Greatness Redefined…

…or greatness upside down.  I borrowed that phrase from Derek Webb who released a CD entitled “I See Things Upside Down.”  When you become a disciple of Jesus things that you once valued go down and things that you once disdained go up.  Things like pride and humility.  In Jesus’ kingdom greatness is redefined:

“But Jesus called them together and said,“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.  But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:25-28  NLT

“About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”  Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them.  Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”  Matthew 18:1-4  NLT

Over the holidays I was reminded of these truths.  The reminder came in the form of an excited five and half-year old girl named Adeline.  Adeline is the daughter of a couple who have become good friends of ours.  They are also apart of our Missional Community.

Our MC gathered over the holidays to walk through a re-creation of Bethlehem, welcome a new family here to Warner Robins, and gather afterwards for a Christmas party.  As everyone was arriving, Adeline and her family showed up.  We mingled for a bit and played with the kids and then Adeline’s mother shared something that Adeline said on the way over.

Before I share what she said, I have to give some background to fully communicate how this hit me.  Our MC meets twice a month at our home for prayer, fellowship and discussion about the previous weeks sermons.  Adeline usually doesn’t join us because she is apart of an AWANA program that she loves.  This night she didn’t have AWANA and was able to join us.

Fast forward now back to our gathering.  As I’m playing with the kids, I over hear Adeline’s mother share that on the way over Adeline said that she was so excited to go to ‘missional community’.  Right then it hit me.  Adeline feels welcome and excited to be apart of this body. But, am I just as excited to have her apart of it as well and do I see her as more important than myself in the kingdom?  These things ran through my head and heart as I became broken over the beauty of her honesty and child likeness.

I’m sure that your probably thinking to yourself, “Geez Jason, she was just sharing her excitement.  Kids do this all the time you know.”  Yeah, I know and I want to be like that.  So, thank you Adeline for showing me a glimpse of greatness.

Plant And Replant

From the website:

Plant and Replant is a gospel centered event that is intended to be a support to those who may be thinking of planting a church or considering the merits of replanting an existing church. At this event, you will be engaged by men who have planted thriving churches from the ground up in the state of Georgia and beyond. You will also meet and hear the stories of those who have replanted existing churches and are now seeing a vitality and health that these churches had not seen in many years. You will, more importantly, have the opportunity to meet a lot of other men like you, who are asking the same questions, and looking for good answers.

More than anything. this event is intended to be a very practical help to you in whatever context you are currently in so that you can prayerfully and strategically prepare for the future. Our hope is not to preach to you about things that you should be doing, but answering questions that you have about how the gospel can take root in the work that you feel God is calling you into.

I’m excited about the opportunity that we, New City Church, have to be able serve people from all over the country. I’m excited to see leaders in our own body and from all over the country come together for one goal: To equip God-gifted men to plant and replant gospel-centered churches in their context.

The conference is January 22nd and 23rd. Go to the website for more info on how you can join us that weekend.

10 Things I’m Thankful For

10. That I have a job

9. That we have food and clothing

8. That we have a roof over our head

7. That I can see, hear, taste, touch and smell

6. For the people in my missional community that I co-shepherd. We’ve been at it for about a year and God has moved and brought and married and grown people in our midst. And I have seen Acts 2:42-47 come alive before my eyes. I love them and they are a blessing.

5. For the men and women at New City church that I co-shepherd with. Only God can take sinners and unite them in Jesus in order to build his church.

4. For the men who lead and shepherd me at New City. I am thankful for humble men who love Jesus and challenge me in word and deed.

3. For friends, specifically guys that have walked with me over the years through different chapters of life. That I have seen change and have watched me change. And through thick and thin, because of the gospel, we are closer than brothers.

2. For Kimberly. We just celebrated four years of marriage. I love her. Her beauty and intelligence are unrivaled. She is my teammate in this journey and I can’t think of anyone else so different, yet so fit to help me. Her companionship is a gift and a challenge that drives me constantly back to my need for Jesus in order to love her. Nothing else in this world will show you the depth of your sin like marriage.

1. For Jesus. He is the same today, yesterday and forever. He is my Creator, my Savior, my righteousness, my exceeding joy. He laid aside His eternal glory in order to become a human. He grew in his mother’s womb, grew as a child into a teenager, grew from a teenager into man. He lived life as a human and in all of it, he didn’t sin, not once. He claimed to be God and proved it by raising people from the dead and forgiving people of their sin. He lived the life I couldn’t live and died the death that I deserve. He freely gives me the perfection I need to be welcomed into the arms of God. He freely took all the sin and guilt that I had, have and will have upon Himself on a bloody cross. He subjected himself under God’s wrath and fury and completely satisfied it when He died. He rose from the dead, proving that he is who says he is and ascended back to God and lives to intercede for everyone who believes and follows Him. He now actively works in my life to give me strength to obey Him and to not sin. He uses pain and suffering to discipline and change me and freely gives me good things to enjoy. He is coming back to bring me safely into His presence where I will live forever in a new body, on a new earth in fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. Along with that, he will also inflict vengeance on those who do not turn from a life of sin and believe Him.

What are you thankful for? To whom are you thankful?

Ambition

From the website:

AMBITION. Simply knowing how to plant and lead a church is not enough. Knowledge must come hand-in-hand with God-given ambition. The Apostle Paul responded to God’s call to make the gospel known among the Gentiles with zealous determination. Paul, empowered by the Holy Spirit, made it his ambition to take the gospel to those who did not have it even if it cost him everything. He proclaimed the gospel, gathered believers into churches, established elders, and discipled believers; and he did all this with zeal and passion. In the hope of this type of ambition overflowing in the Church, we would like to invite you to the Acts 29 Network Ambition Boot Camp, November 10-11, 2009, which will focus on planting and leading churches with God-given ambition.

This conference is a ‘boot camp’ for church planters who are interested in being assessed and plant within the Acts 29 network, but it is also open to the public. Whether you feel called to plant a church or want to gain a deeper understanding of your role in it, I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity. I’m excited for my pastor, Keith Watson, who will be sharing his testimony and speaking during one of the workshops.