Unlike any other time in our human existence, we have so much information right at our finger tips because of technology.  In the Christian culture you can read magazines, forums, blogs online, watch sermons, classes, inspirational videos, and communicate with other Christians around the world.  We have become consumers of knowledge. So here’s the next question.  Why do people feel need to go to church on Sundays?

I know why I’m involved with my church, but why are you?  I know many people who attend multiple churches on Sunday and throughout the week.  The go to their ‘church home’ in the morning.  Next the go to another church offering to ‘get fed’.  Then throughout the week they listen to sermons and participate in various forums online.  Why do these people attend on a Sunday? To get fed?  Are they using this knowledge? You can get fed by some of the best preachers in the world without leaving the bedside.  Plus we could pause them to get a bit to eat and never miss a word.  We could rewind a portion of message if we didn’t quite understand what the pastor was saying.  We could select a different sermon if we didn’t like the current one.  We could do other tasks to help out our week while we listen to the sermon on our ipod.  The combinations are endless.  So why attend Sunday service?  Do we have too?

I want to purpose that church is more than a Sunday morning experience.  The greek word for church is ekklesia.  Ekklesia means an assembly of God’s people.  What if church is not a building you go to and sit, but an active body of people (1 Cor. 12:27).  Imagine if the church pulled together and used their gifts for the common good, hung out together, devoted to the teaching of the apostles and helping those in need (Acts 2:42-45, 4:32-33;1 Cor. 12:9).  Imagine a place where a body of believers were working together to carry out the mission of Jesus and resembled His characteristics.  Where would those people meet?

I believe the church is bigger than where you sit on a Sunday and how many people attend.  I believe the church as a active body of people impacting where they live for the Kingdom.  I believe that we can be inspired by others online as we engage our culture.  But we need to be an intimate community of people in order to have impact.  We need to use the resources that God has given us for His glory (Matt. 25:14-30).  We need to be the church.

what would jesus do if he were here today?

What would it look like if jesus came here today instead of 2000 years ago?  Who would he hang out with?  Where we he go to church?  What type of people would he build up?  What issues would he address?  What would he want us to know?

While we can’t answer these questions with certainty, we can examine through the bible what was his mission while he was here.

Join us for a bible study through the mission of jesus. We are doing an in depth discussion for 10 weeks through various passages in the gospels. The series starts 11.09.09 at 4:00pm. Childcare is available for those who need it. For more information contact info@ekklesiacc.org.

Each week, I have the great pleasure of having lunch with other church planters.  Some of these church planters are doing similar models and some are doing different models.  Despite what model and location, these men are excited and want to help out.  I always look forward to hearing what God is doing in their midst and where they feel God is leading them.  I can’t help to think about how these men are living out this passage:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are varieties of ministry, and the same Lord.  There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.  But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Cor. 12:4-7)

The common good is what we need to remain focused on.  Not our own good, but the good of the Kingdom.  As pastors, it could be easy to hold on to what God has entrusted us for the good of our own local church, but instead when we focus on Him and His kingdom, we want to do what we can for the common good.  I have been blessed and I hope that I have blessed other pastors by spending time with each other, sharing ideas, talking over philosophy, but staying focused on building up His kingdom.  I hope we continue to uplift each others ministry and stay connected for His glory.

God has been doing a lot here at Ekklesia from allowing us the ability to secure most of the sound equipment we need for our Celebration services to providing opportunities to develop relationships with other ministries such as Campus Ambassadors at ASU East and LIFE ministries who reaches out to families with special needs children.

When starting a church like Ekklesia where the goal is building relationships with people in order to show them the love of Jesus, it can sometimes be more difficult to identify the “win”. With most churches who are attractional and program oriented, it’s easier to look back and measure accomplishments. It’s a far different thing to measure what God is doing as we plant seeds in the hearts of people we interact with on a daily basis.

So how do we as a church measure success in ministry when people, not tasks and events, are the primary focus? In a society where we are constantly taught to measure our success by tangible evidences such as population (numbers) and financial growth, how do we measure our success as church leadership?

These are the questions we are faced with and battle with each day. It’s the balance between the idea that “healthy things grow” and letting God cultivate the hearts of those whom we come in constant contact and strive to build relationships with. We look therefore to invest in people and bring Jesus to them rather than bringing them to an event or program. It’s a paradigm shift in thinking.

Jesus asks us to go out and build relationships and show others we love and care about them as a unique “created after God’s own image” soul; we care about their concerns and worries rather than merely getting them in the door. If done right, while the crop may take longer to yield its fruit, with constant care and watering, we will see a healthy and long-lasting harvest that weather life’s most challenging trials. The opposite, where people are drawn to services via enticement and marketing may produce quicker initial results, but like the seed that falls on rocky soil they will wither away because the root was not developed.

So, rather than being a “human doing” and focusing our efforts on various activities and gimmicks, Jesus calls us to be human beings and investing in the souls of people God brings into our lives. That is the win- though difficult to measure by human standards, the reward is far beyond our comprehension.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)

I must constantly ask myself these questions: “What am I spending my money, time, and energy on?”,“Where is my heart?” and “Am I focused to heavily on living like a human doing or am I resting in just being human?” The answers to these questions will be a litmus test showing me where I draw my strength and encouragement from.

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”- Jesus (John 13:35 ESV)

 

Title: A Brief Introduction to Gene & Stem Cell Research
Location: Campus Ambassadors @ ASU Poly (Mesa)
Description: Steve will introduce the topics of genes and stem cell research. What are some views to what is going on in the world in science and the potential decisions in the future.
Start Time: 8:00pm
Date: Oct. 22nd, 2008

Title: Preaching at the Rock Eternal
Location: the Rock Eternal Church (Queen Creek)
Description: Steve will be teaching on Acts 17:16-34 on being an instrument of God.
Start Time: 9:00am & 11:30am
Date: 2008-10-05

After several weeks (in between vacationing) of helping out at LifeQuest, my wife and kids and I were able to make our way back to Rock Eternal in Queen Creek this past Sunday.  It was great to see people we hadn’t seen in months and we made some great connections.

The thing that impressed me the most was how curious people were about what we had been up to and especially how the church plant, Ekklesia, was going.  I was a bit taken aback by this as we really hadn’t experienced this level of interest anywhere else.  I was glad to share from my heart about what God is doing through us as leaders in Ekklesia.

It reminded me, that whether or not the people in our lives go to this church or that, we are all one body of beleivers, and that is at the heart of what Ekklesia is all about.  It’s about making and deepening long-lasting relationships and encouraging and being encouraged by one another.

Whatever people’s interests are, whether they are looking to be a part of the work God is doing at Ekklesia, or whether they are just wanting to hear about what God is doing and pray for us, I am excited for all the relationships God has blessed me with and look forward to seeing how God works in and through them!  After all, we are one family of believers striving to make an impact in the lives of those around us, whether they know Jesus persoanlly or not. 

I thank God for ALL my family!

Last night I had the privilege to lead worship at ASU Poly’s College ministry Campus Ambassadors (CA).  It was great to get back to doing what I love most: singing worship songs from my heart to God and leading others in an authentic, genuine time of corporate worship.  I truly hope that was achieved.  To be honest, I felt a little “rusty” not having really led worship in a while, but overall (in spite of a few mistakes) I think it went well. 

It definitely served as a reminder to me to remember to focus not on the perfection of the program but the heart of worship, as it were.  It’s not about me and how many mistakes I may make (though I do strive for excellence).  Once I have prepared to the best of my ability, I need to be focused on first giving God all the glory as I offer myself to Him in service, heart, mind and soul, and second to engage God’s people and help lead them into a real and genuine worship time through song and prayer.

I am looking forward to God continuing to mold me in His image and to use me in spite of my humanness and core character defects and shortcomings.  He is my strength and my sufficiency, and I pray that I would truly decrease so that He may increase!

It’s been a while since I have been privileged enough to lead others in worship since we left Rock Eternal in order to focus more on preparations for Ekklesia at the beginning of summer.  I recently had the opportunity to play again at my old stomping grounds, LifeQuest Church at the request of Scott Murray who asked if I would help him out.  It was good to be used in that capacity again; I miss playing and singing and guiding others into an authentic and meaningful collective worship experience.

Last week, Steve and I visited ASU East Campus Ambassadors college ministry and met a group of students on fire for impacting the Kingdom of God.  I happened to have visited for my first time on the night they were debuting their newly formed, and as of recent, unnamed worship band.

It was great seeing something from the beginning stages and seeing all the potential they possess.  While the music and flow was rough, it was evident that their hearts were in the right place and I look forward to seeing how we as a church can come along side them and encourage and bless their ministry.

I was approached by Myke (campus ministry leader) to lead worship for their next meeting on Wednesday since the worship band is, for the time being, playing every other week in order to practice and develop their music.  I thank God that I can be used in this fashion and it’s my desire not to show them “how it’s done” but to show them Jesus and join in with them the bond we all share of coming together to worship our Creator.

I am humbled that God would use me to lead His people in this way.  I am looking forward to see how we can come together and make a dent in this world for the cause in which we labor.

Title: Ekklesia Vision at ASU Poly
Location: ASU Poly
Description: Steve and Paul will be going to ASU Poly and sharing the vision of Ekklesia.
Start Time: 20:30
Date: 2008-09-10
End Time: 22:00