Nothing left to lose

Modes of Evangelism

2012-01-17T10:10:00.003-05:00

(Taken from Keith Davy's "Master Plan of Evangelism")

Check out the three modes of EV. Would love your thoughts! This is from a talk I do at our leadership retreat each year about evangelism.

-Matt

The Modes of Evangelism
From the Evangelism Model

Imagine sitting down at the right hand of the throne of God and watching God at work as he seeks to save the lost. Suppose you could watch throughout the centuries and throughout all different cultures. What would you see? Would there be consistent patterns? Are there ways that God always works?

We believe from the evidence of both Scripture and the history of missions and the church, that there are consistent ways in which God always works through believers as he continues to seek and save the lost. These ways are the modes of evangelism.

The Relational Modes of Evangelism
In witness, God always works through people in relationships. But there are three distinct types of relationships between believers and unbelievers. Each is distinctive. Each has its own power in evangelism and presents unique opportunities.

1. Body Witness
When the body of Christ is gathered together and functioning, as it should, it has the potential of being a powerful witness to unbelievers who are exposed to it. The proper functioning body is not defined by the activity or setting. Rather it is a body who is building itself up in Christ through speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15, 16). We have (or should have) in our communities what an unbeliever truly desires --- love and truth. Whether the gathering is a formal activity (a Bible study or weekly meeting) or an informal setting (a party or camping trip), both elements of love and truth can have a profound influence on unbelievers.

How many people do you know who came to Christ while experiencing the body of Christ gathered together?

In typical gatherings of US campus staff, between 33-50% came to Christ while in a “body” gathering, though generally only about 10% of those were in a Campus Crusade setting.

Consider the Biblical importance of the witness of the body.
• Jesus prayed for our unity as believers because through it the world would know that He was sent as the Messiah. (John 17:22-23)
• When the early church was devoted to a healthy Christian community in Jerusalem, Luke records that they enjoyed the favor of all the people and there was added to their numbers daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)
• Worship, such as the Lord’s supper, is to be a witness. (1 Corinthians 11:26)
• A body which is not functioning properly (whether divisive or slipping into error or imbalance), can have a negative witness (1 Corinthians 11:23) and can harm the cause of Christ.

• Watch for how we talk about other organizations! (IV, RUF, everynation…we’re all the same team.) It is Christ that unifies us together, not Campus Crusade.

• Watch what you criticize, watch what you praise. (speak the truth in love, eph 4:15-16…with gentleness…

• Yes, lets have a defense for why we are believers, and why we aren’t believing other things..but lets do it with GENTLENESS AND RESPECT! (1 PETER 3:15-16)

What are Campus Crusade for Christ body contexts which God has used to draw unbelievers to Himself?

• Weekly Meetings
• Small groups
• Retreats and conferences
• Parties and socials

What is the unique power of the body?
• Unbelievers who are exposed to healthy body witness have the highest rate of conversion. Why? Because they are experiencing the love and truth of the gospel in its fullness.
• Individuals who come to Christ in the context of the body have the highest rates of continuing involvement. Why? Because they are already experiencing body relationships and therefore do not have obstacles or barriers to becoming involved.

What are the limitations of body witness?
• Typically, the body can impact only those who are close enough to see it in action or brave enough to enter and experience it. in other words, generally the body witness will reach only those who are spiritually seeking or relationally connected. Therefore, you can never reach a campus or community simply through the witness of the body.
• The strength of the body’s witness is directly proportional to the health of the body.
• How do people come in contact with the body’s witness? Typically, through natural or ministry relationships. So in this sense, the body witness is dependent upon the other two modes of evangelism.

Strategic issues
• How healthy is the body? Does it offer what the unbeliever needs and seeks?
• How can we increase the visibility of the body to the outside world?
• How can we better prepare the body to welcome the outsider? Remember, for most outsiders, to enter into a Christian fellowship is a cross-cultural experience.

2. Natural Witness

As believers live their daily lives, they naturally intersect the lives of countless unbelievers. These natural relationships can be intimate and long-term (such as family and long-term friends) or casual and brief (schoolmates, acquaintances, even people they will only meet once). The key in witness is not the duration of relationship or depth of intimacy. Rather, it is the context as a natural relationship. That context will shape the opportunity to witness.

If God is at work in the unbeliever’s life and the believer is a usable witness, then God can work through these natural connections in powerful ways.

Who do you know who has come to Christ through the witness of family, friends or acquaintances?

In a typical audience of CCC staff, usually about 33-45% will have come to Christ through a natural relationship. But normally a very small percentage of those were through a natural relationship with someone involved in CCC.

Consider the biblical significance of witness in our natural relationships:
• Among the first disciples, Andrew brought his brother Peter to Jesus and Philip brought his friend, Nathaniel. (John 1:40-51) Good story to bring up.
• Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well was brief, but natural (although unusual) context. The Samaritan woman’s witness to her village was to those with whom she had natural relationships (though not particularly positive ones). (John 4:1-42)
• The delivered demoniac was to witness to his people and he did. (Luke 8:38,39)
• In Colossians 4:5-6, we are commanded to make the most of our opportunities with outsiders. This requires grace-filled conversations.
• 1 Peter 3:15 instructs us to always be ready to give a defense to those who inquire.

Consider the strategic significance of natural witness.
• Whether it’s through family or a friend, the gospel has often run through relational lines.
• In the history of missions, the gospel has penetrated new people groups through the ministry mode (since there were not believers as insiders among them.) But commonly the gospel permeated those people groups through the natural witness as new believers shared their story with others who they knew. Where are there “unreached areas” of campus? (Free agents)
• The number of natural contacts that a group of believers has with unbelievers is normally very high when you consider all life intersections – from intimate to casual, from long-term to brief. If they are making the most of those opportunities (which at times means to witness and other times not), God works powerfully through these connections.

Consider the limitations of the natural witness.
• The fruitfulness of this witness will be dependent upon the believer being alert for the opportunity and appropriate in their witness.
• The risk of damaging a relationship ill at times stifle the believer’s witness in important relationships.
• The distractions of life will cause the believer to miss many opportunities.
• Because of the sensitivity of relationships, it is often difficult to equip an individual for natural witness in actual life settings. This means most training involves motivation and instruction, but rarely demonstration.

Strategic Issues:
• How can we increase the believer’s awareness of the breadth of their relational networks?
• How can we encourage and equip the believer to make the most of the natural connections with unbelievers?
• How can we increase the believer’s sensitivity to the spiritual proximity and process of those they relate to? Satan is always looking to devour- destract and accuse..reminder of how life is spiritual, life is short and eternity is long…

3. Ministry Witness
There are many people (and in most settings, the majority of people) who are neither near enough to a body of believers to be impacted by body witness, nor in relationship or contact with any healthy witnessing believer to be impacted by their natural witness. The only way that these individuals can be reached is through the ministry mode of evangelism.

The ministry mode is typically a relational mode. The key in understanding or identifying the ministry mode is to recognize that the relationship exists or the connection occurs because the believer has engaged in ministry activity. This context has profound influence on the style of witness and when it is empowered by God’s Spirit, can have powerful impact in individual’s lives.

Media outreaches, such as coverage strategies, would be considered a subset of this mode of evangelism. In this case, the relational connection is impersonal, but still exists because someone is engaged in a ministry of outreach.

Who do you know who has come to Christ through the ministry efforts of you or someone else?

In the typical audience of CCC staff, 10-20% came to Christ through someone who was doing ministry witness. The majority of these came to Christ through someone involved in CCC.

Consider the biblical importance of the ministry mode
• Jesus’ ministry majored in ministry mode evangelism due to the nature of His mission. (Mark 1:38,39)
• Jesus sent the 12 and the 72 disciples out in ministry evangelism. (Luke 9:1-6; 10:1-17)
• The Apostles led the expansion of the gospel through this mode of evangelism. (Acts 5:41-42)
• Philip’s ministries during the Samaritan revival and to the Ethiopian Eunuch were in ministry mode. (Acts 8)
• The believer’s scattered by the persecution took the initiative to spread the gospel. (Acts 11:19-21)
• Barnabas engaged in this ministry mode at Antioch. (Acts 11:22-24)
• Paul, Barnabas and companions led in ministry evangelism during their missionary journeys. (Acts 13 and beyond)

Consider the strategic importance of the ministry mode
• New people groups can only be penetrated with the gospel by this mode, for there is no body present, nor natural relationship occurring (normally).
• Even where there is a body and individual believers present, they often fail to have a significant or fruitful witness, thus requiring ministry witness to occur for the masses to be reached.
• The ministry mode is the most powerful training opportunity for evangelism. It is in this context that most of the equipping for evangelism, that involves live demonstration, occurs. Also, training experiences can be progressively assigned and supervised in ministry witness. Therefore, it is through the ministry mode that the greatest number of laborers are raised up for the harvest.

Consider the challenges of the ministry mode
• Often the ministry witness requires a cross-cultural experience. Whether the cultural gap is narrow or wide, this often requires understanding and adaptation on the part of the witness.
• Normally, those engaged in ministry witness are outsiders socially. This requires the ability to establish genuinely loving relationships quickly and transparently with unbelievers. To pretend to be interested in relationship simply for friendship sake is dishonest. This does not diminish the importance of genuine love in ministry mode evangelism. But it does mean there must be honesty regarding our intentions.

Strategic issues
• How do we direct or guide the ministry witness of our laborers so that they have the maximum impact in the most strategic audiences?
• How can we partner with other believers to increase the breadth of ministry witness in our context?
• How can we design appropriate ministry witness opportunities which build up and equip more laborers for the harvest as well as, provides an authentic, loving witness to the unbeliever? We must avoid using the unbeliever for training purposes.
• How can we increase the number of effective exposures to the gospel within each people group through the ministry mode?

Understanding the three modes of evangelism (body, natural and ministry) helps bring balance into ministry philosophy. It removes the unhealthy competition between complimentary forms of evangelism (i.e. the debates over life-style or friendship evangelism versus initiative or intentional evangelism.)

It also enables people to recognize and adapt their witness according to their relational setting. An insider (such as a student) has many significant opportunities to be a natural witness. Neither is better than the other. Both are equally essential in the fulfillment of our mission and vision.

Developed by Keith A. Davy, Research & Development, Campus Crusade for Christ.
Copyright 1999 WSN Press, Campus Crusade for Christ. Permission granted to reproduce in full for ministry purposes.

Pages Music

2010-10-25T09:37:00.001-04:00

Insights from Ministry

2010-09-16T11:49:00.002-04:00

Have you ever seen a boxing match where one guy is in a corner, putting all of his effort into holding his gloves up? Where someone is certainly going to win the match in a matter of punches, and the defense-less boxer is overmatched in the corner?

I do. I was in Senegal and talking with a young man, lets call him Mamour. I was sharing the gospel with him, for probably the 5th or 6th time (certainly not punching him!) WE were talking and if it were a debate, I would've been getting points left and right. I asked him a question and logically, I had used his own assertions about Jesus against him. He had to either admit he was wrong in what he said, or he'd have to agree with me.

I asked him the question, and Mamour looked into the sky, and was silent. "What is he doing" I thought..."He's in a corner now, he has to agree with me that I am right." He simply said "That can not be right." He essentially suppressed the truth, and refused to answer the question.

This was a big insight into my time in Senegal. I saw that people in Senegal, in a largely Muslim country are what the Bible would call "spiritually blind" (2 Cor 4:4). Communicating the gospel was difficult in this culture, and I realized that it is because until God reveals it to them, they will be blind.

However, this got me thinking. What makes Mamour blind? And then the more stunning thought came to my mind, "What makes Matt able to see?" Why could I see the light of the gospel, but Mamour could not? Oh the humility hits hard now. God has been gracious and merciful to me to allow me to see. That is the most important thing.

Yet most of my time in my first few months on staff with CCC, I find myself seeking to box people into a corner, I mean, my job is help students encounter the living God. I am a minster of the gospel, and so I want to be good in the ministry, and serve God with all of my heart (because he has showed me great mercy and grace!). Is ministry success truly what God wants me to strive after and boast in?

I'm not sure it is. Luke 10:20. After the disciples perform miracles in Christ's name, they are jazzed about everything. They're thinking that, NOW they can really please Jesus. But Jesus warns them not to boast in their ministry,

"Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus wants us to rest in his grace rather than his calling to do his work. His work is important, but if that is where I find my identity, my security in life, then I will forget about his grace, his gospel, which is "the power of God unto salvation." (Rom 1:16). His grace IS the power for ministry, and that is what he wants us to rest in.

NFL Predicitons

2010-09-06T16:56:00.003-04:00

AFC East: New York Jets
AFC North: Cincinatti Bengals
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs
Wild Cards: Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints
NFC West: San Fransisco 49ers
Wild Cards: Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants

I'll take the Colts over the Cowboys.

Senegal (Part Un)

2010-05-20T19:25:00.002-04:00

On Sunday I arrived with 26 other students and staff to Senegal for a summer project. If you're reading this, you might me a prayer partner, friend, stranger, creeper on facebook or something else. But I'm very happy to tell you about what I've learned thus far in Senegal.

!) Africa isn't just "the bush".
- When my Mom gave me a safari hat from REI, I don't think she realized that I was going to a university campus rather than a village. (sorry mom I don't wear it- yet). The campus our team goes to is much like an American university like UNC or NC State. There are over 60,000 students, all worried about classes, money, family and the future.

2) Senegalese students are very religious, but very open
- 95 percent of people in Senegal are Muslim, and 88 percent have never heard a clear gospel message. Yet, they are very open to listening to what we have to say. They are inviting to us, give us the best chair in their circle, just very hospitable and generous people. Though as a Christ follower, I have different beliefs than them in many ways, it does not keep us from friendship.

3) Conversations are spiritual and easy
- As Americans in a foreign country, we have an advantage that Christian Senegalese people don't have. Curiosity. The students want to know exactly why we are in Senegal. They are a very direct people. So we tell them, "We are here to talk to people about what the Bible says about Jesus." Bam. Conversation started. Pull up a chair, strap on your thinking cap and launch. In 3 days of ministry in Senegal, I've probably had more spiritual conversations than I have in my everyday life. The religious zeal of Islam provides an open door for us to open the door to what the Bible says about Jesus.

Right now I'm pretty wiped, and I will follow up with specific stories and pictures as they come in. Believe me, the stories are piling up. Please pray that I remember the names of people I meet, and that there would be more opportunities to make Jesus known here, and that he'd be more valuable and precious to me as I learn about him here!

Getting God v. Getting God's benefits

2010-05-14T18:10:00.002-04:00

As I listened to a sermon recently, the pastor said something that made me think twice about it. He said, "My biggest fear is that I'm going to direct you to get swept up in something other than Jesus." He went on to talk about how as Christians, we love God for what he's done for us (certainly true), but sometimes we just love the benefits of God.

When I think about God, the times I can worship Him the best, is when I'm reflecting on what he's done for me (the finished work of the Cross, Eternal life, hope, love...)However, what if I didn't have Jesus but just his work?

This sounds confusing to me. However, I think this is what it means. Through the substitution of Christ's death in my place, and his righteousness (or his right standing for God), also in my place, I can have eternal life. Through deeper belief in this gospel, I can experience God in more full ways.

I guess the thought I have is, does my identity totally reflect this righteousness? What if everything was stripped away that I had, my job, money, friends, loving family, loving church, what if all I had was literally faith in Jesus (having Him)?

Typically, I enjoy God when I need Him, not because I want Him. When things are going well for me (when my personal ministry sees great results, or life is just flourishing in general), I'm not functionally trusting Christ as my righteousness (though it is still my profession).

The verse that's key is Philippians 3:10, where Paul shows that he wants Christ and nothing else. He considers the glory of earth as dung (v.8).

I want to get to this place, but I know it takes a continual dying to self, and believing the gospel deeper.

Playoffs?

2010-04-16T23:33:00.002-04:00

Cleveland over Chicago in 5
Boston over Miami in 7
Orlando over Charlotte in 7
Atlanta over Milwaukee in 6

LA over OKC in 5
Utah over Denver in 7
Dallas over San Antonio in 7
Phoenix over Portland in 4

I still gotta go with Lakers/Cavs. I think its all about LeBron. I wouldn't be surprised if Dallas or Utah wins the west.

NBA Trades

2010-02-18T15:26:00.002-05:00

Just a few quick comments on the trades...

I can't wait for this playoff season and off-season. It will be the most dramatic one. I know I predicted the Lakers to win again this pre-season, but with Kobe's injuries mounting and the Cavs picking up Antawn Jamison, I think it might be the Cavs year. But if the Lakers can get Kobe healthy for the playoffs, I'll still take the Lakers.

Everything depends on if the Cavs win the finals. If they win, they'll keep LeBron. If not, they won't, and he'll go to New York, who sold the farm to clear space for LeBron.

The best case scenario is really not depending on LeBron. What I would love to see, is D. WAde and Bosh make a 1-2 punch that can challenge LeBron for years to come. Whether its in Chicago or Miami makes no difference, the Cavs need a challenger, and as the Celtics get older, the Magic are losing composure, and the Hawks won't be able to keep their team together for much longer.

If Cavs win finals If Cavs lose finals
Lebron: Cavs Knicks
D.Wade: Miami Miami
C. Bosh: Chicago Knicks
J.Johnson: Chicago Chicago
Amare S: Miami Miami

I'm not a huge fan of the Bobcats trade for Ty Thomas. I like Flip Murray because he's our only bench scorer. I hate Diaw as much as anyone, but Thomas is a headcase, and not too much of a scorer. But then again, I've never liked any of the trades the Bobcats have made, but they've paid off so far.

2010-02-18T15:24:00.000-05:00

I make a lot of stupid decisions. I stay up way too late; I don’t read the directions before cooking in the kitchen, and I continue to believe the Tar Heels will make an amazing comeback and redeem the season. My heart also covets, lusts, murders with my thoughts, worships things created like sports, television, and friendships more than the Creator over all of them.

Sure I make some good decisions sometimes, but the more I see how sinful and twisted my heart, the more I see that the good decisions are rarely from me. Jeremiah 17:9 says that “the hear is deceitful above all things and desperately sick.” The center or human emotion, intellect and decision making is sick. We call this “flesh.” The New Testament echoes this as well in the book of Romans, “All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Rom. 3:12).

Typically, this is the part I understand the most. I grew up in a God-fearing and mommy and daddy fearing family where obedience kept you from spankings and punishment. The second part of understanding that our flesh is sick, is that God has given the believer in Christ a new spirit (2 Cor. 5:17), and a new heart (Ez. 36:26). The Bible says that we have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5-11), and that we are capable through the Holy Spirit, of making godly and healthy choices.

The flesh and Spirit are directly opposed to one another (Galatians 5:16-17), and both reside in the believer. So what is the key to obedience to the Holy Spirit and freedom from making decisions from the sick heart? It’s surrender to the Holy Spirit. Jesus puts it this way, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

One of my applications to this lesson is to have this be one of the first things I pray to repeat to myself before my day starts. If I don’t continually remind myself that I’ve been crucified with Christ, then my flesh will reign in my life, and I will not live a life with the realization that I am dead to sin and alive to Christ, that he has bought me with a price. My old heart still remains in me, but because of Christ, it does not rule in my life any longer. I am aware and conscious of sin, and therefore I need to run to my Savior to simply remember his work on the cross in my place.

(Prayer)
Jesus, thank you for redeeming me. Thank you for giving me a new heart and a new mind. Thank you for giving me the capacity to obey you today. Keep me far from evil, and obeying what will give “Matt” glory, but rather give glory to You, my redeemer and Savior.

References (Romans 5-8)

Wild Card Weekend

2010-01-09T11:52:00.002-05:00

Boy this blog has really gone downhill hasn't it? Just boring predictions of NFL games that everybody else picks? Well, I need to keep record of this predictions. For the record, I will stick with my Super Bowl prediction of the Chargers/Saints.

Cinci/J-E-T-S: It's hard to like the Bengals in this game after watching them get humiliated last week in New York. Pros for the Jets; they've won 3 straight, had good luck in facing the 2nd teamers of the Colts and Bengals, and they have a shut down corner in Darelle Revis who can take out any receiver in the game. Cons; Mark Sanchez is the quarterback. I see a lot of last year's Atlanta/Arizona game in this game. Hot team w/rookie QB comes on the road (Matt Ryan, ATL) against struggling overachieving team (Arizona). Remember what happened? Arizona started their run in the playoffs. I like the Bengals by a field goal.
20-17 Bengals.

Dallas/Philly: I've been high on the Dallas bandwagon since the middle of the year. This year they win a playoff game, maybe two depending on who they play. If DeMarcus Ware doesn't play, this pick is voided and Philly wins.

Dallas 27-23.

Baltimore/New England; I have no clue on this one. I loved the Ravens last year in the playoffs, picked them to beat the Titans last year. But I like New England this year. Brady hasn't lost a home game since 2006. That's good enough for me, even if Wes Welker is out.

Pats 20-12.

Packers/Cardinals; I don't believe the Cardinals have the magic this year. I do think the Packers do. Rodgers will get all the headlines, but whe the Packers D has been able to pressure QB's, they win. Warner gets hit a lot in this one, and there is at least one defensive TD for the Packers.

Cheeseheads, 30-23

NBA Predictions

2009-10-27T22:46:00.002-04:00

So long for going to bed early. How can I go to bed with EJ, Kenny, Charles and C-Webb every Thursday night? So yeah its a little late on the predictions, but take my word for it. These were my thoughts during the offseason.

The elite teams in the East are as follows: Boston,Clevland,Orlando.
Orlando lost the finals, but the loss of Hedo hurts them a ton. I love Vince, but he doesn't fit their style as well, and doens't create the mismatch problems Hedo and Rashard Lewis do. Look for Lewis' numbers to decline as a result. I still see last year as kinda fluky for them, even though Superman is still tough.

Cleveland added Shaq and Anthony Parker, but I still dont think they did enough to improve their team. They lost twice to the Lakers int he regular season, and really struggled against Orlando. As similar as the scripts for LBJ and MJ with their early struggles against tough teams, the script breaks here, and LBJ loses in the conf. finals, and goes to NY/NJ next year.

Boston is the team to beat. KG was hurt last year, and they added Sheed. Rondo is a player who can go off and carry a team (See last year against the Bulls). As long as they are healthy, they are the pick to win the East, but they will need to add depth to the bench (not that Marbury was any good though)

The Lakers are still tops in the West with the Spurs challenging. I still think the Spurs are just a little too old, and you can depend on Manu for 82 games, so their road to the postseason will always be tough.

I like the Lakers to repeat, simply beacuse of the addition of Artest will give them the fire to not let up. He is a winner, despite his past antics. He plays the game hard and wants to win.

My Bobcats, ahh my beloved Bobcats. It's really hard to see them doing well this year. Without Raja Bell for 4 months, they will really struggle on guarding elite 2 guards. I think they regress this year, Augustin takes over for Felton, They trade Wallace for youth, and start all over under Brown. I'll say 30-34 wins.

Teams on the Rise: Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Philadelphia, Phoenix (playoffs for sure)
Teams on decline: Orlando, New Orleans Golden State, Indiana, Miami

Hear ye hear ye...who's calling you?

2009-10-15T16:19:00.004-04:00

After a long hiatus off of blogger world, I'm back. I just got back from Atlanta for a support raising conference with Campus Crusade. It was a refreshing time to meet with friends and talk about our experiences in the past 2 months.

We had to have our presentations of how we would ask a potential supporter to come on our ministry team recorded and critiqued. My critique was suprrising. I wish it had been all about making sure my posture was good (it wasn't), lack of mumbling (I did), and direct eye contact. However, my critique had to do with how unconvincing I sounded in my own calling of why I want to work with Campus Crusade.

Talk about a shot in the gut. Sometimes I felt if there had been a Mr. Crusade contest at UNC I would've won. I went to all the meetings and was very active in college, so how could anyone question my calling to an organization that helped me grow in my relationship with God?

I knew what this meant. Deep soul-searching for the motivations for what I am doing. I am not looking forward to it, but it made me see a few thigns about myself regarding my calling.

The first is that my calling to Crusade, and ministry in general, is hugely based on the amount of success that ministry has. As I was studying some of the examples in the Bible of people who were called, I asked myself, "If I didn't see any fruit in ministry, would I still want to pour my life to serving in this capacity?" Sadly, I believe the answer is no. My ministry is driven by success, positive results. I see this in how I respond when people choose not tos upport my ministry. I get angry with them. I judge their spirituality (sorry to those of you who this is true of, I am just being honest). I see them as being "all bad" if they don't support me and "all good" angelic beings sent from the good Lord if they do.

What does this mean? Support raising and ministry (and life) is really all about me. If I can PRODUCE a product that reaps benefits to me and those around me, I am content and satisfied. If not, I am angry, desiring success that other ministers have, and feel like a disappointment.

I've always heard that it's very tempting to make ministry about me and what I can produce, but it has hit me square in the chest. Would I really be ok if nobody came to Christ, nobody believed me, nobody liked me, nobody reaped any seen benefit of my labor? The answer is No. But I am asking God to change this. To make me more like Christ in that he did the will of His Father more than of his own desires. Jesus was tempted in every way yet without sin. He was tempted to be a God of showmanship by Satan (Matthew 4), yet he regarded the will of the Father more than his own will.

I want to be driven by the voice and word of my heavenly father, not by selfish ambition to make more of me. After all, I have been crucified with Christ, therefore I no longer live.. and my body is a temple of the Lord, I've been bought with a price...

I need continual confirmation of my calling, because I do believe I have been called by God to this ministry. Yet if I take my eyes of what he's done for me through the gospel, and what his word says, I will be distracted into making ministry about me, rather than Him.

Suggested reading "In the name of Jesus" by Henri Nouwen

Just a good ole NFL prediction attempt

2009-09-08T16:09:00.002-04:00

Rather than saying "I thought the Titans would be awesome this year," in December, I decided I put would my predictions for the upcoming NFL season on my blog. So that you can make fun of me if I pick to Oakland to win the division (they won't) or the Lions to go 0-16 again (they won't).

AFC East
1. New England 11-5
2. Buffalo 7-9
3. Miami 7-9
4. NY Jets 4-12

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh 12-4
2. Baltimore 11-5
3. Cincinnati 8-8
4. Cleveland 3-13

AFC South
1. Houston 10-6
2. Indianpolis 10-6
3. Jacksonville 7-9
4. Tennessee 6-10

AFC West
1. San Diego 11-5
2. Kansas City 8-8
3. Oakland 6-10
4. Denver 5-11

AFC Prognosis

New England is back, but their defense is getting older and the loss of Seymour hurts them a ton on the line. Brady will be back, but not enough to get back to the Super Bowl.

I am high on San Diego this year b/c I think Rivers proved himself last year as an elite quarterback (it pains me to say as a Tar Heel fan, that but its true).

My sleeper pick is Houston to win the South via a tiebreaker. I am a huge fan of Matt Schuab if he can stay healthy, and with Mario Williams' 12 sacks last year, he's proving that the Texans D is no slouch (what is this a Wolfpack shoutout day?)

Nevertheless, I like San Diego and New England to meet again in the AFC title game and SD to take the title.

NFC East
1. NY Giants
2. Philly
3. Dallas
4. Washington

NFC North
1. Minnesota
2. Chicago
3. Green Bay
4. Detroit

NFC South
1. New Orleans
2. Atlanta
3. Tampa Bay
4. Carolina

NFC West
1. Seattle
2. San Fransisco
3. Arizona
4. St. Louis

As a rule of thumb, I am a huge fan of the Super Bowl appearance let down. Arizona had a great run last year, but teams will be gunning for them next year. I think teams overlooked them last year when New England killed them right before the playoffs, which led to their improbable run. (Did I mention Larry Fitz is on the cover of Madden?) SF is my pick to surprise teams this season. Nobody is talking about QB Sean Hill, but I think he could be this year's version of Chad Pennington. This team will just miss the playoffs, but watch out for them next year with Michael Crabtree.

The same is true of Carolina. The South always has a new division winner each year, and the Saints will be back this year. I like Atlanta, but I think teams just overlooked them last year. They'll have a harder schedule, but should still be a wild card team.

The Bears should contend in the North, but their defense is overrated. Cutler will help a ton, but their D got shredded by AP, and more importantly through the air. I think they will just miss out on the playoffs again.

The Giants haven't done anything to lose ground in the NFC East, although I really like McNabb and the Eagles if he stays healthy.

I'll take the Saints this year against SD, b/c there are rarely any patterns in Super Bowl picks. I like the Chargers to win it all b/c they will have an easy road.

A great sermon I just have to blog about

2009-08-05T23:07:00.003-04:00

whats up blogger world...I'm back from Colorado, in Cary,NC with my folks and brother. It's nice being back, and having a full pantry to raid.

I just listened to a sermon by Andy Stanley in the series "Go Fish" that really struck a cord with me. It's the second sermon of the series titled "Why fish?" Please give it 38 minutes, here's a few reasons why I liked it so much.

1. Andy clearly communicates why culture dislikes Christians sharing their faith.
- I found it so interesting that the story of Acts 4:1-22 refelects how today's culture sees Christians. They say, just take out Jesus, believe whatever you want, but just don't TELL anyone about it. Non-believers today are more tolerant of religions than ever, however, when any one view is pressed against someone, they feel pushed away, because that doesn't fit into the overall view of the real religion of our culture, which is tolerance. If your view shows a level of intolerance, you can't have a seat at the table. The high priests didn't mind that Peter and John were believers, or even that they healed a blind man. They were perplexed and frustrated because they were preaching a message of "salvation under one name."
2. Peter and John's boldness was to what they had seen.
Jesus was a historical person. He wasn't just an experience that some people had and others didn't. He really walked on the earth, and really died, and really rose again. Peter and John's testimony is rooted in history, which is why they are so bold in the face of oppression. Religions rooted in experience or an unreliable testimony is faulty(Mormanism, scientology, other cults immeidately come to mind). The testimony of the believers, the fact that they would risk their lives and die for Jesus shows that Christ really did live, and the people that truly followed him were transformed by his love and teachings.

The one thing I didn't like, is that Stanley just uses this appeal of attesting to what we've seen and heard to share our faith. He repeatedly said that our doctrine "might not be good", or that we might not understand all of it at the moment, and that's fine, especially seeing that Peter and John were fisherman. But the Christian faith is a rational faith for the skeptic. It has just as much validity to the intellectual as it does the common man like Peter and John. There must be balance in this, and we do need to learn doctrine, have sufficient responses to the tough questions about Christianity.

Still, Stanley says that salvation must be explained, and that it is not intuitive. This is so true. Nobody comes to the conclusion of Jesus dying for all sins on their own. You may believe God exists on your own, but the gospel of Jesus is not necessairly logical. Its foolishness to some and a stumbling block to others. But if it is only explained on testimony of changed lives, the minds of people will not be satisfied. As Christians, we must have a balanced presentation of a changed live through a testimony, as well as the appeal to the intellectual questions. Not all of those questions can or will be answered, but we must be ready to share the reasoning for our faith.

I see that we must speak the truth to people that don't know Christ. But I knew that before. This message helped me see how we appeal to people. We do evangelism and love our neighbor because God has done a great work in our lives, and redeemed us from sin. For us not to speak would be foolish and selfish. We must attest to the history of Jesus, but also do it with love and humility. If only put the message of Christ lumped together with all other religions, then we have not portrayed him rightly.

I still have more thoughts on this, but this is all for now..

Finding worldview in Dave Matthews

2009-06-18T10:34:00.000-04:00

I noticed a few trends of what many people value from the lyrics of newest Dave Matthews CD “Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King.” The song “Lying in the Hands of God.” I really like the song, but the lyrics are what first jumped out at me. The chorus reads, “Save your sermons, for someone that's afraid to love, I'll be right here, lying in the hands of God.” DMB holds an agnostic view of God, that is he is real, but they are not sure who or where he is. This song seems to equate God's values with love. Based on the chorus, it seems he's tired of hearing sermons and being lectured on perhaps how to love, or what someone should be or should do. Rather, the value that he clings to is love.

The message is, if you love anything and everything, then you are in the hands of God and you can live peacefully. I really like that his desire is to love people. Paul says “faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:13). The difference from the Christian worldview is that we are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. The second commandment is like it, to love our brothers as we would love our selves. To really be “lying in the hands of God,” is to have peace with God. Because Christ substitutes his righteousness in our place, we can have peace with God (Romans 5:1). This is the only way. (John 14:6)

I think another point that Christians should disagree with is the fact that love itself is worshipped higher than anything else in the DMB worldview. Unbelievers love creation more than the love the creator. (Romans 1:24-27) This is idolatry. Yes, God is love (1 John), but if we even just worship one part of God over the complete divinity and glory of God, we rob him of his rightful glory.

This song captures that God loves those who love. And this is true. He desires compassion and mercy. But if this is all that God is and wants, then we rob God of his other attributes; his omniscience, omnipotence, his redemptive work, his forgiveness, mercy, grace, the riches that are to come, his wisdom, his suffering..etc..

I think many people agree with this song's world view and they believe that if they just volunteer a lot, work hard in class, treat people with hospitality and kindness, that they are at peace with God. Yet the unbelievers' sin screams louder over these good things. To have peace with God, someone must pay for our sins we've committed against him.

Part 2 later..regarding Family Guy

NBA Finals Musings

2009-06-11T23:11:00.000-04:00

Whomever said that the Cavs/Lakers dream series would be the only thing worth watching- they are wrong. This finals has been entertaining, and the Magic actually have a chance of beating the Lakers (they won't). But the Cavs would have no business with the Lakers.

1. The Magic are a legit powerhouse in the East, and are here to stay. With Dwight "make me my own vitamin water commercial" Howard anchoring the middle and Hedo and Lewis bombing threes, they'll have the youthfulness and dominant player necessary to win the East yearly. The Cavs and Celtics better upgrade their teams, or else they won't taste the Finals anytime soon.

2. Rafter Alston is better than Jameer Nelson. I can't stand the analysts who declare that the magic is Jameer Nelson's team. They say this only because he was an all-star this year before getting hurt. But this is Superman's team. You could put the little annoying kid from the Lebron/Kobe commercials at point guard, and he'd get 10 and 7 every night. Alston isn't as good a shooter, but Skip to my Lou has the "Cota Flota" in the lane that is lethal. He's the better player in the playoffs and overall.

3. Kobe has the same demeanor on the court as MJ.

I know I know I know. "Does that mean he's better than MJ?" No. Not yet. And probably won't ever be. He'll always have had more talented teams than MJ. But on the court, he keeps calm even when they are down. He drives to the basket late in games to get to the line (b/c he knows he'll get the calls). He knows when to take over a game, and knows how to out work and outsmart great defenders (see Shane Battier and even Michael Pietrus). The Black Mamba isn't eh best player in the game (that'd be LeBron), but mentally he kills teams in the 4th quarter, and thats why I'd rather have him on my team than LeBron.

I hope Catherine Zeta Jones knocks on my door and asks me for a phone make-over. That'd make these finals even better!

Already but not yet (Part 2)

2009-06-10T00:25:00.001-04:00

2 Corinthians 3:18 " And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

“Are being transformed” - Process in santification. Piper says that beholding this glory changes us and heals us. This verse gives me great comfort, because there is no timetable on this. I don't have to be made perfect in certain areas of my walk with Christ today, yet we are to “be holy as he is holy” (1 Peter 1:13-14). This is an interesting twist. I am being made into Christ's character in process, and he is patient with me. Yet, I am still to strive for holiness- which is perfection that I can not attain. So many times I find myself discouraged that I am not holy and never will be. This is the frustration and beauty of God's grace. Although I am to press toward the mark (Phil 3:14), when I fall, he is patient and does not let me go.
“Into the same image”- Transformed into the very nature of Christ. Not that we would be equal with God in ability or his divinity, but his nature and character in obedience to the Father. What a thought, that I am being transformed into the same image and character of God himself through the power of his Spirit! This is truly a gift of God, only by his grace.
“One degree of glory to another”...This will one day be perfected in heaven, when our glorified bodies will be shown...I'm not sure what this one means...but it shows that we won't become like the image we strive in an instant. It takes time.

I love that this verse doesn't mean that I have to do much. We grow in community, naked and unashamed, beholding the glory of Christ and that changes us. My role is the behold the glory of Christ in a way where I am not ashamed, hidden, or fearful- for the Spirit gives freedom but the letter gives death. God takes care of the rest and changes us into his image. But we must realize these things to grow.

Already but not yet (Part 1)

2009-06-08T22:54:00.000-04:00

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

These are merely observations about this verse. So if you find theological fault, let me know, we'll get some cokes and talk it out.

“We all”- Community. This isn't just to an individual person, but this is to be done with the body of Christ. Those who have an “unveiled face”( v17.) We see this in Paul's other writings as well, that knowing God comes in community. See Ephesians 3:18...”may comprehend with all the saints,what is the breadth, and length height and depth and to know the love of Christ.” It is with ALL the saints that knowing the love of Christ is in full effect, because those who are in Christ are one body and in one spirit.
“With unveiled face” My first thought about unveiled face was how we appear to God as naked before him. Chapter 3 talks of how the Spirit brings freedom. If we have the Spirit, there is no need for the veil (like Moses needed). We are to grow together, naked and unashamed of our past because they have been forgiven and forgotten by God. If we cover up our sins, or say we do not have sin, we can not grow (See 1 John 1:7-2:2) But “unveiled” is beautiful in the sight of God when Christ is with us, because we are free as we were in the Garden. Adam and Eve were naked and without shame in the garden, and ever since the moment they sinned, mankind has been covering himself up before God. But now, in Christ alone, there needs to be no guilt, fear or shame before God because he pardons our sin.
“Beholding the glory of the Lord”...This one jumps out at me. The reason I don't grow in Christ is simple because I don't put him at the forefront of my mind and my life. I find things associated with my Lord to put in the center; campus ministries, church, making relationships with non-believers, loving my neighbor, serving...and these are good things. But they are not simply beholding God's glory. John Piper makes an interesting point in his book “Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ”. He makes the point that redemption, adoption, forgiveness and justification are all things God does that point to something greater- his glory. (John 17:24)...The more I “behold” or put forth God's glory in my life, the more I will grow. The more I see the most glorious thing, the death and resurrection on the cross, the more like Christ I become (Philippians 3:10)

I confess that I put so many things God has created as more important in my life rather than the creator himself. I think of how Jesus asked Peter “do you love me?” as the way of bringing him back into the ministry. It wasn't “Peter will you lead my church?, or Peter will you not make that mistake again?...” it was about loving God and making that the center of his life.

Crazy Love

2009-06-03T16:41:00.000-04:00

So for my birthday I got a little nutty at the Christian book store and dropped 60 bucks. But so far its been well worth it. I just finished reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. I also bought the DVD, and would love to use it in a small group setting.

Chan challenges American Christianity and its response to the love of Christ and the call to be his disciple. He comes down hard on lukewarm Christians in chapter 5, which was a very convicting chapter. He then lists the opposite of lukewarm in his chapter labeled "obsessed" and that those who love Jesus are obsessed with him and his kingdom.

It reminded me a lot of "Don't waste your life" by John Piper, in its similar style of writing which is more like a conversation, and also in its simple yet "get up off your ass motivation to go do something in response to God's love."

To be quite honest, when reading the book, it was more discouraging to me. I realized how little I demonstrate my love for Christ. Sure, I know the verses, do ministry events, but the question of "Do I love Jesus, and if I do, what I am doing about it?" continued to come up in my mind.

So much of my life is lived in Christian freedom, yet I feel that it quenches the spirit so often. I serve myself more than Christ, take more from others than give, and use my talents to glorify my name and not my Savior's.

Overall its a great read. It'll make you squirm, yet its still a tough book to put down.

A new song

2009-05-17T16:34:00.000-04:00

Psalm 40:3: "He put a new song in my mouth a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD."

I've been thinking about this psalm a lot over the past few weeks. It's most likely because the song "40" by U2 has been circling in and around my ears for the past month (Buy it on iTunes). David waits for the Lord, and He hears him and answers him. God puts a new song in his mouth, a new heart that has recieved grace and been rescued from his destruction.

So how does David respond? With a new song, a praise to the one who rescued him. My question is this, "what is the song of my heart, and what is on the tip of my tongue when I talk, my thoughts and motivation for when I work, for how I play?"

Recently, the song on my heart has not been one that rejoices in the LORD. It is a complaint about the slow process of finding a job. It's impatience with events in my life not going the way I expected them too. It's a bitter song that gets angry at God for not doing the things that I want him to do. It's anxiety because although I know I don't have control over these things, I still believe I do, and I hate God for it.

I desperately want control over all the things I can't control. Yet it was God who rescued me from the pit, and it was me who called out for his help! So many times I want God to call down to me, and for me to rescue myself from his plan. Talk about not believing in the sovereignty of God!

What oozes out of you when life throws you things you can't control? Do you talk more harshly, become apathetic in work, lose motivation for seeking God? I do. But I am learning to remember who I am and where I've come from. C.S. Lewis said that people don't need as much instruction as they do reminders.

I need reminders of how God has rescued me from the slavery of sin and put me into his eternal inheritance out of his mercy. Beleiving this is a moment by moment choice that I must make each day, and how well I do this in many ways determines the song of my heart.

"But now in Christ Jesu you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." - Ephesians 2:13

Nothing Left to Lose

2009-04-29T09:58:00.000-04:00

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it." Luke 9:24

Jesus gives a pretty radical statement here. He says that surrendering your life to Him is the only way to save your life. By holding on and clutching control of your life to fulfill desires of selfish ambition, money, notoriety, and satisfaction from others ultimately leads to losing your life.

This is the idea of God's grace. That God has bought us back even while we were still helpless sinners who couldn't love him. He saved us from our sin, and brought us new life. Now, there is nothing left to lose. Because our life is hidden in Christ (Gal. 2:20), we are free to live as agents of God's love and grace to others. Because Jesus has paid our penalty, and given us new life (2 Cor 5:14-21), we are now able to live in obedience to him.

Needtobreathe's lyric says "We've got nothing else to live for, nothing left to lose." Surely you can take this a number of ways. Here is my thought on this. This could pertain to our right standing, or righteousness before God. Because of Jesus' substitution for me on the cross, I have no need to strive and attain my own righteousness. Jesus' righteousness before has been imputed to me (sorry for the theological words). For those in Christ, we have no more need to seek perfection, to attain God's favor, for we already have it.

Ergo, in our lives, we have nothing left to lose. The first question that arises is, "So does that mean I can do whatever I want whenever I want?" The answer is No. (Rom. 6). But we are free to live in grace according to the Word of God. We are free from the law and the curse of sin, and are now under grace.

I want my life to be continually reminded of how God's grace has freed me from the curse of sin, and how I am now free.

"For we are a fragrance of Christ to God amont those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:15.

First blog- about hockey?

2009-04-29T09:23:00.000-04:00

Allow myself to introduce myself to the blogging world. I thought it would be cool to write some thoughts down to let the world know my every thought. So I thought I'd write my first blog post about something really on my mind.
Hockey?

I couldn't get over how the Carolina Hurricanes won game 7 last night in dramatic fashion. I saw most of the series, but not all of it. Game 7 and game 4 were two of the best hockey finishes I've ever seen, much less conclusions to any sporting event.
Now I know, you might say..."Really Matt? Seriously Matt? Hockey? Nobody talks about hockey. My intramural water polo game has more excitement than hockey."

And you'd be absolutely right. But this is playoff hockey. And this is the Carolina Hurricanes.

There are two points to be made: One is that playoff hockey is highly entertaining because of the energy and desperation displayed. I mean come on, did you see how that defenseman kept the puck in the blue line by diving for it? It kept the play alive, and allowed the Canes to tie the game. So don't give me this hockey is boring baloney, (or bologna, you pick).

Secondly, North Carolina fans better start appreciating the Canes. When they make the playoffs, it is magical. I'm amazed at how many facebook statuses changed last night with love for the Canes. Yeah, I don't remember hearing from you since the 2006 Cup run.
They have a superstar that nobody will hear of because he plays in Raleigh, Eric Staal was fantastic throughout the series. The sad part is people in North Carolina are probably more familiar with Erik Cole for his horribly done "click it or ticket" public service announcment advertisement. Ugh, just give me Smoky the Bear, or McGruff the crime dog, and I'll listen to your PSA.

This series against New Jersey was one of the best overall series'. You had defense (Marty Brodeur's 1-0 shutout in game 5), game 4's game-winner with 0.2 seconds left, and then of course 2 goals in 11 seconds in game 7.

Depending on if the Celtics-Bulls goes 7 games, it's the best series over the last month in sports.
Eh? You dont think so eh? (Uh-oh, Canadian speech alert, means I should get my America on- Sweet Tea, NASCAR and BBQ)