Well, it's good to be back with you..Pam and I had an incredible week in Phoenix. Spend some good days with our good friends Glen and Janet Kerby. Just really enjoyed being together with them. I also had an amazing time praying for all of you.
Folks, when I get away, something kind of cool happens with my thoughts about Lakeview Church. I immediately begin to dream a little bit - and God uses those times to give me a little clearer picture of where we're headed together..and He always reminds me of where we've been.
So today, I'm gonna give you some rambling thoughts of what God has been talking to me about..
You know, I've had the incredible opportunity to see and to be a part of many churches in my life - I've witnessed a lot of church and not boring or average churches either..but churches that were exciting and growing and filled with energy and ..churches that were chasing hard after those things that they knew God had called them to..Churches that were relentless in their pursuit of together finding the vision that God had placed in their hearts..
Churches like Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago - a model for any church, about designing church for people who are unchurched..a church that God has blessed significantly numerically and financially..a church that now reaches thousands and thousands in the Chicago area but also has a leadership and teaching arm that literally spans the globe, and that resources thousands of churches internationally, of which Lakeview is proud to be associated.
Christ's Church of the Valley - Phoenix, Arizona (6,000+ people).
Central Christian Church - Las Vegas, Nevada (6,000+ people).
Two incredibly vibrant churches that I had an opportunity to be part of in this past week. Again, churches that have been influential in the development of this church and myself in leadership..Cincinnati Vineyard, Gingamsburg, Dayton..2 exceptional churches that God has clearly had His hand on in these past years. Churches God has used to touch and help and guide our church..
Westside King's Church in Calgary - a church committed with all their hearts to be a relevant, authentic example of Jesus Christ in our culture.
Or churches I grew up in..Archerwill Lutheran - 40 people was a big week. The first example I saw of a church that desperately wanted to survive in small town Saskatchewan. A church where everybody knew my name and where the Sunday school teacher was also my babysitter and where potlucks and Christmas pageants were the most wonderful events in the whole town.Tisdale - Christian Fellowship Church..had a youth ministry of 50 kids when I was 13 - kids that really loved each other - A church that was so warm and friendly and tried so hard to reach their community. Those people in that church inspired me to do church well..to create a family environment in the church.
Folks - every one of those churches had or is making an impact on their communities - every one of those churches has had a hand in the development of Lakeview Church to date..and every one of those churches has just one thing in common..one thing..
Community. They are pursuing community. In every one of those churches, the people are developing authentic relationships. In every one of those churches, people really love each other and you can really tell. In every one of those churches the people are all very focused on at least one thing..Walking together( in a meaningful way) on the journey of faith..and that has been a significant part of their success and impact for the Kingdom of God in their respective towns and cities..They have been together and focused in their pursuit of community.
Now let me tell you another story.3 weeks ago I was asked (along with Lee Barbour) to be part of a very tough situation in another church in Canada. We were to be part of trying to relationally reconcile a church and a pastor and a leadership team that has basically disintegrated in a church. Lee and I, for 3 days in March, as well as another 3 days in May, will be first hand witnesses to a situation that has caused deep division, damage, and destruction in the church of Jesus Christ..
I tell you, it broke my heart to see it..to witness the spiritual drain and turmoil that has taken place..To see with my own eyes what happens to a church where authentic community has not been kept as a sacred calling..To witness a church that has been rendered useless because of internal struggles and relational conflict and a much lowered vision.
Hear this - "Without vision the people parish." I have had opportunity in these past days to think much about the truth of those words..
Let me tell you what I think God has been telling me..(what I've been learning)..and maybe this will all tie together..(the good and the bad).
I like reading from this Bible once in a while - I got this Bible when I was 22 years old, and to be honest, it's the first place these verses I'm gonna read to you next came alive to me..These verses are not only the most significant description of the early church and how it operated, but they are what has become for me - what my life is to be devoted to - the development of the church of Jesus Christ. They have become the vision and calling for my life. I have underlined these words over and over again - and my Bible has circles and highlights and worn out ripped corners around Acts 2:42..So I though I'd read from this Bible about who we are and what we're supposed to be..
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." - Acts 2:42-47.
I remember the first time those words came into focus for me in my life..About 1989..I was in a conference setting listening to a guy preach about the early church, and how he described it was incredible..And then he said something I'll never forget - because it changed my life..He repeated the words of Jesus to His followers just before Jesus ascended to be with His Father in heaven.
"From this day" - Jesus said - "Until my triumphant return to this earth, my mission and purpose - my #1 job - is to develop churches - to develop communities of faith - all over the world." And then you know what Jesus does? He invites His followers - people like you and me - to join Him in this eternal endeavor.
Then this same preacher read with passion the words of Jesus from Matthew 16:18 where He said."I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."
And I remember just being overcome with a sense of calling - Tears were streaming down my face..because to me that vision seemed like the most important thing that any human being could do with the one life they had been given..
I remember thinking - "Jesus, you're asking me to help you with your mission?" Amazing - see folks - it really is incredible..but we get to join in with Jesus Christ - in the one single endeavor that He has deemed most worthy of His time - His energy and His passion. Building the church of Jesus Christ..
So let me ask you .. What could be more important? What could be a higher priority? What could be more challenging, or more satisfying than that?
Now let's get back to these verses..and to the more specific and practical vision for these days at Lakeview..
Here's what I think God has been pressing me on..
Unity of purpose: The thing that stands out to me most from this amazing description of the church of Jesus Christ is how clear they all were on what they were about.
Notice the words they/everyone/all/everyday they/together/all the people..That's the first pick-up for me when I read this..they were together and unified on purpose. And if you'll take notice, they were unified because their purpose was quite simple - not too complex - not very hard to understand.
- They wanted to develop their faith more - teaching/learning had high priority. (vs. 42)
- They wanted to be connected to one another (vs. 46-47)
- time/eating together.
- worshipping together (devoted to the fellowship) was a large priority.
- They wanted to care for everyone. (vs. 44-45) In fact, they pooled all their resources together - everyone as equals..and they gave to anyone/everyone as they had need.
- They wanted to include others. They were all about new people joining their community (vs. 47)..Daily..
- Somehow they had the ability to attract and build relationships with people every day that were coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
Now, seems like a pretty simple plan for the church doesn't it? Simple, perhaps, to say - very challenging to do..Now you might say "Well Dean, that's great. I'm glad that church in the first century did that..So what?"
Let me remind you of the significance of that Acts chapter 2 church. This church went on to develop churches all through the then known world. This church spread like wild fire the good news of Jesus Christ. This church changed their city, their culture and eventually changed history. Every other church that now names the name of Jesus has its roots in that Acts 2 church - including this one..One little local church that changed the world forever. That's the significance of that church.
Now, let me tell you (hopefully with some clarity) what these things are all about for us here at Lakeview..so we too can be united on purpose.
Our vision is "to become an authentic community of Christ followers." And when I say that - often people want to know more. What does that mean? Well, our vision also is really quite simple to understand..not too complex. Let me explain it..4 things - 2 this week, 2 next.
1. Relational Authenticity
You remember all those churches I mentioned at the beginning? Well, when you walk into any one of them, within just a few moments you notice one thing - great relationships. People are sharing life together..People are hugging, laughing, talking. They genuinely like to be together. Well, that's a key sign of health in the church - it was in the early church and certainly is today, and it's one of the healthiest parts about Lakeview Church..Great relationships.
But let me clear something up right now. Relational strength in this church did not simply just appear one day....It didn't just happen on its own. We have been very intentional about it. We see it as a clear part of God's call on us as a church and therefore need to be very responsible about how we go about developing this as a key value and priority for us as a church.
When I first came here (1988) - the church was right around 200 or so people, maybe 250. But it felt like when we got together everybody kinda knew each other..and they did..It was a great place to be, especially for the 250 or so. There were potlucks and special events where we could all be together. There were lots of invites to people's houses and a pretty widespread feeling of family. But even at 250, we could feel that disappearing, because you couldn't get to know one another on any deep level. 250 people is too many to know....but we couldn't find the answer just yet (1990).
By 1994/95, we were 400 people strong and poised to grow even more and knew that something intentional had to be done about relationships within the church. Now people didn't know each other and it seemed like they didn't even really want to get to know any more people and the church began to feel very cold. Then came 1995/96 and Elizabeth Nickel . The Lord laid a picture on Elizabeth's heart to see authentic relationships happen within a small group network. Here at Lakeview, "groups of 10," she would say - "that's the only way to have meaningful relationships. That's the only way to have relational accountability..That's the only way for people to care for each other - and it's the only way to develop leaders."
"Groups of 10" - Elizabeth would say..And so it began..First with just a few, and then more and more and more.
People within the church joining small groups of 10. Let me describe what a small group is to be: People that are committed to one another, to growing healthy, long-term relationships. People committed to meeting together and to being there for one another. People committed to eating together and laughing together and praying together and studying God's Word together..People who just love being with one another..And guess what..Now there are literally hundreds - around 800 or so - people within this church connected to small groups and to developing real, authentic relationships.
Folks, small groups are where this church happens. There may be 1200+ people here on the weekends, but we feel that real relationship - real church - real life change spiritually - happens in the context of a small group..where 8 or 10 or 12 people sit around a livingroom and share life with one another and breathe love and life and courage into one another for the journey..that's real church..
You know, a key part of my job, I feel, here at Lakeview, is simply to listen - listen enough to hear what's happening on the streets of our church. Now, with that comes a lot of complaints and frustration that need to be aired - but also, when I listen, I hear a lot of good news. In fact, the good always very much outweighs the critical, and you know what? Almost every good news report that I receive comes out of a small group - how someone felt enfolded and became a bigger part of Lakeview for the first time in years because of the relationships within a small group..or how someone's faith questions have been answered (every one of them) over the course of 2 years, in a small group setting..as the Bible was opened up to them. Or how many new people here at Lakeview have found real faith; and how many (not so new) people have strengthened their faith by sharing their spiritual lives and being accountable to those people in their small groups. It is really amazing how many good news stories come out of small groups.
Now here's the kicker with this - and it's a bit of a reality check.
As Lakeview Church gets bigger in numbers, it is gonna be harder and harder to find that sense of community, to build relationship, and in some ways, it's gonna be harder to grow deeper spiritually (outside of a small group). I mean - small group is where most of your spiritual questions get answered and where the practical growth steps happen.
Here's what I'm saying..I probably don't need to say this again, but I will.We've sold the farm for small groups. It's what our church is about!
We believe that the very best place for your life to be touched by God, for you to be developed spiritually, is within small groups. By watching and interacting, and rubbing shoulders with other people in the faith, by building relationships with those people who have been walking longer on the faith journey towards Jesus Christ. People - if we are to become the authentic community God wants us to become, small groups must flourish.
People, the reality is simply this - if you consider this your church, you need to be pursuing joining a small group. I believe the health of your spiritual life depends on it. We were never meant to live the spiritual life alone, but in community - and small groups are the only place to find real community and authentic relationships here at Lakeview Church.
That's the first thing you need to know about the vision and mission of this church. Authentic relationships are absolutely vital and they happen in our church when you sign up for a small group (call Elizabeth).
Here's the second thing I take from Acts 2 - that we at Lakeview also must focus on.They had
2. Full participation within the life of the church.
Let's look at Acts 2 again..
Vs. 42 - they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship - to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Vs. 44 - "All the believers were together and had everything in common."
Vs. 46 - every day they met together - temple.
The description here is more than just great relationships..but it is a great desire to be together as the church under Jesus Christ. A great desire to be together as the people of God - to worship together - to learn and be taught together. These were great priorities..So much so that they did it every day. They had church every day..and something great happened spiritually because they were together.
Key phrase in verse 42.."Devoted themselves to the fellowship." Each person within this Acts 2 church shouldered some of the responsibility of the whole group. They owned it and were committed individually to make the group work.
Here's the takeaway for us - here's the pick up..We are in a position and place right now in our history of expanding and strengthening the core of this church. We are being called by God during these days to broaden the base of this church so we can grow much larger in numbers over the next years..And have an even greater impact on this city for Jesus Christ.
Now, in a practical sense, here's what this means à We are calling you to commit to this fellowship. Now, I've been holding back on this for a while, but I need to talk very straight to you about something that's been heavy on my heart for a while now..Do you know that the Bible doesn't even describe - the Bible knows nothing about someone who comes to faith in Jesus Christ and then joins the church and does not get involved with it - For someone who does not become a serving, participating connected member of that local church..
The Bible does not have terminology for someone who is a Christ-follower..but then sits on the bench and doesn't get involved within the life and ministry of the church. It wasn't even in the experience of the New Testament church - it was just expected that everyone who had come to the place where they knew that they had been saved by the work of Christ on the cross..that they would be so overwhelmed with a spirit of gratitude..that they would jump into that church and say "Here I am, count on me. I'll find out about my spiritual gifts and when I learn, I'll sign up. I will use my abilities to give honor to Jesus Christ every week for the rest of my life in whatever local church God has called me to be a part of."
Now, 2 things here - Darren F. and Gloria R. are part of the Discipleship Team - the run the Basics classes, which are always available on membership, maturity, and ministry. Folks, if you want to know more about what being a full participating member of this church is, then sign up for Basics #1, our membership class. If you want to understand your specific ministry gifting and where you might be able to serve, call Gloria Reimer and sign up for Basics #3 - Ministry. These classes and the learning you will receive there are absolutely critical to your spiritual growth and to this church.
So let me again clearly state what we're about here at Lakeview. We hold the biblical position of expecting every single one of you - (who calls Jesus Christ your Savior and Lakeview Church your home) - that you will become full, participating members of this church.
One more thing - this may get me into trouble..Here's the deal..Some of you - not many - but some of you come and go to this church and to others, but aren't committed to one church. You're here sometimes. You're there sometimes. Or you've come here from another church - some of you, that's your story.. Welcome . But hear this..We are going to challenge you to come to a decision. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you need to be a participating member of a local church. And if it's this one, great. If it's not this one, that's fine too. Because, we could use the seat if you can't decide. But you should go to the church you feel God has called you to - and become a flat out, devoted, committed, fully participating member of that church.
But folks, decide. Because if Lakeview Church is gonna reach the potential that God has called it to, all of us must become fully participating members..and get out of the spectator stands and onto the playing field. The only way we'll get at what God is calling us to is if each of us commits individually with our time and energy and spiritual gifts to the whole community. Look again at the words from Acts 2:42 & 44 & 46. And folks, there is a power and strength that comes from that kind of commitment. And it's that kinda church that God is calling us to here..And it's that kinda church that will be so strong that you can bet that the gates of hell won't prevail against it. That's the kind of strength we need to be building inside this church.
Now - if you're new here, just relax about what I've just said. Take your time and find out about this church, and then jump in with both feet. We need you.
Folks, this vision of authentic community is a very high calling. And you need to know that the leadership of this church holds this responsibility very seriously. Last night and today many of the key leaders of this church met to discuss our future together. People, I don't know how to say this correctly, but this church is so blessed to have godly, committed, selfless, sacrificing leaders at the helm (PAT/SLT/Staff - incredible group of people).
We prayed together and laughed and talked and cried together - with passion. Why? To try and further discern where God would take this church in the future.
People, I am seeing like never before the leadership core of this church shouldering the responsibility of the vision God has called us to. So my call to you is to join our community. Build authentic relationships - through small groups. Sign up. Or if you have already, build strong groups. Become a fully participating member. Find out what we're about and then dive in. We desperately need to broaden our base during these days.
One more thing. This bench has been sitting here the whole time. I wanted somehow for us to have a reminder of community - that we as a church are about building authentic relationships.and about being unified together and we're about simply being together - chasing after the things of God - together..
So, this bench is gonna get placed out in the foyer of this church. And it's meant to be used.but also as a reminder that we're not meant to be alone. It's a 2-seater. We were created to be in community.
That's what this church is about. Love and relational strength and a people walking towards God together - in unity. |
