LiveForgiven

We went looking for Jesus on the move.  Many of you have asked “What happened?”

We found Him… 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68ajJVIISZU

I’m told that when Elvis finished his concerts (back when he was even bigger than Hannah Montana) organizers would announce that he had left the building, presumably so everyone would stop screaming and leave themselves.  This past Sunday the members of First Baptist Church of McKinney left the building.  We decided not to go to church but to be the church.  It’s all part of seismic shift that’s taking place in the church.  Thousands of people across McKinney, Collin County, and the metroplex decided to be the very presence of Jesus among the least, lost, and forgotten.  We joined such partners as the Samaritan Inn (the only homeless shelter in Collin County), Relay for Life, Children and Community Healthcare, McKinney Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity, Seed Sowers Prison Ministry, Kiwanis, Union Gospel Mission, and countless others.  Hundreds of projects were established that resulted in a wild and wonderful display of the radical grace of God.

Not long ago I heard pastor/author Rick Warren say, “The Body of Christ has had its hands and feet amputated and all that’s left is a big mouth.”  Ouch.  His words broke my heart because I’ve sensed this truth for a long time.  As church attendance continues to decline across America many emerging leaders recognize that something’s wrong and we need to change (the biblical word is repent). 

How did the apostolic (early) Church grow from as few as 25,000 in AD 100 to as many as 20,000,000 by AD 310?  Consider the odds: They were an illegal religion throughout most of this time.  They had no church buildings, no professional leadership, no worship bands, Power Point, children’s programs, or sound systems.  They didn’t even have the Scriptures as we know them.  Essentially they little of what we’ve made church out to be.

What did they have?  They had a passion for Jesus and His restorative agenda in the world.  In partnership with God they were committed to bring hope, life, and healing to everyone around them.  They were willing to wade into the cultural, economic, financial, and social issues of the day and get their hands and feet dirty.  Simply put, they loved God and others.  How do we recapture this same missional heartbeat?  Clearly by doing the same.  Our love for Jesus must be made manifest in our love for others.  We must serve the most forsaken people, places, and issues in our world without fear, regardless of how messy, painful, or costly it may become. 

It seems that Jesus has been lost in an institution that bears His name.  The Church must rediscover its missional imperative and incarnational initiative in our world.  I’m critical of institutionalism not because it’s evil but because the greatest Jesus movements have always been when the Church had little of anything that looked like an institution.  What happens when the church leaves the building?  The poor are blessed, the hungry are fed, the homeless and the imprisoned are given hope.  God’s people realize that simply going to church will never bring the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. 

I’ve never been more excited about the Church than I am today because I’m seeing a host of emerging leaders who get it.  An amazing shift is taking place among us as we’ve discovered that the Gospel is bigger than any of us imagined and a loving engagement of all people is evidence of it.  Jesus did not come to simply save us from sin but to set us free from ourselves so that we might serve others.  Maybe then they’ll listen to what we have to say or maybe Jesus will speak for us.

This may seem like a strange challenge from a pastor to his church family.  But that’s exactly what I said.  This Sunday, April 27^th, everyone who is a part of FBC McKinney has decided not to go to church but to be the church.  What happens when the church leaves the building?  The Church becomes what it was always meant to be.  The Church was never intended to stay in the building.  If you’ve been around FBC lately, or if you’ve talked to someone who has, you know that an amazing shift is taking place among us.  We’ve decided that we do not exist for ourselves but for others.  Jesus has come to transform our hearts so that we can transform our world with His love.  We want Him to be Lord of our lives and we’ve decided to join Him in what He’s doing in the world.

Throughout April we’ve been challenging each person to “Transform Your World”.  Hundreds of projects have been established by our members and we want you to join us.  Go to our website www.fbcmckinney.com and you’ll see all the Transform Your World information and how you can get involved.  Many of the activities take place throughout the week and all weekend.  Come rediscover the forgotten mission of Jesus and join us as we look at the Church and our world in brand new ways.  We desire to be a source of healing wherever we encounter injustice, discord, and neglect.  We’re convinced that the Church Jesus envisioned is not an institution but a revolution of hope and healing to all people.

If Jesus lived in our community where do you think He would be found?  We believe that if Jesus was in Collin County He would be among the least and the lost.  His heart would break over those who have no food, no shelter, no healthcare, and no hope.  He’s broken our hearts as well.  That’s why we’ve joined such high-integrity partners as the Samaritan Inn, Children and Community Healthcare, McKinney Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity, Seed Sowers Prison Ministry, area nursing homes, and countless others.  It will be a wild and wonderful display of the radical grace of Jesus.  The entire month will culminate on May 5^th with our annual “Transform Your World” offering that will be given away to help share the love of Jesus around the world.  It is going to be an earth-shaking, heaven-descending kind of movement.  Watch while stories of redemption emerge as we go find Jesus on the move and join Him in what He’s doing.  McKinney, let’s partner together and transform your world!

You can hear more from Jeff at First Baptist Church of McKinney at one their six services.  For locations, service times, podcasts, or to watch live, go to www.fbcmckinney.com

What happens when the church leaves the building?  We’re about to find out.  The truth is the Church spends most of its time outside the building and was never intended to stay in the building.  If you’ve been around First McKinney much lately, you know that we seek to be a church on mission with Jesus in the world.  Jesus has come to transform our hearts so we can transform our world with His love. 

Our focus in April is “Transform Your World” and throughout the month we’ll explore what happens “When the Church Leaves the Building”.   We seek to rediscover the forgotten mission of Jesus and begin to look at the Church and our world in brand new ways.  We seek to be a source of healing wherever we encounter injustice, discord, and neglect.  We believe that Jesus is the Answer and He is the One who brings hope and healing to all people through us.   

On April 27^th we will literally “leave the building” and worship the Lord through service in our community.  Instead of going to church, we’re going to be the church.  Our entire church family will be on mission throughout the weekend.  It will be a wild and wonderful display of the radical grace of Jesus.  The entire month will culminate on May 5^th with our annual “Transform Your World” offering.  It is going to be an earth-shaking, heaven-descending kind of movement of God’s people.  Watch while stories of redemption emerge as we go find Jesus on the move and join Him in what He’s doing.  (We’ve got a hunch as to where we might find Him- among the least and lost of our community). 

Jump in and hang on!  www.fbcmckinney.com/Default.aspx?p=14526

www.walkthroughthedoor.org 

Jesus is the Door to life.  In John 10:9 Jesus says, “I am the Gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and out, and find pasture.”  Notice that being “saved” allows us to have freedom to “come in and out, and find pasture.”  Jesus died so that we might actually be set free.  In Galatians 5:1, Paul says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”  I used to think this verse was redundant until I realized the power behind it.  Jesus didn’t die to simply save us from the penalty of our sins (though that’s an amazing exchange); He died to save us from our sins- here and now.  Too many of us have come to believe that once we cross the line of faith and receive salvation, we’re done.  I’ve discovered that the Gospel is much bigger than that.  Jesus didn’t die simply to save us from hell.  He had something more like a transformation in mind.  The Gospel has the power to transform your life, if you’ll walk through the door(s) that He’s calling you through.  As we walk with Him He leads us to wide open pastures of grace and selfless living.

During this season of sacrifice and commitment, I’m challenging each of us to consider what doors we need to walk through.  The driving story for us this Easter is the Exodus.  The BIG story of God is the story of freedom and liberation- saving us from oppression of sin and slavery to self.  What’s your story?  Tell the world by going to…  

 www.walkthroughthedoor.org       

You could smell it before you could see it.  Something was in the air… and it was not good.  I was at the city dump in Zone 3 of Guatemala City.  I was in the city preparing for a trip we’ll be taking this summer and I found myself in the midst of one of the worst humanitarian tragedies I’ve seen.  Here, thousands of people live and many survive off the dump heaps.  They rummage through the garbage every day to find something to eat, to keep, or to sell.  I was there late in the afternoon when I saw a woman walking away from the dump, her front completely covered with dark, wet filth.  She had obviously been going through the garbage much of the day.  I saw another woman (pictured above) carrying two very large bags of garbage up a hill.   

In a meeting with partnering pastors and leaders I met Carol.  Carol has a heart for the women who live around the dump.  Many of these women are single and were formerly (or are currently) involved in prostitution and drug use.  There is a kindergarten near by where many of these children come to be loved and cared for throughout the day.  At night, Carol teaches women how to sew so that they might have a means of income.  I told her I had to see this.  What I saw broke my heart and, at the same time, gave me hope. 

This summer I’m hoping to take a group of 70 to 100 people with me to Guatemala City to bring compassion, hope, and the love of Christ to the people there.  We’ll have a chance to make difference in this dark spot of the world.  I sensed the presence of Christ in this place.  I know that He loves the people there and I do too.  

I hope you’ll pray about coming with me.  Check out the “Transforming Your World” website at http://www.fbcmckinney.com/Default.aspx?p=14526 or just call our church office to find out how you can get involved.

On the 15^th of this month, 79 years ago, Michael Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia.  His name was later changed to Martin, the son and grandson of Baptist pastors.  He himself served as co-pastor with his father at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta while he became the central figure in the civil rights movement in the United States. 

On August 28^th, 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech that would shake a nation and the world (and I can tell you, by the way, as a pastor/preacher- one who traffics constantly in words- this is one of the finest speeches/sermons ever preached).  Dr. King was so articulated, so clear, so picturesque in his words, but what drove his message home was his passion- and even more so, I believe a divine anointing upon his life.  Consider the fact that he was only 34 years old. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream and it was a dream aligned with God’s dream for a better world.  Let his words resonate in your heart again:  

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal….’I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.” 

“…One day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.  I have a dream today.  I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” 

In April of 1968, Dr. King, went to Memphis, TN in support of mistreated black sanitation workers.  On April 4^th he stood with a friend outside his hotel room on the second floor balcony.  A shot rang out and an assassin’s bullet hit Dr. King and the civil rights leader was dead at the age of 39.  To get deeper into the heart of this man we need only listen to his final words preached the night before he died. Listen, in light of what would happen the next day: “Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. (Amen.) But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop.  And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.  Longevity has its place.  But I’m not concerned about that now.  I just want to do God’s will.  And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain.  And I’ve looked over.  And I’ve seen the promised land.  I may not get there with you.  But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.  And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything.  I’m not fearing any man.  Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”  

Martin Luther King had a life mission.  His one life made a difference.  Let me ask you, do you think that only certain people have a mission in life?  That maybe there are only a few people who really have a God-given dream?  Or could it be that every single one of us has been given a dream- by God- to serve His eternal Kingdom purposes while we’re here on this earth?   

Throughout this month let’s allow the life and the words of Martin Luther King Jr.(and even more so, the words of our Lord Jesus) to inspire us to dream as well.  Each of us has a God-given dream that He’s calling us to live.  And our God-given dream has the potential to change our world.  Your dream may or may not find its way on the national or international stage (it may!) but your God-given dream is unique to you and given to you to fulfill your life’s purpose.    

So, let me ask you: What do you dream about?   

Questions to Ponder this Month:

• What is your dream for life?
• What is the vision/calling (or God-given picture) of your life?
• If you had unlimited resources (of time, money, energy, people) what would you want to accomplish with the rest of your life?
• What do you love to do more than anything else?  What makes you feel fully alive?  Why?
• What do hate the most?  What makes you angry?  Why?
• What do you do best?  What are your best gifts?  (You’ve heard others tell you this).
• What is God’s unique mission for your life?

How will you fulfill this mission- starting today?

My Christmas card to you.  Merry Christmas. 

jeff

This year Stacy and I have decided to have an upside down Christmas.  In fact, I want to challenge you to have an upside down Christmas as well.  We’re going to work hard to make this Christmas different in many ways.  As you know, Christmas is celebrated differently around the world.  It is no surprise to any of us that here in America it has become a focus on materialism and getting more stuff we don’t need.  So much so that those of us who truly want to celebrate the Savior’s birth need to be very intentional in doing so.  There’s one place in the world, however, where Christmas looks altogether upside down.   

I love Australia but if you go “down under” (to Australia or New Zealand) you’ll truly experience an “upside down Christmas”.  You see, there it’s summertime.  December through February is the warmest time of the year and Christmas is right in the middle of summer.  Santa is coming to town on a surfboard and Rudolph’s red nose is going to need some sunscreen.  The only white Christmas they’ll see is the white sand on Bondi Beach.  Instead of elves scurrying around, you may need to watch for koalas crawling around in the eucalyptus trees.  It’s cooler in the south and it’s warmer in the north and the currents flow in opposite directions.  Don’t throw another log on the fire unless you’re putting it on the “barbie”.  What a strange Christmas that would be for those of us who live on the “right” side of the world.      

This year let’s devote ourselves to an upside down Christmas.  I want Christmas this year to look altogether different from what our world has made it out to be.  Instead of the rat race of shopping and running from one event to the next, I’m going to slow down and spend more time in conversation with those I love.  Instead of seeing what I might get, I’m going to join a bunch of my favorite people and see what we can give to our community.  We’re going to the Samaritan Inn to sing with the homeless and spread some Christmas love to those who, like baby Jesus, have no place to lay their heads this Christmas.  Instead of racing through the holidays, I’m going to pause and pray and thank God for His Son, my Savior.  Instead of looking through the latest catalog of gifts available, I’m going to look through His Word and discover the gift of His love for me.   Not getting, but giving.  Not me, but others.  Ah yes, I’m having an upside down Christmas. 

It’s always been that way you know- upside down.  The big God became small.  Spirit took on flesh.  Holiness came to a sinful world.  The perfect was clothed in imperfection.  The sinless took on sin.  The eternal stepped into time.  The One who is life died for me.  What an upside down Christmas.  “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27.  An upside down Savior.  That’s the God we worship.  That’s the God of Christmas.  Let’s make this one different.  Let’s have an upside down Christmas. 

Merry Christmas from the Warren family to you and yours. 

We love you. 

(I’ve been a fan of Sara Groves’ music for years.  Now I’m a fan of her.)

Have you ever noticed how some people seem more grateful than others?  What’s the difference?  Why are some people thankful and others not?  What about you?  Would others describe you as a thankful person?  I think that a life of thanksgiving (or “thanksliving”) is a choice.  But I’m also convinced that the more vibrant your walk with Christ, the more grateful you are.  When you align yourself and, therefore your life, up with God’s perspective on life (that is, who you are and who He is), you will live a life of gratitude.  To the degree that we are not aligned to God’s Way, we become less grateful.  It’s possible to choose a life of gratitude but you must first acknowledge a few things… 

1.  Acknowledge what you have. 

The Bible says over and over again to “remember” what God has done for you.  The old hymn says, “Count your many blessings- name them one by one… count your many blessings, see what God has done.”  Health, home, church, family, friends, job, trials.  Are you content with what you have?  Or do you always tend to want more?  Be grateful for what you have.  Why are Americans so seemingly ungrateful?  How can such a materialistic people learn to be grateful?  What’s the solution?    

2.  Acknowledge why you have.     

• Not by your own power.  “He has made us and we are His.” Psalm 100:3   Everything you have is from God so “enter His courts with thanksgiving- give thanks to Him.”      
• Not by your own position.  Your position of power or wealth was not of your own doing.  We see this in the book of Daniel where Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way that “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes.”  Every person of any position has been put there by God.  If you have had any success vocationally or financially it’s only because of God.  God is the one who gives and takes away.  Whatever position you have has been given to you by God.
• Not by your own person.    “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’, says the Lord almighty.”  Zechariah 4:6  Why do some people have a sense of entitlement?  They seem to think the world owes them something, that they deserve what they want.  Others are so humble and so grateful when they receive even something small.   

3.  Acknowledge how you have.     

• You are blessed.   “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth and He adds no trouble to it.” Proverbs 10:22  Wealth brings great trouble when it comes through ungodly means.       
• You are loved.  Everything we have is an act of grace from God.  Romans 5:8  says “while we were sinners Christ died for us.”  1 John 4:10 says,  it’s not that we loved God but that He first loved us.  And verse 19 says we can now love others in the same way.   
• You are responsible.  1 Corinthians 4:1-2 says, those who are given a trust must be found faithful.”  You are a steward of all that you have.  How do I steward all that I have been given?  I am responsible for the grace that I have received from God. 

4.  Acknowledge who you have.     

• Family- express thanks to your family.       
•  Friends- let a friend know how grateful you are to have him/her in your life.       
•  Others- people in your life- your brothers and sisters in Christ.  In the end, life is really about who you have, not what you have.  If you want friends, be a friend.

Remember, gratitude is always centered on Christ. 

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”  Romans 8:32   

All of God’s blessings begin with Jesus.  It’s why Thanksgiving is clearly a believers’ holiday.  It reminds me of the atheist who suddenly felt profoundly grateful and realized he had no one to thank.  We know who to thank.  Our gratitude is ultimately focused on a Person.  So, let’s thank Him!