Spark2Flame

Friday I offered some of my thoughts about Videoteaching.com, where you can download free teaching videos from a variety of speakers on a variety of subjects. If you didn’t get to read that post, it’s a good place to start.

Here are a few more thoughts on this resource:

• Doesn’t mean you can neglect your gift—if someone is called to preach and teach, it takes lots of practice, prayer, and study. This is not an easy way out or a reason to get down on yourself that you’re not good enough and should let the “pros” handle it. We are each responsible to obey, which means standing up to fear, doubt, or any number of enemies. The guy with one talent in Matthew 25 buried what should have been invested out of fear. He messed up and the Master told him so. This is not an easy button that lets you off the hook! Obey God!
• Doesn’t mean someone else carries the vision—Mark Batterson, as great as he is, does not to my knowledge have a vision for my church and my city. Craig Groeschel does not have a specific plan that takes into account our context and local needs and abilities to reach my community and neighborhoods for Christ. Someone has to be the man or woman on the ground. Someone has to carry the vision and pay the price. This can be a great tool, but it is a tool nonetheless.
• It’s a great sign that the Body of Christ can work together—I love that this is free, not only from my own small church limited budget standpoint, but because for so long, many ministers have tried to make a buck off the Bride of Christ. I’m not judging anyone in particular because only God knows the motivations of people’s hearts. This being free though points to the fact that we are all in this together. The abilities I have I can share. The great teaching that’s going on in these fine churches, I can freely share with my local body. We need each other and we need to be more accessible. If that happens through travel, wonderful. If it happens through technology, great. Just as long as it happens, we’ll all be strengthened for it.

With that, if you are a pastor or leader, I encourage you to check out this resource and consider using it. There are plenty of applications beyond a Sunday morning as well, but you owe it to yourself to investigate it and find out for yourself whether it will work for you. Just keep your heart open to the Holy Spirit and follow His voice!

I wanted to share some quick thoughts on this because some people may see this as a bad thing or at the very least a who cares thing, but there are some amazing opportunities presented in this.

• Some may be resentful—to this I have to respectfully say, get over it. By and large (and perhaps all of) these speakers pastor large congregations which makes them “experts” and “authorities.” Lots of pastors see something like this and think these are trying to “tell me what to do and how to do it.” I pastor a small church that is is in the process of relaunching. I’m not familiar with all these leaders, but the ones I am, I know they are genuine and real. They are preaching the gospel and teaching powerful truths. If you want to cut off a source of refreshing out of some misguided notions, go for it but it’s only hurting yourself.
• Some think it’ll break down community—I don’t see how this argument holds up because people are still participating in church, still have access to local leaders, pastors, and elders, still have the accountability of others in the church. To me this argument reeks of control issues, like the pastor who will discourage members to go to community events or events with other churches for fear they may lose someone. They don’t want another teacher/pastor to have influence in their lives (even if it’s only through a video and your 3000 miles away from that church).
• It allows pastors embrace their strengths—I love preaching. It invigorates me, challenges me, inspires me, humbles me, etc. I recognize though that I am not the best teacher. When I preach, it’s more inspirational—to stir up faith, challenge, and encourage people. When it comes to breaking things down, it can get sketchy. The congregation needs what I have, but they also need insightful, creative Biblical teaching as well. That’s why we invite guest speakers and that’s why I see this as an amazing resource. For me, it won’t totally replace my preaching and teaching, but I’m excited to use it in supplemental ways to keep moving into all God has for us a body of believers.
• It could allow more churches to be planted—not every leader is a great preacher. Not every pastor is a great administrator. Another reason this is exciting to me is that the potential is there to have more churches planted in more areas through the aid of this medium. It’s not the video preacher can or will be the pastor. Local leaders still have to be in place, still have to reach out, still have to live the gospel. This just frees up someone who’s not gifted to preach and knows it to do what God has called them to do.

These are some initial thoughts and I’m continuing this with a few more thoughts on Monday.

I was reading the Bible this morning and because I’m fairly odd, I was reading it in a British accent. Please don’t ask me why, I have no idea why my brain works the way it does.

I suddenly started thinking, What if I went in one Sunday morning and preached an entire message in a British accent? It didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that this would be silly and most assuredly a distraction, especially if I just launched into it without any explanation.

People would probably think it was funny at first, then move to thinking how odd I was, then probably begin to be uncomfortable because they know me (I’m not British) and I’m not letting up on it.

I think the same applies with our relationships, walk with God, church, and everything else. Anything that’s not genuine and not backed up with truth comes off as a distraction, annoyance, or even makes people uncomfortable. The truth may make people uncomfortable as well, but that's a different story (and it's hard to shake that kind of uncomfortable). If I make you uncomfortable because I'm fake, you can write me off easily.

I love listening to people from England. When they preach the word, it sounds regal, commanding, and authoritative in my view. If I simply try to mimic that sound to gain an effect, I’m not doing anyone any good.

You can be yourself and help direct people to God if you’re willing to be genuine and vulnerable. When we try to help the hurting by throwing out clichés and Bible verses we don’t believe or haven’t experienced for ourselves in our own lives, we add to the hurt and may even cause confusion and further aid the enemy's plan.

If you don’t have an answer, say nothing. If all you can do is weep with someone, weep with them.

Have you noticed that the headlines to stories these days are intentionally sensational and misleading? Of course, you have. It’s been that way for a while.

Some are misleading while others essentially lie to get you to look. One I saw said Jamie Spears Wants Britney to Run Wild. Not going to lie, I clicked. It was a few paragraphs about Britney Spears’ dad, who has had control of her estate during her troubles, getting close to turning it all back over to her. Hardly proves he wants her to “run wild.”

Another was a “where are they now” type thing that’s just rude. Headline reads, Wow, You Got Old: The Facts of Life. It tells where the stars of the TV show are today.

These tactics are used in covering politics, entertainment (especially), religion, health, and everything else under the sun. Make it sensational, even controversial, so you can grab the attention and focus.

Sadly, it happens in churches as well. Let’s teach on a controversial subject in a sensational way so people who wouldn’t normally come will come.

The headline may draw someone, but it won’t keep them there. There is so much fighting for attention, demanding our focus. If the sensational claims of the best sex and great wealth don’t hold up, where does it leave us? It leaves us with a tabloid church that doesn’t genuinely care about people, but needs them to stay open. Someone has to buy what they’re selling.

Also, it sets up a constant struggle to one-up the last one, get more outrageous for the simple sake of being outrageous. It perpetuates the attractional model of church where we bring them all in instead of every believer taking responsibility to live the Gospel for the world to see.

I’m not saying the Church can’t add to the discussion about sex, marriage, parenting, finances, etc. but if all we’re after is get someone in, there’s something wrong. I’m also not saying that everyone who does a controversial series at their church has the wrong motivation, but does it work ultimately? Are lives radically changed? Is the Kingdom of God advanced?

Here’s a great headline: My Life Has Been Forever Changed by Jesus. I overcome by the blood of the Lamb and my testimony. If I haven’t experienced it, no one can fully get it from me.

Even so, I don’t want to just have headlines—to throw something out hoping people will come see me. I want to be ready to go and share the hope I’ve found every day of my life.

For the past three years, Spark2Flame has held an annual retreat in Juneau, AK. Every time it has been a tremendous time to seek God, be renewed in our worship and focus, and grow in our relationship with Him and those attending.

This year again, I am excited to announce that we will be holding a similar event from Nov. 11-13 at Breakthrough Church in Juneau. If you would like to have a flyer to print for you or your church, please click here.

One confirmed speaker is Paul Hollifield who has an incredible ministry (REI Ministries) and is able to teach on worship as a lifestyle like no one I have heard. Click here to read an interview I did with him.

Just found out there's something great coming down the line from the folks at Lifechurch.tv. It's called videoteaching.com and offers high quality videos for a myriad of uses.

Everyone is talking about Michael Jackson. They have been for a while, of course, but I read an article about him on CNN.com that really intrigued me.

It was an origin story—sort of like those of superheroes but this one was about a single glove that became a trademark. What interested me about this is that according to the article, it was born out of necessity not fashion.

Michael Jackson has been widely reported to have had a condition known as vitiligo, which causes skin to lose its pigmentation. Apparently, it normally happens in splotches and often begins on the hands. Such was the case with Mr. Jackson, and mystery solved—there was a reason for the glove.

I boiled it down obviously, but the point that stuck out to me was fans all over the world copied this “style” to emulate their idol without even knowing why Michael was doing it.

I could take this in several directions at this point, but what I want to illustrate is copying Christianity whether as a congregation member or a leader is not enough. If we simply think something looks cool or will make us fit in, then we are missing the point.

As leaders, I feel it’s very important to explain why things are important. Why study the Bible? Why pray? Why worship? Why discipline ourselves? Without the why we create rule-followers and self-righteous sheep.

Now on the flipside, each believer has the responsibility to pursue God and find things out for themselves. You don’t have to take someone else’s word for it. Read and study the Bible. Experience for yourself the truth that the preacher is preaching. Learn to distinguish which is a leader’s personal preference and which is God’s truth (and love the leader no matter what).

I think all those people who mimicked MJ with their glove would have felt pretty silly if they had known it was simply to cover a skin condition. Now, Michael certainly dressed it up, but its purpose remained unchanged.

We have the same opportunity to live passionately for either leader’s ideas and “fashion” statements or passionately for God’s Kingdom and purposes. We definitely can follow them as they follow Christ, but we need to know for ourselves the God who amazing, wonderful, abundant, and transcendent.

To maintain pursuit is the only way to continually live with purpose, determination, and joy.