If I Stand. . .

This song has given me great joy and hope over the years. I recently listened to this and it was the perfect prayer for a close friend who is in lots of pain. Whether bursts of joy or the devastation of pain, we have a God who is deeper yet. Who is in all things and who makes all things new.

enjoy. . .

The Heidelberg Catechism

This is a beautiful reminder of the basis of all life and reality for the person who calls himself a Christ follower. It's the first question from the Heidelberg Catechism which simply reads as follows:

What is your only comfort in life and death? "That I, with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, wherefore by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him".

My Child's Soul

Friend and fellow pastor, Jeremy Mavis, recently blogged about our children's spiritual development and the cultural mandate to "outsource" our kids to specialists in every conceivable area under the sun (athletics, academics, the arts, and yes even religion). Here he wonders about the impact of outsourcing the primary role given to parents by God. . .the spiritual formation of their children. In this excerpt, He quotes from another pastor,David Wakerly, who muses over the same thing.

Here's the link: http://jeremymavis.com/2011/03/28/outsourcing-our-childrens-spiritual-development/

Outsourcing Our Children’s Spiritual Development?

Yesterday in church, Matt Jones shared about his role as a parent in the lives of his children. Specifically, Matt was alluding to his job (along with his wife, Cara) as the chief source of spiritual development for his children. While he appreciates the role of the church (particularly its programs), he does not “outsource” his primary role to the church. In other words, he doesn’t leave how his kids are going to turn out spiritually up to the church Sunday School program and mid-week gathering time. Matt said these church programs are great collaborative efforts to subsidize (not replace) what he and Cara are doing as parents with their kids.

Kudos to Matt and Cara Jones for starting this conversation in our church community. I really appreciate it.

I came across a blog post the other day that went right along with what Matt talked about:

"I have outsourced my child’s swimming development.

You see, I’m just not an expert on the subject. I haven’t studied swim theory and I am completely unfamiliar with what it takes to learn how to become a swimmer even to the most basic of levels… which I would assume is ‘not drowning’.

So – I am comfortable with giving away control of my child’s swimming ability to a professional. In fact it seems to be working; my firstborn no longer screams when he observes large bodies of water and is slowly heading towards the aforementioned ‘not drowning’ level of swimming ability.

As parents and rightly so, we want to open up our children’s worlds as wide as possible and allow them to experience life to the full. My children will study science at school but may not become scientists; maths, but may not become mathematicians. So I am comfortable allowing many of these skills to be developed by teachers far more capable than me (especially maths ☺).

At this point in his short life, it is highly unlikely that child No.1 will become a professional swimming athlete. His parents simply don’t have it in them to generate the kind of passion for swimming that he would need to succeed in that arena. But on the off-chance that he develops a passion for and wants to pursue a career in professional sports then I’m confident my attitude will completely change and I’ll become far more involved in the training and discipline that it will take to pursue that dream.

Far above any academic or physical achievement that my children can attain is my desire for them to have an Olympic-sized faith. I desire to have kids who can stand up to the culture of this present age and live in such a way that they demand the attention of the world. I want my children to have the kind of faith that moves mountains and stands strong against any trial or tribulation that they will face; to grow up in a way that identifies them as a living, breathing ambassador of Christ on earth.

As parents, we tend to take quite a structured view of the education of our children. Emphasis is placed on testing and exams because we are led to believe that these processes indicate or lead to success. Here in Australia this culminates with the HSC (Higher School Certificate) in the last year of High School; the mental and psychological equivalent of David facing Goliath for many kids.

So where is the structure for my son’s spiritual development? Where is the passion to see my boy become an expert in his field, a champion in his arena?

This will take more than a ‘one hour a week’ soccer practice. I need to commit fully to this process because although not every child will become an athletic champion, every child can become a spiritual champion.

We may never get up at 5:30am to take our children to swimming practice in the local pool, but what is the equivalent for your child’s spiritual journey? Let that question drive you to your knees in prayer to seek God and ask His help to engage the hearts and minds of your children as you train them in the way that they should go.

Every child is different and every child’s spiritual journey requires us to listen to the Holy Spirit closely as we strive to raise children who love God and love people.

At Hillsong church most of our families do not attend every week, in fact on average they attend once a month. Can you think of any other area in life where 25% was good enough for success? They are missing out on 75% of the training and teaching that we as a church work hard to give the children we have been entrusted with.

Don’t think for one minute I am being religious about this – I am not suggesting attendance to keep up appearances. The reality is that your child will be at Church a maximum of 70 hours this year (if you attend each week), but they will attend school for maybe 1,500 hours and STILL apparently need homework to complete their learning.

Attending church every week will not guarantee your child grows up to be a spiritual champion, but it’s a pretty good start. Deuteronomy 6 places the primary spiritual responsibility for your children on you as a parent. But we as the church occupy a unique position in the life of your family – one that cannot be replaced with clubs and teams. This is the house of God, a gathering of the saints together and an absolute essential in the lifestyle of a Christian family.

So be careful not to prioritise the preparation of your children for a future that may never eventuate. Instead, give your life to establish a legacy for your children and your children’s children.

You cannot outsource your child’s spiritual development".

-David Wakerley

Shallow Small Group

Ever had a day when you just felt like throwing in the towel?

This one made me laugh.

Gospel Growth

I've been doing training once a month for all our group leaders. We have been talking a lot about "gospel growth". This idea of gospel growth was inspired by a workshop I recently attended called "The Trellis and Vine Workshop" by Mattias Media. Great stuff.

The Scriptures are clear that God has called us to gospel growth. Colossians 1 talks about the gospel that is ever growing inside us "since the day we received it". Paul is saying here that the gospel has a life of its own. Of course, that "life" is the very life of Jesus imparted to us through the Holy Spirit. If the goal of a congregation is gospel growth, a great question to ask is "what conditions promote gospel growth in a church and in an individual life?"

We have been focusing on the "3P's" that promote gospel growth:

1. Proclamation of the Gospel-As we proclaim the gospel with the help of the Spirit the Scriptures say that it is received or rejected by men. When received, that gospel is the power of God germinating inside a heart, and it begins to grows, grow, grow. Are we proclaiming the full truth of gospel in clear and compelling ways?

2. Personal Relationships-God's main "method" grow the gospel is person to person. Like a highly contagious virus, the gospel is transmitted through intimacy and close proximity. Programs, processes, and presentations are all good...but God's main means of growing the gospel in another is YOU! Are we building personal relationships with those whom God leads into our lives?

3. Prayer- Prayer grows the gospel in others. Look at Ephesians or Colossians...Paul is constantly bathing those congregations in prayer in his epistles. He prays for their eyes, their hearts, their ears, their lives to all be showered by God's power and love so that the gospel permeates their lives. We must pray that the kingdom of God advances in the lives of people! Are we daily in prayer for those personal relationships that God has placed in our lives?

Are you and your church gospel centered?

This is a great little interview of Jeff Vanderstelt on the centrality of the gospel. A gospel-centered life is goes well beyond "getting saved". And, a gospel-centered church is much more than church with gospel preaching. Because the gospel is the power of God, it cannot be reduced into bite size peices within our lives or the life of the church. The gospel is multi-faceted and an ever expanding and growing reality within the life of a believer and the life of a church. I encourage you to keep a pen and paper handy and jot down some notes. Then, beased on your notes, assess yourself. Are you and your congregation truly gospel centered?

Justin Anderson & Jeff Vanderstelt talk Gospel Centrality from Redemption Church on Vimeo.