"Stagnation".

My wife and I are just exiting a long season of spiritual opposition. This opposition has manifested as closed doors toward ministry, financial struggles and natural situations and circumstances that were only designed to distract.The cumulative result this opposition has played in our lives has caused us to become stagnant.

Stagnation is defined as follows:

• The state or condition of having stopped, as by ceasing to flow or run.
• Foulness or staleness emanating from a standing pool of water.
• Failure to develop, progress or advance.
• The state or quality of being or feeling sluggish and dull.

 The only cure for stagnation is movement.

Having recognized the opposition, we have begun to take the necessary steps out of this valley. Our experience has taught us that the key indicator of stagnation is not so much the inactivity in a given area, but the response to that inactivity. for us we found that stagnation (the effects of) caused us to attack and criticize what we held dear. Like a cancer you begin to destroy the very things you once held dear. and once you destroy these things the paralysis of loss will keep you in a place of defeat.

There is hope however; if you have found yourself in a season of spiritual stagnation, there is a way of escape. One that has pulled me from the trenches of depression and defeat and set my feet back upon the firm path.

Friends; we can call upon our Father in a spirit of repentance. Calling Him back into our heart to displace the cares and distractions that have turned our eyes from our first love. He will stir the waters of our spirit, filling us again with fresh living water. Then you will begin to see things move and flow.

The enemy of our souls wants us to die a slow death in the shallow pool of stagnation.The Father would that we become rivers of living water; flowing, moving, and running down from His mountain. To be poured out upon a dry and thirsty land.

Luther.

"Street Ministry - Learning Curve".

For my blog readers who may not know, we have started our own discipleship ministry!
(You can view our website here: Ravensvoiceministries).

I won't elaborate on that here as a simple visit to our ministry site would make any comments redundant (as this Blog has been incorporated there).

What I do want to share is one aspect of our ministry, that being street ministry.
This past weekend marked our second foray into street evangelism. This has been an exciting journey for us as it has also been a challenging one.

One of our main motivations for street ministry has been Healing, and simply engaging with the public at large in attempts to share christ, as well as an opportunity to offer discipleship for those interested.

View of downtown Holland Michigan.

We have seen some miracles take place even on our first attempts. There was one in particular where a young man with four broken knuckles received healing - much to both of our surprises! It is not that we were in doubt on God's power to heal, or that we lacked faith, for we seen others healed before but the reality that God would move through us - in that environment - took us by surprise. We prayed for many others and most people that we approached were receptive and all were polite regardless.

For this second outing we had split into two teams, our family as "team one" and another couple ministering as "team two". For us things went a little differently. The very first person we approached, a woman who was scheduled to have knee surgery the following week; was hesitant to have us pray. After a little persuasion on our part she relented once we prayed she was surprised to have all her pain disappear! Unfortunately the hesitation we experienced with her marked much of our encounters. We did however meet more than a few people from out of town who were fellow believers and commended us for what we were doing which was encouraging.

All in all we have much to still learn, and sadly there are few to glean from. but we know that as God goes with us we needn't despise the small beginnings.

Luther.

Book Review: "The Apostolic Church Arising".

I don't usually do book reviews, and this is not one, at least in the traditional sense. Yet this book has made a significant impacts in my life both personal and ministerial. With that said I thought it would be appropriate to share some of those views here. So that is my disclaimer as it were, if you are looking for the "traditional" report (i.e. content) there are many who are more qualified that have done that already.

Mr. Heidler presents a historical perspective of what the early church was, how it operated, and how it eventually succumbed to the cultural influences under Constantine. The presentation of the new wineskin vs. the pastoral model was insightful, creating a picture of where the church is and where it needs to go. Furthermore the book depicted how the early churches apostolic hubs worked leading to the spread of the gospel and the kingdom of God. Chapter 12 – “Making the transition” gives a basic outline towards becoming a “new wineskin church”; while this is admirable I personally found it only led to more questions leaving many gaps between the suggested points. More specific information, especially as it relates to the congregations perspective would’ve been welcomed.

The book underscores how we have strayed far from the early church model. so much so that were we to return to said model overnight it would be categorized as fringe or dare I say even heretical.To be honest that information has caused me to question the validity of the “church” – at least as we understand it in America. Church today offers little in the way of evangelism, with much of its growth owing itself to member transfer rather than new conversions. Church today has been ineffectual in influencing the culture as evidenced by the increasing moral depravity of our nation. Church today fails in its mission to disciple, train and equip; leaving many members sidelined as it relates to their callings resigning believers to a life of spiritual dependence and inactivity in the kingdom. The church as we know it is not the Ecclesia of the bible; and that fact has me questioning the value and purpose of the “church” as it stands today. Consequently this reflects upon my involvement as a believer and leader in similar structures. This much I do know, if the current church is the bride of Christ we are in a woeful state. 

This book has given me more insight into what an apostolic hub looks like – at least generally, and it has re-kindled a hope that the church as we know it can become that “something more” I’ve always believed it could be, namely a place where those desiring God can be used. Not used merely to further a man-made kingdom of control but used to further Gods kingdom through our own unique gifting’s and callings. A church where Gods people can become fully alive in every sense. For when the world sees a people who radiate their creator they cannot help but to desire the one who gives that life. I want to be a believer whose life ultimately points to Christ. And if an apostolic hub can help me fulfill that calling than I take the vision of the “new wineskin” as my own.

No matter what direction the church heads, we as individual believers must take it upon ourselves to "go" and "do" the work of the kingdom. If we can do that with the assistance of the church and its leaders all the better. But if those who are over us fail to lead, we still have no excuse, we are called to make disciples, to preach the gospel, to expand the kingdom. when we stand before the throne of judgement (and we all will) we will have no excuse for why we did not do what God has called us to do. For it is He that has equipped us for every good work. It is true that our works do not save us, yet that is not to be confused with our Lord's expectation that we do "good works" while here on this earth - let us act accordingly; whether the church supports us or not.

Luther.

"The Failure of a Spiritual Community".

Church. Community. These are words that (for christians) should engender thoughts of safety and acceptance. Unfortunately for a select group of people this is not the case.

Let me relate a very recent experience.

A young teenager had a dream to go to the mission field and possibly one day open an orphanage. She reads books by and about like minded persons; she saves her "mission money" in a mason jar in her parents cupboard. She serves in her local church's youth programs, and she waits for an opportunity to explore the reality of her dream.

Now, this same girl had signed up for the annual youth mission trip sponsored by her church; paid her deposit and applied for her passport (all with her parents approval). She drafted a support letter and began receiving monies toward the trip. Everything was going fine until a meeting with her pastor. It was this meeting (which was the culmination of several committee meetings and phone calls, all unbeknownst to her) where she was told she would not be going on the trip; a crushing blow to a young girl. She was ultimately denied access to the trip for one reason; the leaders were not "comfortable" with her "problem" - that being, she is physically disabled.

It would seem that discrimination is alive and well in the American church; and it is a sad testimony against the faith. What I find disheartening is that this young ladys denial was not based on any real fact; quite the contrary.

• She was not denied on the basis of moral grounds; she had no evidences of what we would label as gross sin.

• She was not denied on the basis of opposing theological views; she was ready to represent her church and its teachings in the same manner as her peers.

• She was not denied on the basis of church liability; taking a group of minors out of the country has no increased liability if one of them happens to be disabled.

The basis of her exclusion was an overestimation of her physical limitations. The belief that she is not physically able to handle mission activity. Irregardless of the fact that her "condition" was so minor in comparison to others with similar disabilities that outwardly there is little discernable difference between her and a "healthy" girl of the same age. In addition this same girl would engage in a myriad of physical activities - all without the assistance of others - such as iterative jogging, ballet, and outdoor photography.

There was no reasonable activity on this mission trip that she would have not been able to perform. It was the perception of her disability that caused her to be excluded; and I personally find that offensive. It seems that the church has forgotten that it is supposed to be an inclusive community of people with the same beliefs not the same socio-economic background, race, gender, or in this case physicality. It is our common belief that must be the basis of our unity.

Effectively the church has communicated "We don't think you have what it takes". "You don't fit our idea of the right kind of person". Which is another way of saying "We don't think you can be used by God".

I've had the privilege of knowing a few disabled persons and my experience shows me that these individuals cannot and will not allow any diminished capacity (physical or otherwise) to prevent them from living the fullest life possible. Imagine if the church would believe in the disabled, at least as much as they believe in themselves.

Here the American church shows its immaturity. It's high time for some growing up to take place; to move past our flawed perceptions and stop dehumanizing those who are disabled either physically or mentally. We all need to start finding creative and genuine ways of including those with limitations in every facet of church life and ministry. For if the Spirit of God dwells in these persons then they too have gifts that are worth receiving.

Until the body of Christ can live out of this paradigm it will continue to show the world that it is Christians who are the truly "disabled".

Luther.

“The future of Youth Ministry”.

Today I was asked the question, “Where do I see the youth ministry going in 2016”?

Now I can only speak from my experience serving with the youth ministry of our own local church; given that, there are two major areas I believe will be key for 2016 as it relates to youth ministry.

For the past 3 years our church has not had a youth pastor. This fact was and still is problematic for many parents and leaders. Yet in spite of the absence of a pastor the youth ministry leadership team has stepped up to not only fill that void but has also fostered the implementation of some things, that quite honestly may not have happened were a youth pastor in place. It seems that necessity IS the mother of invention. This situation has shown itself as a positive however, causing an influx of spiritual life and growth within the ministry. And I believe it signals one of two significant areas of change.

1)      I believe that 2016 will bring a complete structure change to traditional youth ministry. We will see a more entrepreneurial attitude in the youth. There will be more of a focus on what goes on outside the four walls of the youth ministry and the larger church. Youth will begin to seek opportunities to be used in ministry – giving out what has been put in them, vs. receiving what we’ve traditionally offered them. This shift will see young people become the new agents of the ministry and not the ministry’s focus, that focus will be shifted outward.

On the heels of this dynamic, or possibly as a result of; we are seeing more youth (specifically our young adults) step into leadership roles as those in “control” of the youth ministry make them available. More and more youth are no longer content to watch their leaders live out an example of Christian faith and witness; they (the youth) want to live out their own faith. Willingly embracing the “learning curve” that comes with being proactive in ministry. Today’s youth don’t want to be taught so much as guided along their own journey. To put it another way; the youth are going swimming in deep waters, they won’t wear life-jackets (their too restrictive) but they are asking us to be watchful life guards.

2)      I believe that 2016 will see more youth take a leadership role through various avenues (Again as the current leadership provides opportunities). These roles will manifest in (but not limited to):

a.       Creative teams assigned to special projects, anything from event planning to ministry outreaches to crafting the very ministry services within the larger church.

b.      Areas of service within the larger church body. We will see greater integration of our youth in positions that traditionally were held for adults only. I see this as a renewal of mentoring and discipleship.

c.       Outside ministries and community involvement in various social causes. This is key, because if we fail to create avenues for our youth to serve, be used and grow; they will gravitate to those who will. The adage "If you don’t use it you lose it" holds true here. We need to remember the youth will be the church in a handful of years. We cannot afford to lose them due to lack of opportunity!

In closing; I see these two major areas as coloring youth ministry in 2016. Old models and methodologies must be let go if we hope to accomplish God's goals for this year.we shouldn't fear this change - it is for the better, I am anticipating great things happening in youth ministry. 

As a leader I am reminded that it must be my goal to not only allow change to happen, but to be (one of many) a driving force behind that change. Our youth – the future leaders of the church, deserve no less!

Luther.