Pure, Fresh and Simple

Pure, fresh and simple are in. AquaFina knows this. Papa John’s knows this. Apple knows this. Today I shared with you how Jesus set the example of how the church should be pure, fresh, and simple. He condensed all of the law and the work of the church into two statements: the Great Commandment, and the Great Commission. These are reflected in our mission statement: “To move everyone toward loving God, loving others and living out loud.” In reflecting on the mission statement, which do you feel will be the most difficult for you in 2008: loving God, loving others, or living out loud (fulfilling the Great Commission).?

An Exciting Conclusion

We concluded our SeeWorld series this week as we examined the fourth and final chapter of Jonah. In it, we find Jonah's unlikely response to Nineveh's repentance found in chapter three. Jonah just wants to die! He reveals for us his fear from the very beginning - that God would be as merciful to the people of Nineveh as he has been to Jonah and his fellow Israelites. Jonah is not comfortable with that fact.

What makes you uncomfortable about the Gospel? What gives you comfort when the city around us continues to move farther and farther from God? What can we do to move beyond our comfort zones and see the city the way that God sees the city?

Unlikely

Unlikely. That was the word on which we focused this morning. Jonah was an unlikely prophet, sent with an unlikely message to an unlikely people. Jonah's repentance may have been unlikely, but more unlikely still was the message he was asked to share with them. No soft sell here. Simply, "God hates your wicked ways and offers you utter destruction. From that unlikely message comes a most unlikely response - the people of Nineveh repent. Here's my question: Do we really believe that people can repent (realign)? I ask this because I have found myself failing to share God's message. When I take a deeper look at the reason I didn't share, often times it's because deep down inside I don't believe people will respond. Am I the only one who has experienced this? What things keep you from sharing God's message most often?

Got Repentance?

Today, our SeeWorld series focused on the second chapter of Jonah. A casual reading of the narrative might lead you to the conclusion that Jonah repents while in the belly of the fish. But a careful study of the ten verse prayer reveals 26 references to "I", "me", "my" and "mine" with only two lines failing to have a reference to Jonah himself. Consider taking a few moments to read all four chapters of Jonah. Pay special attention to Jonah's attitude. Do you see the ten verses of chapter two as true and authentic repentance? What do you believe to be evidence of true repentance? Was does authentic prayer mean to you? What was your takeaway from the passage today?

Jonah: Blindfold

Everyone loves a good story. One of the best known tales in all the Bible is that of Jonah. But is it just a big fish tale that we learned growing up or is there more to it? Are there greater insights to be gleaned than a big fish swallowed a little man? We began answering those questions during our Gathering this morning. Jonah, in essence, put on a blindfold in the hopes that if God was out of sight he would be out of mind. In the midst of his running from God, he finds himself in the middle of sailors who desperately need to hear about the love of God. Unfortunately, Jonah was silent. Do you ever find yourself in that kind of position - surrounded by people who need to hear the message of the Gospel - and yet you're silent? Why do we do that? Why do we often avoid the situations God puts in front of us daily?

Time to Throw in the Towel

The clock is ticking down toward the crucifixion. Jesus gathers his disciples around him to teach them one last, profound message. John 13 records the washing of the disciples' feet by Jesus. Our focus yesterday was on this phrase: "and having loved them, he now showed them the full extent of his love." In the context of this passage, Jesus connects love with servanthood. In other words, you really haven't loved someone fully until you are willing to serve them.

What is it about serving others that is most difficult for us? Is it that we are lazy? Do we struggle with time management? Do we not understand kingdom values? Is it pride? I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about why there seems to be a gulf between knowing and doing!

Spiritual Conversations

On Sunday we spoke about the dreaded "E" word. You know the one I mean. The word that strikes terror in churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike. Evangelism. Most non-churchgoers, when encountering the word, imagine the letters TV in front of it, opening the door for all kinds of negative images. The dominate Sales Basis Approach to evangelism (create need, demonstrate how the gospel fills that need, move for a close through the sinners prayer) has led to many of those negative images.

Jesus' dominate method of evangelism was spiritual conversations. He was a master of asking questions that allowed him to climb into their lives. The number one evangelism tool for the 21st century is the ability to ask leading questions and then actively listen. I asked these questions on Sunday and I would love to get your feedback: "What would it look like for Crosspointe to inject the evangelism model of Jesus into its DNA?" "When was the last time you engaged someone in a spiritual conversation?" What fears to do you have related to evangelism?"

Ten at Ten for Ten

The next phase of our move toward the Austin Ranch area is under way! God has seen to fit to answer our request for a meeting with the developer of Austin Ranch. The meeting is scheduled for 10/10 @ 11 a.m. That is the inspiration for my call for 10 minutes of prayer at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. for the next 10 days.

For many of you, praying for this meeting and now the meeting itself is something that you have been involved in all along. Let me challenge you to consider joining me in a whatever 10 day fast God may lay on your heart. A fast from coffee. A fast from lunch. Maybe even a fast from all food for the next ten days.

Consider sharing your stories of your fast and the results of your times of prayer!

Spiritual Graffiti

Our focus Sunday was on the power of passion. The word passion has its Latin roots in the word passio which means suffering. As someone passionate about Notre Dame football, I can attest to the connection between passion and pain (for those of you who don't follow college football, the once mighty Fighting Irish have begun the 2007 campaign with four consecutive losses for the first time in their storied history).

I'm interested in your reactions to the power of passion and our model of discipleship summed up in the phrase, be one, make one, for one. Do you connect with the phrase and the accompanying concept of personal responsibility in fulfilling Christ's command to make disciples? Did you participate in the graffiti experience at the end of the Gathering? Did it connect with you? What challenges to you foresee in fulfilling the covenant you made on Sunday?

Divine Positioning

As I said Sunday, I believe God is positioning us strategically to fulfill our divine destiny. Full possession of that destiny will require courage. Courage that is both counterintuitive and strategic. Courage like that often wanes in the face of obstacles, time and other challenges. Chief among those challenges is our natural tendency to be pulled gravitationally toward the familiar. Breaking free of the gravitational attraction of the familiar may well be our greatest obstacle.

What makes the gravitational attraction of the familiar so powerful? In what ways have you felt that pull throughout this process? What ways have you discovered to break free of this gravitational field?