Christ's Church

"He is also head of the body, the church..." Colossians 1:18a

This weekend Lacey and I visited her sister Heidi and brother-in-law Brad who live in the suburbs of Philadelphia. God worked things out so we could stay through Sunday afternoon and go to Grace Bible Church of Philadelphia (Brad and Heidi's church).

At this church I saw many things that God desires in HIS local churches - here are a few of them:

1) Humble but confident leadership

2) A senior elder who's older than the lead pastor but still takes notes on the sermon

3) Young men who are mentored by the elders with intensity

4) Gospel-focused preaching and teaching

5) Young couples who desire to learn and grow together

6) Openness and authenticity - no pretenses/veils

Now, I'm not saying that I saw the perfect church by any means. The local church will not be perfect until Christ returns a second time... however, I did see a local church that is actively pursuing God's Will. The experience really moved me...

I've never broken down in the middle of a sermon before. Ever.

But this Sunday I broke down right in the middle of the sermon and couldn't stop... I actually had to leave the building and find an empty lot with some steps to just finish up my sob-fest...Why?

Because I used to hate the local church. Satan used bad experiences to keep me from loving the very thing I've been called to. But over the past three years, God's been teaching me exactly what Colossians 1:18 is talking about when it says that Christ is the head of the Church - it is powerful because of CHRIST!!!

For reference, here is the link to Grace Bible Church of Philadelphia.

Christ Walked the Line

There's a fine line between legalism and freedom in the Christian life. Some of us live our entire lives on the legalistic side. Some of us live our entire lives on the freedom side. Both sides are sinful when taken to the extremes.

Extreme Legalism = Doing it YOUR way = SIN

Extreme Freedom = Doing it YOUR way = SIN

Last night we had communion at Parker Hill, and my worship pastor preached a message on Jesus Christ. One of the passages we went to was John 8:1-11.

"Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (ESV)

Jesus Christ annihilates both extremes.

He destroys legalism and tells the woman to find new freedom defined by God.

Christ walked the line - we should too.

MinistryLIVE.org Article

My friend Ben Bacon is writer for MinistryLIVE.org - an online ministry that is "dedicated to providing you with quality ministry tools free of charge that will help you display the Word of God in a way that is clear and captivating." Ben asked if he could feature my sermon, "Authority, Honor, and Respect." Check out www.ministrylive.org !!! The link below is the specific article on my sermon...

Credo's Sermon Article

BBC Chapel Message MP3

On January 16th, I was able to address the student body at BBC in chapel. If you'd like to download the MP3 file - click on the link below and look under College Chapel Messages for "Friday, January 16 - Dan Nichols - SLC Chapel - Student Body President." Click on the MP3 link next to that heading and you can either download it or listen straight from the web... The message is 29 minutes - I'd love some critique!!!

http://www.bbc.edu/chapel.asp

Life is Weird

I'm going through the Truth Project with my parents over break. If you haven't heard of it - you really need to check it out... www.truthproject.com. It's a 13 lesson Christian worldview tour that is done with intelligence and excellence. As soon as I finish the "tour," I'll be purchasing the DVD set and somehow implementing it into ministry. (Or maybe just saving it to go through with my kids... who knows...)

Presently though, this philosophical whirlwind has got me thinking...

Life is Weird. Yes - Weird - with a capital "W." Life is Weird because of relationships. There is nothing Weirder than relationships.

Some last a lifetime.
Some last as long as a conversation.
Some are deep at first and then die off.
Some are brief at first and then grow later.
Some are lost and then regained at the most random times possible.
Some are strengthened through tough times.
Some diminish at the first sight of trouble.

Thank God his relationship with us is UNLIKE ANYTHING WE'VE EXPERIENCED ON EARTH!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Theology from "Secular" Music

So many "secular" songs have spiritual overtones. While driving from Scranton, PA to Kalamazoo, MI with friends, we were listening to the song "Believe It or Not" by Nickelback - Canada's finest rock band (in my opinion). I can't stop listening to it. Here are the lyrics and the song is at the bottom of the post...

CHORUS:
Could someone deliver us?
And send us some kind of sign,
So close to giving up
Cuz faith is so hard to find
But you don't, and you won't, until we figure out...

VERSE 2:
I've seen it a lot
Every time to the world turns upside down
Believe it or not, everyone
Most of us feel like we're losing ground
Believe it or not, everyone, hate admitting fear
Believe it or not, most of us wanna know why we're here
Why we're here, but we don't and we won't
Until we figure out...

Over break I'm working on my reading for an Apologetics Seminar I'm taking at Baptist Bible Seminary. In reading all these books on defending the faith, it's really connected with "Believe It or Not." (Especially because I simply can't stop listening to it...)

There's a reason for all this "theology stuff." All the Greek. Bible classes. Apologetics. Preaching. Communication skills. Leadership training. Resume building. Tests. Quizzes. Theology.

What's it all for?

It's all for and because of the Gospel - Jesus Christ. The answer to Nickelback's song is the Gospel, and the Gospel is a person. God is real - He loves us - He is Christ. I have a relationship with the King of the Universe. He is WHY I AM HERE!!!

P.S. He's also the reason we have Christmas coming up on Thursday...

Life of Avoidance

Today I was reviewing my DVD-recorded sermon on 1 Peter 3:8-12. In my sermon I had this quote... (Yes, I'm actually quoting myself...)

"Christianity is not a life of avoidance."

What do I mean by that?

1) Following Christ isn't simply saying "no" to places, people, actions, ect...

2) It can INCLUDE saying "no" - but that is not the core of following Christ.

3) A true Christ-follower is not characterized by what he/she AVOIDS!!!

4) A true Christ-follower is characterized by what he/she ACTIVELY PURSUES!!!

5) Christianity is a life of ACTION.

This action is Gospel-centered, humble, loving, unifying, missional, counter-cultural yet relevant, and commanded of us while powered by Christ ALONE.

World AIDS Day

As Christians, we are called to show Christ's love to the broken, the poor, and the hurting. Here are some great ways to do that...

1) Sponsor a child through Compassion International
www.compassion.com

2) Buy Product (RED)
www.joinred.com

3) Join the ONE Campaign
www.one.org

Be aware of World AIDS Day.

"It’s not a coincidence that in the Scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It’s not an accident. That’s a lot of air time."
- Bono

T-Break Lessons #3

I'm working on an illustration for the following truth.

As Christians, we are called to pursue righteousness (i.e. 1 Peter 3:10-12). We are called to turn from evil and do good. Simple enough, but we cannot do this on our own. We can only live righteously because of Christ. Christ has given us his righteousness so we can live righteous lives.

Here's the the illustration I'm working through.

Back when I was 15, I wanted to drive our Ford Taurus. I had to go through a long process of learning to be able to drive our Ford Taurus. I had to take classes, log 50 hours of driving time, and wait until I turned 16 years old.

I knew a lot about driving; I actually got pretty good at it - but I always had to be with someone. Finally, the big day came. My Dad and I drove our van over to the BP station next to the freeway, and my Mom met us with the Ford Taurus. For the first time ever, I got to drive on my own. I had a golf match a few miles away; so I took the key from my Dad and sped off leaving my Mom crying with my Dad.

What's the point?

No matter how much I knew about driving our Ford Taurus on my own - I couldn't drive it without the key from Dad. No matter how badly I wanted to drive our Ford Taurus on my own - I couldn't drive it without the key from Dad. No matter how much I proved to Dad that I was competent - I still couldn't drive it without the key. I was totally dependent on Dad's "power" and "authority."

No matter how much we know about righteous living - we can't do it without the power of Christ. No matter how badly we want to live righteously - we can't do it without the power of Christ. No matter how many times we prove to God that we're "competent" - we still can't live righteously without the power of Christ. We are totally dependent on Christ's power and authority.

Reviews?

T-Break Lessons #2

So I'm studying 1 Peter 3:8-12 over break. 1 Peter itself was a letter written during the reign of Nero to scattered Christians. The theme of this particular passage is unity, and it's interesting to think of unity in the context of persecution.

Remember September 11th?

Not just the tragedy - but the EFFECTS of the tragedy.

There was POLITICAL unity.
There was RELIGIOUS unity.
There was FAMILIAL unity.
There was NATIONAL unity.

Now, I'm not saying that September was necessarily a day of "persecution" in the strictest sense. However, it was definitely a hard time - a time of fear, pain, and sadness. But the unity that came out of that day was short lived. Why? There's a simple explanation...

America as a nation is NOT the body of Christ. Believers are the body of Christ - those who put their faith and trust in Christ alone and follow Him with their entire existence.

If believers are called to unity (1 Peter 3:8-12), then why do we struggle so much with it here in America?

Answer: No persecution.

Am I limb crawling here or not?

T-Break Lessons #1

For those of you who don't know, I am working Security here at BBC over Thanksgiving Break. Over the next week or so, I'm planning on blogging through what God's going to teach me throughout the break.

Today God reminded me how amazing His gift of family is in my life. I always take my family for granted - my physical family and my spiritual family. The body of Christ is a gift that we need to stop and thank God for constantly. I neglect this all the time, and it's something I desperately need to work on.

Thank God for FAMILY today!!!

A Godly Business Meeting

Tonight I got to experience the most God-honoring business meeting I've ever been to.

As I walked in, I received my information packet with extremely well-written information on the business we as members had to put to a vote. Next came the praise and worship played with the same energy and excellence as a Sunday morning (or Saturday evening, in our case...)

Next came the information that flowed from years and years of long, hard research and planning. The floor was open to questions next, and the members really came up with intelligent and pertinent questions to help us think through the major issue at hand. After many honest and open questions came an open time for comments - everyone was ready to vote.

While the votes were being counted - we actually took the time to stop and remember the amazing things God did in bringing the African Children's Choir to our area!!!

What a novel idea - STOP AND PRAISE GOD FOR WHAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING IN THE CHURCH!!!

Members shared stories of hosting the African children in their homes and then the vote total was shared with everyone. At the end - one of our pastors stood up to close in prayer and thanked the "senior" members of our church - the ones who've seen the entire change from a church of 50 attenders to a church of close to 1,800 attenders. We all were dismissed after talking to God.

EVERYONE AROUND ME LEFT SAYING, "THAT WAS AWESOME!!!"

Thank God for unity, simplicity, and love in the local church.

What an experience.

Group Life Conference: Day 2

Speaker: Bill Donahue
- Don't obsess with vision while ignoring reality.
- If we love our dream for community more than we love the community itself - that does nothing to enhance community.
- Strategy without infrastructure is wrong.
- Don't empower leaders without developing them.
- "Faith is about conviction. Hope is about confidence." (Erwin McManus)
www.willowcreek.com/gl2008

Speaker: Russ Robinson
- Focus on what Jesus did, what Jesus promised, and what Jesus is doing.
- "Be with and send out."
- Head-Know, Heart-Feel, Hands-D0, Homework-Plan
- 72-12-3: Jesus had small groups in these numbers.
- 72 = Influence
- 12 = Intimate
- 3 = Invest
www.willowcreek.com/gl2008

Speakers: Mark Batterson and Heather Zempel
EXPERIMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!
www.theaterchurch.com

Speaker: Miles McPherson
HEART KNOWLEDGE - NOT HEAD KNOWLEDGE!!!
www.milesmcpherson.com

Group Life Conference: Day 1

Speaker: John Burke
- Relationships with God and others is small group ministry.
- "Stay connected - fruit happens."
- God Himself is a perfect community!!! (i.e. Trinity)
- Spiritual growth is relational!!!
www.soulrevolution.net

Speaker: Mindy Caliguire
- Leaders are running, going, and doing so much that they miss out on their own spiritual formation - personal, intimate, "coming to the table" with God.
www.soulcare.com

Speaker: Will Miller
- America in 2008 is becoming more and more INDIVIDUALISTIC.
- This KILLS community.
- Our American lifestyle is one of complete disconnection.
www.willowcreek.com/willmiller

Group Life Conference 2008

My Church Evangelism class is participating in a Satellite Conference from the Willow Creek Association. I'll begin this new "spiritual processing" blog from Credo In Deum with my notes from this weekend conference. For more information, check out http://www.willowcreek.com/events/grouplife/2008/index.html.