Witness

"The first duty of a witness is to testify."

That was a quote from a JFK movie that caught my attention.  It is so applicable to the Christian life; for that was what the Early Church was called to do... to testify to the resurrection of our LORD as witnesses.  And we, by faith, are "witnesses" also to Christ.  Our calling has not changed.

Acts 8, Part 1

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth"  (Acts 1:8)

Acts 8 begins the next phase of the spread of the gospel, to "Judea and Samaria".  "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went" (Acts 8:4) illustrates how God was able to turn a horrible situation and use it for good; for the persecution led to the scattering which resulted in the spread of the gospel.

Looking at Saul in this passage, giving approval to the killing of Stephen and zealously destroying the Church, and then knowing of his amazing ministry later after he becomes the apostle Paul; also shows how God can use a person for His Work, no matter what they may have done in their past - once again illustrating how He turns negatives into positives.

Then, the passage shows a clear contrast between Philip's message, proclaiming the Messiah and the gospel of Jesus Christ; versus Simon's message of his own greatness.  And later, Peter's rebuke of Simon's monetary greed and wickedness in his heart shows how important it is that those who are converted know the TRUTH and are taught right theology.  We constantly have to be aware of false teachings; and the passage doesn't clearly tell us whether Simon ever truly repents.  Early Christian literature indicates that he may become the founder of the harmful and false teaching of Gnostism.

Sunday Afternoon - Carpenter Center

A friend invited a couple of us to "Franc D'Ambrosio's Broadway" show at the Carpenter Center yesterday.  He had the distinction of being the longest running Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera and was cast as Anthony Carleone in the Godfather III.  His pianist/accompanyist was good; and some of the highlights of the show were when he sang the theme from the Godfather in Italian, the prayer from Les Miserables, and of course music from The Phantom.

It was also a good time of fellowship with friends; and we again ate at L&L Hawaiian BBQ.   I had the Grilled Mahi Mahi with garlic.  It was good, but there really was a LOT of garlic.   It was a nice way to spend the Sunday afternoon.

I even squeezed in lawn mowing before it got dark.  Not something I was very motivated to do, since the clouds were coming in looking like it was going to rain, and it was getting windy; but, I'm glad I did, and it also gave me a chance to talk to my neighbor.

Valley

The sermon on Sunday was on what to do when we are in the Valley, particularly of Indecision:

• Admit we need a guide (Isaiah 53:6, Prov 14:12)
• Ask for directions in faith (James 1:5-6)
• Listen for God's response 
• Trust God, even when we don't understand (Psalm 77, Psalm 37:23-24)

We can choose to let the storm tell us how big it is; or we can tell the storm how big our God is.....

I've been wandering this "valley" for some time now.  I have been in prayer and seeking guidance from God; but, for now, it seems there is more to be experienced here in this valley as I continue to wait and follow.

The verse on my desktop wallpaper is actually quite applicable when in the valley:
"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help."  (Psalm 121:1)

Leadership Seminar

I attended a Leadership Seminar today where the main speaker was Dr Gary McIntosh, author of "Taking Your Church to the Next Level". 

My pastor opened by speaking on 1 Corinthians 4:1-2:  "This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful."

• We are to be servants, humble and willing to be open to be filled with the Spirit, not to be seen, but to do what the Master wants done.  And, we have the privilege in our church to be serving where God is blessing; and we can see the fruits and results.  
• We are also stewards, for we don't own the ministry; we just deliver what the owner asks of us.  And, we are entrusted with the mystery - Christ in us, the hope of glory.  
• Our Mission is the Great Commission.

Gary McIntosh, founder of Church Growth Network, gave an overview of his book and led us in discussions and games that applied principles from his book to our church:

• God grows the crop, but He doesn't do it without the farmer  (Similarly, as in 1 Corinth 3, God grows the Church, but we have to work with Him
• Most churches grow in a step-wise fashion at sizes of 35, 85, 125, 200, 400, 800, 1200-1600, and >2000.   85% of US churches are <200.   Cornerstone jumped to about 350 in the beginning and had growth spurt with new building, and is now at about 1,000.  Just as we adjust to our children's growth, we also need to do the same with church growth. 
• Why do we want to keep growing?  To fulfill the Great Commission
• Characteristics of growth:  1) Complexity, 2) Loneliness  (as a church grows larger, it must get "smaller" with an emphasis on small grp ministries), 3) Specialization (more specific pastors, functions, roles; expansion of definitions, etc), 4) Need for better communication, 5) Centralize/Decentralize (more authority to pastor and board b/c church is too large to be run by voting; and ministries given more to lay people as well as pastoral care being spread out more, 6)  Need for redundant systems (recruitment and assimilation)
• The avg person in the church knows about 60 people by name, no matter what size
• Need to think globally, i.e. dream big dreams
• Need more intentional focus on mission and core values, especially when people from other churches bring their missions and values from where they came from
• Don't become complacent with fulfillment of earlier visions (dream new ones)
• Example Challenges:  misunderstandings, communication, lack of direction, preconceived notions, lack of flexibility, not relinquishing control, unfocused or unnecessary activity =>  seek help repeatedly and in the right places; seek various voices at appropriate or similar stage; teamwork
• Growth Challenges specific to our church:  fear of growth, facilities, unclear mission and goal for next level, doing things the same way without changing as needed, motivation and putting ideas into action, recruiting and involvement, need for leaders trained and empowered, need for right people in right places, feeling of ownership, not neglecting discipleship and spiritual growth over growth in numbers, being able to offload pastoral care, balance for volunteer and paid staff, processes and communication, coordination, flexibility and letting go of ego, involve next generation, remain diverse, be clear on definition of terms (e.g. success), step out in faith, use technology, redefine outreach, generational change, knowing strengths, absence of warfare and presence of the Spirit
• Opportunities:  develop technology, facilities (expand, acquire, new campus, plant), staff (rule of thumb 1:150 - but, our church is working with 1:250 b/c of the help of volunteers like elders; as churches grow the ratio can shrink as well b/c more lay people get involved), clear volunteer recruitment process with follow-thru and analysis of "data", youth and children's ministry (people, space, security)
• As churches grow, the impact grows (e.g. small churches have local impact, medium have city, we are at regional, and large can have world or global impact)
• We may need to consider church plant  (have an extension pastor who takes a year to soak in our DNA and then has "hunting license" to recruit 10% to go to another area to start daughter church, which can in turn spur growth due to increased morale) or multi-site  (multiple campuses where church members reside; may be simpler than megachurch at one campus; can televise one pastor or have another pastor at each site)
• Planning is dependent on size (e.g. speedboat vs ocean liner); so if momentum is taking us to a projected growth, we need to plan now to handle that growth
• In terms of staffing, at 1200-1500 people, there is often an Executive Pastor; btwn the Pastor and Outreach, Worship, Instruction, Admin; but probably won't work for our church since our Pastor likes to remain directly involved.  So, may want to add a position above Admin or Worship to oversee technology
• What are some things that need to be done now?  Planning for facilities, another service, additional staff and volunteers, better communication/technology, additional security
• Sometimes an ad hoc committee may be better than a standing one, so that there is a defined term and specific purpose.

It was useful to brainstorm and get awareness of areas to focus on, in order to continue to the next level.  I also found the book to be interesting as well.

Servant

On the FISH today, Christian artist Jadon Lavik gave a neat quote from his dad about servanthood.   Essentially, he said that you know you are not being a servant if when someone treats you like one, you are bothered.

And in a Leadership Seminar today, I was reminded that being a Leader is to be a sacrificial servant, as illustrated by Christ's example.   Matthew 20:25-28 says:
"Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”"

Acts 7, Part 2

In this latter part of his response, Stephen masterfully makes his points.  He has addressed all the charges of blasphemy:  1) he believes in the God of glory and has recounted His interaction throughout Israel's history; 2) he respects Moses and recognized him as the one God called to be the deliverer and the one who told of the Prophet and Messiah to come, who is Christ; 3) he referred to the Law as God's living words; and 4) recounted the history of the temple, starting with the tabernacle.

Then he turns the tables.  It is not Stephen who blasphemed, but rather the Sanhedrin who, like the examples of "their fathers", disobeyed and rejected the Deliverer God sent, Jesus Christ.

In their fury, the Sanhedrin now drags Stephen out of the city to stone him.   Their reactions have escalated from threats to Peter and John, to flogging of the apostles, and now to killing.  However, even in his death, Stephen is filled with the Holy Spirit, glorifying God by being like Christ in committing his spirit to God and asking forgiveness for his executioners.

And, we are introduced to Saul, who was apparently in a position of authority, as Stephen was being martyred.