Pastor Jon

“Who do you think you are? You’re not qualified for this. You’re not smart enough for this, and you’re not gifted enough for this.” 

Does this sound like something maybe you’ve thought about yourself at some point? And then, God says to you, “Check, check, check, but none of those things are on My list.” What God wants to know is “Are you available, and obedient, and under authority? Because if you are, then I will anoint you and appoint you to do things that you couldn’t even imagine.”

There is a mentality that many of us have which needs to change.  it’s the mentality that I love the idea that Jesus would come and erase some of the problems in my life. If Jesus has come to erase my guilt, and my shame, and my debt, then, “Yes, please” sign me up for that! Just like the Jews thought, during Jesus’ day that the Messiah has come to erase their bondage, erase the consequences of their mistakes, we can be tempted to think that Jesus will erase some things for us too. It’s true that Jesus comes to change things, but it’s not just to erase; it’s to exchange. Continue Reading…

We are a Great Commission Church

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:16-20

What does it mean to be a Great Commission church? A Great Commission church recognizes that when it’s people walk out the doors, they don’t stop being the church, because the church isn’t contained by a building. The church is wherever Jesus is, and if he’s in you, then wherever you are, church is about to happen. The beauty of the subversive nature of God’s mission on planet Earth is that He qualified every person who says “yes” to Jesus to be on the front lines of that mission. Before you disqualify yourself, recognize that God doesn’t call the people who are already qualified; He qualifies the people who He calls. If you ask the question so how do I begin to think about the Great Commission, well, think about it like this: the Great Commission is a co-mission with Jesus.

Wherever you go in life, and whatever you do in life, the most important thing that you could ever take with you is the presence of God. When you’re close to Jesus, when you’re close to his presence, then you get to the place where you lack the ability to accomplish something by your own means, you can ask Him, and He can do what you never could. That’s why when we pray we don’t pray in our name; we pray in the name of Jesus. Why? Because we’re praying, when we pray for a miracle or we pray for healing or we pray for a breakthrough, we recognize that I didn’t raise myself up from the dead, but Jesus did.

There’s something that happens inside of you when you begin to recognize that all of the potential of the kingdom of God resides inside of you, because God’s Spirit is in you. Then, you begin to go to about your regular business with the expectation that even though church may not be happening ’cause it’s not Sunday morning, God’s Spirit is in me and I am going with all authority. Because I’m with Jesus, then church isn’t just going to happen to me; it’s going to happen through me, Monday through Friday.

Grace can be defined as unconditional acceptance granted to an undeserving person by an unobligated giver.

– Tullian Tchividian | Surprised by Grace

we’re conditioned in our culture to prove ourselves in every sphere of society, but a real understanding God’s grace confounds that idea. The minute we think that God’s acceptance is conditional, that somehow we’re deserving, or that God is obligated, we’ve missed the revelation of God’s grace. He wants you to recapture it again today. God’s grace means that I am neither deserving (ouch!) nor disqualified (whew!) from receiving God’s favor and blessing.

The apostle Paul, in Ephesians chapter 2, says “it’s by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift from God.” When the apostle Paul says we’ve been saved by grace through faith, the idea is if faith is what comes from our end, grace is what comes from God’s end. We have to come through grace by faith – those have to meet at some point. The idea that the Scripture should teach us here, is that God’s grace is overwhelming, so that even when our faith is only the size of a mustard seed, there’s still enough to make the connection between you and who God is.

If you’re ever tempted to think that you are disqualified because your faith is small, understand that it’s not just about you gaining more faith. It’s about you embracing and believing and trusting that God’s grace is so amazing and overwhelming that it can make up the difference for a mustard-seed sized faith. God’s grace is sufficient to make a connection between God’s kingdom and your life.

God is the loving Father who is extending grace to you today, so would you trust him? Grace is not earned.  It isn’t merited.  Because you misunderstood grace, maybe you’ve spent lots of time, years maybe, trying to prove yourself to be deserving of something in the future, when God’s been offering it to you all along. It’s not an elevated view of yourself, but an elevated view of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, that will help you see God’s grace flowing freely in your life. Begin to believe that you are not second class, but you are a child of the King; that’s how the Father wants you to see yourself.