Archive for March, 2009
The Gospel March 31, 2009
Of all of the things in life that both amaze me and move me…there is nothing that does so like the Gospel…
The fact that Jesus took my place…whew…if that EVER gets old to a person then…well…a serious gut check needs to take place.
The Gospel IN me is the reason I feel that the Gospel MUST come OUT of me. (I Corinthians 9:16)
That is why I can honestly say that I am more excited about the series we are launching on Easter this year than any other series we’ve ever launched in this history of our church!
For four straight weeks we will be diving into the Scriptures to see what Jesus says about salvation.
I’ve got to be honest though…
I believe this series, even though it is my favorite, could be one of the most controversial series we’ve ever done. Because…
We will be destroying myths that the church has held for years in regards to salvation. (According to Matthew 7:21-23 there are going to be a lot of REALLY surprised people on the day of Judgement.)
We’re praying as a church that Jesus will save at least 1,000 people throughout this series!
So, NewSpringers…I’m asking you to do WHATEVER it takes to get people here that weekend. (Here is the website where you can check out our service times and get your free tickets.)
We cannot claim we love someone if we KNOW the Gospel will save them from hell and yet refuse to talk to them about Jesus…or even invite them to church!
I promise you on Easter Sunday and for the three weeks that follow we are going to go all out as a church to provide a place where you can bring the people that matter to you the most so that they can hear about Jesus!
SO…go for it! Seriously…let Romans 1:16 be your memory verse! Do what it takes to get them here…and pray for us as we are working harder than we’ve EVER worked before to do our part…and BEG God to draw people to Himself!!!
Can’t wait to see what He does!!!
Joyce Meyer – One Of Five Leaders I Would Love To Meet With March 31, 2009
I personally think that Joyce Meyer is one of the most gifted and generous leaders on the planet today…and there is much I could learn from her.
Seriously, every person I get around who knows her always seem to have the same two things to say…
Number One – she has integrity like no one has ever seen! (BTW…she was listed by congress as one of the people they were investigating in the religious world as someone who potentially mismanaged their income. THAT got a lot of attention! BUT…what didn’t get reported was that she was found to be innocent of any type of financial mishandlings…THAT wasn’t reported!)
Number Two – she is incredibly generous!
I think I could learn a lot from her and would love to know how she developed such a generous spirit…and how she continually walks in integrity.
I know, I know…some of you are FREAKING OUT right now and saying, “But Perry, she’s a woman in the ministry and I don’t agree with…”
Stop it!
AND…I need to say one thing before moving on…I know there are people from various church backgrounds that have a problem with my desire to learn from Joyce…they say women should always be silent in the church and have no right to lead in any capacity whatsoever—which I find incredibly hypocritical.
After all, if it were not for the WOMEN in the church the past 100 years…we would have been screwed. THEY taught Sunday school, THEY served countless hours, THEY did what no one else was willing to do…while most of the men sat on their “blessed assurance” and did nothing!
Whether you agree with her “calling” or her “theology”…one thing that you cannot disagree with is the fact that Jesus is using her to reach thousands of people…and anyone who is having Kingdom impact is someone I would like to learn from!
John Piper – One Of Five Leaders I Would Love To Meet With March 30, 2009
I believe there is a lot to learn in this world through conferences; however, I also believe there is much more to learn through conversations.
Over the past several years the Lord has allowed me to be able to meet and learn from some incredible leaders.
BUT I am hungry for more…and so this week I will be posting about five leaders I would love to sit down and have a conversation with…and why. (And these are not in any particular order!)
Confession, I used to not like John Piper.
In fact, I would get angry anytime someone quoted him around men and usually say some stupid, immature remark about the guy…until…
One day I actually went on the internet and began reading some of the stuff he has written…and then I listened to sermons he has preached…and finally came to the conclusion that he loves Jesus at a level that I pray I can one day get to! He’s the real deal.
His love for Jesus and theology inspire and challenge me…and I would love to pick his brain as to how his theological convictions have impacted his leadership convictions. Seriously, I respect Piper SO much…and love how Jesus is using him to make John 3:30 come to life.
BTW…one more thing about this before concluding.
As I look back on my former disliking of Piper I have realized (and repented of) the way I acted. I judged a man I didn’t even know…and the reason why is…
I allowed those who quoted him out of context and raped his teachings to attack and criticize me to influence how I felt about him…which was wrong! I let them put a distaste in my mouth for a theology that I have grown quite fond of—and it wasn’t fair!
(BTW…why is it that many of the reformed guys are complete @$$holes? Did God REALLY call them to pick apart verb tenses and voice intonations of speakers who don’t say things exactly right or don’t use a particular word order?)
And if you are reformed and angry at the paragraph above…I was predestined before the foundations of the world to type it…so get over it! :-)
John Piper is a man of God…a brilliant theologian…a leader among leaders…and there is MUCH he could teach a young buck like me!
Sunday Night Reflections March 29, 2009
A few thoughts on an amazing day…
- Of all the places on the planet I’ve had the privilege to preach…NewSpring Church is my favorite. There is no place like home!
- Had some our our SMT guys attend our Florence campus today and they LOVED IT! We had a great crowd there (340) and are PUMPED UP about all that God is doing…AND it going to do in that community!
- I have NEVER said this…but today’s sermon might be my favorite that I’ve ever preached because…
- IT WAS FOR ME! I worry more than any person that I know…and being worried is NOT evidence that I walk with Jesus. In fact, worry is a sin! (If Jesus said NOT to do something and we do it…that pretty much makes it wrong!)
- We were over 10,000 people again today…which was crazy! Everyone KNEW it was a money sermon…it is the end of March and people still showed up. Thank you Jesus!
- I think God is getting ready to do something awesome…so excited and filled with anticipation I can’t stand it!!!
- If Noah could give his best to God in an economy that completely crashed…we can give our best to Him in an economy that isn’t as good as it could be…but isn’t as bad as it could be either!
- The key to unlocking the supernatural in our lives is living in surrender to God and obeying Him in everything He commands.
- BTW…God’s Word is not a recomendation or a suggestion…but rather His commands! The KEY to living in freedom is hearing God’s voice and doing what He says!
- If God isn’t first in our finances then He isn’t first period!
- NEXT WEEK we will be finishing up this series with a message on missions…and will be revealing the plan the Lord has given us to reach Kenya for Jesus. I would not miss it if I were you!
- CANNOT WAIT FOR OUR EASTER SERIES!!! (Go here for times and to get your free tickets…all campuses!)
- We are calling this series, “The Gospel” and are begging God to save at least 1,000 people in this four week period of time!
- We are opening our Easter services with an AC/DC song…about a highway to a place that is really hot!
- I’m asking every NewSpringer to GO ALL OUT to get your friends and family members who don’t know Christ here on Easter weekend…I promise they will hear (and see) the Gospel in a way that they will understand.
- On a personal note…the marathon is off…will be explaining it on the blog in the next few weeks or so…basically had some health issues that stopped me cold from training and am working through them.
- Yes, I am fine. Just dealing with getting a little older and not wanting to accept that my body can’t do what it used to do.
- Saying that…I still can dance like you ain’t never seen! :-)
- That’s it…gotta head to bed!!!
Four Leadership Myths That Aren’t Usually Talked About–Part Four March 27, 2009
#4 – You Must Strive To Be Well Liked By Everyone.
Confession…I like it when people like me! I think every leader does. I have never actually met a person that loves to be hated.
However, if we are going to strive to be the leader that God wants us to be then we must embrace that, in order to do that, we must be willing to be disliked by many in order to honor the ONE!!!
The other day I was reading Acts 7, Stephens speech. It began pretty normal…he was following the “rules” of an excellent communicator. He established common ground with his audience, he spoke with authority and had the crowd locked in for a while.
THEN…all of a sudden Acts 7:51-53 happened. Seriously, if you will read the entire speech it is perfectly normal until this point…but evidently SOMETHING switched in Stephen! (BTW…he said some REALLY not nice things to people—while UNDER the CONTROL of the HOLY SPIRIT! Hmmmmm!)
Stephen did connect with people…but wasn’t really concerned with being liked—He HAD to be true to the ONE who had called him…and who he would one day stand in front of and given an account. (BTW…pastors…Hebrews 13:17 should scare the crap out of us!)
The result…the crowd killed him (see Acts 7:54-58) but Jesus honored him (Jesus stood up to receive him into the Kingdom…amazing!) Stephen was willing to be disliked, even to the point of being killed rather than dishonor Jesus!
How about you?
Leaders MUST be willing to make TOUGH CALLS. And we will NEVER make a decision under the guidance of the Holy Spirit that will be affirmed and loved by everyone.
Our calling is not to be liked by people but rather to be loyal to Jesus…which is SO hard at times because, well, people STILL throw rocks…and the rocks always hurt.
However, I am learning that a leader who isn’t willing to make unpopular decisions and deal with the pain that may result cannot be trusted by God to do the things HE places inside of us to do.
At the end of the day I want to be able to say to Him, “YOU can trust me with WHATEVER You want me to do! Even if it means being disliked by the many in order to honor YOU…the ONE who did more for me than “they” have ever done!”
We have a choice (Galatians 1:10), the approval of man or the approval of God…which one will it be?
Four Leadership Myths That Aren’t Usually Talked About–Part Three March 26, 2009
#3 – Confrontation Must Be Avoided At All Costs
Let me be VERY honest…I HATE confrontation. My heart begins to beat a little faster, my hands get sweaty…and my voice actually begins to shake just a little.
AND…if I had my way I would prefer to never have to have an issue in which I had to confront someone. BUT…one of the things I have realized in the past 20 years of being a leader is that running from confrontation is NEVER the right thing to do.
Hey, I do the “spiritual thing” and pray about the potential issue I need to confront. I pray for God to change their heart. I pray for God to change my heart. I pray for Jesus to return so I won’t have to deal with the issue.
BUT…I am discovering more and more that God RARELY brings a situation to a leaders attention so we can “pray about it”…He wants us to do something about it.
The other day Lucretia and I were discussing this and she pointed out Acts 13:6-12 where the Apostle Paul had to make a decision…do I confront this situation or just let it go?
If He confronted it then he was going to have to do it right then and there…be willing to embarrass the dude and quite possibly have people think he was a mean person who didn’t show much “grace.”
However, if he would have “prayed about it” and let it go…hundreds, if not thousands of people could have been led astray.
So he did the right thing…and went off on this dude. (Please notice he wasn’t very nice!) And what was the result? People wound up receiving Jesus!!!
Leaders, the stakes are WAY TOO HIGH for us to run from the situations that God clearly brings to our attention. (And…most likely the situation isn’t going to “just go away” or “solve itself.” There is a reason God brought it to YOUR attention!)
One thing about this before I move on…the confrontation was rooted in Biblical accuracy, not based on personal preferences. We cannot, as leaders, allow personal preferences become precepts that we try to pound into people.
BUT…when the confrontation is brought to our attention BY GOD…it has to be dealt with if we are going to continue to become the leader He wants us to be.
Four Leadership Myths That Aren’t Usually Talked About–Part Two March 25, 2009
#2 – You Should Always Say Nice Things
Too many people believe that Jesus and Mr. Rogers are the same guy!
They believe that church leader = nice person…and if something unkind is said then the Lord is not honored.
There is really only one problem with that particular mindset…SCRIPTURE.
I don’t think anyone would argue that Jesus Christ was/is the greatest leader to ever exist! (Well…some would…they’re wrong and one day will realize it!) AND Jesus was kind…to “sinners” (tax collectors, prostitutes), children and so on…
But church people really set Him off…and His most brutal, “unkind” words that He ever spoke were directed straight at them…and they were not nice.
Seriously, in Matthew 23 He LOST IT…for example…
- In Matthew 23:15 He calls the most religious people in the world “sons of hell!”
- In Matthew 23:25-26 He tells the religious peeps that they are clean on the outside but not the inside.
- Matthew 23:33 is UNBELIEVABLE! WOW…did He REALLY say that? DANG! (This was really “unkind!”)
- In John 8:44 He calls these people “sons of the devil!” A HUGE insult to these people!
Jesus called out religion…and wasn’t nice about it!
Unfortunately the church has this reversed today. Many of the unkind things we say are directed towards the very people we should be trying to reach…we bash people who don’t know Christ…yet for some reason we expect them to live like they do.
In the meantime we allow people who are religious yet do not have a relationship off because, well, to call them out would be “unkind.”
But Jesus did!
When we care more about how Jesus led rather than what people think about us…and are willing to say whatever He places inside of us…I believe the church will then start becoming what HE has called us to become…
A place that receives sinners and rebukes the religious!!!
My obsession as a leader can never be to be nice…I must be obsessed with obedience to HIS voice…which means, at times, saying things that make the religious uncomfortable. That’s His call for leaders!