Supporting Our Youth

We have ten youth going on a mission trip this summer, leaving May 30, and as we do every year, we need your support. We need you to pray during their time of preparation. We need you to pray every day while they are on their trip. We need you to prayerfully consider helping with the costs. It is a genuine privilege to be able to send our youth every summer on some project to serve the needs of others.

But there's something more important than money (but less important than prayer!) that I am asking from you on their behalf.

More than just helping them get there, I want you to consider the formative value of this trip on our youth. These trips are great for getting youth out of their comfort zones and normal routines, which then makes them more open to the Spirit's work in their lives. Putting our youth on a mission trip is putting them in an environment rich in opportunities for "spiritual growth spurts." The money we give to get them there is money putting them in a place for God to be uniquely at work. Praying for them while they're there will certainly results in more of God's work in their lives.

Even more important is what we teach the youth by the level of enthusiasm and support we show to them, not just in prayer and gifts, but in the encouragement we give, the questions we ask them, the amount of personal interest we show them in their lives. By being enthusiastic and interested supporters of their trip, and of their spiritual development, we teach them invaluable lessons about life priorities, the proper role of the church, the importance of serving others, and so on.

In other words, HOW we show support of their trip, and TO WHAT EXTENT, will teach our youth foundational truths that can help them develop in the right directions. If we show lackluster support of them, we teach them that sacrificing in order to serve others isn't really important. If we show enthusiastic support of them, we teach them that this is the kind of Christian life that really matters.

Give if you can. Pray, because you can. But also - make sure the students know that you are personally and enthusiastically interested in the opportunities they have to serve and to grow. Let them know that we care deeply how they develop as believers. Let them know that we are committed to God's priorities for their lives. Find some way with the spoken word, a written note, a shared prayer, any way to show them their trip is important to us.

How to Mark Up Your Study Bible

In a recent sermon, I briefly mentioned the concept of marking up your study Bible as one way to be more diligent as a student of God's Word. Making marks and notations in your Bible can help you to understand the text you're presently studying, and can also help you months and years later to remember things God has taught you. But, I didn't really have any time to give advice on how you might go about this.

First, consider having just one Bible dedicated for this purpose. Rather than mark up one book in one Bible, and another book in another Bible, scattering your notes across several Bibles, designate one to be your study Bible. I would recommend a more literal translation for this purpose, such as the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), or the New King James Version (NKJV). Although other translations such as the New International Version (NIV) can be used, I find the more literal translations better for notetaking. The New English Translation (NET) can be good for notetaking if you get the version that has all the translators' notes included. Whichever Bible you choose, select one with wide margins and that includes lots of cross references. (I also like to have Bibles that I never write in, so that nothing I wrote distracts me from reading what God wrote.)

My method is not the only method or even the best method. I describe it only as an example of ways you can mark up your Bibles. When I'm studying a passage, I use the following markings:

• Underline commands (imperatives) - these are things I should be doing
• Underline with upward "spikes" at each end to designate the main topic - draws the eye quickly to what the passage is about
  
• Circle repeated words and repeated ideas - if they are repeated, they are usually important (sometimes, I'll draw lines to connect circles to show what things connect together)
  
• Checkmark next to promises made and promises fulfilled - to see God's intents and His faithfulness
• Exclamation point next to verses that describe God's character - points out how God is described in a given passage, which is often key to understanding the passage
  
• Highlight verses I want to memorize - helps key phrases stand out (longer passages can be outlined with a highlighter rather than highlighting every line)
  
• Highlight cross references that are particularly important - helps me to know later which of the cross references are more pertinent than others
  
• Write in the margins key ideas, revelations, questions, and explanation - quick notes to help interact with the text (for example, if the author makes three points, then I will write "1" next to the first, "2" next to the second, and so on to help me see how the three points fit together)
  

There are many, many methods that you can find in Bible studies, web sites, and Christian books. The main thing is to find (or develop) a method that works for you - not too complicated, not too encrypted, and not too "busy" that it would interfere with the goal of understanding God's Word.

A couple of words of caution - don't get carried away! If you mark up too much, you end up obscuring God's Word, not making it stand out. Every verse is worth highlighting, but if we highlight every verse, then we've accomplished nothing. Also, be careful with what you write in the margins. A particular thought may seem groundbreaking when you have it, but years later, it may seem very unimportant. Use some discretion, and try to keep your margin comments to the timeless truths or clear explanations - things that are not likely to lose their import as you mature in your understanding. Finally, never let the markings take the place of reading God's Word - you may be tempted to just read the circled works and highlights the next time you read a passage. Resist that temptation - always read God's Word, and then let the notes help you process what God has to say.

Marking up a Bible is great for coming back later and quickly seeing the main points and ideas of a passage. But I also find that the process of marking a Bible itself helps me to understand God's Word. When I'm circling repeated words or enumerating the three commands of a passage, I'm forcing myself to understand the structure and main ideas of the passage. Just by marking up the Bible, I'm interacting with God's Word.

Easter

What if Jesus was never raised from the dead? What if He was born of a virgin, had a ministry of teaching about the Kingdom of God with such authority to amaze the crowds, healed people of their diseases, calmed the storm, cast out demons, was betrayed and handed over for crucifixion to pay for our sins - everything the same, except no resurrection? What would be different about Christianity? Besides, isn't it His death that paid for our sin?

First, we would have no victory over death. Jesus defeated death not by dying on the cross, but by rising on the third day. If death held Jesus in its grip forever, then death would have more power than He does. We could not say that He has victory over death and offers us that same victory if He never went through death and ended up walking away from it.

Second, Jesus would not be able to ascend to the throne and reign forever if He never made it out of the grave. He would not be preparing a place for us, because He wouldn't be there to prepare it, and we wouldn't be joining Him there, anyway.

Third, if Jesus was not raised from the dead, then we would have no hope of being raised from the dead, too. He says that He is the resurrection and the life, and that if we believe in Him, we will live even if we die. However, if He doesn't live after going through death, then what hope do we have? What good would it be if He paid for our sin, but never paved the way for resurrection so that we could enjoy the eternal benefits of having our sin forgiven?

Fourth, the resurrection of Christ is the confirmation that He is in fact fully divine. If the tomb could hold Him, then we would all naturally assume that He was just a man. But if He has more power than death, then we have all the evidence we need to conclude that He is none other than the Son of God, equal with God, of the same essence and substance as God, and yet a distinct person from the Father. The resurrection sets Jesus apart from Muhammed and Buddha and the Dalai Lama.

The resurrection is essential to Christian doctrine. It's not just a happy ending to the sad story of His passion. Jesus is not the Messiah without the resurrection.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Online Theology Program

Bible.org has an online theology program that allows you to study the areas of theology that you want, at your own pace, in whichever order you want. The program is a joint effort of several Bible scholars, and is theologically sound. You can study individually online (free) or as a small group (for a fee for the DVDs).

Before you think that "studying theology" is only for some, consider that every Christian is a theologian, and every time you hear a sermon or get involved in a Bible study, you're already "doing theology." With this course, you can dig as deeply as you want, but you're not obligated to dig according to anyone else's standard.

In my opinion, one of the greatest benefits of studying theology is that it gives you a mental framework to better understand every sermon, every Bible study, and every time you just pick up the Bible and read. Furthermore, a theological framework helps you to make connections between various theological ideas which may seem to you to be unrelated. And finally, a theological framework gives you a platform to develop new thoughts and ideas about God's truth - an increased ability to be creative, and yet stay within the boundaries of Truth.

Simply navigate your web browser to http://bible.org and then click on "The Theology Program". The instructions are straightforward.

What is "Missional"?

I have mentioned a few times lately the term "missional," and have tried to explain what the word means as I use it. I can tell that most of you have a good (but perhaps still a little vague) idea of the term refers to. It would be beneficial to have one of the books on the subject do the explaining for me. I pulled the following from Milfred Minatrea's Shaped by God's Heart: The Passion and Practice of Missional Churches.

Minatrea describes a missional churches as "reproducing communities of authentic disciples, being equipped as missionaries sent by God, to live and proclaim His Kingdom into their world." This is by no means a radical or unusual definition of what a church should be. The real difference is that there is a renewed effort to reverse the trend among the churches to gravitate toward being "maintenance churches" - churches that spend most of their energy maintaining themselves, more focused on the church activities than Kingdom activities.

Minatrea describes nine practices of missional churches - things that missional churches tend to do that make them missional.

1. Have a high threshold for membership. This may seem counterintuitive - we want to get people into membership, don't we? But when membership has a reasonably high threshold, that carries a sense of seriousness to membership, that only those who are truly willing to commit to be engaged with the ministry of the church make that covenant commitment. There are real expectations of members to the church and of the church to the members. Of course, all attenders are of concern, but membership itself is reserved for those who will make it mean something.
2. Be real, not real religious. The emphasis is on authenticity, not performance. They are serious about the "one anothers" of Scripture. They are authentic to the outside world, too.
3. Teach to obey rather than to know. All of the teaching of the church is for the intent of living out the authentic Christian life, not just gaining Bible knowledge. They equip rather than merely teach.
4. Rewrite worship every week. God is to be the center of worship, and worship is to be experiential and participatory. Again, authenticity is more important than form.
5. Live apostolically. Every person is sent (the word "apostle" means "sent one"). The members live lives sharing the Good News in a variety of ways.
6. Expect to change the world. Perhaps too many Christians don't really believe they can be used of God to change much of anything, let alone the world. Missional churches believe they can. They minister to others by building genuine relationships, and they have the rest of the world in mind with a strategy to reach at least some of them. If you doubt that DBC can change the world, let me introduce you to some Kenyan orphans who would insist otherwise.
7. Order actions according to purpose. Missional people have priorities in life that match God's priorities in Scripture. Then, they live their lives according to those priorities, not the priorities foisted on us by the world and by the religious community. This means letting go of things and activities that don't fit into the priorities.
8. Measure growth by capacity to release, not retain. Missional churches measure success by how many of their people are ready to serve, not how many people go past the turnstiles each week.
9. Place Kingdom concerns first. Missional people adopt a worldview based on the Word and evaluate everything by Kingdom standards. They are "Kingdom-minded," partnering with Christians who differ with them on the minor issues. They also understand that our real enemy is the leader of another kingdom of dark power.

We're not fully missional by any means, although our priorities have always been in these directions. The recent writings on missional churches will only help to clarify our vision for what we want DBC to become, and know that she can become. It is my deep heart's desire that all of us in the DBC family will develop a missional commitment to life as we continue to walk down this road together.

P.S. Please consider sponsoring me to raise money for Jerry's Kids by bailing me out of "jail". Just click here.

Preparing Your Heart for Worship

I love to see the people of our congregation enjoying each other's company before the worship service each Sunday. You catch up with one another, enjoy one another, and on occasion, you use that time to pray for one another. All of that is good to see. We need these times of connection and fellowship.

I would like to suggest to you that every once in a while, you try something different. Before the service, take a seat in the sanctuary, ignore all the conversations going on, and prepare your heart for worship. Spend the time praying for the service itself, for your own heart, for the hearts of others. Read the passage that we'll be covering in the sermon. Confess ways in your life that may hinder your ability to worship God with a whole and pure heart. Pray for your pastor! Pray for all the ministries going on that morning - Children's Church, the worship team, the nursery.

We don't really have enough space right now to have a separate chapel or prayer room (although, the classroom off of the back of the sanctuary is often available before the service), so we just have to tune out all the conversations going on. What you'll find is that it's not really that hard to block out the din - especially if you take a seat on the first or second row, away from most of the conversations.

Feel free to talk before the service - I certainly don't want to take that away. It's valuable time for me, too. But, on occasion, take time to talk with God before the service, too. He wants to be a part of that pre-church dialog just like we do.

A quick related note for those who have a tough time showing up on time: Please realize that arriving late can be distracting to those engaged in worship. I'd rather you showed up late than not at all, but I want to encourage you to be diligent to show up before the worship service begins, so that we can all focus better. (Of course, showing up for Sunday School means that you'll be there in plenty of time for the worship service! :-) ).

P.S. Please consider sponsoring me to raise money for Jerry's Kids by bailing me out of "jail". Just click here.