The Church: Mission not Destination!

Jesus told his disciples to "go and make disciples." That's it. Why is such a simple closing instruction by Jesus so difficult to keep in focus?

We seem at times to have a type of "spiritual A.D.D." that inflicts us with an inability to stay focused on the main deal. As a result, new paths are chartered and explored that were never intended to be our paths. Resources are wasted. Life gets busier without fruitful results.

I am marinating day and night on how God is continuing to draw us into focus. To state it more personally, I am beginning to see that which has always been there with greater clarity - we are to be about mission not destination! We are dynamic not static, a movement not a building, a people passionate about God not "churchianity."

Isn't it frustrating to point to an object in the near distance only to have the person next to us unable to see it? We say, "Right there!" "Next to the tree." "The big tree with the small bush in front of it." But they continue to say, "I can't see it." When they finally do see, they are equally surprised with the trouble experienced in seeing it.

I am praising God the Father this morning for His continual persistence and grace in helping me to see. How many times I have been looking but not seeing! Yet He patiently keeps with me until at last I see.

Rob

Teaching

I have completed my first 3 teaching sessions. We have a total of about 80 Tanzanian Pastors attending the week long conference. They have received the teaching out of 2 Timothy with great appreciation. I am honored to be here speaking into their lives.

I have 5 sessions to go. Please be in prayer as I make final preparations for these sessions. I want to be both a timely as well as relevant teacher in their lives.

I am very impressed with the Tanzanian leadership. They have an aggressive vision over the next 10 years to plant churches among "lost" people groups in certain regions of the country. I can feel the excitement and passion in the air. It is contagious!

Hope all is well in Richmond. I will be home in 6 days. See you soon.

Rob

Arrived

After almost 40 hours of cars, planes, and suv's I have arrived in the southern region of Tanzania called Mgeba. I am very tired and heading to bed. I have my first teaching session in the morning. About 125 pastors will be attending the conference this week. I will write more later in the week!

Rob

Off to Africa

I am leaving this weekend for my 10-day mission trip to Africa (Tanzania). I will be doing one of my favorite things: teaching on leadership in the Church at a conference for Tanzanian pastors. In addition, I am hoping to look at some options for our two Advent Conspiracy wells.

I would deeply appreciate your prayers. Please prayer for strength and endurance (I will be teaching 9 sessions). Also, pray that a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit would be upon me as I seek to understand the culture in which I will be teaching. I want to be convicting and relevant.

And finally, pray that God would continue to stir my heart for us as a church family regarding mission in Richmond and around the world. We desire to be a movement of people propelled by the Gospel - not a building! May God grant fresh vision and excitement.

I will be praying for you all while I am away. I will have limited email access but will do my best to blog and send updates. Blessings.

Rob

Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast

I had the joy and honor yesterday morning of attending the annual Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast. The head table included a number of key leaders in our city and state - Gov. Tim Kaine and Gov-elect Bob McDonnell were two of them.

Hall of Fame member, Art Monk, shared his testimony. As he described a small group Bible study that he attended while a wide-receiver for the Washington Redskins, I could not help but cry tears of joy. In that small group the Holy Spirit touched his heart, and he surrendered his life to Christ.

Mr. Monk said, "The Monday morning following the Super Bowl in which we were victorious, I woke up with an empty feeling in my gut. Is this all there is to life?" God's Spirit was working on him.

The temporary successes of this world are gone in the morning. They are isolated moments that burn off quickly like a "caffeine high." The moments of "success" in the Kingdom of God leave us with a powerful sense of never-ending, eternal, full-of-purpose contentment. We awake in the morning discovering an existence that is full of life, grace, and mercy. Why would we settle for anything less? "Christ holds the words of eternal life"!

Rob

Witness

The early Church did not understand a difference between sharing one's faith (witnessing) and losing one's life for the faith (martyr). Both were the same word. Most early followers of Christ anticipated that their life may be at risk for actively witnessing. Yet, the Gospel flourished.

While there is some apprehension you and I face when sharing our faith, it pales in comparison to the early Church context. And yet, the Gospel is not flourishing in the U.S. Most statistics show the Church losing ground in attracting constituents.

There is an irony here. Our “easy” context for sharing the Gospel has the tendency to produce complacency and lack of witnessing in us rather than a greater abundance of it! This is hard to believe. We have more resources, support, money, teaching, revelation, and access than the Church has ever possessed and yet we are declining?

I can only conclude one thing: a sense of urgency and passion has become dormant in the hearts of many Believers. The enemy of our souls has convinced us that we are being and doing enough!

Let's wake up the "sleeping giant." This is our hour in the history of God's salvation work in the world.

Testify to our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.

Rob

Stitches

For those of you who don't know, I took a little spill on the stage of the National yesterday. Right before the service, I was walking across to the other side carrying the communion elements and tripped over a monitor. I cut my wrist pretty bad.

We changed the order of worship and I did the message up front and than headed to Patient First where they fixed me up (5 stitches). I am quite sore today!

Thank you so much for all your prayers and texts. I really appreciate it. Holy Suffering: between my computer crash and this accident and this sermon - it has been quite a week!

"Praise Him in the Storm!"

Rob

Crash

My computer crashed this week. The hard drive died. And foolishly, I had not backed up a number of important files. I learned my lesson.

Guarding and protecting that which is essential is true both in the physical as well as spiritual world. Our verse to commit to memory this week speaks to this issue. What are ways you and I can better guard the truth that Paul speaks of? Would love to hear from you.

Rob

Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:14:"¹⁴guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us."

Rekindle

anazoipureo – means to rekindle, inflame, stir –up - 2 Timothy 1:6

-unique double meaning:

a. to rekindle or to refresh a fire that has almost gone out

b.to keep a full flame going – don’t neglect it

I went through a brief season in 2009 where the fire of God had dimmed in me. I was experiencing fatigue, some unusual stress, and became complacent in my daily devotional times with the Lord. It is amazing how quickly and easily it can happen.

As I freshly yielded myself to the Spirit of God, I began to be brought back into that "sweet spot" of continual fellowship with the Father. We worship the God who is constantly drawing us deeper into Himself. Some start far away while others never leave his side. Neither scenario modifies his disposition of love for us.

Perhaps you are in a difficult or spiritually dry season. Rekindle the gift of God that is in you. His grace and mercy are available. Create some space in your life today to respond to him. As we reach out, we discover His hands are already extended.

Rob

Paul's Greeting to Timothy

Keywords and meanings for Paul's greeting

-grace: charis – divine favor, loving-kindness, favorable regard

-mercy: eleos – compassion, pity

-peace: eirene – welfare

-the first two: grace and mercy are acts of God

-grace describes God’s attitude toward the lawbreaker and rebel

-mercy is God’s attitude toward those who are in distress

-the third one: peace is the resulting experience

2 Timothy Background

Paul and Timothy were dealing with a well-known heresy (false teaching) known as gnosticism. Here are some of the characteristics of it as we discussed this weekend. Keep these in mind as we are studying 2 Timothy. You will see different places where Paul is addressing one of these.

1. Speculative Intellectualism – dealt in foolish and unlearned questions; a kind of intellectual filibuster – just meant to waste time – of no value to anyone, the kind of intellectual debate that is only for the purpose of argumentation and division

2. Pride – elitists and clicks emerged actually claiming that only they were exclusively in possession Christian blessing; created false levels of spirituality

3. Unhealthy Asceticism (denying self) – new special food laws, random lists of impure items, and for those already married they even recommended renouncing marriage and leaving their families

4. Immorality – some would break into homes and lead away weak and naïve women into evil desires (2 Timothy 3:6); money gain through false teaching – getting rich on the backs of susceptible early followers of Christ

5. Endless, godless chatter and speech

6. Jewish legalism – especially around circumcision

7. And Denied the resurrection of the body – believed “body or flesh or physical matter” was evil and only spirit was good

Hope this informs your study of 2 Timothy.

Rob