Water Baptism: Infant Baptism?

Throughout the New Testament, we only have records of adults being water baptized. Water baptism represents a decision that one has made to leave the old life of sin and then lead a new life of following Jesus. Infant baptism may reflect the parents' faith, but it doesn't reflect the faith of the baby.

I think the logical question then becomes: What is an appropriate age for water baptism? The Bible does not address a specific age that's a minimum requirement for water baptism. The real issue is one of the heart. When the Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip in Acts 8:36-39 if he could be baptized Philip responded "If you believe with all your heart, you may." Someone is old enough to be baptized when he/she is old enough to understand the decision being made. I personally tend to trust the parents discretion as to whether or not the child understands the commitment they are making.

Water Baptism: Sprinkling vs. Immersion

At New Day, when people want to be water baptized we dunk them under the water (immersion). We don't sprinkle them with water. Since we have so many people with Catholic backgrounds at New Day I thought this was worth explaining briefly.

"Yohanan the Baptizo", or John the Baptist was literally called "John the Immerser." In Greek (the language the New Testament was written in) there's a word for "immerse" and another word for "sprinkle". "Baptizo" means to immerse. If the gospel writer Matthew wanted to let us know that John sprinkled people (Matthew 3:13-17), he would have used another word: "Rhantizo."

All this to say: John the Baptist was the immerser, not "Rain Man."

Church Systems

Today I start round two of my senior pastor coaching network with Nelson Searcy. I just finished round one which was one year and now I'm starting round two which will last another year. Here's a little picture that will help explain why I'm doing the coaching network again. Sorry the font is so small!

Repitition is a must if you want to master a subject.

Anyways, in this coaching network we spend one year learning and then implementing the eight systems of the church. The church, like our body is made up of systems. In our body we have the circulatory system, the reproductive system, the cardiovascular system, etc.). When all the systems in our body are working properly it's called health. When one (or several) of the systems isn't working it's called disease. In the same way the church is made up of systems. When the systems are working properly our church is healthy. When the systems aren't working properly disease sets in.

A system is any ongoing process that Saves You Stress, Time, Energy, and Money, and contributes to produce results. And the results you are getting (or not getting) at your church are the result of your systems. The systems are only giving you the results you've set them up to give! That's why it's so important we set up our systems properly. Note: Systems are no substitue for God. You must create and implement your systems in conjunction with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

With that said there are eight major systems in the church. Here's a very brief overview:

1. The Weekend Service System: how we plan, implement and evaluate the weekend services at our church
2. The Evangelism System: how we attract people to our church
3. The Assimilation System: how we move people from first time guests to members
4. The Small Groups System: how we fill and reproduce small groups at our church
5. The Volunteer System: how we mobilize people for ministry at our church
6. The Stewardship System: how we develop generous givers at our church
7. The Leadership System: how we develop leaders at all levels of our church
8. The Strategic System: how we constantly evaluate and improve our church

The key to effective systems is to have both good systems AND good people to run the systems. I think this chart here explains it well.

Since I'm always talking about or referencing my senior pastor coaching network, I thought I'd write a little summary and share with you what I'm talking about! :)

Communion

The gospel narratives (Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-30) and First Corinthians 11:17-34 teach us that there are six integral parts of the communion celebration.

1. Jesus' body.

In Luke 22:19 Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you..." Isaiah 53:5 predicted that the Messiah to come would be pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; that he would be punished for our sins, and that by his wounds we would be healed. In dying on the cross, Jesus gave up his body to be sacrificed in our place for our sins. When we eat the bread during communion it's a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made in his body for us.

2. Jesus' blood.

Matthew 26:27 says that after breaking the bread Jesus took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he gave it to his disciples and said, "Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood...It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." In the Old Testament the Jews would sacrifice an animal for their sins. They would first place their hands on the head of the animal and confess their sins. Then the animal was slaughtered in the presence of the sinner and it's blood was poured out. This was an illustrated lesson that the animal was dying in their place for their sins. When Jesus told his disciples that his blood would be poured out as a sacrifice he was informing them that he would die in their place for their sins. So when we drink the wine (or juice) during communion it's a reminder that Jesus poured out his blood as a sacrifice in our place and for our sins.

3. Remembering.

In reference to the bread Jesus told his disciples in Luke 22:19, "Do this to remember me." And in reference to the wine Jesus told his disciples (according to 1 Corinthians 11:25), "Do this to remember me as often as you drink it." When we eat the bread and drink the wine/juice we are to remember the sacrifice Jesus made with his body and remember the blood he poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. It's easy to forget all our Savior has done for us and communion is a time to remember. As we think on all Jesus has done for us we should well up with gratitude, which leads us to the next part of the communion celebration.

4. Thanksgiving/Praise

When someone gives you a gift the natural response is to say "thank you." The Bible says in Romans 6:23 that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God's gift to us is Jesus! And we ought to praise him for that. Both Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 record that after Jesus and his disciples ate the bread and drank the wine, they sang a hymn before heading out to the Mount of Olives. The hymns they sang during the Passover meal were from Psalm 113-118, which were hymns of praise and thanksgiving. Take Psalm 118:1 for example: Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever." When we think on all Jesus has done for us we ought to express back to him an attitude of gratitude in our praise and worship. This is why songs are a part of the communion celebration so people can vent their gratitude to God.

5. The New Covenant

In Luke 22:20 Jesus says in reference to the cup of wine, "This cup is the new covenant between God and his people..." This new covenant is also spoken of in Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, and First Corinthians 11:25 (which are the other classic passages of Scripture on communion).

The Passover Celebration (old covenant)

In the Old Testament God gave the Israelites the Passover ceremony to celebrate. The Passover was the celebration of Israel from their deliverance from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Passover was when the Israelites remembered that God had sent Moses after 430 years of slavery to deliver His people from Pharaoh, just as He had promised Abraham. You see, in Genesis 15:13-14 God promised Abraham, "You can be sure that your descendents will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth." In light of this prophetic Scripture God sent Moses to Pharaoh and demanded of him to let God's people go. Pharaoh refused so God sent ten plagues to convince him to cooperate. Just before the tenth plague God gave Israel the Passover ceremony. They would take a lamb and sacrifice it, applying its blood to the doorway of their homes and when the angel of the Lord came through to destroy the first born, if he saw the blood applied to the home, he would "pass over" the house.

Communion Celebration (new covenant)

In the New Testament Jesus gave us the communion ceremony to celebrate. Communion to us is what Passover is to the Jews. It is a reminder of our deliverance from the bondage of sin. Sin was going to cause the death of all of us as the Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 (The wages of sin is death...). Before we accept Jesus as Savior we are like the Egyptians in that we are under God's judgment with death awaiting us. But after we accept Jesus as Savior and apply his blood to our hearts by faith (not literally as the Israelites did in their doorways), so death has also "passed over" us.

The Passover ceremony is a part of the old covenant and the Communion ceremony is a part of the new covenant. Since Jesus, the lamb of God, fulfilled the Passover, by dying "once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people" (Hebrews 9:28) we no longer need to participate in the Passover rituals.

6. Hope.

Jesus said in Matthew 26:29, "Mark my words - I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom" (see also Mark 14:25 and Luke 22:16,18). And in First Corinthians 11:26 Jesus said "For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again."

From these passages we are hopeful of two wonderful future events.

First, we have hope that Jesus is coming back again. First Corinthians 15:52 speaks of Jesus' return saying "For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." This is the event we know as The Rapture of the Church, where the dead in Christ will rise first and then along with them those of us who are still alive to meet the Lord in the air and be with him forever. When we take communion we ought to think about the fact that Jesus is coming back for us and that it could happen at any moment!

The second thing we have hope for is Jesus establishing his earthly kingdom for a thousand year period (often referred to as the Millenial Reign of Christ). In Acts 1:11 when the disciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven after his resurrection, an angel appeared to them and said, "Men of Galilee...why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Just as Jesus left the earth, one day he will return to the earth! And when he comes we will rule and reign with him for one thousand years before returning to heaven. And things on earth will be during that period as God intended in the beginning. What a glorious time that will be as Jesus leads the nations! When we take communion we must keep in mind that although things are not currently as God would like them to be, someday he is sending Jesus back to rule and reign and set things in order. Evil will be overcome and God and his followers will ultimately triumph!

I know that's a lot but all six elements are integral parts to the communion service. Let's review once more before ending:

1. Jesus' body

2. Jesus' blood

3. Remembering

4. Thanksgiving/Praise

5. The New Covenant

6. Hope

My Week Aug 17-23

Scheduling Questions:

1. When is date night?

2. When is my day off?

3. When will I work on my sermon this week?

4. When will I "work ON" the church (vs. working "IN" the church -i.e. right now I'm working on our growth groups system)?

5. When will I work on assignments due for my coaching network?

7. When do I have meetings this week?

Monday: sermon prep, small groups meeting 3-5pm, review wedding details for Saturday

Tuesday: develop growth groups system, meet with Neil in the evening about the expansion of our worship arts department

Wednesday: complete coaching network assignments, date night

Thursday: senior pastor coaching network call

Friday: day off, family day

Saturday: officiate wedding for Kristie & Dan, complete "to do" list from Sunday: buy new cord cases, get church van inspected, order more pens, bulletins, etc. Also do whatever is left from the work week and make sure everything for Sunday is ready to go.

Sunday: set up for church, lead the church service, tear down, follow up with first time guests, send vital info to my administrative helpers, send service evaluation email to volunteers, post podcast to internet, send requested info to people, respond to prayer requests, etc. etc. etc.

We Make Disciples

I found myself a little perplexed recently when I was challenged to explain to someone what “business I was in” and “what product our business delivered” (referring to New Day Church). What a great question (one that I didn’t have a CLEAR and CONCISE answer to until now).

A while back I saw a semi-truck on the highway. It had the company name and slogan on the side of the truck. The name of the company was RYDER and the slogan was TRUCK RENTAL & LEASING. Pretty straight forward. Then I passed a PAPA JOHN’S and underneath the name it simply said PIZZA. Not too creative, but very clear. Examples like these got me thinking...If I was to boil it all down and explain to someone in business terms what our church is all about, what would our “catch phrase” or “slogan” be? I heard something recently that helped me boil it all down. Check it out:

New Day Church is in the disciple development business and our product is Christlike people.

That’s what we’re all about. Biblically, that’s what business EVERY church is in (whether they realize it or not) and that’s the product every church should be striving to deliver (even if they aren’t).

We are to MAKE disciples (help them get saved).

We are to MARK disciples (help them identify with the body of Jesus through water baptism)

We are to MATURE disciples (help them grow spiritually)

And the result of making disciples is changed lives.

Recruiting Volunteers

I read an article by Nelson Searcy and the following is a mix of that article and my own comments...As you dream big dreams, cast big visions and strive for big goals, it becomes necessary to have others join you. Smart leaders invite others to join them by following these five steps: invest, engage, invite, empower, and insure.

The consequences of not asking for help, far outweigh the risk of rejection. Your rejection rate can be reduced by following this process of invitation:

1. Invest: those you have invested in are the ones most likely to join you in achieving your goals.

• Many people have faced rejection because they invited before they invested.
• If you are not consciously investing in people around you today, you will have difficulty finding people to join you tomorrow.
• Make sure you invest in someone relationally (i.e. take them out to eat or have them over, spend six weeks building relationship) before you ask them to join your cause

2. Engage: when looking for someone to join you in a project, ask "Does what I'm doing engage this person on an emotional level?"

• An invitation that ignites the passions of the other person is sure to be accepted.
• Regardless of what we’re asking a person to help with specifically, we are ultimately asking them to help us fulfill our mission of leading people to become mature followers of Jesus. Not everyone will get excited over being asked to help with set up, tear down, nursery, etc. but everyone should be able to get excited that ultimately they are helping others come to faith in Jesus. And THAT is what we need to sell people on.

3. Invite: share your vision, explain what part the person will play in that vision, and ask for a specific commitment for a specific period of time

• General invitations give mediocre results
• You must know what you want, believe it is worthy, believe you can get it, be passionate about it, and be perceived as determined to get it
• After doing the first two steps, don’t fail to actually ASK

4. Empower: once an invitation has been accepted you must empower the person to do his/her part

• You must clearly define what a “win” is for the new recruit and then let them run with it
• The “win” should be written out and clearly explained

5. Insure: do not relinquish the right to follow up with your new recruit

• Remember, that which gets measured gets done
• Remember, people do what you inspect, not what you expect
• You must follow up to insure that the desired results are being achieved
• You must give feedback and instruction when desired results are not being achieved

Your ability to successfully invite others to join you may be the biggest measure of your leadership potential. Choosing to go it alone is a certain formula for failure, but partnering together with like-minded people brings success.

Re-Program Daily

As Christians we do not naturally head in the direction, think the right thoughts or choose the wisest course of action. On the contrary, we naturally drift in the wrong direction, think the wrong thoughts and choose the foolish course of action. That's partly because of the ungodly influence of the world we live in. The world's values are taught to us at every corner (i.e. on tv, on radio, at the movies, in the music we hear, from the ungoldy people we work with, etc.).

So what's the answer? The answer is a daily reprogramming of our minds through reading the Scriptures. As we fill our minds with the truth of God's word, with the principles of God's word, with the wisdom of God's word, etc. we learn to head in the right direction, think the right thoughts and choose the wise course of action. Our brains need a daily re-programming so they work in a godly way, instead of an ungodly way.

Let's pray for a hunger and thirst for God's Word on a daily basis.

What Your Church Volunteers Need

1. They need to know they are making a difference in peoples lives.

Your volunteers aren't just doing a task you've asked them to...They are helping lead people to Jesus and ultimately making the world a better place! The last time you asked someone to volunteer/serve at your church, did they get the impression that if they said yes they'd be helping lead people to Jesus and change their world for the good? If not, you're not doing your job as a leader.

2. They need to know they are a part of something bigger than themselves.

When someone says yes to serving they are agreeing to partner with God in impacting the world for the kingdom of God. That's BIG! And people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

3. They need to see in their mind's eye what the future COULD be if they get involved.

We've got to cast vision to our volunteers. Vision is a picture of what the future could be and should be. You've got to paint a picture of what the future COULD look like if the person steps up to the plate and uses their time and energy for the purposes of God.

4. They need to be asked by a leader that's excited about what he/she is doing.

No one wants to say yes to a passion-less request. If you aren't 100% sold on what you're doing and what you're inviting others to get involved with, they are NOT going to respond positively. On the other hand - if YOU are passionate about it, the chances are much higher that potential volunteers will get sucked into and share your excitement.

What Every Church Attender Needs

There are two things that every church attender needs if they are going to stay at your church and you have approximately anywhere from 3-7 months to give it to them or they will leave.

Every person needs 1) Relationship and every person needs 2) Responsibility.

Relationship

At New Day we provide the weekend service, small groups (coming first week of October '09), and occasional church events (i.e. potluck bbq) as opportunities for relationships to be built.

Responsibility

At New Day we have a wide variety of serving opportunities such as setting up sound equipment, setting up kids church, info table, signage, bulletin assembly, worship team, people counters, camera person, sound person, computer person, emcee, ushers, money counters, greeters, check in & check out people for kids church, teachers for kids church, volunteers for kids church, tear down crew, van drivers, etc. You won't be at New Day too long before you're asked to use your gifts in the context of the local church through serving.

If people are going to stay they have to have both relationship and responsibility. May God help us to think of creative ways to provide His people with what they need.

Wait 24 Hours

Any financial advisor worth his/her weight in gold will tell you to wait at least 24 hours before making any significant purchase. I decided to apply this knowledge to a recent purchase and I'm so glad I did. It literally saved me over $400.

Kristin has been looking for a kitchen table that seats six because of all the hosting we do. Our current table only had 4 seats and it was never enough. Anyways, we went to the mall (just because) and while we were there found a good deal on a 6 seat kitchen table for about $550. We wanted to get it right then and there but decided it wouldn't be prudent to walk into the mall, not having even intended to look for tables, and then buy one for over $500. We decided to wait 24 hours and then come back and get it if we still wanted it.

Within about 12 hours I received a phone call from my mom (who is a hardcore tag saler) who had found a 6 seat kitchen table for $120 at a tag sale. We showed up, talked them down $5 and walked away with a beautiful used kitchen table with 6 chairs for $115!

We were so glad we decided to apply the good financial practice of waiting at least 24 hours before making a major purchase. I'm not promising that if you do you will save over $400, but YOU MIGHT!

Wait at least 24 hours before making a major purchase. You'll be glad you did!

Porn Sunday

Today was Porn Sunday at New Day Church! And what a day. If you are losing the battle with porn there is hope! I used to lose the battle too, but not anymore! I live in victory over pornograpy (and have for years) and you can too! I would really encourage you to check out the free video by Craig Gross from www.xxxchurch.com that we watched this morning at church. Here's the link to where you can download the free video http://xxxchurch.com/pornsunday/simulcast.php

I also wanted to pass along some great resources for those losing the battle against porn (or for those who want to make sure they don't start losing).

For guys I recommend Every Man's Battle, The Game Plan, and/or At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry. For the ladies I recommend Every Woman's Battle.

Hope this helps! And remember: With God all things are possible, Luke 1:37. You CAN live free from porn even though it may SEEM impossible right now.

Optimism in the Face of Difficulty

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. ~Winston Churchill

This is SO true! In church planting you are often faced with difficulties and challenges. But how you view them will make all the difference. Do you see the obstacle as a hurdle (that you can get over) or a wall (that will stop you)? In every situation there are difficulties AND opportunities. Which will you choose to focus on?

When one of our regular volunteers isn't available for a given Sunday we have two options. 1) We can say "Oh no! The world has come to an end!" or 2) We can say "This is a great opportunity to involve someone who is new, or someone who hasn't begun serving yet."

God help all of us to be positive, to see the light at the end of the tunnel, to have hope.

Temptation

Last Sunday we lost the audio of our podcast, so I'm going to summarize the message in this blog.

Where is God in our temptations? You'd be happy to know that God hasn't left us on our own when it comes to temptation. On the contrary, God helps us in at least four ways when we are tempted. Let's look at each one briefly.

First, God has set a limit on the intensity of every temptation. First Corinthians 10:13 says "He [God] will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand." As God limited Satan in what he could do to Job (see Job 1:9-11), so God limits what Satan can do to us. The good news is that God will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle.

Second, alongside every temptation God has designed a way out. First Corinthians 10:13 says "When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. Our temptations are not impossible to resist. There's always a way to avoid giving in to our temptations. Usually Satan tempts us to fulfill God-given desires in sinful ways. For example. We all have a God-given desire for sexual fulfillment. There's nothing with having that desire. But Satan tempts us to indulge the God-given desire in a sinful way (i.e. lust, adultery, fornication, etc.). Often times, the way of escape is to choose to fulfill the God-given desire in a righteous way (i.e. fulfill your sexual desires in the context of marriage). When you are tempted, you should pray "God, I know that with every temptation is a way out, an alternate action I can take. Please show me what that is in this situation. Amen."

Third, God provides us with the power to win against temptation. Ephesians 6:10-11 says "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil." This verse shows us that there's a power available to us outside of ourselves. Our will power in NOT enough. We need God's power. With God's power working within us we can stand firm against any of the devil's schemes. When we're tempted the most important role God plays is that of empowerer. Ephesians 1:19 speaks of the imcomparably great power available to us who believe. Second Timothy 1:7 says "God didn't give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love and self-discipline." This power the Bible speaks of comes at salvation and enables us to say "yes" to God and "no" to temptation and sin.

Fourth, God changes our relationship to sin the moment we trust Jesus as Savior. Romans 6:10-14 says "Jesus died to break the power of sin...So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin...Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires...Sin is no longer your master..." This verse teaches us that before we accept Jesus as Savior we are dead IN OUR SINS, but once we accept Jesus we are DEAD TO SIN. Sin can no longer force us to think or do anything. It will still influence us, but we don't have to obey.

Where is God in our temptations? He is right there helping us! What a great God we serve! Why don't you thank him right now for his provision in the midst of your temptations?

Book recommendation: Temptation by Charles Stanley