It Takes Hearing

Our Missions Conference at Rose Drive Friends Church ended last weekend. The theme song for our conference was the one by Casting Crowns called, “Until the Whole World Hears.” 

The first time I saw the music video for UTWWH it moved me to tears (OK. It happened more than once, but you get the idea.).  Why?  I’m not exactly sure.  Maybe because my heart resonates so much with the message and I’m aware that there is so much more yet to do.   I know that God has given to me (and to all believers) the ministry and message of reconciliation.  He’s entrusted that message to us!  He wants us to build bridges of love and SHARE Him with others who don’t know Him yet.

Are there still unreached people groups?  Yes!  Yesterday I corresponded with some of our missionaries in another country who have made contact with just such a group.  The whole Bible has not yet been written in their language and it sounds like most don’t know how to read even if it was available.  But the people seem open to the gospel. 

We don’t have those kinds of language barriers.  At least, not many.  But we have other ones.  I heard today of someone who has lived in the same place for years and who still doesn’t know their neighbors.  Never met them.  It’s tough to reach people and share Christ – to fulfill what God has called us to do – if we don’t even know who the people are around us!  How about you?  Do know all of your neighbors? Getting to know them is a good first step toward investing in that relationship and then inviting them.

In that sense, God has called all of us to be “missionaries.”  He wants all of us to “go” with the gospel to those around us.  But some people we will never reach (because of time, distance, other barriers).  That is why we all need to give financially to support what God is doing around the world. 

At Rose Drive Friends Church, we support nearly 40 missionaries in this country and around the world through Faith Promise Missionary Giving (you can find out more about that by clicking here).   If you’d like to get in on this really good deal, fill out a Faith Promise Commitment Card and send it to sandil@rdf.org.

Let’s keep proclaiming the love of God, until the whole world hears.

What in the World is Going On?!

The devastation from the recent events in Japan is overwhelming.  Bad news seems to ride on the wave of bad news.  The 9.0 earthquake was horrific enough.  Then the tsunami hit.  Now the trifecta looms with the threat of a growing nuclear disaster not seen since Chernobyl and, well, Japan.  

The extreme cold and snow in Japan is almost forgotten by the world in light of the battle against nuclear fallout, but it is not lost on the freezing survivors.

The death toll continues to climb (as of this moment, predictions are that it will end up over 10,000 caused by the earthquake and tsunami).  Displaced, confused, frightened, cold, hungry and thirsty describe the sudden and unwanted current existence for many people from all walks of life.  Over 400,000 are homeless.  Others in more “secure” locations are understandably on edge.  Reports are that as many as 1.6 million homes are now without running water. 

Imagine if everyone who now lives in Yorba Linda, Placentia, Brea, Fullerton, and Orange was suddenly homeless.  That is what is going on in Japan today. 

As you might hope, a few encouraging stories have emerged from the rubble.  An infant found miraculously alive several days after being washed away from its parents.  A grandmother found alive in her home.  A man found alive miles out at sea floating on the roof of his former house.  These stories bring intermittent hope to rescue workers and others.  But the weight of ongoing devastation and fear continues.

Japan is a country in crisis.  We are a world in crisis... in more than one location and more than one pressing topic.  I have heard several people refer to the Last Days and the signs of the end times.  Yes, supposedly the Mayans thought it would come in 2012 (I saw the movie).  We do know that Jesus is coming again and said there would be times like this before His return.  It is on people’s minds.

And yet here I sit overlooking a beautiful, sunny Southern California day.  I’m looking forward to lunch with my wife, a basketball awards banquet tonight, Missions Conference this weekend, and March Madness is in full swing.  What could be better?  To say it’s easy to forget about what is going on in other places is an understatement.

How does all of this fit together?!  Talk about a compartmentalized life!

God wants us to see the big picture.  Did you know that in Japan, estimates are that only 1% of the people are Christians?  There is a physical crisis going on... absolutely.  But as followers of Christ we need to also see that thousands of people are likely to have gone to an eternity in hell without Christ! 

We need to proclaim God’s love to a world that needs it – “until the whole world hears” – in places like Japan, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Yorba Linda.  People need the Lord, and one of the bridges we can build is to help meet physical needs in the name of Christ. 

This weekend in our worship services, we will make commitments to give to missions for the coming year.  Please pray about that with me.  I’m praying for more participants than a year ago.  In addition, we will make available a special “Japan Relief” fund – which we will give to support two solid Christian organizations working there  (you can give directly to them online: World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse). 

God is at work in the world, even when it doesn’t look like it.  He wants us to SHARE Him!  Let’s pray, give, go, and trust Him! 

Cowardly or Courageous?

What does it take to put first things first on a regular basis?  To put your beliefs into practice when it’s easy to do so and everyone else is doing it is… well… easy.  But what about when it’s tough to Worship, Connect, Grow, Serve or Share?  Especially that last one?  As I’ve talked with many people over the last several weeks, it seems that “SHARE” is often the hardest and most convicting of the priorities. 

It takes consistent intentionality, but also courage.

What does it mean to be courageous?   Last week, I heard some speakers and had some experiences which have converged for me in an interesting way.

 At the Catalyst West conference last week (a 2-day gathering of pastors and church leaders, especially focusing on the next generation of leaders), the overall theme was “Take Courage .”  The enduring John Perkins (who looked and sounded as strong and insightful as when I last heard him speak in 1984), gave a message of hope, forgiveness, and said that “courage is doing one’s convictions in the face of fear.”  Christine Cain (my pick for the most fiery preacher of the group) urged that “if you operate out of fear, you will say no when God says go.” 

The consensus favorite message was the keynote one delivered by Andy Stanley.  In a personal and direct way, he focused on three “simple acts of courage that could be tipping points for something extraordinary.”  He said that they are: “1) the courage to stay when it would be easier to go; 2) the courage to go when it would be easier to stay; and 3) the courage to ask for help when it would be easier to pretend that everything is OK.” 

Here is the point of convergence for me.

Last weekend we also began our missions conference at Rose Drive.  We support many missionaries around the world who are doing incredible work.  These men and women have said “YES” to God and were willing to GO when it would have been easier to stay.  Courageous.  In addition, we commissioned and sent out pastors Mark and Stacey Kim and Jesus Friends Community Church – our newest daughter church – who will now begin meeting in Brea at the ECCU building (where we started Friends Community Church 8½  years ago).  Courageous.  They are reaching the Korean-immigrant and Korean-American community around us that we could never reach, but they have left (and are again leaving) a place of relative comfort to do so.  Consistent intentionality and courage combined.  Wow!

How about you and me?

It takes courage to step out and invest in a relationship with a neighbor or co-worker.  It takes courage to begin to pray for them and then to invite them to church or to tell them your story of your relationship with Christ.  But God can help you and me to do it.  It takes courage to pray and take a step of faith to give financially, above and beyond your tithe, to support missionaries and church planters who are similarly taking steps of faith to go.  God can help you and me to do that, too.

When it comes to sharing Christ (and the other priorities), bottom line, courage is saying “yes” to God whatever He asks you to do – to go or stay, give, invite or pray – it’s putting your faith in Him.  Let’s do that this week! 

What do Brett Favre, M.A.S.H. and this Blog Have in Common?

The final episode of M.A.S.H. (airing on February 28, 1983) remains the most-watched program in television history.  It was a big finale, sort of. Turns out, viewership was so high, CBS couldn’t quite call it quits, so they quickly created a new series, AfterMASH.  It continued for two more seasons.  If you follow football, you probably know about Favre’s famous retirements.

Well, this is the last “official installment” to the First Things First blog... I thought.  You may have noticed that a few people have been checking out this site since we started it a few weeks ago (not M.A.S.H standards, but a lot more hits than I think my mom or dad would have been able to make on their own in such a short time). 

I hope that it has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to you – and at least sparked some new thoughts or questions in you about how you could apply the five core values of Worship, Connect, Grow, Serve and Share into your life.  As our pastoral staff was discussing it this week, it occurred to us that maybe there are some people who have sort of started a habit of checking into this blog (and that some might miss it if I quit). 

My plan at this point, depending on the interest and ongoing response, is to continue to make a post to this site on about a weekly basis. 

What I know is that putting First Things First is not something that I only want to do at the start of the year or during a special emphasis.  It’s a year-round, 24/7 kind of thing.  But I also know I haven’t arrived.  I’m still on the journey.  I want to become a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ and learn to make more faithful followers of Him on an ongoing basis.  I hope you feel the same way.

Please let me know what you think, especially if you have any ideas or suggestions!

For example, one observation about this blog by our staff was that some of my posts may have been too long and needed to be cut (one pastor essentially confessed to clicking on the site and not reading everything), so I decided