebellious toward the drawing of God… YOU STINK. Let’s face it, the Gospel is offensive. The Gospel informs people, among other things, the following…

• You are a sinner by nature and choice.  (Romans 3:10-18)
• You are under the wrath of an almighty God. (Romans 1:18 ; Romans 2:5)
• You can’t fix yourself. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
• Your best efforts to do good are more stinky than a pile of poo and filthy menstual rags.
• You cannot know God via any other means or religions outside of Christ, everything else is damnable. (John 14:6)

 

If you are living or preaching a Gospel that’s not offending, THEN YOU ARE NOT LIVING OR PREACHING THE RIGHT GOSPEL. The results of the Gospel will always be drastic. It will either result in radical life-change or anger and even persecution towards the one who proclaims it.

However, we can’t end this post with that because the Gospel is also GOOD NEWS! It is a SWEET FRAGRANCE to those recieving it because the benefits are MANY… salvation, eternity with God, unity with God, deepest satisfaction and joy, personal holiness, freedom from sin, and a life that brings glory to God.

So, following my bike ride… Me and God are good… I can’t say the same for how others percieve me (or my spiritual odor), but that’s okay! My pursuit is to know Jesus and make Him known today!

With that being said, DON’T try to cover or mask your odor for acceptence of those who think YOU STINK… it’s really NOT YOU THAT STINKS… that’s really the smell of THEIR OWN SIN. Keep being salt and light and continue loving and pointing them to JESUS!

In closing…

How do you smell today?

How do others smell to you?

How does your life smell to God?

Thank You Pastor!

This month is Pastor Appreciation Month… and I have to honestly say that I absolutely feel loved and appreciated by the folks at Terra Nova Church! These people have a HUGE respect for the role of not only Pastor, but all those in leadership! However, what I have the privilege of doing at Terra Nova is just a small piece of greater Kingdom work… I have many friends in the ministry too that I want to THANK for all they do… We are in this together… Seriously… it doesn’t matter where you pastor or attend… Be grateful for those who have answered the call to lead the charge for the sake of the Gospel… tell them THANK YOU!

Perry Noble (www.perrynoble.com) said it very well with the following…

“THANK YOU… for…

The times you have woke up at night and could not go back to sleep because you were so burdened for the people in your church… and so for the next several hours you prayed for those whom God has entrusted to your care and they were not even aware of it.

The times of intense spiritual warfare that you have endured.  You have experienced things that you don’t talk about a lot… but I know about the attacks on you and your family, the nightmares, the intense feelings of inadequacy… and yet you have persevered through them because you know that the ONE who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

The conversations that you have had with people that no one will know about, the ones that took place behind the scenes, out of the eye of the public.  You took the time to talk to that one person and did it because you care and not because you felt like you would be rewarded for it.  It made a difference.

For the sacrifices that you have made that no one will ever know about.  You have sacrificed time, personal preferences, money, sleep and your own reputation… you have paid a price that most people will never see this side of eternity, and the Lord IS USING your faithfulness to make a difference.

For the times you wanted to quit but didn’t.  We’ve all wanted to quit (usually on Monday’s!)  But Jesus pressed into you and you pressed on because, at the end of the day, you are consumed with Jesus and HIS GOSPEL… and you could not even fathom doing anything else.

For the times you have wept over the condition of people in your church and over people far from God.  For allowing what breaks God’s heart to break yours.

For the days when you have dared to dream big and have refused to give up on the vision you know the Lord has placed inside of you.

For the times you have been criticized and slandered against by people who have never even met you and are clueless in regards to your heart for the Lord.  They have misquoted you, taken you out of context and tried to destroy you with their word twisting and hate filled inaccuracies.  And yet you have persevered, you have resisted the urge to fight with them, keeping your eyes on Jesus and refusing to come down off of the wall.

For ALL that you do!  Seriously… you matter!  YOU MATTER so much to God that He not only saved you but called you into ministry, He entrusted you with a gift, a calling and a message…and He is with you, He will NEVER leave you or forsake you.  You can trust Him and He didn’t call you to flame out or burn out but rather to IMPACT this world through the preaching of His Son Jesus Christ.

You may feel overworked, overwhelmed and under appreciated… but I am here to say as a fellow pastor… THANK YOU!  I don’t care if you have 15 people in your church or 150,000… what you do MATTERS!  THANK YOU… I consider it an honor to be on the same team with you and it is my prayer that all of us will keep our eyes on Jesus and press forward as we have been given a job to do!”

There are many things you can do to show appreciation! Below are just a few great resources…

Brad Whitt shares the Top 10 Gifts to Give Your Pastor

31 Days of Praying for Your Pastor

Ideas from Christianity Today

Finally, I want to say THANK YOU to the many pastors who have invested in me throughout my ministry… those that I’ve served under… those that I’ve served with… those that have walked with me… those that have mentored me from a distance… those that have equipped me… THANK YOU! Your efforts have not been in vain… as long as I have breath in this body… I will continue to point people to Jesus because that has been the example set before me!

I’m headed to Celebrate Recovery…

On Sunday afternoon I drove on to the church parking lot for what I thought would be our regular leadership meeting… However, I would soon discover that it would NOT be a regular meeting… it would be a LIFE-CHANGING meeting! You see, when I arrived there was a lady standing in the lobby having a conversation with one of our church leaders and I thought very little about it… I spoke and continued on to prepare for our meeting. When it was time to start our meeting this lady was seated at the table with a Bible as if she were ready for something other than a leadership meeting about a church that she knew NOTHING about. I took my seat and just trusted that God was up to something.

Once we all sat down, Tim introduced us to our “guest” who had joined us… they had met earlier in the day following our morning worship… she pulled in the parking lot to inquire about evening services. Tim explained that we did not have evening worship, but that she was welcome to come back at 4pm to meet the pastor and our the leadership of the church. To his surprise… SHE CAME BACK!

Over the next few minutes we shared the Terra Nova vision and answered questions about our church. Then something happened… she began to cry… and this was her story…

She had gotten up to go to church… a friend had told her about Terra Nova Church, but she could not remember the name of the church… She went to another local church Sunday morning, but left with the same burden and lack of desire to even live… she left with the same hurt and same pain that she went in with.

I’m gonna stop here for a second to remind ALL OF US… be on guard… look for hurting people… don’t be so consumed with doing church that we forget to be the church… this lady showed obvious outward signs of struggle… she needed the body of Christ to minister LIFE to her… she was looking for healing and hope! The kind that ONLY comes from Jesus!

Realizing that she probably didn’t attend the church her friend recommended, she called her immediately following her Sunday morning worship experience. Her friend gave her the name, Terra Nova Church. It just so happened that she was driving through town on Malone heading to the store when she saw the Terra Nova Church sign. She pulled in just to see if she could find out about worship… it was then that she met Tim and he invited her to our meeting.

Through the tears she told us that she was a believer and that she had faithfully attended church many years back. She actually worked in the church office and her husband was in leadership. There use to be joy. Then something happened at church (you know… when people take their eyes off Jesus) that created hurt, mistrust, and resentment. In the years that followed she not only stopped going to church, but sought to use alcohol to mask and hide pain. She said, “Today I’m an alcoholic, a raging alcoholic!”

This past weekend she hit rock bottom! She made it very clear that if she didn’t find help and hope she had every intention of taking her life. When she pulled in the parking lot at Terra Nova Church… that was her last-ditch effort. We explained that our church existed for people just like her… all the while she politely tried to let us get on with our meeting. Praise God for men on our team that are more concerned about people than business! For over an hour we encouraged her with the HOPE OF JESUS and just loved her and prayed over her.

Finally, I asked what she was doing on Tuesday evening and asked if she was seriously ready for LIFE-CHANGE… and invited her to attend Celebrate Recovery… I even committed to pick her up and go with her… Again, with tears in her eyes… she said, “YES! I’M READY… Pick me up!”

So, tonight I’m headed to Celebrate Recovery… pray for God to break the stronghold of addiction and to set my new friend FREE tonight! Also, keep your eyes open today… someone’s life may very well be counting on YOU!

BE WATCHING FOR A FUTURE POST — Celebrate Recovery is coming to Terra Nova Church!

The goal of the journey…

The honest truth is that there are countless days that I strive to point people to Jesus with absolutely no evidence that my life is making a real difference. Oh sure, most days I muster up just enough spiritual fortitude and faith to believe that my ministry is changing lives and will eventually bear fruit… obviously this is the reality because I continue on even when things get difficult and it seems that nobody is watching or listening!

However, there are those days when I am without a doubt reminded about the goal of the journey…

Today I received the following text message… I’m sharing it with permission to encourage you that your sacrifices and time spent pouring into the lives of others does NOT go unseen or unheard.

Just wanted to let you know that I feel like a brand new man! There is a passion for Christ burning through me like nothing I have ever felt before! I’m constantly reading the Bible and talking to God. I am so excited about everything He has done for me and will continue to do for me in the future!

You were one of the first to introduce the love of Jesus into my life and I just felt compelled to share my heart with you. I give all glory to God!

It’s just awesome because even though I’m still going through my situation (which hasn’t changed at all), I want to tell anyone who will listen about all the good that God has done in my life… which is actually unexplainable to me!

I actually met this young man around 10pm on a Sunday night… sure I had “other stuff” going on, but that night I was nudged by the goal of the journey. However, little did I know what was in store!

You see, back a few years ago… I went through a spiritual journey that I would not wish upon my worst enemy… a journey that changed my life! It’s simply amazing how God allows events to unfold… this young man was exactly where I was a few years back. Again, I was reminded of the goal of the journey in my own life… to become more like Jesus and be prepared for this late night conversation.

Tonight, I can say with certainty that I better understand the goal of the journey… and despite my pride… it’s NOT about me… it’s ALL about Him!

A Conversation with a Modern Day Jesus?

Okay, so today when I began to browse through Facebook posts from last night I discovered that several folks in Sikeston had encountered a gentleman who was hanging out in town and apparently resembled the iconic image of Jesus. Naturally this grabbed my attention. One family had even helped put him up in a local motel, so I assumed that he just might still be in town. Thus, I decided to see if I could track him down because I had some questions.

  

Let me first say that “Jesus” is actually Neal Thompson and seems to be a super nice guy! I really do admire his boldness and his effort to point people to Jesus. Clearly, he has pointed some folks to Jesus and even created some great conversations that have people doing some self evaluation. So, I am in no way discounting that. However, here we are in Sikeston, MO and “Jesus” has come and gone… people are talking… people have questions… people have thoughts… and I’m just one of those people! This blog is going to be pretty raw, so hang with me.

  

I guess the thing that initially grabbed my attention on Facebook was that people (some who claim to know Jesus) perked up when he came to town and they were outraged that he faced opposition. After all, he was just a man who loved people and wanted to share Jesus. I quickly pointed out that there are many people in Sikeston who love Jesus and face opposition from others… we just dress like you and not “Jesus”.

 

 I finally caught up with him near the American Legion Baseball Park… below is the actual interview… 

 

Click this image to view the video!

 

Here are several thoughts;

 

For those of you in Sikeston… There really are many people who are radically sold out to Jesus who live right here! I know many of them… I have the honor of pastoring a church full of them! They long to see people come to Jesus! The truth is that I have as much, if not more, respect for them than I do the “Jesus” traveler because they risk the opinion of others everyday to be Jesus here in this city! They have chosen to develop and build relationships… to invest in friends and family… all because they desire for them to know Jesus and experience life-change! So, look around… maybe tomorrow you will see another Neal Thompson, but this time you may recognize them as someone you already know!

 

The other point I want to touch on briefly is the fact that there is a small segment of our population that perceives Christianity as “Hokey” at best. Let me be honest, most of these are what I would call a man’s man. Guys that I’ve been working hard to develop relationships with and help them understand that a relationship with Jesus is NOT a sissy thing! Not all churches or Christians resemble the unbiblical wack jobs on so called Christian television. Now image the conversations I will have trying to explain Neal to those guys who perceive the things of Christ as “Hokey”.

 

I am a firm believer in the reality that the Gospel is best delivered through relationship. Hear me, I’m not discounting the reality that God can use one time encounters, but most who receive Christ and grow in a relationship with Him do so because they are in relationship with someone that shared Jesus. From the perspective that Neal wanted to share the hope of the Gospel… He would be much more affective if he planted himself in a community and built relationships where he earned the right to share the Gospel. He clearly was not prepared to lead anyone to Jesus! He didn’t even have a Bible on him… and trust me… he didn’t have it memorized. Also, I depend on my Bible to help me become more like Jesus. The Bible should be the filter that we run everything through… He needs it to affirm that what he hears from God is really in agreement with Scripture. 1 Peter 3:15 also says, Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. The true story of that hope is found in the Bible. 

Another thing that drew much conversation was the fact that a Sikeston Police Officer came to talk with Neal and interrupted our interview. We have to understand that our law enforcement agencies are here to protect us! Neal had absolutely no identification on him. For all they knew he could be here with less than pure motives. The other thing that I want to express is that I respectfully ended my interview and went on because God has called me here to Sikeston to make a difference. My actions and attitude had to be such that when God gives me the opportunity to share Jesus with that officer… I hadn’t compromised that through disrespect. My relationship with that officer was more important than a few questions for a guy who was just passing through.

 

Finally, I am in agreement with many of the things Neal said during our time together. However, my message to those who claim to know Jesus and desire to change our nation is this; We will change our city, our state, our nation, and our world one person at a time… one relationship at a time… one family at a time. We won’t really make a difference for the kingdom with boycotts, petitions, protests, or even our vote. We are called to simply love the lost and give them Jesus!

 

Be inspired, be challenged, be intrigued, but MOST importantly BE JESUS! If Neal Thompson can create a BUZZ by being Jesus… What will happen tomorrow when we all wake up ready to be Jesus to our city?

 

Again, this was just some raw thoughts. I appreciated Neal coming to Sikeston because clearly he sparked some great conversation… Now what are you gonna do with it?

Dude, that’s heavy stuff…

After I finally crawled into bed on Sunday night, I could not sleep! There were a couple of things that just continued to run through my mind and I just could not get past them. The major reoccurring thought was this, “We started a church today!”

I hope you can hear my voice through the typed words on this page… this thought was not a boastful or prideful thought… it was one of being humbled and overwhelmed. I think that I realized for the first time that Terra Nova Church has the possibility to be around until Jesus returns! Trust me, I knew this would be a huge work with eternal results… but God just never let me stop and realize the magnitude of this call until Sunday night. Why? Probably because I would have run from the call like a scared little baby!

It was at this time that I began to think back to the established churches where I’d served on staff previously.  These are churches with a great history that have made a profound impact on their cities. Some of them have celebrated over 100 years of ministry! Wow, one day in the future… if Jesus prolongs His returning… Terra Nova Church could celebrate 100 years of ministry!

Before I got too excited about the reality of 100 years of ministry, God directed my thoughts to this… Do you think that churches today really reflect the heartbeat and vision in which they were birthed? Somehow I doubt that the men who God called to plant churches had programs, buildings, ego-centric philosophy, or numbers in mind when they sacrificed everything to plant a new church. However, I’m certain that the driving force was an unstoppable call from God to bring LIFE-CHANGE to the lost around them!

This is where it got HEAVY for me! I had an overwhelming feeling of responsibility come over me! It’s now my responsibility to lead Terra Nova Church to keep the main thing the main thing. I have the responsibility to instill and entrust this vision and call into the hands of others!

Sunday night it came full circle for me… While on staff at Men at the Cross, I heard the call of God to plant Terra Nova Church and be about making disciples locally… I heard Joe White share the scripture that drove this ministry many times… II Timothy 2:2…

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.   ~ II Timothy 2:2

Now the work of making disciples begins… Oh, that 100 years from now Terra Nova Church will still be about unselfishly doing whatever it takes to share the Gospel with the lost! I appreciate your prayers as we continue on the journey!

Side Note: The first service was absolutely amazing! God began the process of life-change for many!