That was preached and modeled by Jesus nearly two thousand years ago.
No matter what someone's upbringing, skin color, or background, every person is an image-bearer of God and is of great worth and immense value.
Jesus lived this out in a poignant moment after He rose from the dead.
The Scriptures tell us that after the Resurrection, Jesus stuck around for 40 days before returning Home.
Let me ask you a question:
If you are the Son of God and you have only 40 days left to show people worldwide that you're alive, who would you pursue?
Kings? Presidents? YouTube Stars?
I know that I certainly would not pursue a former close friend who had betrayed and backstabbed me.
That would be a waste of my time, right?
Not according to Jesus.
Every Person Matters.
Even the person who hurt you most deeply.
Enroute to the Cross, Jesus' right-hand man Peter had denied Christ three times.
Three times!
After the Resurrection, Jesus pursued Peter.
This is mind-blowing because Peter was a 7 day journey away up in Galilee, fishing and sulking with his buddies.
So get this: the resurrected Christ spent 7 of His 40 days walking north to Galilee, all for one person: Peter.
Every Person Matters.
In John chapter 21, Jesus comes upon Peter.
Jesus does not lecture, or point fingers, or give Peter the silent treatment... Jesus cooks Peter breakfast!
Because Peter had dropped the ball three times, we discover that Jesus forgives and restores Peter three times.
It's that third moment of restoration that gets me:
Then Jesus asked him again, “Peter, son of John, do you have great affection for me?”
Peter was saddened by being asked the third time and said, “My Lord, you know everything. You know that I burn with love for you!”
Jesus replied, “Then feed my lambs!"
(John 21:17, The Passion Translation)
Peter was a fisherman.
In his line of work, he had to pay a tax to Rome for every single fish he caught and kept.
This meant that fishermen would look at a caught fish and if it seemed weak or not good enough, they would throw the sickly fish away.
After all, who wants to pay a tax on a fish that doesn't matter anyway?
Jesus looks into Peter's eyes and basically says,
"You are no longer a fisherman who casually throws fish out of the boat. You are now a shepherd. In a shepherd's eyes, every single lamb matters because every single lamb is pure potential. They just need extra love, extra attention, and someone willing to take care of them and show them the way forward. A shepherd is willing to do whatever it takes to find and feed the sheep."
The Great Lakes Bay Region is a diverse region full of pure potential.
What ignites that potential?
Jesus.
And so we are all about making Jesus famous, one life at a time.
We are Kamikaze Disciples.
We want to make it HARD for people in our region to go to hell and EASY for people in our region to go to a Life Church location!
Trust me, it makes NO SENSE to essentially launch three church start-ups in six years.
The hours are long, the work is tough, critics are loud and the pay often averages less than a school teacher.
Yet that is what God has called us to do: Reach the Lost at Any Cost.
We are United Under One Vision.
Stewarding this vision has been my job since Amber and I began putting the pieces together for a new church start-up back in 2011.
Raising up leaders has been our concentration since launching Life Church on March 17, 2013.
Championing the reach of Life Church has been our ambition as God has graciously grown us into one church in three locations: Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw.
Even though I am free from obligations to others, I joyfully make myself a servant to all in order to win as many converts as possible."
(Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
I am proud that Life Church was the first church in Mid-Michigan to experiment with multiple locations.
If Every Person Matters, Let's Bet the Ocean.
I'm not here to play tiddly-winks.
I have zero interest in the status quo of a Yacht Club when God has called us to be a Rescue Boat.
We exist for the benefit of our non-members.
Playing it safe is too risky.
And our movement chooses to pray audacious prayers while moving forward at the speed of faith.
Life Church is less Atari and more Apple.
We will bet the ocean and not play in puddles.
I will not bring God my leftovers when He deserves my first and best.
Movements Move
If every person matters, then every Sunday matters.
That's the secret sauce of Life Church's incredible growth in such a short time: We will not surrender a single Sunday!
Every weekend worship experience is an opportunity to point people to the hope we all share.
Humor Over Hammer
My job isn't to lecture people or beat them up over their life choices.
I just want to paint a picture of what their lives could be and should be.
Following Jesus will make your life better and make you better at life!
We've discovered that humor travels further than hammer.
Make 'Em Laugh
Humor is our default in sharing God's timeless message in timely ways.
And now, it appears more people are catching on to what we're up to.
Our mischief as Kamikaze Disciples apparently caught the attention of Outreach Magazine, a national publication for church leaders.
Every year, Outreach compiles their popular Fall edition listing the 100 Fastest-Growing Churches in America.
Today they let the cat out of the bag with this article online: Life Church is on their list!
Dang it, We Just Missed the Top 10
Of course, it blows my mind that anyone would take notice of our feeble efforts here in the High Five State.
It's even crazier that we cracked the Top 20 in Growth for 2019.
I believe it's all because we serve an extraordinary God and we are a church family full of extraordinary Lifers.
The people of Life Church pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on them.
Our Lifers are incredibly special to me.
But dang it, we just missed the Top 10!
(kidding)
Dream Bigger
If I've learned anything in my faith journey, it's that I cannot out-dream God.
His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts.
I don't think God is impressed by our ranking on the Outreach Magazine list.
If we were the 11th fastest-growing church in America for 2019 with only a small percentage of Lifers ALL IN (both serving and tithing), how much faster would we be growing with 100% of Lifers ALL IN?
Healthy Things Grow and the choice is ours.
We can choose to be brave, trust God, and take our next steps forward in serving and generosity. That's healthy.
Healthy things grow.
Unhealthy things miss out.
God cannot and will not bless disobedience.
Hearts that are open-handed with their time and their treasures are what God multiplies and blesses.
So Here's My Challenge to our Lifers
1) I love you. I am proud of you. What God is doing here is special.
2) We can do better. Jesus deserves our very best efforts in changing the world, not our leftovers.
3) I am challenging you to go ALL IN on serving twice a month.
We've simplified everything so that serving is fun, easy, and exciting!
4) And yes, I am challenging you to take baby steps forward in generosity.
6 years ago TODAY my family risked EVERYTHING to launch a DREAM.
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. (Romans 15:20)
It hasn’t always been easy. But it’s always been worth it.
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin...”
( Zechariah 4:10 )
5 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK, I WAS THE ONLY STAFF MEMBER OF A 9-MONTH-OLD CHURCH START-UP.
My worship pastor had just quit and moved back to Florida.
We were meeting in a local elementary school as a portable church stuck at 60 people.
I was angry, discouraged, and our baby church was homeless.
A phone call completely out-of-the-blue from a Lydia of Thyatira (see Acts 16) led to a walk-thru of this former golf store in the shadow of Freeland, Michigan.
GOLF MANIA HAD BEEN IN AND OUT OF BANKRUPTCY FOR YEARS.
The latest owner had grown so frustrated at the lack of customers plus mounting bills that he abruptly locked up the facility one day and walked away, never looking back.
Bankruptcy is a funny thing: everything in Golf Mania was frozen in time.
The show room was still stocked with expensive golf gear.
Receipts were strewn everywhere from freshly-fired employees who never bothered to clean up.
WHEN YOU TRAIN TO BECOME A CHURCH START-UP SPECIALIST, YOU ARE SKILLED AT ALWAYS SEEING THE POTENTIAL IN EVERY PROBLEM.
The facility and furniture were exquisite.
I couldn’t believe this facility was just sitting here unused!
This facility was chock full of potential!
The facility tour was in December of 2013.
It would take eleven long, drawn-out-months before we could begin gathering inside the old Golf Mania.
2014 was a year of vision-casting to a dwindling audience, pleading with the Landlords to take a risk on our church start-up, never taking No for an answer with city officials concerned about Zoning, and intense fundraising.
I could have given up.
I felt like giving up.
Yet I didn’t.
Elisha said, “God’s word: Dig ditches all over this desert valley. Here’s what will happen—you won’t hear the wind, you won’t see the rain, but this valley is going to fill up with water and your army and your animals will drink their fill. This is easy for God to do!” (2 Kings 3)
THE WORD IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT IN GOD’S VOCABULARY!
If He has called you to it, He will see you through it!
Do not despise the days of small beginnings. Do not give up when you are in the very situations that are ripe for a miracle of God.
Once we opened the doors on a 24/7 leased facility (it was a huge step of faith; we could not afford the monthly rent at that point and I was scared!), the floodgates of blessings were poured out.
People started showing up.
Lives starting changing.
The facility was simply a tool for ministry… and our perseverance was paying off.
We were praying for God to fill our worship space in 3 years… …and He literally did it in just 3 months!
Never give up. Fight tooth-and-nail. Kill the doubts in your head before the Liar kills the dream in your heart.
SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL SAID IT BEST…
The great day finally arrived, and after the school's fanfare and acclamation, Sir Winston Churchill stood to his feet, acknowledged the introduction, and gave the following address, which is quoted in full:
'Young men, never give up. Never give up! Never give up!! Never, never, never-never-never-never!'"
My heart beats faster and my spirit soars every time someone at Life Church discovers new life in Christ!
We really will do anything short of sin to reach more people far from God.
It was a privilege and honor being part of baptisms this past weekend. Every story was inspiring.
Baptisms are an outward symbol of an inward change. There is so much change happening at Life Church… life change!
This is what happens when a church family is committed to a white hot vision of reaching the lost at any cost.
There’s no time for gossip, ego, or insider politics; there are so many more people in need of hope and wholeness in the Great Lakes Bay Region!
You can hear every story from this past weekend’s baptisms here:
We also had a BLAST with our Star Wars: The Last Jedi private premiere this week! Our crazy outreach strategies are purposefully born from our church’s unique vision and create lasting memories.
It was fun meeting new friends and blessing the socks off children and guests from all across the Great Lakes Bay Region — Caro, Alma, Midland, Bay City, Vassar, and Saginaw!
(PS — The Last Jedi is EVEN BETTER on the second viewing!)
---
2 Kings 6:1 says:
One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small…”
You don’t need to be a prophet to see that Life Church’s Saginaw Campus is growing very, very fast! Every Sunday at 10:30am, we are out of parking, out of space for kids, and out of seats in worship. This is a GREAT problem to have!
We have a BOLD solution: we want to invest in our new Midland Campus to create more space for more people far from God. We also need to invest in more ministry equipment that will impact more lives for the gospel.
THIS SUNDAY we are boldy receiving our Year-End Christmas Offering. We all want to give above and beyond this Sunday at Life Church. By giving ABOVE what we normally give, we can all go BEYOND where our church normally goes!
Mid-Michigan’s NBC & FOX News affiliates recently covered our church’s pro-active security plan roll-out.
I am thankful for the positive news coverage — below is their reporting.
SAGINAW COUNTY, Mich. — Local churches have taken big steps to keep their members safe, following the recent mass shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.
One church in particular, Life Church, is working with local law enforcement to increase security during its services.
“You think you’re going to a safe place like church, but terrible things can happen anywhere,” one church member said.
The lead pastor, Jonathan Herron, said his congregation expressed concern following the tragedy in Texas, so he took action.
“I started getting messages on my Facebook from people here at Life Church saying, ‘Does the church have a plan?'” Herron said.
He said he then reached out to the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Department and developed a more in-depth plan.
“We’re working with a lot of churches with training, but recently we did have one church in Saginaw County that asked to hire us… hire a deputy on duty, full uniform, with a car to be at their church services,” Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel said.
Herron said just having their presence makes him feel better as both a parent and a pastor.
“It makes me feel good when I bring my children to church on Sunday that they see a smiling sheriff’s deputy there to welcome them,” he said.
He said this change has encouraged more people to walk through their doors.
“Church is a light in the darkness and partnering with the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Department is just another way that we’re able to shine that light brighter, so people feel welcomed into a place full of hope and without fear,” Herron added.
Sheriff Federspiel said the department is working on holding active shooter situation training for churches in the area later in December.
The sheriff said his deputies are also making a point to make their presence known in church parking lots on Sundays.
I had a BLAST today at Life Church as we kicked off a new series based on Acts chapter 16, You Don't Have What It Takes. I believe this will be a powerful message series as we get raw and real about some of the heavy curveballs life throws our way.
Unfortunately we did not get an audio recording of today's message, so here is a quick summary:
- Paul and Barnabus part ways in Acts 15:35-38. If break-up and betrayal could happen to the Gospel All-Stars, it can and will happen to you and me!
- Followers of Jesus are not promised rainbows, skittles, and unicorns. You WILL have troubles and heartaches!
- You can't please everyone but you can keep reconciliation as your goal.
Step One in a Betrayal or Break-Up: Your REACTION determines your REACH.
- Jesus gives very practical instructions in Matthew 18:15-17 on how to deal with people who have hurt you: go to the person quickly, privately, and humbly!
- Verse 17 does NOT advocate shunning. Who Would Jesus Shun?
- "But they deserve to be shunned."Really?Even if everything you say about this person is true, are you treating them the way Jesus would treat them? If someone is acting like a pagan or tax collector, how would Jesus approach them...?
- Jesus always walked TOWARD people, not AWAY!
- If someone is taking shots at your children, I'm sorry, but that is demonic. You are never more like Satan than when you accuse and you are never more like Jesus than when you advocate and forgive!
- Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us to deal with our issues TODAY. Don't allow "little" beefs to get bottled up over time or you will explode like a volcano.
Step Two in a Betrayal or Break-Up: Nobody wins when you trash talk.
- Have a beef? Don't blab it on Facebook... go to the person and get it resolved!
- If you are a man or woman of God, you do NOT have permission to accuse or slander.
- If you are a son or daughter of the Most High, honor and integrity are your shield. Even if you are accused and innocent, it is not necessary to defend yourself in the public square(I am speaking from EXPERIENCE here!!).
- Ephesians 6:12 tells us that if they have flesh and blood, they are NOT our enemy! The Enemy is the enemy!!
Step Three in a Betrayal or Break-Up:
Moving on doesn't mean you've stopped caring; it means you can't change it.
- Always keep the door open for reconciliation but never for condemnation.
The personal story I shared was about how Amber and I lost our closest friends five years ago and how we've chosen to walk through that brutal break-up and betrayal by choosing forgiveness and open doors. We don't yet have a storybook ending to that story, but we continue to hope and pray.
Next week my good buddy Adam Downer will be sharing more from the life of Paul in Acts chapter 16. I'm really excited for our church family to hear Adam's story for the first time. He is an AWESOME worship leader, but more importantly a wise and experienced pastor who oozes with compassion.
In two weeks I'll return with the third message in this series. I would appreciate your prayers as I'll be opening up and sharing for the first time the story our family walked through two years ago. My prayer is that it will offer hope, healing, and encouragement to so many healing from past church wounds.
