Unity Can Kill

In Gen. 11 we read the story of the Tower of Babel.

There is some great unity in the city. Everyone spoke the same language and used the same words (v. 1). They were all apart of the culture. They all had the same vision to build a tower. There was only one problem, there intentions were to build this tower for themselves (v.4) so they would be famous (v.4). They wanted people to come from miles around to see what they had done. They believed that this act would keep them from being spread out around the world (v.4).

This part amazes me…God acknowledges that because of their unity they could accomplish anything (v.5). So God goes down and confuses their language and spreads them out all over the earth (v. 8). Which is ironic because the is the very thing they were trying to aviod.

So what is the take-a-way. Unity is vital but intent is critical. If you try and change the culture of your ministry, get them all speaking the same language, have them all focused on the same vision but have the wrong intent God will eventually step in and stop you. I think for ministers the “make yourself famous” instead of “making God famous” is a strong struggle. This is a thought I have really been battling, “Do I do what I do because I want people to know who I am, or because I want people to know who God is?”

As ministers I believe that we must constantly keep this in front of ourselves. I am not always pure with my motives in this area. I am striving for it though.

Strive for unity but die for intention.

Be a Nimrod

Cush also had Nimrod. He was the first great warrior on Earth. He was a great hunter before God. – Gen 10:8-9

I like that is says Nimrod was a great hunter before God. That means that Nimrod worshiped God through his hunting.

I believe that true worship of God means we worship Him through our gifts and talents. It’s not about the songs we sing or the music we play on Sundays. It’s about the way we live our lives. Worship is about being obedient with the gifts and talents that God has given us.

What has God gifted you to do before him?

Use your gifts to worship before God this week.

Mission vs. Method Thoughts from Noah Part 5

Thought #5…

5. God told Noah to build an ark not a ship. (Gen. 6:14)

Have you ever wondered why God had Noah build an ark not a ship?

An ark is basically a floating box. A ship has sails, oars and rudders.

I think that God wanted Noah to drift. He wanted Noah to just be along for the ride.

Noah wasn’t the captain of the ship; he was the captive of the ark.

Many times we want to be the captain of the ship.  We want to be in control at every moment.

We have to let God be in control of the ark (method).

We have to be his captive to the mission and realize that we are just along for the ride.

Mission vs. Method Thoughts from Noah Part 4

Thought #4…

4. Noah left the ark method behind so he could start on the next method of replenishing and multiplying. (Gen. 8:15-17)

God then tells Noah to leave the ark. He spent 160 years building it, one year on it and now God is just done with it.

The mission wasn’t to live through the flood. The mission was to give the world a do over. So now Noah had to leave the boat and start to plant seeds in the ground, take care of the animals and multiply his family.

What if Noah would have said no? What if Noah would have decided that he wanted to stay on the ark?

That sounds crazy but that is what many times we humans do. God has used the method we are using to the point He wanted to. Now he is ready for us to move on to the next part of the mission but we are to caught up in the old method. We pray/say things like: “We can’t leave the ark, it got me where I am today”.

We lose sight of the mission many times because we are emotionally attached to the method.

Think about this. The ark has never been “officially” found. The ark was huge! The ark is the method that God used to save mankind. Noah spent 160 years building it. But, the ark (method) is nowhere to be found, however, the earth (mission) is still here.

Are you willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission God has for your life even if it means that the method you use will never be glorified or found?

Mission vs. Method Thoughts from Noah Part 3

Thought #3…

3. Noah’s preparation was much longer than the actual time spent on the ark. (Gen 6 & 7)

Scholars believe that it took over 160 years to build the ark.  The actual flood event took about a year. (From first rain till the dove found ground)

Are you willing to take 160 years in preparation of your method to have one year of fulfilling your mission.

We prefer to take one year to prepare the method then hope that the method keeps the mission going for 160 years.

Methods are not the end point. The end point is the mission.

We live in a microwave society. We want everything now. Little prep with huge reward. Noah’s spent 99 percent of his time in preparation.

Mission vs. Method Thoughts from Noah Part 2

Thought #2…

2. God gave Noah extensive details about the method and Noah followed them exactly. (Gen. 6:9-22)

Noah didn’t go looking for other arks to get blueprints from. He got his blueprint straight from God. Many times we run around from conference to conference, reading books, looking at websites or visiting churches to try and get a blueprint (method) that someone else is using to accomplish their mission. But just because that is the blueprint (method) that God gave them to accomplish their mission doesn’t mean that their blueprint (method) or mission is the plan that God has for you.

Noah didn’t cut corners.  He followed God’s design to a t. Christians sometimes have the reputation for not being excellent. They do things halfway and then ask God to bless it. We need to be excellent in our execution of God’s methods.

The ark was the first boat that we know of. God is a creator not an imitator. Why do we so many times become method imitators instead of method creators? Honestly it is so much easier to imitate than create. It usually boils down to a lack of patience and listening.

Mission vs. Method Thoughts from Noah Part 1

The last couple of months I have been studying the life and ministry of Noah. I decided to look at the story from a different perspective.  I looked at Noah’s ark building as him pioneering a ministry.

As I studied the story I saw that Noah had a mission (save the world) and a method (the ark). Ministers should all have a mission and a method. A lot of times we have a temptation to let the line between these two things blur.

Over the next week I am just going to give a couple of the things that I learned from Noah’s mission vs. his method.

1. Noah was God’s man because he walked with Him not because he was the best ark builder. (Gen. 6:5-8)

We see that God is upset with the state of the earth. He decided that it was time to start over. But instead of destroying the earth He finds one man that is righteous. Noah. Noah, it says, finds “favor” with God.  I believe he found favor not because he could build an ark but because he walked close with God.

Many times we think we have to have all the tools (methods) before God will call us to a mission.

We don’t know if Noah had ark building skills, but we do know that he was righteousness.

God doesn’t call the prepared, He prepares the called.

Our first priority is to walk close to God! Then we develop our skills.

In the Midrash (Jewish Method of Biblical Interpretation) Noah explains he was no better or different than anyone else.  It says that Noah was saved because he was the only one who understood God’s grace (favor).

God doesn’t call us because of our great gifts or talents, he calls us because of our willingness to serve. The minute we think we are anointed because of our gifts and talents instead of because of God’s grace that comes from walking with him we are moving into dangerous waters. (Pun intended)

The Past Decade

This week ends a decade. I was taking some time today to think about the last 10 years. I am blown away. So I decided to list the top 10 things that happened in my life in the last decade. You should think about doing the same. It is amazing to think about what God has done in my life.

Here is my list from least to greatest…

10. Getting my first job as a youth pastor.

9. Beginning to journal.

8.  Getting the chance to pour my life into Catalyst College of Ministry students.

7. Becoming debt free.

6. Buying our first home.

5. Moving to Cape Girardeau to work at Cape First.

4. Developing a huger and thirst for the Word of God that has led to strong and lasting convictions.

3. Finding out we were going to have our second child…a boy.

2. Having our first child…Sophia Lynn.

1. Meeting and marrying the woman of my dreams…Dori French.

Merry Christmas

We pray that you will have a wonderful and joyous Christmas with your family and friends.

- Jon, Dori, Sophia and the Catalyst Family

Primal by Mark Batterson

I was excited to hear that Mark Batterson had written a third book. The new book is called “Primal”.  I am a fan of Mark. Not only his writings but his life. I have had the opportunity to be around Mark on several occasions and he is a genuine guy. I actually spoke for his College R.A. a few weeks ago and Mark came up in our conversation. He told me this about Mark…“He was the only guy I knew that used the prayer room. Well, for the right reasons anyway.”

This book was provided for a review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Primal is a great read. But it is a very challenging read.

The main thought through this book is that we need to get back to the “Primal” essence of what a relationship with Jesus Christ is suppose to be. Here is a great quote from the introductory chapter…

“I couldn’t help but wonder if we have accepted a form of Christianity that is more educated but less powerful, more civilized but less compassionate, more acceptable but less authentic than that which out spiritual ancestors practiced.”

The rest of this book runs from that thought process. I really enjoyed Chapter 5: Seventy Faces. It comes from a rabbinic tradition, every word of sacred Scripture has seventy faces and six hundred thousand meanings. The chapter is all about reading the scriptures, meditating on them and lastly and maybe most importantly, living them out.

If you liked Mark’s other 2 books then you will love this one. He uses the same writing style. It is easy to read yet he discusses astrophysics, optical nerve ending and much more. I always feel smarter and encouraged from reading Mark’s writings. This would be a great book to read first of the year to challenge you the rest of the year.

You can pick up a copy of the book at WaterBrook Books.

If you want to find out more about Mark Batterson check out his blog.