Gen Con reflections and quotes

We just returned from our Brethren Church National Conference which was held at the beautiful and spacious Ridgecrest Conference Center outside of Ashville, North Carolina. 

It was a busy week so we took our time coming back this weekend and made it a mini-vacation which was a good decision. Having some time to reflect on the conversations, meetings, and sessions I thought I'd share some of the key quotes I am taking away from this year's gathering. 

It turns out all of these are from our main speaker, Karl Vaters, who is an author, pastor, and expert on small churches. He proved to be a perfect fit for who we are and where we are at as a denomination. 

A little background, The Brethren Church traces its roots back to 1700's Germany when a movement was birthed out Anabaptism and Radical Pietism. Fleeing hardship and persecution, these original Brethren moved to the American colonies and continued many aspects of their spiritual and social lifestyle including being agrarian (farming) people and remaining German-speaking for many years. These preferences led them to starting churches in rural areas to begin with. And while various groups have splintered off and no longer maintain this path, it still provided the foundation for where we began and where our churches were planted. Because our specific denomination did not dramatically change course we remain in mostly rural areas with mostly smaller churches (50-150).

And here is where the Conference's themes and Vater's expertise comes in to play:

"Small is not a problem, virtue, or an excuse."

IKEA and Starbucks are both wildly successful businesses with vastly different business models (h/t to Vaters for this genius analogy). We don't have to compare ourselves with bigger ministries and we don't have to arrogantly believe we're better because we "provide a better personal touch."

"A healthy church will not necessarily experience numerical growth."

Numbers may accompany healthy ministry, but not always. We need to divorce ourselves from the assumption that numbers equal health and health equals numbers. More quotes to come, after the break...

Music Mondays

Often, my selections for Music Mondays are songs I enjoy and find entertaining. 

This week I cannot do so. 

Yesterday, I preached on Revelation 6-7 which contains shocking descriptions of the persecution of believers in the end times. The fifth seal in 6:9-11 is a picture of those who are/were/will be slain for their commitment to Christ. They ask God "how long?" until he avenges their deaths and he responds by honoring them and telling them to wait "until the number of their fellow servants who were to be killed as they had been was completed."

It is astonishing and humbling, but also hard to swallow - that God's plan would involve his saints being killed for their faith. But that's how it works. His terrifying and overwhelming judgment will only be a fair judgment if the depravity of humanity has reached a certain point (see 6:1-8).

And while these martyrs have their lives taken from them, they are abundantly repaid with honor and peace and their ultimate salvation (6:11, 7:1-17).

I preached on that complex and awe-inspiring passage, and then came home to read of this:

ISIL left no doubt why they were killed, announcing this was "A Message signed with blood to the nation of the cross".  As Hebrews 11:38 says, "the world was not worthy of them".

In honor of them, I present this Music Monday selection - may all followers of Jesus embrace a greater commitment to Him:

 

Sermon Snippets - Mark 9:30-10:31

Following Jesus will turn your world upside down if you are not careful. It's fair to say that Jesus was counter-cultural, but it would be more accurate to say he was counter-human. I realize that's not really a term, but in our passage this week, he picks apart normal human values and and encourages us to find a better path.

We naturally want to buddy up to the rich, powerful, and influential. Jesus wants us to reach out to the overlooked, the neglected, and the unimportant.

We naturally want to make as much money as we can and enjoy financial security as quickly as possible. Jesus wants us to give and give up the obsession with wealth and materialism if we are going to follow him.

There's so much more packed into Mark 9-10, in fact, I found three other categories. Each one is convicting enough in and of themselves. Put them together and you have a passage that really makes you wrestle with what it means to follow Jesus.

Sermon Snippets - Mark 6:30-56

In high school, I worked at the local Arby's during the parts of the year I wasn't playing basketball.  I continued to work there in college occasionally too, following the same type of schedule. Even during the season I'd occasionally work if I needed the money.

I remember one year, I was assigned to work the Sunday night of the Super Bowl. The Rams were heavily favored against the Tennessee Titans and though I was a little sad I'd miss the game, I didn't care all that much.

Unfortunately, that turned into one of the best Super Bowls ever, with the game coming down to the last play. And I missed it.

Sure I could read about it or hear about it from my friends, but it wasn't the same. I missed the chance to watch it as it unfolded and I've always kind of regretted that.

But given that the Big Game is the most watched TV event every year, there are probably millions of people who watched that game but because they weren't really into football, had no idea that what they were watching was a historically close contest. I am sure they found the game to be nice and interesting, but their opinions about their viewing experience probably had more to do with the commercials than the close finish of the game. And as a sports junkie, I find that to be sad.

What is even sadder is the fact that so many people miss the work of God, when it's playing out right in front of them. It's one thing to fail to comprehend how good of a game an event is, it's an entirely different thing to fail to comprehend what God is up to.

But this is not a new trend. The disciples repeatedly missed out on who Jesus was and what God was trying to show them through some unimaginable miracles. The second half of Mark 6 describes two of Jesus' most famous miracles. It also records that the disciples "did not understand...but their hearts were hardened" (vs.52).  Their example from this passage serves as a warning to us to make sure we do not miss what God is trying to show us and teach us.

Sermon Snippets: Discipleship 101, Mark 3:7-19

Discipleship is a term used almost exclusively by Christians.
Growing up in church, we are told we need to be disciples of Christ and we need to "make disciples". It's part of 'The Great Commission' Christ gave us in Matthew 28. Programs and ministries are given the label "Discipleship".

It's pretty easy to spot one (Galatians 5), but how do you make one?
For a long time, I didn't have a good answer. It felt as confusing as diagramming Greek or doing AP Calculus. I was aware of the key elements that help me in my sanctification process, but I had difficulty translating it into a one-on-one relationship or applying it to leading a small group.

Mark 3:7-19 provides the basics to discipleship, including the simple answer to that crucial 'how' question.
(Secrets revealed after the jump)