The Rapture

Hey guys.  I am writing this in urgency.  So apparently I have missed the rapture.  This has several severe implications on how drastically my life will change:  1) I will be stuck in a world of Chaos where movie stars will become a governor; 2) I am stuck in a world where gas rises to devilish prices and I pay for somebody’s retirement without seeing the same reward when I age; 3) I have apparently missed the rapture; and 4) The world I live in will soon be thrown into violence and turmoil with looting and chaotic crime.  Oh wait!  I already lived in a world like that!

Anyway, on to the more serious matter at hand for those who are left after the recent rapture.  Osaro Aifuwa and I have begun training a secret army of ninjas to protect us from the coming doom.  Since we are stuck on this earth, we are left with no choice but to defend ourselves by learning the way of the ninja and the power of Chuck Norris (was he raptured?  Anyone know?).  Apparently I will wake up to preach to a empty church auditorium…  If you are like me and have no idea what to do…we must seek the wisdom of an old, long bearded, wise man from the mountains of Chine and ask the most important question that will determine the rest of our time after the rapture:  Did Obama get raptured and would SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT WILLIE NELSON WOULD DO!?

Anyway, seriously guys, I’m thankful that God is a loving and unpredictable God.  I’m thankful that I am allowed many more years on his beautifully created earth, and mostly, I’m thankful that whether the end of the world is tomorrow or 1,000 years from now–I know where I will be when it happens and that will be with my wonderful and gracious Father and Lord!  There will always be “rumors of the end times” but we also have the certainty of God no matter what happens.

Many blessings to you and prayers for our wonderful leaders of the church and of the country!

Josh

New Page Added

As I have been working hard on creating curriculum throughout my time as a minister, I have decided to begin sharing that material with those who are interested.  Therefore, to make it easier, I have added a page titled “Resources” where I will place my class guides as I create them each week.  Once I finish a study, I will then go back and edit these guides (if needed) and will place them in one file for download.  As you read the guides, please leave comments at the bottom of the page concerning your thoughts on it and what you liked/disliked so that we can all benefit from your use of it!

Blessings,

Josh

Easter Thoughts

Of all the holidays, Easter is the one closes to the event it celebrates.  Although we do not know the exact date of the resurrection of Jesus, we are certain it was around this time of year.  I have fond memories of Easter baskets filled with candy and toys.   I remember my entire family gathered at my grandparents home; searching for Easter eggs, laughing together, and loving on each other.  A variety of dishes and aromas entranced those who passed by the dinner table.  It was a wonderful time for celebration and enjoying the company of each other.  Even today, when I think of Easter, I think of those beautiful Spring days filled with the three “F’s”: food, family, and football.  But that is not what was most important to my family.

We enjoyed discussion of what the resurrection of Christ meant to us.  Although we knew this was just another day (Easter is not any more special than the other 364 days of the year), we still encouraged each other to explain the impact of the resurrection in our lives.  One year my grandfather told about his personal, resurrected life.  He explained that our resurrection is not once a year, rather, as Christians our resurrection is continual.  We are continually saved from our sins that bring death.  We are continually approaching God’s throne as a new creation.  Christians continue to walk a resurrected life while on earth.  It all begins with dying to ourselves.

Several years have gone by since my last big family Easter celebration.  My grandfather has now passed on to a resurrected eternal life with God.  But his lesson still haunts and reminds us of our approach to life.

This Sunday (like every Sunday) we are celebrating the resurrection of Christ. I want you to think about the implications of His resurrection on your life.  Are you living a resurrected life?  Have you nailed your old self to the cross in order to be raised again or are you selfishly maintaining control of your own life?  Do you live a resurrected life or do you only give yourself to God a few Sunday’s out of the year?  God has the will if you have the faith!

Know-It-All’s

I wanted to share this good post from the blog of John Maxwell.

Some people believe that great leaders have all the answers. Not true. Successful leaders don’t know everything. But they know people who do. If you ask me a question related to one of my organizations and I don’t know the answer, I know which person in the organization does. If you ask about my profession, I may not know the answer, but with a phone call or two, I can talk to someone who can answer the question. And if you ask about the details of my life and schedule and I don’t know the answer, I guarantee you there’s someone who does – my assistant.

For leaders, it’s okay not to know everything.

The most important decision I ever made to keep me focused and to simplify my life was to hire a top-notch assistant. For twenty-seven of the last thirty years of my life, I have been served by two wonderful assistants: Linda Eggers, and, before her, Barbara Brumagin. Their value to me has been enormous.

My assistant is the primary hub of information for my life. Everything flows to and through her. I trust Linda Eggers to know everything so that I don’t have to. More importantly, she has learned to sift information and grasp the most important details. When we communicate, Linda gives me the main thing, which enables me to see what to do next, helps me to know why it is important, and empowers me to bring the appropriate resources to bear on the need at hand.

Because Linda is the center of information for my life, she knows the good, the bad, and the ugly. That works because I trust her completely. And when she tells me bad news, I am careful not to “shoot the messenger.” Taking out your frustrations on the people who bring you bad news quickly stops the flow of communication.

For leaders, it’s okay not to be the first to know.

Most people have a strong natural desire to be “in the know.” That’s why gossip magazines and tabloid newspapers sell so well. Leaders also have a strong desire to be “in the know” when it comes to their organizations. No leader likes to be blindsided. However, good leaders can’t afford to be caught up in every little detail of the organization. If they do, they lose their perspective and their ability to lead.

In any organization, problems should always be solved at the lowest level possible. If every problem must be shared with leaders first, then solutions take forever. Besides, the people on the front lines are usually the ones who provide the best solutions, whether it’s on the production line, the battle line, or the breadline.

Taking myself out of the middle of everything lessens my personal importance to many people in my organizations, but it allows me to do that which is personally important to me. It also means that assignments are not always done “my way.” But I have discovered that most things can be accomplished effectively in many ways.

What about you? Are you determined to know everything that goes on in your organization or department? Do you get a thrill from being the first to know? Do you live by the motto, “If you want something done right, do it yourself”? If so, you are complicating your life and risking burnout. This only limits you as a leader. Begin relying on other people and cultivating trust in them. Only then can you be free to focus on the most important things.

Women In The Church

I ran across an interesting sermon from my friend Wes Woodell. He makes some very interesting points when talking about the women of the early church.  I’d be interested in what your thoughts are.  I encourage you to listen to his sermon (embeddedbelow) or check him out at www.westcoastwitness.com.  Thanks Wes for the wonderful lesson!

Post-Immersion Discipleship

Hey all. I am working on a short series to study with someone after they become a Christian to begin the discipling process. Additionally, the individual will ideally be paired with a member doing an evangelistic study so that they can be observing and learning how to share their faith from the very start. I would love to hear your thoughts on these concepts and ideas!

Lesson 1:  Sharing Your Story
We all have a story.  You have a story about how you came to Christ, what helped you make that decision, and what your life looks like after surrendering it to him.  This lesson will examine Paul’s story (as told by him) and then help you write down your story so that you will be able to share it with anyone and everyone. We will focus on the system of identifying life before Christ, accepting Christ (immersion), and after Christ. Remember, as God continues to work in your life, this story will be adjusted.  We will also identify 5 people in your life circle (friends and family) that you can begin to share your story and the gospel with so that we can begin praying for them.

Lesson 2:  The Responsibility of all Disciples
When Jesus left earth, he gave a simple command: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mark 16:15-16). Now that you are familiar with your story and have practiced telling it, we will begin practicing the simple story of Christ. Remember, you are already sitting in on Bible studies, this is to supplement that and help you have a basic approach to begin those conversations. We will also explore why this is the responsibility of every Disciple.

Lesson 3:  A Continual Transformation
In this lesson we will discuss the idea that immersion is not the end but only the beginning of a life long walk with God.  We are all being transformed by the power of Christ.  This transformation is not completed until we are raised from the grave.  Romans 12 talks about throwing off our conforming behavior and allowing Christ and the Holy Spirit to transform us into who God has created us to be.  We will discuss struggles and sins as well as the fruits of the spirit that we can implement into our lives. We will also learn the forgiveness God continually offers as we work on being transformed (for we all still struggle and fail).

Lesson 4:  Creating Healthy Spiritual Habits
It is vital to your walk as a disciple to begin healthy spiritual habits from day one.  In this lesson we will identify those crucial habits in Scripture and learn how to begin implementing them.  Some of these habits include (but are not limited to): prayer life, evangelism, worship life, attendance of worship gatherings, submitting to God, giving of our finances and self, loving others, and personal Bible study (this will be especially emphasized in the third course). We will be overviewing these habits and will go more into detail at a later time as we progress.

Lesson 5:  Application of Scripture
In this lesson we will discuss how you can read and apply the scriptures to your own life.  It is important to learn not just the facts about the Bible, but to apply it’s teachings to your life–leading to a transformed life.

Lesson 6:  Using My Spiritual Gifts
We have all been blessed by God with gifts.  Some of us have the gift of speaking and some are wonderful listeners and counselors.  Although there are a variety of gifts, finding yours and using them for the glory of God is important.  We will work on identifying those gifts (using tests or inventories) and then finding a way to plug you in according to them.

Lesson 7:  Come to the Table
This lesson deals with the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. We will explore the importance of this fellowship meal and its implications on our lives as individuals and the collective body of Christ.

Lesson 8:  The Holy Spirit In Me
Jesus promised to send one “like him” after He returned to the Father.  The promised one, the Holy Spirit, lives in those who have through faith, accepted Jesus as their Savior in water immersion.  Understanding some key concepts and roles that the Holy Spirit plays will be refreshing and reassuring as you continue to grow in Christ and share his good news.  Much of this will be a review but it is well worth the time we spend on it.

*Elder Time
In addition to these eight classes, the eldership will sit down with the new convert and begin the shepherding process with that individual from the beginning. This would cover concepts like: our role as elders to shepherd you, the Biblical expectations that this eldership asks for in you, and how can the elders spiritually aid you at this moment. This would give a clear indication of what is expected and would give an opportunity for some personal time with the eldership. This could be done at a house over dinner (encouraged) or eating out. It does not have to be an official “class” setting per se. It is a time for celebration, becoming family, and encouraging the new Christian.

New Baptism

We are excited that Chantelle has committed her life to serve Jesus Christ.  I have been studying with Chantelle and her husband for a while and she has shown such a wonderful desire to do what God asks.  She truly strives to do the will of God and has taken another step toward following him!  She was immersed into Christ on April 3, 2011.  I have posted the video here or you can view it on www.joshuafreeman.net!