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My greatest desire isn’t to see Epic Church become great; rather to be used by Jesus in a movement to see the Gospel transform the lives of all people within our city.

We are in part 2 of our Membership Series at Epic Church titled: Growing a Movement.  As I have prepared for this series it is totally humbling as I notice all my short comings as it relates to growing a movement which would transform my city and the nations.  This week is about Giving Ourselves Away.  It sounds good.  I mean it is a great title for a sermon but making it become reality is going to be HARD work.  But by the grace of God I pray the Holy Spirit will use those connected to Epic Church to transform their communities by enabling them to give themselves away.

Someone sent me a link to take a Personality Style Profile. http://www.personalitystyle.com/

I enjoy these things SO much that I want to encourage you to take the same test and you can post your results here as a comment or create an email and email me the results.  I would love to get to know you better.

Here is my results, do you think this is me?

Your Personality Style Preview:

Church Planting is hard work.  Period.  The “existing” church has a lot to be thankful for.  Mainly structure and support.  In church planting we are blazing new roads.  Many times without the support of mature Godly men and women around you.  The summer has been tough at Epic Church.  Attendance has been low with many on vacations at different times, plus the factor that Epic Church is a young generation church many have summer plans.

Tonight I started a series called: Identity.  Though then hoopla of summer struggles I have found it it refreshing and necessary to refocus my thoughts and energy on who I am in Jesus.  This extends out of the words of Paul the Apostle.  “Therefore the old has gone and the new has come.”

We are all creations of God but when we move from creations to children the miraculous occurs.  The old falls away and the new comes forth.

Have you been made new?  Do you celebrate this fact?  My prayer is this week we would experience the joy of our salvation though being made new.

Here is a sneak peak behind the new series we are starting tonight at Epic Church called Identity.  This series stems really from a personal reflection at who am I in Christ.  I forget all too often who I am in Jesus and where my value comes from.  So, peak at my musings as I studied this week for tonight’s sermon.

-Jake

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Identity.

When we understand who we are we have power. The power in understanding outselves and what we were created for allows us to live our lives better.

We have been created in the image of the living God. He has given us more worth then we give ourselves.

When we rest in the fact that our identity is given to us and not earned we have so much freedom.

“Don’t worry about what they say, we know what you really are like.”

I am made in the image of God.

I am the inheritor of Gods Kingdom.

I am the Bride of Christ.

I am a Child of God.

Galatians 3:26-27 (NIV)
²⁶ You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:29 (NIV)
²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

I am an Alien.

I am Royalty.

Galatians 3:29 (NIV)
²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Romans 8:17 (NIV)
¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Old is Gone.

1 Corinthians 5:13 (NIV)
¹³ God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NIV)
¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Identity of Christ’s Followers:

Romans 3:24 – We are justified. (declared “not guilty” of sin)

Romans 8:1 – No condemnation awaits us.

Romans 8:2 – We are set free from the law of sin and death.

1 Corinthians 1:2 – We are sanctified and made acceptable in Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:30 – We are righteous and holy in Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:22 – We will be made alive at the resurrection.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – We are a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – We receive God’s righteousness.

Galatians 3:28 – We are one in Christ with all other believers.

Ephesians 1:3 – We are blessed with every spiritual blessing Christ.

Ephesians 1:4 = We are holy, blameless, and covered with God’s love.

Ephesians 1:5,6 – We are adopted as God’s children.

Ephesians 1:7 – Our sins are taken away, and we are forgiven.

Ephesians 1:10,11 – We will be brought under Christ’s headship.

Ephesians 1:13 – We are marked as belonging to God by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:6 – We have been raised up to sit with Christ in glory.

Ephesians 2:10 – We are God’s work of art.

Ephesians 2:13– We have been brought near to God.

Ephesians 3:6 – We share in the promise in Christ.

Ephesians 3:12 – We can come with freedom and confidence into God’s presence.

Ephesians 5:29,30 – We are member of Christ’s body, the church.

Colossians 2:10 – We have been given fullness in Christ.

Colossians 2:11 – We are set free from our sinful nature.

2 Timothy 2:10 – We will have eternal glory.

People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates. Thomas Szasz

In an act of kindness, Actor Kirk Douglas pulled over to the side of the road to pick up a Sailor on leave who was hitchhiking. When the Sailor recognized him, he said to Mr. Douglas, “Hey, man, do you know who you are?”

That’s a great question that everyone of us should ask ourselves from time to time and when we do, we should listen for God’s answer.

Isaiah 43:4 NIV “you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.”

It seems that this college student needed a small two-hour course to fill out his schedule. The only one that fit was in Wildlife Zoology. He had some reservations as he heard the course was tough and the teacher a bit different. But, it seemed like the only choice so he signed up.

After one week and one chapter the professor had a test for the class. He passed it out and it was a sheet of paper divided into squares and in each square was a carefully drawn picture of some bird legs. Not bodies, not feet—just different birds’ legs. The test simply asked them to identify the birds from the pictures of their legs.

Well, he was absolutely floored. He didn’t have a clue. The student sat and stared at the test and got madder and madder. Finally, reaching the boiling point, he stomped up to the front of the classroom and threw the test on the teacher’s desk and exclaimed, “This is the worst test I have ever seen and this is the dumbest course I have ever taken.” The teacher looked up at him and said, “Young man, you just flunked the test.” Then the teacher picked up the paper, saw that the student hadn’t even put his name on the paper, and said, “By the way, young man, what’s your name?” At this the student bent over, pulled up his pants, revealed his legs and said, “You identify me.”

God’s changes are complete. Christians are brand-new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives them new life, and they are not the same anymore. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated—we are re-created (new creations), living in vital union with Christ (Col. 2:6-7). At conversion we are not merely turning over a new leaf; we are beginning a new life under a new Master.

Paul said that from now on “we regard no one from a worldly point of view” (2 Cor. 5:16). That is, we simply do not judge them by what we see. If we looked at Jesus in this way, we would see only an idealistic Carpenter, murdered by wicked and selfish men. But we look at Jesus 884through the eyes of faith! In the Cross we do not see defeat, but victory! Though we do not see Jesus with our physical eyes, we recognize Him as the living God, our Savior and our Lord

32. How to Be Reconciled to God

Identity: The way we see others.

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NIV)
¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NLT)
¹⁶ So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!

2 Corinthians 5:16 (MSG)
¹⁶ Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore.

Reading a little bit of the Old Testament today at my office (Starbucks) I had a thought.  I wish it was unique to me but I am sure someone smarter than I came up with it.

As I was reading Joshua, thinking about what God did for his people during the Exodus then again what God did for his people with Joshua and Caleb as they crossed the river Jordan.

Is God concerned more about you being prepared (with resources) or you being holy?

I know many people around me who are struggling to make ends meet.  They are trying to plan ahead in their lives on how to provide for their family.  They are rushing to shortcut God by saying, “I don’t have the right education” or “I can never get that job because I don’t have the experience in that area.”

Look, God has shown up in amazing ways throughout history.  He has used people to advance his Kingdom who we would have never chosen.

Get over yourselves!  Focus on removing the sin in your lives.  Turn control of your future over to Jesus and allow him to use you to advance his Kingdom.  Yes, study hard and get good grades, go back to school, but remember as I did reading Joshua today that God cares about clean hearts more than get cares about advanced degrees.

Followers of Jesus Christ are able to have a voice in their community.  I feel there is this big misconception that followers of Jesus are supposed to be quiet and not have a voice on things which plague our communities.  It is ok for you to be a Christian and have an opinion on issues.  And it is even ok if your thoughts don’t align with other Christians or the main stream media.  This does not make you any less of a Christian.  And if you are like me you think better by blurting out your thoughts and allowing others to help steer you.

As a word of caution, as you share you opinion, share it with compassion and grace.  Attacking one another never helps.  There is much happening within my city which needs strong Christ centered voices.  ie Taxation, Law Enforcement, Breaking the Law, Healthcare, and much more.

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for building up as it fits the occasion that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29

My wife, Jennifer, was waiting all day for an update on the status of Kate McRae.  The update came around 11pm this evening.  It was heart breaking to Jennifer and myself.

Kate is 6 years old, just like my daughter.  She has a great smile, blonde hair, blue eyes.  When I see picture of Kate I think of my daughter.  Kate is in a battle for her life.  She is battling cancer.  Please read her story and follower her progress here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate

More than just reading and following her progress please being to pray for her.  Please pray AMAZING prayers.  Our God is big enough to heal and take away any cancer.

I had a tough moment tonight when I heard the news that the tumor in her brain was still there after this aggressive treatment.  God has the power to heal this little girl.  And healing this girl and taking the cancer out of her little body would bring great glory to his name.  Why hasn’t he done it yet?

I know a pastor shouldn’t be asking these types of questions.  But, here I am being honest with my thoughts.  I mean God is all about bringing glory and fame to his name.  To make his son known among the nations.  Why doesn’t he take the cancer out of this little girl’s body?  If he did there would be no medical answer for it.  It would be a God thing.  Plus the suffering/pain would end for Kate and for her family and those around her.

I know some of you who are going to read this are going to try to give “pat” answers like:  “God is still in control.  And God has a plan.  And everything happens for a reason.”  Sure those are great answers but really, does that help the situation.  As a Pastor I have said those words before.  I was hoping to bring about some peace and comfort.  But in reality I think that if God really had a plan and if things really happen for a reason then God would heal this little girl to bring fame to himself.

My faith is strong and unwavering.  It is just moments like these where I understand there is a God and I am not him.  Please join me in praying for complete healing for Kate McRae and that God would bring complete glory to himself through her life.

I am a secret fan of Monday’s.  As a pastor most of the time Mondays are really hard.  We are coming down from a high or even focusing on a low.  Let me explain that a bit.

A high would mean that attendance was high on Sunday, or it was a good offering, or even spiritually - Jesus did something amazing.  Salvation was professed, or sin was accounted for.

A low would mean that attendance was low, the sermon was flat, not that many people pitched in to help with various projects.  Repentance was preached but no one responded to the call of God.  Well, for whatever reason it was a low.

But, Monday!  Monday is a new day.  It is wide open to possibilities!  Great things can happen and so can bad things.  You can meet new people, creditors can call, you can get into a car accident, God can show you something new from his Word.

Whatever the case, I am a secret fan of Monday.  The possibilities are numerous.  My plan for this Monday is to go with the flow.  To be responsive to God’s Spirit when he calls.

What is your plan for this Monday?

I really like hanging around people like Allan Karr, Alan Hirsch, Sean Benesh, Michael Frost and such.  But at the same time I really hate it because they JACK UP my way of thinking.  I am an out of the box thinker but they system I am in is so IN the BOX.  So, just when I get comfortable in my box I rub shoulders with these men and they make me ask the question, “Am what I am doing and how I am doing it the most biblical and most effective way of doing it?”

I am in San Francisco for a few days taking a seminary class.  The class is called Intro to Church Planting.  Really it should be titled something like, How to Be a Missionary in Your Culture.  This isn’t a class about best practices but rather a class on theology of church and how we fit into it.  This first day we have heard from the professor and from a guest speaker who just came back from an amazing experience in Thailand and Burma.

The Western church is not getting it done here in the west and if you think you can argue this point… you cant.  I mean if we take Hirsch’s example in his book “The Forgotten Ways” we seem to do church for only 12% of the population in the US.  And even if we do church the way we know it REALLY WELL we will still only do it for 12% of the population.  So, here we are planting more church for 12% of the population.

My question is what does a church look like for the other 82% of the population.  Or for even another 12% of the population and do I have what it takes to reach them?  How can I be a part of seeing Jesus become the savior to the people I love so much, the people of Tucson Arizona?

I have signed The Manhattan Declaration, have you?

Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.

We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1. the sanctity of human life
2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Here is a Southern Baptist Seminary President and member of the Gospel Collation on why he signed his name to the declaration.

I am of personal conviction it is so much better to state what I am for instead of making a case about something I am against.  This declaration is just that.  It brings about the convictions of Bible believing followers of Jesus into the culture of today.  I am laboring in my city to see her a better place.  To see her made good though the obedience of followers of Jesus.  And to that end I have placed my name on this declaration.  And not only do followers of Jesus value this three things covered by the declaration but so do many others in my generation.  It is time to take a stand and declare we value the family.