Church Planting Doesn't Make You Great

As a church planter, the role of announcing the good news of the kingdom of God in unusual places is just part of everyday life.  As one who talks one-on-one with people in coffee shops and bistros, pubs and sidewalks, and who speaks more formally in our hip downtown venue on Sundays, I find myself championing the grace of God a lot!  Talking about Jesus as the one who forgives sin, who reconciles us to God, the one who paid the price for our sin - this is just what I get to do, and I love it.  Calling people to repentance, to genuine fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and calling them to enjoy the amazing relationship we have as sons and daughters of God Himself is such a privilege.  But I can also be so busy doing all these things that I forget to take advantage of all these benefits that I have in God.

I was reading this morning in Luke 7 when this scripture jumped  out at me:

"I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John.  Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  (Luke 7:28, ESV)

Jesus had just declared that John was not just a prophet, but more than a prophet:  he was the "messenger" whom the prophet Malachi had foretold would come to prepare the way for the Messiah (See Malachi 3:1).  In that sense, John was a pretty big deal.  However, after this statement Jesus then proclaims that the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John!  What?  How can this be?  How can the greatest prophet be lesser than a brand new follower of Christ?  (To be clear, Jesus wasn't saying John was excluded from the kingdom of God.  John was looking forward to a kingdom that he could not yet fully understand.)

To participate in the kingdom of God is better than to talk about it!  To be a great preacher of the glories of God cannot compare to experiencing them!  To live as a citizen of God's kingdom, as a member of the New Covenant in Christ's own blood, a citizen of grace and truth, freely approaching the very throne of God Himself, is a completely different reality than to declare that this is available.  While I could personally call people to repentance and call them to respond to Jesus - and I do - yet, I could still stand distant from the enjoyable benefits He has provided for me.

It was not John's "prophet" status that would cause him to become great in the kingdom of God; it would be his embrace of the King.  It would not be his austerity or good works that signified greatness but his faith in the Greater One.  In the same way, being a church planter doesn't make me great.  It's not that I come as a prophetic voice into my city of Spokane.  God hasn't called me (or you) to be "merely" a mouthpiece for His kingdom, a herald of things to come; he has called us to be active participants in His covenant of grace.  He has called us to relationship, to citizenship in Himself.

I can hear your theological gears working:  "But greatness in the kingdom is all about serving!  Jesus said that!  What about serving?"  You would be right, but what's the motive for all this serving?  Our service, whether it's declaring the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, clothing the poor, or feeding the hungry, is best given from hearts that enjoy the abundant provision God daily lavishes upon us.  Citizenship in the kingdom of God never begins with us serving God, but with Him serving us.  He opens our blinded eyes, softens are hardened hearts, brings us from death to life, fills us with His very own Spirit, and causes our hearts to then beat in sync with His!  The least in the kingdom of God can enjoy these benefits of grace; the greatest servants in the kingdom - whether they are cancer-ward volunteers, church leaders, or poor widows who pray for them all - will serve greatly because they are rooted and grounded into the grace, truth, and love of their all-sufficient Savior.

Here's the prophetic call:  take some time to enjoy the very benefits you love to talk about!  Yes, search the Scriptures, but also come to Jesus and enjoy the life He provides.  Speak from that place.  Love from that place.  Serve from that place.  Maybe even plant churches from that place!

The Purpose of Being Blessed

I'll never forget senile Aunt Bethany's prayer in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  She's asked to pray "The B-l-e-s-s-i-n-g" by her excellent-toupee-wearing husband, and she begins with, "I pledge allegiance to the flag..."  I laugh every time.  Yep, every time!  The family request to "bless" the food goes wrong just like everything else the Griswolds do.

The reality is that God really is a God of blessing, and he does a much better job of it than Aunt Bethany.  The King of all creation purposes to bless His people so that they can be a blessing to the world in which they live.  His words to a man named Abram are encouraging:

"And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."  (Genesis 12:2, ESV)

When God chose Abram He told him to "Go."  He told him to leave his land and his father's house, and to go where God would lead.  Abram would experience famine, political challenges, war, and extreme marriage difficulties.  Abram was specially chosen to be blessed by the King, by God Himself, but it's the stories of his struggles along the way that encourage me the most!

1. His political turmoil with the Egyptian Pharaoh (all over his beautiful wife!):  God blessed a sometimes fearful, sometimes deceitful man because God has a bigger plan.
2. His adjustment to real life issues when a famine forced Abram to move his family and sizeable animal herds to Egypt in the first place:  being blessed doesn't mean being "babied" or "coddled".
3. His recapture of his kidnapped family along with the goods and citizens of wicked kings (like the king of Sodom); his refusal to accept payment but instead to honor God through extravagant giving:  God's kingdom is apparently an internally transforming one!

God still blesses the citizens of His kingdom to be a blessing to the nations, whether they are Egyptians, Sodomites (yep, I know you raised your eyebrows on that one), Spokanites, etc.  Our struggles are real but they will always serve a greater "kingdom" purpose.  When God calls us out and chooses to bless us, drawing us into His mission in the earth, it may not look quite as we expect!

Consider your struggles.  Consider your blessings.

Now consider the kingdom of God.  What might he be doing through your life to bless the nations?  It's worth thinking about.

The Kingdom Among Us

A constant collision of two kingdoms:  this is Luke 4, as the kingdom of God effectively opposes the kingdom of the darkness.  Early on in this story the devil has the audacity to offer Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, over which he had authority, if only Jesus would worship him.  Of course, Jesus doesn't, stating that God alone is to be worshiped, and the devil is unsuccessful.

Later, Jesus describes His mission:  to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, and sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and to proclaim the time of God's favor (4:18,19).  After breaking demonic strongholds and healing the sick, we see Him teaching in various synagogues and towns because he "must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well" (Luke 4:43).  This was part of His purpose.

Luke seems to tie Jesus' quote and application of Isaiah's prophecy to His declaration of the kingdom of God.  Is this good news?  Absolutely!  He is anointed not only to preach the kingdom but to bring it!  He casts out demons, rebukes a high fever, heals a great many sick people with various diseases and He teaches the truth with authority.  These things are evidence of the kingdom of God among men.

Could it be that we could still see strong teaching of the good news accompanied with the powerful evidence that Jesus says is fulfilled in and through Him?  Can we see anointed men and women of God declaring the good news of the kingdom of God to the poor, declaring liberty to those in captivity, recovering of sight to lost and blinded people?  Can we really see the oppressed set free?  I firmly believe we can... and will.  I'm really excited to be proclaiming (and walking in) the favor of God this year!

The King With Smiling Eyes

Does your king have a smile in his eyes?  Mine does.

He also deeply experiences the emotion of wrong committed in his kingdom.  My king grieves over injustice and wickedness and does something about it.

Read this carefully:  "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart....  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD."  (Genesis 6:5,6,8, ESV)

The Lord, the Creator King, is not an emotionless, passionless being.  He is not a cosmic justice scale made of some eternally frigid metal.  He has a heart.  When he looks on wickedness or righteousness His heart is moved by it.  The Creator King cares and feels; He grieves and smiles; and He acts with clear purpose to defeat wickedness and to advance His kingdom of righteousness.

I see the extreme contrast of God being "grieved ... to his heart" and the favor that is found in His eyes toward a man like Noah.  When God looked upon Noah, His eyes were smiling.  When He looked upon the sin of the world and and the depravity of sinful man He felt sorrow.

Often, I think we can forget that God is a "He", not an "It"; a Person, not a Force; a King that rules with care and love.  His kingdom is not just an idea but a realm with an eternal ruler.  This ruler leads with passion and His royal code means something to His heart.  The instructions He gives (His laws and decrees) represent His own love for righteousness, justice, and truth, as well as His genuine love for His people.

As I write this morning, it gives me great strength to know that because of Jesus' righteousness credited to me, though my sin has grieved the heart of God, I have been declared righteous.  His favor rests on me and the eyes of my King are smiling at me like they smiled at Noah.  This is true for every Christian, even the ones who don't know it yet.  What an adventure it is to continually discover this King with smiling eyes!

Rebel Planet

This morning I read about the day we became a rebel planet.  It was the day a crafty snake convinced a man and his wife to pursue being like God apart from the very instruction of that God.  He stirred doubt and confusion in their hearts with words like, "Did God really say...?"  This cunning serpent suggested that God was somehow holding out on this couple, and that there was a better way, a way for them to really know things.  It just wasn't God's way.  They ate the forbidden fruit and mankind fell.

Though mankind has fallen to the deception of the serpent, the awesome plan of God continues to unfold.  Throughout the pages of Scripture, the Sovereign God of the universe will advance His kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy, while the lesser, albeit crafty, enemy wreaks destruction and wickedness on our rebel planet.  God will win the day (and if you're a Christian, you know He already has)!

Still, the enemy who opposed the rule and reign of God that day is real.  His deceptive, slippery words are still crafted to stir doubt in the very ones God is commissioning to bless the earth.  If he can continue to convince the chosen ambassadors of God's kingdom to act outside of their commission, to violate the word of their Maker - if he can break the trust and relationship between man and his Lord - then this antagonist could destroy the plans of this God he so hates.  Or so he thinks.

Today, although the Deceiver may beckon with alluring words that drip with rebellion, our Creator King is extending a call through His ambassadors that rings across the rebel planet:  "Grace to you and peace from God our Father!"  Could this be true?  Could God really be extending peace to the rebels?  Could His favor once again rest on a fallen race?  This is the gospel message of hope to a deceived and dying world.  I pray that the church across my city, my nation, and my world will resound with this good news!

It's His Kingdom

Let's just say I'm not a huge fan of New Year's resolutions.  However, last night Becca and I ran a 5k as a part of the First Night festivities in Spokane, and of course it was called "The Resolution Run."  We were all invited to write down our resolution for 2014, run the race, and then throw the resolution into a fire at the end of the race.  I thought to myself, "That's perfect, because most resolutions go up in smoke anyway!"  Even though I didn't write one down, I do have a plan for 2014.  But first, here's the back story:

My Bible reading plan and
stack of journals

Eleven years ago a pastor friend of mine invited me to read and journal along with him through the year.  I happened to work for him, so it was really more of an assignment than a simple invitation!  Well, eleven years later I'm still using that same Bible reading plan and have found it to be a great launching pad for my personal devotional life as well as a great resource for preaching.  It gives me enough structure for genuine accountability while leaving me free to use the resource rather than be a slave to it.

Although in 2003 my journaling was fairly spontaneous, it's developed into writing on a different theme each year.  For example, 2011's theme was marriage, 2012 was leadership, and 2013 was prayer.  I usually write down one or two verses a day that speak to the topic, as well as what I feel God is teaching me.  Sometimes, I write down a simple prayer that gives voice to my heart's response to Jesus.  Do I write every day?  No.  Do I always write on just this one topic?  No.  Is there flexibility here?  Absolutely.

The point here is that my plan for 2014 is to discover the topic of the Kingdom of God.  It's been a passion of mine for years, coming out in songs, prayers, sermons, etc., but I've never taken the opportunity to be systematic about reading the Bible with God's kingdom in mind.  Here's to a great year of learning about the Kingdom of God!  What do you feel God stirring your heart to learn?  Why not ask Him!  Then, whatever reading plan you choose, I'd invite you to learn from God along with me this year.  He has great adventures in store for us, and great instruction to equip us along the way.


I may not have written down a "resolution" but I'll be writing all year long anyway!  Look for more on the Kingdom of God on the blog this year.  Here's a sample from today's reading/journaling.

Date: January 1, 2013
Title:  It's His Kingdom

Jon's journal entry from January 1, 2013

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth....  Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...'  And God blessed them.  And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion...'" (Genesis 1:1,26,28, ESV)

At the beginning of time as we know it there was God.  God created the heavens and the earth, the skies, the waters, the land, the fish, the birds, the other animals and plants, and ultimately mankind.  Man was different than the rest of creation, formed in the image of God and specially blessed by Him.  "Man" - male and female together - was commissioned by God to be fruitful, to multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it.  They were commissioned to have dominion (authority, leadership and stewardship) over all the earth.

It's important to realize that everything begins with God, and that mankind, both individually and as a whole, is subject to this ultimate King.  From His authority comes a powerful commissioning, a blessing, to enjoy relationship with one another and to be a blessing to the whole earth that He created.  From the first chapter of The Story of God, He is drawing mankind into a special relationship with Him and into a very unique place in His kingdom.  But it's still His kingdom. 

Prayer:  Lord, open my eyes this year to the wonders of Your eternal kingdom, to Your rule and reign, Your ways and Your purpose, Your sovereignty, and Your majesty in earth and in heaven!

Ready For Launch

Well, we've officially been on the Spokane launch pad for 14 months!  The Meek family moved at the end of July 2013 and it's now the last day of September 2013.  What a ride it's been so far!  We've immersed into new schools, new friendships, new jobs, new home, new everything it seems.  Over the past 14 months we've loved participating as God has drawn together a team of amazing people around us to help plant a new life-giving, Jesus-honoring, grace-saturated, Spirit-filled church in Spokane, Washington that exists to glorify God and to serve people.

As our team has been learning and growing, it's become clear that it's time to "go public."  We haven't been hiding, by any means, since we've been meeting in a rented facility at 303 W. Main on Sunday mornings since the beginning of March.  Our sermons have been online, our sign goes up every Sunday, etc., but we haven't really done a big, splashy, publicly advertized "here-we-are" event.  (If you don't count the outreach carnival and car wash we did in the West Central neighborhood in July!  I guess that was pretty splashy!) So, if you happen to read this and live in the Spokane, Washington area, you just might see some Facebook ads inviting you to come check out Grace Church Spokane this month, especially for the big "Launch" on October 27, 2013!  You might also see some posters or receive an invitation from a friend.

I promise one thing about October 27.  It will be a great day to bring friends who don't know much about Jesus, friends who are already Christians but are burned out on "religion," or friends who are looking to connect with a healthy local church because they just haven't yet!  Maybe you're reading this and you fit into one of those categories yourself.  If so, why not come see what Grace Church Spokane is all about?  Come and discover with us what Jesus meant when He said, "I came that you may have life, and have it to the full."