Archive for the 'Food for Thought' Category

Owning Your Faith: Debt

Published
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Ricky
on November 14, 2008
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During our current series at Revolution Church, we’re taking the top questions asked by the people who attend Revolution and answering them from the Bible. Gary laid out three ground rules for this series. The one that applies to this post is “own your faith.” Gary wants people to know why they believe what the believe - not just spout off what their pastor told them.

That got me thinking about what I believe and why I believe it. I found that I could talk all day long on what I believe, but there were things that I knew I couldn’t form a solid defence on based in the Bible. So I decided to fix that. I’ll be writing a series of posts that are an exploration of the Bible to see what it says about certain topics. The topic this week: Debt and Lending. I could tell you all day long what I think about it, but ask me to back it up with the Bible, and I have but one verse for you:

Proverbs 22:7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

That’s the verse I’ve heard time and time again arguing against debt - even going as far as calling debt sin. The problem here is that I don’t see that verse calling debt sin. Certainly, anybody with any common sense knows that drowning in debt is not a particularly good financial move, and anyone up to their eyeballs in debt knows the feeling of being enslaved to debt. But where does that verse call it sin? Where does that verse say that, under no circumstances, you should never ever never never borrow or lend money?

In fact, in studying through the Bible, I’ve found it says more in favor of lending than against it (give me a minute, here!). Let me lay a few verses out there.

Psalms 112:5
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

Matthew 5:42
Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Luke 6:35
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

I could go on, but I think I’m being redundant at this point. It seems pretty clear to me that the Bible doesn’t have much against lending or borrowing money - under certain circumstances! It seems that the Bible actually encourages us to lend to those who are in need. The bible says to lend to those who are in need. I’m no Bible scholar, but it seems to me that if lending money is acceptable, then borrowing money when you are in need is also acceptable. I think “need” is the key word here. I believe it’s downright stupid to borrow money for something you do not need. That car that’s worth more than you make in a year? That house you really have no hope of paying off in 30 years?

Proverbs 22:7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

I hope you really like them, because you’ll be paying for them several times over in interest by the time you pay them off. Just think of what you could do with all that money the bank is getting. The money that - as Dave Ramsey puts it - MASTERcard and American Excess are getting. Imagine saving up for stuff, then saving what you would’ve paid in interest. Or giving it to the local church or other charitable organization. God called us to be good stewards of what he has given us, and living drowned in debt is just plain foolish.

Moving on.

So be smart. Only lend or borrow in times of need (not “want”). The Bible also lays a couple ground rules for lending money - conveniently summed up in the following verses.

Exodus 22:25
“If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest.

Nehemiah 5:10
I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!

If you lend money, do it out of a generous spirit. Do not lend money to others just to make a buck. People lending money should be doing so in an effort to help those who they are lending to. The Bible says not to charge excessive interest - it even says at one point to not charge him interest at all! If you lend to somone in need, do it with a heart to help, not a heart to extort.

So that’s what I have. I’m still processing and still learning, but I’ve definitely had my mind prodded here. I’d be interested to hear what you people think. Do you agree with my assessment? Do you know of other verses that concern debt and lending? Am I way off base? Let me know what you think.

Don’t Let Them Look Down

Published
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Ricky
on October 10, 2008
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1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.

I cannot tell you how many messages I have heard on this verse - especially in youth groups. Time after time, teachers get up and spout off that verse.

Then they preach on the first half.

Don’t let them look down. Though they quote the verse, I really hear them say this: “Ignore them. Ignore the people that look down on you because of your age. Don’t give ear to them. Go about your business as if they had never said anything.”

They hammer the verse over and over again, but I feel they miss the point. I am, by no stretch of the imagination, a bible scholar, but I feel the need to share my take on it. Probably more for my own sake than anyone else’s. I like preaching at myself =)

I think many teachers glaze over those first two words - don’t let. And I think those two words are the key here. Paul (the author of 1 Timothy) doesn’t say “Ignore anyone who looks down on you because you are young…” He says “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young…”

Don’t let them look down. Don’t allow them to look down. Give them no reason to look down. “…set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” Paul is telling Timothy to live his life with such purity, such love, such faith, that his critics will not find anything to look down on. Let your actions speak of you character. Let what you do show the God that is inside you.

Too many times, young people (including myself) fall into what the world says the standard is. Youth and inexperience make us unqualified to do great things for God. Too many young people believe you have to have a seminary degree, five years of fasting, read through the bible 15 times, and be struck by lightning before they’re qualified to do mighty works for the cause of Christ. Certainly none of those things are bad (with the exception of being struck by lightning), but God does not set a bar to reach before being used. He is simply looking for somebody willing to be used.

Ezekiel 22:30 (NIV)

“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.”

God said he was looking for a man who was willing to be used, but he couldn’t find one. God is looking for people who are willing to be used. God is looking for people who act when they see an opportunity - who fill in where they see a need. Again - I’m preaching to myself here, too. I can’t say I have a perfect record here.

Let’s take a look at another man who was called to do great things for God at a young age.

Jeremiah 1:4 -6 (NIV)

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”

Jeremiah thought that his youth and inexperience made him unqualified to do what God had called him to do. Oddly enough, that didn’t change God’s mind.

Jeremiah 1:7-10 (NIV)

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. The the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.

God wasn’t impressed with Jeremiah’s excuses. God didn’t want to hear Jeremiah’s excuses. God called Jeremiah to action - and that’s precisely what he wanted.

God isn’t concerned with age and experience when he calls people to be used. Certainly, age and experience and wisdom are invaluable, but the lack of them do not preclude you from being used of God. I believe God is calling on young people to forget what the world tells them they can’t do, and show them that God has called them to do amazing things. If God himself says he can use young people to accomplish his will, who are we - and who are they - to tell him he can’t?

Don’t let them look down. Show them that God can and does use the young and old alike. Live you life with such faith, purity, love, and conduct that no one can doubt that God is moving in and through you.

Straight Talk From Jesus

Published
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Ricky
on July 22, 2008
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This passage really jumped out at me when I read it. The Pharisees of the day are doing their normal routine of trying to show up Jesus with their knowledge, then Jesus hits em with this gem:

Matthew 21:28-31 (NIV)
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what the father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

After another quick story, Jesus hits them again:

Matthew 21:43 (NIV)
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

I get a kick out of people who say that the church should do their best to not offend anyone. I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure those Pharisees Jesus was talking to were a bit offended by what he had to say. In fact, that passage goes on to say that the Pharisees started plotting ways to have Jesus arrested. People generally don’t do that if they like what they hear.

That was just a side note. That one was free.

There are two big things I take away from this passage. The first is that God doesn’t give a crap about your past. He cares about your present. He told the religious leaders of the day that prostitutes and tax collectors were going to heaven before them. I can imagine that upset a few people. If a prostitute starts living for God and gets their life turned around, God hold them in higher regard than a hypocrite who follows God with their words and not their actions.

The second point I get disturbs me more than the first. If we are not living in a way continually advances the kingdom of God, God will move on and find someone willing to be used to do great things. My fervent prayer is that I will never get to the point where God is tired of waiting for me to get in gear, and move on to someone else who will.

I don’t think you have to be a bible scholar to get that one. No Greek or Hebrew necessary.

This is My Heart

Published
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Ricky
on July 14, 2008
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God has been speaking to me a lot lately about his vision for me and for Revolution Church. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying he’s given me the vision for Revolution, that’s Gary’s department - just that I’ve seen the vision more clearly lately than I’ve ever seen it. I, along with all who attend Revolutoin, was blessed immensely by the One Prayer series, and blessed by the men who preached during the series. We had the privelige of hearing from Steven Furtick, Greg Rohlinger, Perry Noble, and, of course, Gary Lamb. They laid out the vision of God’s church so plainly that I cannot help but have an increased passion and vision for reaching those far from God.

Yesterday, Gary laid out a huge vision for Revolution Church to be running 10,000 people by year 10. Revolution started in 2004, so year 10 is 2014. Six years from now. Revolution is running around 1,000 a week right now, so we’d have to average a growth of 1,500 people a year over the next six years. That’s a big, hairy, uncomfortable vision to have. The sad part is that I have no doubt that the majority of churches today would simply say that vision is impossible - especially in a town of roughly 20,000 people (though Canton will certainly grow larger over the next six years).

I have no doubt in my mind that God can accomplish this through Revolution. I have no doubt in my mind that God could blow that number out of the water over the next six years. I believe that the moment we tell God that he cannot accomplish the incredible, God moves on to find someone who is willing to be used to accomplish the impossible. There is no way that Gary, the staff, and the people of Revolution can accomplish this vision - but God can. God has already accomplished what virtually everyone said was impossible in Canton through Revolution. Who am I to say he can’t step it up? Who am I to say Revolution can’t step it up? Who am I to say I can’t step it up? If God says he can accomplish anything through the faithful, then doubting myself or doubting Revolution is the same as doubting God.

I get a kick out of people who complain about churches being all about numbers. As Gary says, Revolution is all about numbers because numbers represent people, and people represent lives that need to hear the message of Jesus Christ. The more people that walk through the doors of Revolution Church, the more lives we have the opportunity of impacting for Christ. Even Paul focused on numbers when he said in Acts that the church was added to daily. How many churches today can claim that they have numbers added to them daily. If the church in Acts can do it, why can’t the church today do it? I believe it can, and I believe Revolution will.

Gary said yesterday that when the church gets interested in what God is interested in, then God gets interested in the church. Jesus plainly said that he “came to seek and to save that which was lost.” When the church stops focusing on its committees and spaghetti dinners, and starts focusing on reaching those far from God, I believe God will blow the doors off that place so fast they won’t see it coming. The biggest problem that Revolution church has had is having enough space to seat everyone who comes. That is a good problem to have. I’d rather be in a church that seats 500 running 1,000 people that in a church that seats 1,000, but unable to grow past 500. When the church has a singular mission to reach the lost, it won’t be able to build a building big enough to hold everyone.

My heart is to see God do something amazing, incredible, and seemingly impossible through Revolution church - and every other church. My heart is to see God do the same through me, personally. Steven Furtick inspired me when said that he was called into action through the thought that life might pass him by without him being used mightily of God. I believe God can and will mightily use everyone who believes and is willing to be used of God. That is my heart. That is what I live for. That is my God.

God kinda freaks me out sometimes

Published
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Ricky
on July 9, 2008
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Let’s take a look at the evidence, shall we?

Isaiah 20:2-4 (NLT)
the LORD told Isaiah son of Amoz, “Take off the burlap you have been wearing, and remove your sandals.” Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot. Then the LORD said, “My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign - a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia. For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks bared, to the shame of Egypt.

So God basically made Isaiah become a nudist for three years just to get the word out that he was about to lay the smack down on Egypt and Ethiopia. I suppose that could be a good conversation starter, but I think that, personally, I would shy away from anyone nude in public.

I like to think that I’d follow wherever God leads, but I might draw the line there. I would at least log some above-average prayer time, and perhaps enroll myself in a few confidence-building courses first. I know God likes to get us out of our comfort zones, but this one would be out of my comfort universe.

Perhaps there should have been a “Lord, Make Us Criminally Insane” message during the One Prayer series. This would have been a good example. Maybe next time around. I claim credit for that title if anyone uses it.

Oh, and let’s take a look at verse five, on…

Isaiah 20:5-6 (NLT)
Then the Philistines will be thrown into panic, for they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt! They will say, ‘If this can happen to Egypt, what chance do we have? We were counting on Egypt to protect us from the king of Assyria.”

So God made Isaiah a nudist to warn of the impending doom of Egypt and Ethiopia just to make the Philistines wet their pants? If I were in Isaiah’s shoes (or out of them, as the case may be), I would be suggesting that a little fire and brimstone would be more effective, and a lot less humiliating. I suppose, though, that would have removed the human element. For some reason, God likes to use us insignificant humans to get his point across.

I think that got the point across.

Thoughts from a guy who runs ProPresenter…

Published
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Ricky
on July 7, 2008
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I’ve been running ProPresenter for the better part of the last 7-8 months at Revolution. I figured I’d take a little time to share some thoughts on running it. I believe the grand total of the readers on my blog that run ProPresenter - or something similar - total to exactly “0″, so this post should help precisely nobody. Here we go!

  • Realize what you do is important. I believe the single most important thing one can do when running ProPresenter (or something similar) is to realize the significance of what you do. It’s easy to think that what you do is insignificant, but the simple fact of the matter is that what you do enhances the worship experience of everyone in attendance. Most people don’t remember the lyrics to songs, so without you, most people wouldn’t be able to sing along. And with regard to the message, show me one study that doesn’t show that people retain more when both reading verses on the screen and hearing the pastor read them.
  • Learn the songs. I don’t just mean “be familiar with the songs” or “have heard the songs at least once,” I mean “know the songs.” The better you know the songs being sung, the more effectively you can keep up with the songs. Also, you’ll have a better idea of when to display the next line - especially after solos and breaks. Nothing is more embarrassing than firing off the next line, just to realize there’s actually another four measures before the line actually begins. Oops.
  • Check your grammar/spelling. This seems like a no-brainer, but I have to admit it’s something that we’ve had issues with before. In fact, I caught a grammar mistake this week for a song we’ve been using for months. I have the benefit (sometimes an annoying benefit) of having several grammar freaks at the church who are happy to point out any grammar or spelling mistakes I may have made. 99% of the mistakes made get caught and corrected before the first service begins.
  • Get your timing right. This is probably the single biggest issue I had. I took pride in the fact that I could fire off the next line at exactly the right moment. It took several people pounding into my head over and over again that I was doing it wrong before I finally started doing it right. Basically, people need to see the next line before it’s actually sung. I didn’t get that. Depending on the speed of the song, I try and fire off the next line between half a second and a second before the line is sung. Ish. It actually clicked for me when I went to the Unleash conference and Newspring Church this past March. I saw how their guys were doing it, and determined that they were doing it right. It also helped when our pastor, Gary, came over and said, “See that? That’s how I want you to do it.”
  • Be open to suggestions/being told what to do. This was another big one for me. I’m the expert on everything I do (and several things I don’t do), so I just knew I was doing things right. I’ve had to learn that I don’t know everything, and it’s not about me. Now, whenever Gary or Adam (our Creative Pastor) tell me to do something different, I act without question, whether I agree or not. I may raise a question or concern, but I know they have the final say.
  • Do your part with excellence. It may be tempting to believe that your part isn’t important. That’s a dangerous thought to have, because the less important you think what you do is, the less likely you are to do your best. You may not be the Pastor, you may not be the worship leader, people may never know who you are, but that makes no difference. The simple fact is that every little part of what goes on in a service is important. Every little thing contributes to the impression that people have of Christians - and ulitmately - Christ. I can honestly say that I’ve visited churches where their screens were run poorly, and it gave me a bad impression of the place. There are honest mistakes that are unavoidable, but there is no excuse for poor performance as a result of apathy.
  • Be creative in ways to improve yourself. Not much to say here but to give an example. Revolution has a mid-week band practice, and I’ve been going the past couple months. This allows me to make sure the lyrics are right in ProPresenter, and allows me to be more familiar with the arrangements they use that week. This is one less thing I have to do Sunday morning, so I can focus on other things. Also, I moved from sitting down to standing up while running ProPresenter. This has two advantages: It’s easier for me to get into the music and the worship experience, and it’s easier to see the stage for visual cues (i.e., the worship leader moving back to the mic to sing). These may not help you or be practical for you, but the point is to always be looking for ways to improve.

That’s about all I have. I hope that all none of you found this helpful =)

Esther

Published
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Ricky
on June 30, 2008
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So I was reading through the book of Esther today. It was scheduled for today on a new read-through-the-bible-in-a-year deal I started last week or so. It only called for a few chapters, but I read the whole thing. I know, I’m super-spiritual for reading all 10 chapters. Moving on…

We all know the story: King wants new wife, Esther becomes new wife, Esther saves Jews, everyone lives happily ever after. But I think there’s so much more we (or, at least, I) could get from this story.

First: While everyone focuses on Esther as the hero of the story - which she is - there are some supporting characters that play a key role. There is, of course, her uncle, Mordecai, but there’s also King Ahasuerus. I think Ahasuerus gets looked over a lot, but I think he plays a key role in showing that God can use anybody.

The story starts out by explaining why King Ahasuerus was looking for a new wife. King A was throwing a party. Not just a little party, either. It says that everyone was invited - the whole kingdom. They had lots of food, fancy dishes, fancy decorations, and - most importantly - free refills on wine. King A, being the egotistical ruler that he was, called for his wife, Queen Vashti, to be brought out in great clothes and wearing her crown, so that he could show her off to everyone. Vashti, apparnently, had a mind of her own (the nerve!) and refused to come.

King Ahasuerus and his eunuchs, for fear that the women of the kingdome might try similar wrongings against their husbands, decided to give Vashti the boot, make a royal decree that such actions were not permittable, and round up all the pretty virgins in the land and find a new wife for King A. The bible says that the virgins spent 12 months preparing for the chance to go before the king.

Long story short, Esther won the beauty pageant, and became Queen. Shortly afterward, Mordecai became aware of a plot by two of the King’s eunuchs to kill the King. Mordecai ratted them out, the King was saved, and the plotters were hanged. Hamanwas promoted to fill the void left by the two men. He demanded the servants to worship him. Mordecai wasn’t so keen to play along, so Haman in turn made a plot to kill all of the Jews. Haman convinced the King that this was a good idea, and got permission to do so.

More long story short - Esther made Haman’s true intents known to the king. King A wasn’t happy, hanged Haman, and Mordecai then essentially took his place. Then King A, Esther, and Mordecai reversed Haman’s decrees, and further decreed that the Jews had every right to defend themselves against persecution. The Jews won, they declared it a holiday, happily ever after, amen.

So King Ahasuerus went from a womanizer and unwitting persecuter of the Jews to a champion of the Jews. I think this is also a testament to the influence of those around us. When King A was surrounded by eunuchs who were self-promoting and despised the Jews, they convinced the king to wipe out the Jews. When Esther and Mordecai entered the scene, King Ahasuerus changed his tune, and gave full freedom to the Jews.

So that’s my take, anyway.

All Things to All Men

Published
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Ricky
on June 10, 2008
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I was reading through my Bible today, and a passage stood out to me. I’ve read it in several translations, but it stands out best, in my opinion, in the New King James:

1 Corinthians 9:19-22 (NKJV)
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win the Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

The New Living Translation says “Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.”

I believe Paul is speaking of his journeys through the world starting churches. Everywhere he went, he encountered different cultures, and he had to adapt himself to everyone he met so that he could most effectively reach them for Christ. I believe this is a powerful statement that nicely sums up why the Church is so ineffective today. Here are a few things I glean from this passage:

  • Churches should adapt to their culture
  • Churches should be willing to do whatever it takes to reach those who are lost short of sinning (The Message says “I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ–but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their points of view.”)
  • There should be a variety of churches within a localized area
    • Especially in the cultural melting pot that is the US, there needs to be a variety of churches to meet the needs of all the people.  A traditional church and an emergent church - and everything in between - will attract a more comprehensive group of people and, in the end, bring more to Christ
  • Churches should not be afraid to try something new
    • As my pastor, Gary, said a couple weeks ago: “To reach those no one else is reaching, you have to do what no one else is doing.”
    • As cultures continue to change, churches will have to continually adapt and try new things to reach more people
  • Just because it works for someone else, that doesn’t mean it will work for you
    • Are you trying something new just to keep up with the Joneses, or do you really believe it is the most effective way to reach those in your area?
    • If something new, cool, and trendy won’t help you be more effective, don’t do it! Rather, devote your time and resources to what will help you be most effective in reaching your audience.

I’m certainly no theological expert, but I believe Paul lays it out pretty clear there. I may not even be spot on everything - this is just food for thought. Most likely only food for my own thought, but so it goes.