I can't wait for Sunday!
We're going out on a limb: first we're going to teach/preach on baptism and then we're actually going to DO BAPTISMS! I know...CRAZY!
And still - it's the way it's always done in scripture. Believe, accept Jesus as LORD of your life, then make a public proclamation about it. That was a HUGE step and sacrifice for people in Jesus' time...not so much for us today, sadly.
If you know someone who needs to meet Jesus, and we ALL do, invite them this Sunday to hear about His grace and His way of life. Don't try to win them over if they won't listen yet...just plant the seed with the invite and let's see what God does.
Like I said in the previous post, God won't let me forget this idea. So we're gonna go with HIS plan and see what happens.
Hope to see you and your unsaved friends there at 9 or 11.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Out On A Limb!
We're going to start this new year off with a teaching series called "Signs of Life" which will include baptism, communion, service and membership.
This coming Sunday, 1/3, I am preaching/teaching on what Jesus says about baptism. (We just baptized 4 in December which was awesome!)
But here's the deal. We still have people who know they need to be baptized and haven't taken the plunge (no pun intended). So here's what I want to do this Sunday -
So here's where the limb comes in: I'm gonna have Vern fill the tank for this Sunday (both services) and invite folks to make their public proclamation as to who is LORD of their lives. (We'll have some extra shorts and tops and towels - all you need to do is bring an obedient heart.)
Jesus commanded that if we believe in Him then we must be baptized (Mark 16:16). And if you look at the times in scripture where folks made their profession they WENT AND WERE BAPTIZED. They didn't wait around for a class or seminar. They BOLDLY stepped into the waters to express their obedience to Christ. It is this outward expression of our inward faith that makes a loud, confident statement to a watching world that we are not ashamed of who is leading our lives.
SO...if you're one of those folks who just hasn't made this step yet, we'd love to walk you through it. We'll walk folks through it to make sure they know just what they're doing, so don't worry about that. I will be asking our Elders and other leaders to step up and talk with folks as they come forward to take this step.
I have NO IDEA what to expect from this. I have tried and tried to ignore this, but the more I study and pray about this message, I feel like God is saying, "Do this."
So, I'd rather do what He says than ignore Him.
See ya Sunday...
This coming Sunday, 1/3, I am preaching/teaching on what Jesus says about baptism. (We just baptized 4 in December which was awesome!)
But here's the deal. We still have people who know they need to be baptized and haven't taken the plunge (no pun intended). So here's what I want to do this Sunday -
So here's where the limb comes in: I'm gonna have Vern fill the tank for this Sunday (both services) and invite folks to make their public proclamation as to who is LORD of their lives. (We'll have some extra shorts and tops and towels - all you need to do is bring an obedient heart.)
Jesus commanded that if we believe in Him then we must be baptized (Mark 16:16). And if you look at the times in scripture where folks made their profession they WENT AND WERE BAPTIZED. They didn't wait around for a class or seminar. They BOLDLY stepped into the waters to express their obedience to Christ. It is this outward expression of our inward faith that makes a loud, confident statement to a watching world that we are not ashamed of who is leading our lives.
SO...if you're one of those folks who just hasn't made this step yet, we'd love to walk you through it. We'll walk folks through it to make sure they know just what they're doing, so don't worry about that. I will be asking our Elders and other leaders to step up and talk with folks as they come forward to take this step.
I have NO IDEA what to expect from this. I have tried and tried to ignore this, but the more I study and pray about this message, I feel like God is saying, "Do this."
So, I'd rather do what He says than ignore Him.
See ya Sunday...
Friday, December 11, 2009
Update To Earlier Blog
I posted a video blog here a couple of weeks ago regarding the need to feed people in our part of the valley. Since then, we have received some additional food that has allowed us to help folks out. BUT WE STILL NEED MORE!
I even had someone chime in and issue a challenge of their own, saying that they would give their tithe AND tithe (10%) part of their grocery bill. They then issued that challenge to anyone reading about this. WOW!
Yes, there is a REAL NEED to help people all year long, not just now. If you are in a position to do something, then PRAY about it and LISTEN to God.
Again, you do what GOD TELLS YOU TO DO! Don't be pressured by someone else, including me.
Then do what HE tells you to do.
I would much rather have you be obedient to HIM than to man. (There's something about that in a book I read a lot!!!)
How else do you think we can feed AND help the hungry in our community? Drop me a note here or at karl@fbcpoky.com.
ALSO - this Sunday, December 13, we are BAPTIZING 4 new believers!!! All will be at the 2ND service, so come early to get a spot to celebrate with everyone. Snow or no snow, there's gonna be a party in heaven - and at FBC Pocatello!
See ya in church...
I even had someone chime in and issue a challenge of their own, saying that they would give their tithe AND tithe (10%) part of their grocery bill. They then issued that challenge to anyone reading about this. WOW!
Yes, there is a REAL NEED to help people all year long, not just now. If you are in a position to do something, then PRAY about it and LISTEN to God.
Again, you do what GOD TELLS YOU TO DO! Don't be pressured by someone else, including me.
Then do what HE tells you to do.
I would much rather have you be obedient to HIM than to man. (There's something about that in a book I read a lot!!!)
How else do you think we can feed AND help the hungry in our community? Drop me a note here or at karl@fbcpoky.com.
ALSO - this Sunday, December 13, we are BAPTIZING 4 new believers!!! All will be at the 2ND service, so come early to get a spot to celebrate with everyone. Snow or no snow, there's gonna be a party in heaven - and at FBC Pocatello!
See ya in church...
Sunday, December 6, 2009
"Heisman" Leading
We will soon learn who the next Heisman trophy winner will be. This is THE coveted prize of players on every college team in the country, carrying with it hopes of making it in the NFL.
What has caught my attention about this trophy recently is the pose. It is one of a player with the ball under one arm and the other arm straight out in front, in preparation of a stiff arm to an on-coming player. The idea of the stiff arm is to push the defensive player out of the path of the offensive player in hopes of gaining extra yardage on the field. A tactic that works well when executed properly.
Have you ever noticed that we, as leaders, sometimes lead from the Heisman position? We say we're leading, but we're pushing people out of the way in hopes of gaining some extra ground somewhere. The problem is that we leave people in our wake bruised, reeling and confused.
We don't do it on purpose, but we do it nonetheless:
* We get 'protective' of our areas of leadership and sometimes frustrated when we get challenged on something.
* We push too hard in one direction sometimes, not knowing or even caring what impact it might have on others. We know it's the 'right thing to do' and so we do it - not realizing that people are being hurt in our 'pursuit' of that right thing.
* My favorite word is head-strong. Mom calls it stubborn. She's right. We don't realize that we need to hear a different perspective at times.
* For us in ministry, this is hard to swallow, but we sometimes will 'hide' behind what we are certain is a God-directed move. We don't seek good counsel, we don't have people we can bounce it off of, and we end up missing what God really intended because of our pride. I'm not saying this happens all the time, but we need to stop and look at our motives.
When God gives direction, I've found that people will be 'on the same page' to some degree when I present a thought or an idea. When it takes a ton of convincing, I have to step back and ask, "Am I leading from a self promoting position or a serve the King position?" What is my posture of leading in that moment?
As a leader, surround yourself with people who won't be afraid to tell you when you're leading from the Heisman position. Invite people that you trust to point out the times when you do it, and then seek suggestions on how NOT to continue to do it. It's never comfortable. But I've found it's ALWAYS beneficial for being the leader that I've been called to be.
See ya in church...
What has caught my attention about this trophy recently is the pose. It is one of a player with the ball under one arm and the other arm straight out in front, in preparation of a stiff arm to an on-coming player. The idea of the stiff arm is to push the defensive player out of the path of the offensive player in hopes of gaining extra yardage on the field. A tactic that works well when executed properly.
Have you ever noticed that we, as leaders, sometimes lead from the Heisman position? We say we're leading, but we're pushing people out of the way in hopes of gaining some extra ground somewhere. The problem is that we leave people in our wake bruised, reeling and confused.
We don't do it on purpose, but we do it nonetheless:
* We get 'protective' of our areas of leadership and sometimes frustrated when we get challenged on something.
* We push too hard in one direction sometimes, not knowing or even caring what impact it might have on others. We know it's the 'right thing to do' and so we do it - not realizing that people are being hurt in our 'pursuit' of that right thing.
* My favorite word is head-strong. Mom calls it stubborn. She's right. We don't realize that we need to hear a different perspective at times.
* For us in ministry, this is hard to swallow, but we sometimes will 'hide' behind what we are certain is a God-directed move. We don't seek good counsel, we don't have people we can bounce it off of, and we end up missing what God really intended because of our pride. I'm not saying this happens all the time, but we need to stop and look at our motives.
When God gives direction, I've found that people will be 'on the same page' to some degree when I present a thought or an idea. When it takes a ton of convincing, I have to step back and ask, "Am I leading from a self promoting position or a serve the King position?" What is my posture of leading in that moment?
As a leader, surround yourself with people who won't be afraid to tell you when you're leading from the Heisman position. Invite people that you trust to point out the times when you do it, and then seek suggestions on how NOT to continue to do it. It's never comfortable. But I've found it's ALWAYS beneficial for being the leader that I've been called to be.
See ya in church...
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