Nick’s Walk

Our concern is more about going to heaven than loving the King. Francis Chan Francis Chan is one of several young pastors who are setting fire to the church with similar messages. They are saying that the gospel, as originally preached by Jesus, carries a radical message. We don’t need a new gospel, we need to return to the original gospel in all its radical life-changing aspects. That’s a great message. His quote above struck me hard. I think most of us, if we are truthful to ourselves, will admit that we want to go to heaven, because the alternative is too horrible to conceive. We sometimes even think that heaven isn’t going to be that great, it’s just going to be a lot better than hell. We just don’t have that longing in our hearts to be with the God we love. We haven’t come to know our God enough to really love Him. We may know in our hearts that we should so love God that we can’t wait to be with Him and those who have loved Him through the centuries. However, we recognize that perhaps our love for Him is considerably less than it should […]

Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Hebrews 5:13One of the great things about doing prison ministry is that your audience knows they are sinners. The state has formally proclaimed it. It makes presenting the real gospel so much easier. That’s one of the great problems of witnessing to free people. They don’t think they are sinners. Most people think they are basically “good.” It’s easy to look around and find someone “badder” than ourselves. They don’t see any real need for Jesus.Because of this challenge, sometimes we short circuit the true salvation message problem by presenting Jesus, not as an answer to the problem of our sin, but as a kind of self-improvement guru. By doing this we eliminate the “problem” of talking about “sin” and repentance. We tell folks Jesus can make our lives better and we can be happier. That’s very true, but it tries to present the solution without addressing the problem. It also leaves the “believer” confused about the process of sanctification.The truth is we are sinners. In fact, we are much worse than we are willing to admit. It’s kind of like an […]

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35 Yesterday I went to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions. When asked for my driver’s license, I couldn’t produce it. It wasn’t in my wallet. I don’t know where I lost it.  Lucky for me I’ve known the pharmacist for years and he just accepted my social security number. I can say I spent a good part of the day yesterday getting it replaced. I don’t know what folks who don’t drive do. A driver’s license seems to be the universal proof of identity. Jesus knew that those who called themselves Christians would not always be true followers of Him. He established a proof of identity: the way we love one another. It seems many who called themselves Christian try to prove that status by the bible that they carry, an attitude they portray, the folks they hang with or the ones the refuse to hang with. For many, love is not a part of the equation.  Sadly when most non-Christians describe Christians “love” is seldom part of the description. We have to do something about that. Our love is assurance […]

15 “I am and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; 7 If you remain in me 8 This is to my Father’s glory, We tend to think that “fruit bearing” is a sign of a “really special” Christian. That’s not what Jesus said. Fruit bearing is a sign that  you are a Christian. The health of your fruit is directly proportional to the strength of  your relationship with Christ. A fruitless branch is useless. So what is the nature of this fruit? We know about the fruit of the spirit: love, joy,  peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. It is certainly great to have these traits, but they have a greater purpose. Like fruit in nature, the fruit we produce is meant to feed and sustain  others. Fruit attracts […]

Forty percent of Americans say they attend church regularly, but only twenty percent actually do.  A healthy percentage of the twenty percent show up with a “wow me” attitude. Even fewer participate in church beyond worship and only a tiny percent are willing to lead others. In the summer months approaching, attendance is so bad that many pastors shut down or greatly reduce activities so as not to waste resources.   If we are ever going to make a difference, we need to change our attitude about our faith and start going all in.  At the beginning of each Kairos weekend, we tell the participants the following story: A farmer was walking down the road carrying a bag of wheat. The King came along and greeted him. He asked the farmer for some of his wheat. The farmer reached into his sack and pulled out a single grain, hoping the King would find that sufficient. The King took the grain then pulled out a sack of gold coins and gave the farmer one gold coin. The King went on his way leaving the farmer wondering what would have happened if he had given the King the whole sack. We all know […]

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16 Last night was one of the most exciting of the year for football fans. Yet no game was played. It was the first night of the NFL draft. We all know the basics of how this works from when we were kids. When it was time to play a team sport a couple of captains were chosen and they took turns picking team members. I wasn’t good at any sport so these were embarrassing times as I was usually picked last. Once I was picked I was usually told not to touch the ball and to try not to mess the others up. The draft is exciting for the players because it means big money and the chance to continue to play a game they love. For the fans it’s exciting as they see where their favorite college players will go and whom their favorite NFL teams will select. The worst teams generally get to go first and the best players generally are picked first. But historically, it doesn’t […]

There is a time3     a time to kill and a time to speak,8     a time to love and a time to hate,    a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3 Yesterday I attended our last Wednesday Morning Men’s meeting. We have decided that it’s time to shut our traditional meeting down, at least for a while. For much of the time we were meeting, it was a high point in my week. I looked forward to the meetings and my relationships with the attendees and with God were enhanced. Now it’s season has passed. Things change. At our church we have a new pastor and things are changing. Without judging the rightness or wrongness of the changes, it’s clear that things are different. As a result, some folks have left and others have joined up. Some are struggling with the decision to stay or go.  I for one am not great with change; but it’s part of life. I think it’s wonderful that God designed our world to change every few weeks. It’s a constant reminder not only that things change, but that the changes are necessary for life. The changes in our personal lives are certainly not predictable as […]

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 I decided to start attending the church I attend these days after just one meeting. It wasn’t because of the sermon. No sermon was given at that meeting. It wasn’t the worship. No worship took place. It was a youth talent show. What attracted me was the love of Jesus that was present. It was more than just a friendly place to be. I saw the kind of agape love that can only exist in the presence of Jesus. Jesus told us this is the way folks would identify us as His. We need to remember that we really have only one product, Just Jesus. The way we touch a diverse congregation on Sunday is to give them Jesus. I was a Pastor for a few years. I didn’t seek the position and had no training for it. I was intimidated and made many mistakes. One thing I did right was to buy a podium and the wooden letters “J E S U S.” I fastened the letters to the front of the podium. It was my thought that […]