How You Argue Shows Your Maturity
One of the things that we all can agree on (which is not much) is that there is a lot of arguing going on
in our world today. Everyone has an opinion on everything and then there are people with the opposite opinion on everything. Which means people argue. Especially when it comes to our online world. There are even memes now online that show how people are willing to say things to people online that they would never say to someone face to face (I like the Mike Tyson one personally).
The sad thing for me is that I see followers of Jesus treating other followers of Jesus in the exact same way. Truth be told in some cases even worse. Then we see men and women in church leadership that are treating
each other this way. Church leaders that have read about biblical conflict resolution from Matthew 18 where we are told to go one to another and talk with each other. But yet they are sharing their arguments with everyone willing to read in 140 characters or less.
But, then I read in the book of Romans where Paul is talking to the church in Rome about how followers of Jesus are to treat each other with differing thoughts and opinions.
Romans 14: 1 (NLT) 1Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
Paul even goes on to write don’t argue about what food you eat and don’t argue about what day is holy or not. I
am sure that we all can make some similar associations with current areas of argument in our word today especially between followers of Jesus. Did I mask that one good enough? Or did I get my one shot at the conversation? (See what I did there.) But then Paul brings it back around to how we are to be living our lives
when it comes to each other and our arguments.
Romans 14: 10 – 13 (NLT) 10 So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’” 12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
As I read these verses it leads me to understand that how we argue as followers of Jesus shows our spiritual maturity it shows me how we treat each other is more about the other follower of Jesus than ourselves and our own opinions. My hope is that if you are reading this, that both you and I will take some time to think about how we respond to other followers of Jesus, and when we do respond, what are we showing when it comes to our spiritual maturity.
You’re not the Author of their story
One of the things that has really bothered me over this last year is how people simply will just end relationships because of someone’s statement or post on something. That in a moment of passion or emotion they will click DELETE on a friendship that has possibly been years in the making maybe even a lifetime. Thus writing the ending to that persons story in their life. Well here is something that we all need to remember, “You’re not the author of their story so you don’t get to write the ENDING.” Let me explain what I mean.
When you click delete or unfriend someone that means you have in that moment wrote the ending of the story of that person in your life. And when you do that it means you no longer have the ability to see or be a part of the story of that persons life. Now I know that there are some people that are going to argue that it is just easier to remove the negative person from your life. I get that if someone is attacking you are sharing harmful things to you or about you. But when we take a political post, a religious post, a sports post, or just even a repost or retweet and make them villains then we assume too much. And to take it even further when we immediately remove that person from our life without trying to gain understanding or without trying to really see what was the reason for the post we miss out on the rest of the story. To which I believe that we then have missed out on being an active character in that persons story that may not think like us, believe like us, look like us, or lives like us. We have all intense purposes written the ending of their story in our lives.
What I am suggesting is that we take the opportunity to not end the story but a part of the story. Who knows maybe by staying in a persons story you are used to be a catalyst to a plot twist and a change in that persons story. But if you end the story then you will never know if things could be different. As I was reading this week the book, “The Third Option: Hope for a racially divided nation” by Miles McPherson there came a place where he wrote about choosing sides when it comes to race. I believe that this quote I am about to share can also be used for politics, sports, religion, or whatever your particular passion maybe be for you in life. This is a quote from chapter 7:
What I am suggesting is that we take the opportunity to not end the story but a part of the story. Who knows maybe by staying in a persons story you are used to be a catalyst to a plot twist and a change in that persons story.
Tweet
“I can tell you the answer isn’t in choosing the “right” side or the “right” people. The answer lies in humbling ourselves and serving a purpose that’s bigger than any side or any one of us. We can choose sides or we can choose honor. BUT WE CAN’T CHOOSE BOTH. What will you choose?” (emphasis added)
As a follower of Jesus that lives in a city and an area where there is tremendous diversity of color and thought. I feel that just like Miles McPherson wrote that by choosing HONOR I continue to get to be a part of the story that God is writing in the lives of people around me. Because I believe that as God authors a persons story I would rather be a character in the story that is being used as a catalyst that might lead to a plot twist instead of being one that is being written out of the story.
Just something to think about the next time you get ready to click delete or unfriend . . .
Re-sharing a Friends Blog
Disciple Making Gone Horribly Wrong by Geoff Surratt
After a long day of ministry Jesus is exhausted. He desperately needs to get away from the crowds and rest, so he gets into a boat and tells his disciples to head to the other side of the lake. After a few minutes, the boat gently rocking as they cross the sea at sunset, Jesus lays down on a cushion in the back and falls sound asleep. While he’s sleeping a violent storm builds over the eastern mountains and suddenly drops onto the sea. Soon the boat is rocking violently, the sail is snapping in the wind threatening to tear in two, and the mast is bending to the point of breaking. Even the experienced fishermen begin to panic. They wake Jesus up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are going to drown!” We’ll let someone who was in the boat finish the story;
‘Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”’
Matthew 8:26-27 (NLT)
I love the irony. The men who’ve been with Jesus the longest…they’ve seen him heal disease, cast out demons, even turn water into wine… they are afraid that this whole thing might end with the Son of God drowning in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. The creator of the universe’s grand story of salvation will end because of a thunderstorm he didn’t see coming. This is a very revealing moment in Jesus’ ministry; months into being with Jesus 24/7 his followers have no understanding of who Jesus is nor his bigger mission on earth. It is now clear they are not maturing as disciples.
We are in one of those Sea of Galilee moments right now. A storm unlike any we’ve seen before is rocking our world. In the middle of this storm the maturity level of the disciples we lead is being revealed, and its pretty discouraging. Attendance at online services is declining, fewer people are engaging in small groups, and the initial surge of volunteerism has all but disappeared. The one place we see many in our congregations actively engaged is arguments on social media over Covid conspiracies. Some days it feels like our boat may indeed sink before this pandemic is over.
There’s another way to look at it, however. In one way this is an incredible gift, to clearly see where we are making mature disciples and where we are not. Without this pandemic we might have continued blindly on, assuming our services, classes and small groups were leading people to take next steps toward maturity. Clearly they are not.
The Navy Seals reportedly have a saying that under pressure no one rises to the occasion, they sink to the level of their training. I believe that is what we are seeing now in churches. Most attenders aren’t stepping up in greater faith, love and sacrifice, they are falling back to their true level of maturity and discipleship. This is a great opportunity as leaders to rethink how we approach making disciples in the American church. Here are three questions to consider as you reassess your church’s approach to disciple making:
- What do you believe, within your context, are the characteristics of a mature disciple? The worst thing we could do right now is to start new programs, write new training classes, or implement new systems without stepping back and re-engaging the question, “What are we trying to accomplish?” As you rebuild your definition of a mature disciple avoid the mistake of measuring discipleship by activity; church attendance, serving in a ministry, participation in a small group, Bible reading, quiet time. These are all valid activities that can lead to mature discipleship, but it is also possible to do all of these things and remain immature. Focus on outcomes rather than activities. Good places to start are the Beatitudes and the Fruit of the Spirit in describing a mature disciple.
- What has your church done to intentionally help people develop these characteristics of a mature disciple? Make a list of everything you do as a church to help people become mature disciples. Spend time evaluating each activity for effectiveness; How are we seeing people grow in specific mature discipleship characteristics as a result of this program? What is leading people to grow, or to remain stagnant?
- What should we stop, start or change to improve our ability to develop mature disciples? If there are things you do as a church that do not seem to help people become mature disciples it might be time to stop doing them. This gets really difficult as sacred cows are potentially sacrificed on the altar of effectiveness, but desperate times call for desperate measures.There are other activities that need to be massively altered if you are going to raise the bar for discipleship. For example, for most churches the weekend service is the single biggest activity they engage in to make disciples, but it seems massively ineffective. Are we going to keep doing what we’ve always done and hope it works, or are we willing to make significant changes in order to truly engage our people to become mature disciples?
We are in a Sea of Galilee moment as church leaders. The wind and waves have rocked our people, and their true maturity as disciples is being revealed. We can try to get back to what we were doing before and hope it works out better this time. We can beat ourselves up for our lack of better leadership. We can be angry with the immature mob of misfits God has stuck us with. Or we can see this as an incredible gift from God and rediscover what it means to be a church that makes disciples who make disciples.
If you want to learn more about Geoff and Sherry Surratt then CLICK HERE and make sure that you follow all of the things that they are doing.
My Friend Justin!
I have had the benefit of growing up and being around people from different races and from different places. So, when the horrible death of George Floyd happened I immediately started thinking about the men in my life that are black. I without moments noticed began texting them and asking them how they were doing and how as their friend I could serve them.
Out of that text message conversation with Justin came this conversation. I am so blessed to be able to not just talk with Justin about race but about faith and the opportunity that we have to be a part of change and effect change in our world. It is my hope that you will enjoy the conversation that Justin and I have. This conversation will be available tomorrow on Youtube and as a Podcast so please make sure you SUBSCRIBE and share a review.
If you are interested in the message that I shared at Elevation Christian Church after Justin and I met that week just CLICK HERE.
What if Prayers and Thoughts are all we have?
Over the last twenty years, we have walked through shootings in many different ways. I was sitting in my office in Montana when the Columbine Shooting occurred. It was my mother that called and let me know what was happening because I had a cousin that was attending Columbine at the time of the shooting. We were fortunate that she was able to get away without being hurt. Then there was the Aurora Theater shooting that happened just down the road from where I live. We had friends of our kids that were in the theater that were able to get out uninjured but we did have a young man that we were friends with that lost his life. We spent a lot of time with family and community walking through this together. Now we are dealing with the shooting at the school in Highlands Ranch. Where a young man that we just baptized two weeks ago had his sister attending STEM. She was unharmed in the shooting and is with her family thankfully. But in each of those shootings, there has been loss of life, hurt, anger, and doubt. So people that automatically respond by sharing, “OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT”.
But then there are people that respond back by saying, “BUT YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS AREN’T ENOUGH.” To which I want to share, “But what if that is all you feel that you can do?” When there is so much pain and confusion at a time like this for many people being able to pray and think about those in the midst of the struggle is all they feel that they can do. I know that for me as a person of faith it is the first thing that I do. It is something that I have been doing since Columbine. But then I also know that right now I feel that is all I can do! I feel like we are in a current climate where no matter what side of the aisle you stand politically there is going to be more yelling then listening. There is going to be more posturing and politics then there are possibilities. (Not here to debate politics, just sharing my feelings) I feel like in our current climate we are going to have people that are going to yell keep religion out of this and there are going to be people yelling that is the problem there is no religion. I feel like in our current climate there are going to be people that blame the school system, people that are going to blame parenting, people that are going to blame the police, (sad but true) and there are going to be people that just want to yell and be angry. (I get that.) When you feel like that there is no other option then why not pray?
When I am at a loss of what to do I seek the words of Jesus.
Luke 6:28 (NLT) 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.
Maybe just maybe, if we took some time to pray it would enable us to see things differently. Maybe even enable us to think of the pain and hurt that is involved with this shooting. And wait to start yelling. I know this is just to simple for some. But as a father, a husband, an uncle, and a friend I am just in the place where all I feel I can do is pray. It is my hope that as I do pray that things can and will change.
If you are in the area of Highlands Ranch I know that Mountainview Christian Church is having a time of prayer tonight. Maybe today that is the best place to be.
Last Words
If you were to die today, what would be the last thing you would say?
Would it be an encouraging word to a child at play?
Words of thankfulness to family members for the love they gave?
Words of doubt at a lifetime of decisions you made?
If you were to die today, what would be the last thing you would say?
Would it be a shout of joy for the accomplishments of each day?
Words of anger for the days you had been wronged in some way?
Or would it be nothing as you simply pass away?
If you were to die today, what would be the last thing you would say?
Here is the simple word that I hope to say on my merry way.
Thank you . . .
Thank you for the opportunity to see the child at play
Thank you for the family members and the love they gave
Thank you for a lifetime of decision that was had to be made
Thank you for the accomplishments that happened in a day
Thank you for the feeling of being wronged because it showed my heart was feeling that day
Thank you for the way that I am able to go beyond this mortal plain
Thank you for a Savior that enables me to live again
If you were to die today, what would be the last thing you would say?
Decide to be Disciplined (Part Two)
At the beginning of this year I made the decision to be disciplined when it comes to the important areas of my life. I made the decision to be disciplined when it comes to my health, my life with Jesus, my wife, my leadership and my writing. (at least this writing) I had come to the realization that over the last couple of years that I had allowed stress, laziness, and other people’s priorities to take over how I was living life. It is amazing how easy this can happen, especially when you have not decided to be disciplined with your life.
So when it comes to the area of my life with Jesus I have decided to make journaling, prayer, and reading disciplined. The goal that I have set is to make sure that I do this at least 5 times a week. My health and my ability to grow in my relationship with Jesus have been connected for me when it comes to being disciplined. Once I have completed my workout in the morning I immediately get out my journal and my bible with a cup of coffee (we call it Christian Crack) then take a seat at the dinner table at my house. Sometime it is alone, but most of the time it is with people walking around me. So I will either put in my ear buds or just gently remind people at what I am trying to do. Maybe for you having your time with Jesus needs to be ultimate quiet I get that, but the more that you can show and share what you are doing is a good thing. (set the pace for the family)
What I then do is write about the previous day and how I was able to see God at work in me and around me. After that I write out my prayers. I know that for some people that this would be really strange, but for me it keeps me focused (I also like to go back and read them to see how God is at work). I make it at least two pages in my journal, why I don’t know I just liked it. Then I take the next page and write out things that jump out at me while I am reading the bible. Many of those things I read that day I then write out so that I can read them over and over through out the day. This is the way that I do it, it is a way not the way. Maybe for you reading off your phone is good for you. Maybe for you journalling online is good for you. Maybe for you praying away for minutes maybe hours is good for you. No matter what way you do it you need to make the decision to be disciplined.
What are the ways that you can make your life with Jesus lived out? What are the ways that you are making this time with Jesus a discipline?
Decide to be Disciplined
At the beginning of this year I made the decision to be disciplined when it comes to the important areas of my life. I made the decision to be disciplined when it comes to my health, my life with Jesus, my wife, my leadership and my writing. (at least this writing) I had come to the realization that over the last couple of years that I had allowed stress, laziness, and other people’s priorities to take over how I was living life. It is amazing how easy this can happen, especially when you have not decided to be disciplined with your life.
So when it comes to my health I have decided to get up every morning and work out. In fact the goal that I have set is to workout at least 4 days a week. I had my son who is a personal trainer (you can hire him fright here on twitter @tjbloyer32) design a workout for me that helps me lose weight and gives me energy. Through this I have realized that when it comes to being a follower of Jesus that when my health gives that my ability to serve Jesus better and stronger. I also understand that when it comes to my health that it is a place that I can worship God.
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NLT) 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
So I have decided to honor God with my body and be disciplined to work out and eat healthy. Being disciplined is a decision and today you to can make the decision to live a disciplined life. It’s not going to be easy and there are going to be those moments where you are going to want to fall back into old habits, (sleep in that’s me) but you have made a decision to be disciplined so work hard.
What are the areas of your life that you need to make a priority and decide to be disciplined in today? What are you going to do to make things change?
Living Terricited!
What if I told you that every day should be a little terrifying. What if I told you that if you aren’t walking through your life of faith a little nervous then you aren’t living at all. The problem with both of those statements is that they make us UNCOMFORTABLE. Something that most people in the western community of faith don’t like to hear. I mean we want to be comfortable in our chairs, we want to be comfortable with our coffee, we want to be comfortable in our groups, we just plain want to be comfortable.
Well when my family and I felt that God was leading us to start a church in Colorado we all came up with our own word, “Terricited”. Because every day we were terrified and we were excited at the same time. We were terrified that we were to move back to Colorado a place where I grew up and not as a follower of Jesus. (Dealing with your Past) But excited to be able to share with those same people about how my life has been drastically changed because of Jesus. We were terrified that we didn’t have a place to live and we were struggling to find a place. But we were excited about getting a place that would be a home base for raising our kids as the graduated from high school. We were terrified because I had never been the lead pastor of a church, but I was excited because I had never been the lead pastor of a church. In the New Testament you can read:
Mark 10:32a (NLT) 32 They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear.
The people that were walking with Jesus the son of God in flesh, were in awe of what was going on were also overwhelmed with fear. What does that mean? They were “terricited”! So let me ask you this, where in your life are you terricited? Where are you experiencing the awe of Jesus and the overwhelming fear where you need to see him show up? Where are you terricited? Because honestly I think that more and more of us need to be less comfortable and more terricited. Let’s take some time this week to start getting a little TERRICITED.
Crossroads at Kiowa,CO
Ever have one of those weeks when you are just not sure about where you are going or what you are doing? Am I the only one who has ever felt this way? Well a week ago I just felt overwhelmed and unsure of what I needed to do next. So I got up and worked out, finished reading a book on leadership, and then I went for a ride. I didn’t know where I was going I just pointed the bike east and rode.
I was riding east on E. Qunicy Rd and I went until I ran out of pavement. Then I took a right and just went south not knowing where I was going to end up. It was a perfect day, there was a cool breeze the sun wasn’t to hot and I was able to just soak in the rolling view. For me this was an amazing time where I was truly seeking God and having a great conversation with him as I rode along. I was really seeking to know and hear what God wanted for me at this time in my life. What I didn’t know was that I was on the Kiowa Bennett Road and I was about to be smack dab in the middle of Kiowa population 723 as of the last census. Now I am not proud to say this but as a Colorado Native I didn’t have a clue about Kiowa. When I entered into the town there was not a city sign in site, so literally I had no clue where I was.
So I pulled into the first gas station I could find. My legs were a little stiff from the being on the bike for awhile and I needed to take care of some business and it was exactly what you think. So I struggled into the Sinclair Gas station to find out where I was and to go to the bathroom. As I entered I was greeted by Nasime the man that was running the station. I asked him where was I? “To which he responded well sir you are here.” I said, “I know that but what town is this?” To which he responded, “You are in Kiowa and Jesus will always help you.” I said, “Great thanks!” as I stepped into the bathroom. But my mind was still processing what he had said to me. So when I was done I stepped out and asked him what he had just said to me. With a big smile, Nasime said again; “Jesus will help you all you have to remember is to trust Jesus.”
Now I was so taken back to what he had said that I thanked him handed him my card and walked out the front door with my mouth wide open. I had been praying that God would let me know what I needed to do and from the mouth of Nasime it came. TRUST JESUS! Don’t do anything, don’t go anywhere, don’t try to figure it out, just TRUST JESUS.
Maybe this week you need to hear this, TRUST JESUS. I don’t know what you are going through I don’t know what you are struggling with, I don’t know what burden you are carrying. But I want to encourage you to TRUST JESUS.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NLT) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.6 Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take.
What do you need to trust him with today?
Generosity is who we are . . .
One of the things that I have come to realize is that when it comes to being a generous person its not about what we do it is about who we are. For me I was raised in home where being generous to people around you was just who you were. It wasn’t something you had to think about, or guess about, you just did it. So when I got married I just started doing what I thought was the natural thing to do. Well my wife had grown up differently then me and it was a point of great conversation for us. (That’s called an argument.) So we both had to come to a mutual understanding of what we were going to do when it came to being generous. Which honestly was a really good thing for both of us to come to as a couple. I would really say it was a great chance for me to grow as a husband, father, and as person that works in the faith community. (church)
You see because of that difference between my wife and I it enabled me to see how and why people struggle when it comes to being generous in and with their faith community. For us at Elevation we talk a lot about being generous in fact we want to be known for our “Insane Generosity” to the community around us. But for a community of faith (church) to be generous that means the people of the church need to be generous with what they give to that church. If you are a part of a faith community then you will have heard this is about offerings and about tithing. (We are not going to argue Old Testament vs New Testament giving.) So we want people to see that for us to be generous as a church community then the people need to be a part of that through their generosity through their tithes and offerings.
But most people honestly struggle here because of the different ways that they were raised. Some were raised that all you had was yours and that you take care of your own. Some were raised without anything so you had to keep whatever you had to be able to make it. Others were raised where you were just generous enough to make sure you looked good. While as others were raised with the idea that helping someone in need is just what you did that you were generous.
So it is my hope that I can encourage people to live out a generous life. Whether it is by caring for your neighbor. (Hopefully you know who they are.) By providing some food for another student at your school. (Had one of my kids do this.) Or through the tithes and offerings you share with your community of faith. (My wife does this for us now.) Because as you begin to do this you will be amazed that the words of the New Testament begin to be lived out your life in an amazing way.
Acts 20:35b “You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
How are you living out a life of insane generosity in your life? How are you being generous with your faith community so that they can be generous with the community around it?
Look in the parking lot?
So this weekend I had someone invite me to come and see a car that was in our parking lot. We walked out the front door and the person pointed out the car in the parking lot. My first thought was ok nice car but that is not the make or model that I get all fired up about, I let them know that I am a mustang kind of guy. But then the person drew my attention to the license plate that was on the car. There I saw what had got the attention of the individual.
This is the actual license plate that was on the car. This is not fabricated or changed in any way to make this an interesting picture. For those of you that don’t know we are a church that is in the great state of Colorado where I am a native. A place where it is currently to legally purchase marijuana. Now I don’t intend for this to be a place where we argue about what should be or not be legal. We live in a state where it is legal and I have to live in that reality as a leader. So the person that pointed out the license plate then asked me this question, “What should we do about this?”
My answer to this question was simple, “Make sure they have a great parking spot and they have a good time.” With that answer I saw a look of confusion for a minute. But then I went on to explain what I meant. My answer and my prayer was that this person felt comfortable enough to come and be a part of our church so I wanted us to live out, “It’s ok to not be ok, but God doesn’t want you to stay that way.” I wanted the person that came in this car to understand that they can come here and be cared for and encouraged in their faith journey. Then I wanted the person to know that pointed out the license plate that God is going to be the one that is going to change a life. So we should be excited that this person was with us and hearing about the radical grace of Jesus.
We were not going to run them off because of their license plate because just down the row was another car that I knew the owner was dealing with porn, I knew that there was another car on the next row where the owner was dealing with mental illness, and I knew that there was another car on the other end of the lot that was in legal trouble. The only thing different about this car was that their license plate was letting us know what was going on in their life. So we were going to simply pray for this person, pray that Jesus was going to impress upon their heart about a relationship with Him, pray that this person would experience life change because of who he is and not because we pointed out their license plate. So my encouragement to you is to look in the parking lot, look and see not the license plates but who are the people that are there to be cared for and reached with the radical grace of Jesus? Who knows maybe you need to start with your car.
Christmas Eve Hurt
Last week we celebrated Christmas all over the world and for many people that meant going to Christmas Eve church services. As a pastor of a church I often think about how important that these services can be for people that during the season will come and check out church. I mean if you are involved with volunteering at a church or on staff you have probably seen the investment that comes with getting ready for Christmas Eve. There are decorations, there is lighting, there is sound, the right songs, cookies, people dressed up for Christmas, and stuff for the kids. All of these things are not bad and they can be important for what you are doing at Christmas time. But this year I saw something that has challenged and changed my heart.
You see this year as we were all getting ready that night for Christmas Eve services at our church in Aurora. There were things that really caught my attention you see we had some places that didn’t have enough volunteers, there were some places that didn’t have the right volunteers, heck can I be honest there were places that didn’t have any volunteers. So as I was trying to figure out how to handle the volunteer issue I do what so many other pastors do in this case, I voluntold my son to help me out. Which he did with out a question, ok maybe with one question. Why? I told him that he is in the best place to make a difference during our Christmas Eve services. These words were so true, more than I would have ever known.
You see we had a man show up right about the time I was getting ready to go on stage to speak that was high and very drunk. We do live in CO so the high part is never a shock but the drunk part well that was hard for us all to see. So I as walked on stage I saw one of our elders, my son along and his college friend start to deal with this man. At least that is what I thought.
The truth of the matter is that they took some amazing time to care for this man. What my son shared with me was that this man had just walked in because he saw all the people walking in and heard the music. He told my son that he was feeling lost and so lonely that he thought I might as well walk in there. My son, his friend, and our elder gave him something to eat (cookies are important), then gave him a cup of coffee, and talked with him. Even helped him walk into the auditorium for a chance to hear silent night and watch the candles being lit, after he had fallen twice just trying to sit in a chair in our lobby area.
So when the service was over I came out to meet people and make sure everything was going ok. Well the man had wanted to go have a smoke in the parking lot (nothing new at this church), so my son and his friend went with him. Out there he shared with my son that he had been smoking weed all day and had been drinking with different people he knew all day. That he was lonely and just hurting. Then my son told me the man then proceeded to vomit up the cookies and the coffee. All the while my son stood with him and made sure that he was ok, even patting him on the back as he got sick. The man being very embarrassed, put out his smoke, hugged my son said thank you for listening and caring then walked away towards the street. My son and his friend followed the man to the street making sure that he was safe as he disappeared up the street into the darkness.
My son came back and told me how bad he felt for that man and that he was sorry that they couldn’t have done more.
To be honest as a father and pastor I have never been more proud of my son, our elder, and his friend. Because the truth of the matter is that in many other places and yes churches this man would have been seen as a problem and a nuisance. But on this Christmas Eve he was cared for he was fed and he was invited in to see and hear about the birth of Jesus. So what challenged and changed for me this Christmas Eve? I have always thought about making sure that we are prepared for the people that are coming to check out church. But in all honesty I have never thought about the people that might literally stumble into our church. So it challenged me to start thinking about the people that stumble in that are in need for something other then a church service, especially on Christmas Eve. It has changed me because as I stood on the stage and talked about how the shepherds that came and found Jesus were the outsiders in the community. We had the exact same thing going on right in our lobby. It has changed me because I want us to think about how we can have Christmas Eve services for those that are high, stumbling drunk, and lonely this next year. It changed me because of what an amazing man my son has become and how he cares for the people that no one else wants to care for in this world. It changed me because the elder of our church could have really been more worried about getting the guy out of the building instead of caring for him. He cared for him. It changed me because my sons friend who I know is struggling with the question of faith watched faith in action.
If this would have happened at your church how do you think people would have responded? What can you do next Christmas Eve to make sure that your community of faith is ready for the high, the stumbling drunk, and the lonely that might show up?
Baptism Celebration
Baptism is a celebration and it is amazing.
So yesterday at Elevation we had a baptism celebration at Elevation. It is one of the things that we do that amazes me that I get to be a part of. As a church family and team over the last four and a half years we have celebrated 194 people getting baptized. The baptisms are amazing as we see husbands, wives, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, and friends baptize the people that they know have taken the step of saying yes to a relationship with Jesus. There is nothing more amazing then watching a little boys face as he looks up at his dad after he comes out of the water. I get emotional when I see a spouse that is getting the chance to baptize the person that they are staying with for the rest of their life and eternity.
But then you get to hear the stories of how and why they said yes to a relationship with Jesus. You get to hear about the struggle, the mess, and many times the hurt that lead them to realize their need for Jesus. But then you also get to hear the stories of how families lead in the area of faith, about how students knew that it was what the knew they needed to do, and amazing stories of a life of faith and growth. No story is ever the same and no baptism is every the same because of what is happening in that persons life.
What I am excited to think about though is the stories that I have yet to hear. I am excited about the faces, the families, and the friends that we get to take pictures of baptizing those that are making their life with Jesus public. Who knows maybe you are one of the stories that we are going to get to share.
Vision 2015 (Part Two)
Leading into the year 2015
We want to take a stand for the city of Aurora as a church team and as a family. So we have seen there are ways that we can do that and we hope and pray to follow in the footsteps of King David:
1 Chronicles 19:13 (NLT) “Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.”
So with that in mind we are looking to care for the people that Jesus cares for in our city as well as the rest of the world. It is in that hope that we are excited about several things that are coming. Here are a few of them:
- The Compassion Experience April 17th – 20th will be at the Elevation building in Aurora. The Compassion Experience is an opportunity for you, your family and friends to really experience first hand what it is like to live as a child in a third world country. To find out more information you can click here. (Experience)
- Global Compassion with the our new partnership with Compassion we are going to seek to enable 75 children to be sponsored in Tanzania. We chose Tanzania because of it’s proximity to the Congo and our teammate Justin Wren’s work with the Fight for The Forgotten. Also with our teammate Nicole Rauch and her work in Madagascar with Welcome.
- The Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit August 6th & 7th will be at the Elevation Building. We are excited to be a place where the leaders in our community and other churches in the state will be able to come and grow from the featured speakers and opportunities. If you are interested in being at this event then you can click on the link and get registered today. (Leadership Summit)
These are some of the opportunities that we are taking this year to make an impact both in our city and in the world. In the Vision 2015 Part 3 I will talk about some of the other ways that we plan to engage people so they experience life change in Jesus. If you missed Vision 2015 Part 1 click here to get caught up.
What are some things that you are planning to do this year to make a difference in your community and this world?
“Come & See”
Its about engaging people in a relationship
“Engaging people with experiences that lead to life change.”
When we moved to Colorado to start Elevation it was a passion and desire in us to reach people that didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. Michelle and I had come back to a place where family, friends, classmates, and work friends were living a part from a relationship with Jesus. So from day one we knew that we had to think of how we were going to engage people with experience that lead to life change. One of the things that I have enjoyed is to see how we can follow Jesus lead in this area of our life and our church team. In the New Testament in John there is an amazing interaction with Jesus and some disciple of John the Baptist and then those disciples who began to follow Jesus and their family and friends. But here is the conversation that Jesus has at first:
39 “Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.
Jesus invites these men to come and see. Come and see what? His home, his new sandals, or maybe to see his new X-Box (ok not that)? The invitation was to come and see his life. It was an engaging statement to say come and follow me personally. So many people that are followers of Jesus want to have a process or a mandate on how to reach people for Jesus. The problem with that is in the New Testament we are commissioned to go but it doesn’t necessarily say how to go or exactly what to say or even do. So what I have done is spent my time going and hanging out with people and when they ask me how my life is different or has changed then when we were in high school or college I invite them to come and see. I invite them to spend time together and walk through life together so that they can see who Jesus is in my life and how he has changed me.
I also invite them to join me at the church where I belong. Now I know there are some people that are thinking why would you do that? Church why church? For me it is to get them to see that there are other people like me that have a relationship with Jesus. It also creates the opportunity where they might see or find someone that is dealing with stuff that they are dealing with in their life. That they will get inspired by what they here and experience. It is a “Come and See” about doing life where we accept you warts and all. I am only going to be able to connect with so many people and so are you. So why not create opportunities with a church team where someone that you are in a relationship with just might connect with someone else on the church team that will take them further in their faith journey with Jesus. The goal is that people will experience life change in Jesus. Not that I have all the notches on my bible where people said a statement or made a prayer about Jesus. It is about being involved in a life long spiritual fitness plan that leads to health in a relationship with Jesus and others.
I know that there are going to be people that disagree with this idea. I know that there are going to be people that think we should be running down every street with people yelling about Jesus. That is great and it awesome that you disagree because it still doesn’t change who Jesus is and it doesn’t change that we are called to tell people about Jesus. We all have been gifted and challenged to do it differently because of who we are as a follower of Jesus. Let’s just make sure that we spend more time telling people about Jesus then telling other followers of Jesus that they are not doing it right. Because if that were the case even Phillip who after he was invited to follow Jesus would have been in trouble,
John 1:45 45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” (my emphasis)
He said, “Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth” he didn’t say Jesus the Son of God. What he did is he took what he knew at the moment and he shared it with a friend because he wanted to share with his friend how Jesus had changed his life. He then says,
John 1:46b 46 . . . “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.
What are you doing this week to engage people where you have the opportunity to say, “Come & See”?
If you would like to see more about “Come and See” feel free to watch a talk that Scott gave at Elevation this last week. (Click Here)
Quit Trying to Please Her!
I am sure that there are many women that ultimately read this and think, “What?” Well let me explain what I mean please, before you come gunning for me.
One of the things that I have realized as a husband is that I am always trying to please my wife. It is one of the things that I have always tried to do ever since we were married over 20 years ago. But I have to be honest it is really, really, hard. She is emotional. She can be moody. She confuses me. She cries. Sometimes I have learned that a good cry is just needed. (Never heard men ever say this.) She loves. She cares. She is a great mom. She is an amazing friend. All these things can and will happen with in one day. (I am exaggerating)
I am a man and I am trying to please a woman. It is something that can absolutely drive you out of your mind.
So I “Quit trying to please her!”
What I did instead was try to please Jesus when it came to her. It may sound like something for people who are not followers of Jesus as weird. Heck for some people that say they are followers of Jesus this may sound weird. But for me I realized that I am never going to be exactly what she wants or do exactly what she wants. So if I am trying to be the follower of Jesus that he is leading me to be then I am going to please her in ways that I would never be able to accomplish on my own.
You see if I love her unconditionally with the radical grace of Jesus it has was less to do with her and more with Him. The idea came to me when I read these verses from the bible:
Ephesians 5:25 & 26 25 “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.”
So that means for me the goal is to seek to please Jesus and that ultimately will give me the opportunity to please her. But if I am trying to do it the other way around then I am going to be constantly frustrated and trying to hit a moving (Crying) target.
What are ways that you can seek to follow Jesus that will lead you to be a better husband? If you are not a follower of Jesus then what are some principals that you may know are from the bible that can help you please your gal?
Sunday Night Thoughts
This weekend was another awesome experience at Elevation. But you may be wondering what makes it an awesome experience? Well, I am glad that you asked that question. Here are just a few things that made it an awesome experience:
- We had four people say, “Yes to Jesus”. That means that they took the ultimate step in their spiritual formation as a follower of Jesus.
- We had our Dream Team together before anyone even showed up for church. They sat together, they prayed together, and they took communion together. Why? Because great teams know what you are to do to prepare for a great day.
- We had four people attend the Discover The Church Team Workshop and see what it means to be a teammate at Elevation. Each story of how they came to be a part of Elevation was so inspiring.
- We were able to celebrate with being a part of the launch of Front Range Christian Church in Castlerock, CO. We even spent time praying for them and their team as they seek to reach people for Jesus.
- We also started a new series, “Mr. & Mrs. Better half”. A relationship series that is challenging us to become better when it comes to the other people in our lives.
It is our hope and prayer that we will be able to share some exciting news about Elevation and in the coming days and weeks. There are some things that are happening that you are just going to be amazed to hear about. Stay tuned.
What about Spanish speaking?
At Elevation we have what we call the “Advance The Line” campaign. It is our hope that we are going to reach 1,000 people in the city of Aurora in the next year. So we have developed this campaign and prayed about what it would look like in our community. One of the things that we realized about the city is that we are seeing more and more people that speak Spanish. That there are families that have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation families that are from a Spanish speaking background in our community.
So we thought what would it look like for a church in Aurora to bring both english and spanish speaking people together. What would it look like for a church to develop a process of having the different generations of spanish speaking people all in one church. A church that is not the typical spanish speaking church with it’s traditionalism or even the charismatic side of things that are associated with a spanish speaking church. Through all of this we are excited to let people know that we have added to our team a leader that we believe is going to help us create this new opportunity as a church in Aurora for all of these people.
So I would love for you to meet Neill Snyder he is the guy that we believe that God has brought to us so that we can be exactly the church for Aurora. He and his wife are going to be helping us reach out to the spanish speaking people of Aurora. So if you would like to meet Neill, talk with Neill, or give Neill a big hug you can email him at neill.snyder@elevationcc.com Over the next several months we are going to be working to forge a plan where we are going to engage people so they can experience life change in Jesus. We are planning as of now to be launching spanish speaking experiences on Easter weekend in 2014. If you are interested or if you are just curious please let us know or even take the time to come and check out Elevation as we prepare to “Advance the Line“.
Sunday Night Thoughts
I am really excited about the new series that we have started today at Elevation. The focus for this series is getting people to understand that when they are in a relationship with Jesus that they become, “NEW”. In fact the theme verses for this series are:
2 Corinthians 5:16&17 16 “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
The hope is that people will be able to see that God being a great dad has enabled us to have a new life through His son Jesus. That when we are in a relationship with His son we are able to get a new start and that we are no longer who we used to be. So why is it that I hear more and more followers of Jesus identify themselves with their past or with their problems? Why also is it that as followers of Jesus that we feel more and more okay with pointing our fingers at others past’s and problems? I believe that it is because we forget that we are NEW in Jesus.
So here are some NEW things that I want to share with you:
- We were able to see 4 people say Yes to a relationship with Jesus.
- From those 4 people, 2 of them picked up gift bags at Information Services.
- There were new people deciding to be on the Dream Team at Elevation.
- We had 26 people pick up Christmas gift tags for the students at Mrachek that are a part of Save Our Youth.
- I had a mother share with me that both her and her daughter felt comfortable at Elevation. In fact she already felt like it was home for them.
- We also asked the people who attend Elevation to share with us the pictures and stories of the tattoo’s that they have. So that we can really understand how they feel that they have been marked.
I can not wait to see what happens as we continue to through this series this month. We also are going to be sharing some really exciting news this coming weekend. So if you are in Aurora this weekend, be at Elevation on Sunday. It’s going to be a rush!
Advance The Line
At Elevation on October 6th we celebrated our Third Anniversary as a church in Aurora. It was a great day where we talked about what has happened in the life and people of Elevation and what is going to come. It is on that day we revealed the “Advance The Line” campaign. We are preparing and planning to engage 1000 people in the next year. It is a goal that is way above any thing that we could possibly do on our own and is only going to happen because God shows up. Much like when Gideon went into battle, with only a kazoo and a flashlight. (My twist to the story.)
So what does “Advance The Line” mean. When a battle is being fought there is always a line that is to be crossed. That when men used to fight they would draw a line in the sand and then they would be asked to tow the line. The line is a figurative way for us to remember that the kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing. (Matthew 11:12)
Here is what the “Advance The Line” campaign looks like and then how you can help to be a part of this advancing line:
- The development of storefront or warehouse property where Elevation can be seen as permanent in the community. Unfortunately there are too many church starts that are coming and going in Aurora and people are noticing, especially people that don’t go to church. (Why should I go to your church? You won’t be here in a year any way.)
- We are going to plant a Spanish speaking campus right along with Elevation. We are going to call it Elevation Espanol and it is going to work in conjunction with Elevation to engage people so they experience life change in Jesus. There are currently 70,000 documented Spanish speaking people in Aurora and approximately another 50,000 undocumented Spanish speaking people. They all need to hear about the radical grace of Jesus.
- We want to reach students and their families in a new way. So we are along with the help of another church in the state going to start a driving school. If you want to reach people that no one else is reaching you need to do things that no one else is doing. (Don’t know who said that.)
- It is our hope to have an inflatables business where we are involved in the parties and events of the community. We have already been blessed by a church that is given us four inflatables. We hope to call this business “E-flatables” and use this business to spend time and develop relationships with people all around the city.
- Then finally have in the campaign to begin the process of having a fitness gym. Our hope is to call it “Elevation Fitness”. We want to let people know that we care about them physically, mentally, and spiritually. All with the hope of building a bridge through a relationship with people so they can experience life change in Jesus.
This is the “Advance The Line” campaign and it is an audacious and huge plan to engage people so they experience life change in Jesus. It is our hope that not only will we be able to reach people but that we will see God move through this in such a way that we can help other church planters and plants see the possibilities of reaching people this way. But we are raising support to get all this going. So if you are reading this and this is something that you are interested in supporting financially then here is how you can do that. You can click on the link ADVANCE and it will enable you to give online to the “Advance The Line” campaign. If you would like more information on this courageous endeavor then please feel free to email me here scott.bloyer@elevationcc.com I would love to share with you more.
What are some things that you are praying about doing that is going to “Advance The Line” where you are living?
On The Steps!
A couple of Sunday mornings ago I was just wrecked by what we found on the top of these stairs at Mrachek Middle School. You see it was a typical Sunday morning for me, I got up early. Took out the street signs for the church that morning, praying over each sign as I put it in place. Then I drove back to the school and begin helping the different teams that we have setting up for the experiences that we offer at Mrachek Middle School as a portable church. There was the typical conversations going on over the music that we have playing while things are getting put into place. I have to be honest it is really fun to be with every one while they are setting up. But then Morgan my daughter came over to me and said, “Dad I found something when I was taking out the trash. There are feet sticking out at the top of the stairs outside the school.”
With that comment I immediately went walking very quickly to where she had seen the feet. I told her to stay at the bottom of the stairs and told her if I tell you to get help do it quickly. So as I cautiously walked up the stairs I noticed that it was not just one set of feet but two. I noticed that there was a bike leaning against the wall at the top and that there as I cleared the top stair were two high school aged boys laying there.
My first thought and pray was please God don’t let them be dead, because the way they were laying was very odd. So I quietly as not to startle them said, “Hey Guys are you okay?” There was no movement at all, but by this time I could see there breath coming out as it was one of our first cold nights. I again said the same thing only this time I shook the foot of one of the boys and I spoke a little bit louder. They both moved and looked at me with sleepy and very bloodshot eyes. I asked them if they were okay and if they wanted to come in and get something to eat and drink or to even to just warm up. But they both sheepishly said’ “No”. I asked again and they said, “No”. I then turned and walked down the stairs to see my daughter there standing before me. By the time I had walked back into the school I was overwhelmed with a series of thoughts here are the top three:
- Why didn’t any of us notice that they were there? (Other then my daughter Morgan who came after others were already in the building.)
- Where were their parents? Were they looking for them?
- What could I have done differently?
Then through all that I started thinking about Jesus and how in the bible it shares his perspective on those that are lost:
Luke 19:10 (NLT) 10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
I thought about how every day that you and I walk around our neighborhoods and we don’t notice the feet of those that are missing out on a relationship with Jesus. I thought about how God being the good dad that he is says in Psalm 23 that he is pursing us. I thought about how I need to be more intentional when it comes to not just running through life and that I need to stop and look around for the feet at the top of the stairs.
What are you doing in your life when it comes to looking for the feet at the top of the stairs?
Sunday Night Thoughts
The team that God has brought to Elevation.
Tonight, was a great night as Gregg and I team taught the “Discover Your Church Team” at Elevation. It also aloud me to think about the things that we experienced today as a church team. Especially when I heard people that have been attending for just a short while talk about Elevation and the people that make up our team.
- The people on your Ekidz Team really do a great job of making sure that are kids are safe and have fun.
- We love the music and the band they are really excited about what they are doing and how they do it.
- We had a lady take us to where the coffee and doughnuts were and then made sure we knew where the bathrooms were. I needed to use the bathroom but was embarrassed to ask.
- Had a lady share on FB that she came to church by herself because her husband was working and she let her kids sleep in. But then we she got home and her high school girls let her know that they wanted to go with her. She said, “I love that my girls love our church as much as we do.”
- Had someone share that they feel like that God is talking to them every time they come to an experience.
The awesome thing about this is it is all because of the Dream Team that we have serving at Elevation each week. There is not one person that can take credit for all of this. (Other then Jesus.) We are blessed to have so many talented people serving at Elevation in the place where they feel gifted and created to serve. Just like the 1992 Dream Team that played in the Olympics for the United States. That team was the best of the best and they each new the part that they were to play on the team. Just like the team mates at Elevation. They are not trying to do it all they are just trying to do it well and make sure people know they do it because of Jesus. This is a thank you to all the people that serve at Elevation on the Dream Team you make it possible to do what we do.
If you are a part of a church team what is the best thing that you get to do each week?
"Psycho for Jesus" Scott Bloyer 