Tommy Mitchell / The Rurban Church Blog

The Squeeze!

Without a doubt, I am certain that most people are not like me. But, I am sure someone out there can identify with a few of my quirks!  I really do not know why I am the way I am on some things, but I really put the "squeeze" on some things! FOR EXAMPLE:

I get every drop out of a tube of toothpaste before I throw it away!  It is not like toothpaste costs that much, but I will do everything but stand on the tube to get that last "squeeze" out of the tube.  The same thing is true with my stick deodorant - nothing but a plastic head left when I get through with it!  Yep - the same thing with ketchup, mustard, etc..

Now, razor blades are expensive - and the new improved ones are higher priced and don't last nearly as long! Yet, I will use them until they just hurt my face too bad to keep on.  I suppose that being "frugal" and "not wasting" is a good practice most of the time.

It is also possible to see this practice carried out in ways that aren't so good! For example, we Baptists will whip a dead horse LONG after there is NO life in it whatsoever!!  Our tendency is to take a program, implement it, and then drive it in the ground. When the time comes to give the program a decent burial and move on - we get a committee together to try to think of ways to breathe more life into a dead deal! 

If we really believe God is creative, (and I think there are 6 days on record that prove that reality) then we have to believe that God is not bound by our tried and true programs! Baptists tend to be very familiar with programs, policies, and procedures! We tend to be less familiar with God! A relationship with Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and bringing glory to God - will undoubtedly lead us to be fresh - crisp - and new in our approaches to building the Kingdom of God! 

Squeezing the last drop out of the tube of toothpaste really will not hurt anything! Squeezing the last drop out of programs and ministries that have passed their "use by" dates is deadly!  May God fill His church with the fresh wind of His Spirit!

Traditional - Contemporary - Organic - Institutional!!!

We have categorized churches these days and they tend to fit in those categories. Most of our categories are formed from styles of worship - and most of those styles relate largely to music!

So we have TRADITIONAL churches! They are noted for having a more "hymn based" music set (though they may throw in a contemporary song or two from time to time).  The structure will look familiar - with committees and other structures that make the decisions.  DON'T TUNE OUT - THE SURPRISE IS COMING!

We have CONTEMPORARY churches!  They are noted for having a much more "modern" music set - with praise and worship music that may be more "chorus" based to outright "rock and roll!!!" (I am time stamping myself here)  They may or may not have much organization - they are usually staff led - and are a bit less burdened with bureaucracy.

We have the ORGANIC church! These are beginning to border on being a movement in the United States - they already dominate in other parts of the world. These churches are small, mobile, have little overhead, and meet wherever believers come together - the home, apartments, work spaces, parks, even parking lots.  The music will be whatever the group decides to sing on any given day and little organization is needed.  OK, HERE IT COMES!

A lot of people make "snap judgments" about these churches.  First, everyone thinks the ORGANIC churches are just weird because they are not part of their experience.  People in CONTEMPORARY churches tend to look at TRADITIONAL as boring and burdened with structure.  People in TRADITIONAL tend to look at CONTEMPORARY and see them as going to hell!!!! (a little extreme - but not far from the truth)  People in the ORGANIC church have a tendency to see themselves as the truly spiritual while believing all the others are lacking!!

I've got news for you! Though it would be better if we could drop the labels, all of the churches I have talked about can be used mightily - and many are being used powerfully by the Holy Spirit to build the Kingdom of God.  There is nothing wrong with a TRADITIONAL, CONTEMPORARY, or ORGANIC church that exalts Christ and builds the Kingdom of God!!

OK - HERE IT IS!  All three of these (sure there are more) types of churches have a common enemy! INSTITUTIONALISM!   We generally associate the TRADITIONAL church as being INSTITUTIONALLY BOUND!   I would think it might have a bit more tendency in that area - but friends - a CONTEMPORARY church can be just as INSTITUTIONALIZED as the TRADITIONAL church!  So can the ORGANIC church!  Whenever the key focus of a church ceases to be Christ, the focus almost always shifts to the church structure, no matter what it is!  Whenever the goal ceases to be the exaltation of Christ - it does not matter whether it is TRADITIONAL, CONTEMPORARY, or ORGANIC - the church has lost it's way! 

The very essence of an INSTITUTIONAL church is when the emphasis becomes about the body instead of Christ.  If Christ is exalted - the body will be built. If the body is exalted, Christ will eventually be left out!  Then our type and structure of church become all important! All of our efforts are "support your church!"  The church becomes an address to be attended, whether it is TRADITIONAL, CONTEMPORARY, or ORGANIC - whether it meets in a building that looks like a church, a shopping center, or a home!

INSTITUTIONALISM is a LARGE enemy of the church! Whenever the church exalts Christ, INSTITUTIONALISM will be held at bay! Whenever Christ ceases to be our focus, the TRADITIONAL, CONTEMPORARY, and ORGANIC church quickly slide into an INSTITUTIONAL focus in their respective settings. 

We need all these churches - but they all need to exalt Christ!  May it be so!

Predictions!

It is a tricky (and probably futile) thing to make predictions about the future! Those who claim that they know how things will be in 5 or 10 years have to often update their predictions every 5 to 10 years. Yet, we sometimes have indicators in the present that help give us insight into the future.

Quite a number of years ago - I believe it was the late 80's or very early 1990 - 91, I had Dr. Thom Rainer as an adjunct professor in a summer term evangelism class at Southern Seminary.  During that class, Dr. Rainer said something that grabbed my attention. He was talking about the movements of evangelism through history and the culture that existed during those movements. He said that in the west (America particularly) we were moving back to a culture of persecution of the church. I will never forget that statement - because I chuckled at it. I thought that this just could not be the case.  After only a ;year or so, I was convinced he was right.  Now, there is absolute confirmation.

1. Hate crimes legislation - This, predicted by myself and others, has finally come to pass.  Our current administration encouraged and our congress passed hate crimes legislation last year.  While prosecution of ministers preaching truth about matters of sexual purity and issues related to homosexuality and lesbianism have not yet happened - it is only a matter of time.  Canada already limits speech in the pulpit related to these topics - and all the legal framework is now available to do the same in the US.

2. Increasing Hostility to Faith in Schools - We have watched the secularization of schools take place at a breath-taking pace. Yet, now it is not overt acts, like prayer, that are under attack.  Simply having a heritage of faith is not being tolerated.  Students can't mention the influence of Christians in their lives. They are being bullied to remain silent about their faith in the arts - no Christian or religious music - no Christian or religious symbols in their paintings etc.. 

3. The Dismantling of Free Speech - In our nation, we are increasingly seeing the erosion of free speech. The liberal (progressive) folks in our nation claim to be the champions of tolerance and free speech - yet the toleration is only toward certain groups or special interests.  If your group is "Christian," it is open season on you. There is no toleration.  What you have to say is not only disdained, you are basically being told to "shut up!"  The dismantling of free speech is designed to do two things! Silence the church and keep power hungry leaders from being criticized.

4. The Centralization of Power - We have watched our elected leaders in Washington for a number of years amassing more and more power.  This has now greatly accelerated.  The beauty of America in her founding was that the average citizen possessed certain and absolute, God given rights.  Their lives were to be lived relatively free of government intrusion.  Now, government intrudes on nearly every aspect of our lives.  In these latter days, it has become more intentional.

Now, there are rationalizations for all of the above mentioned. Hate crimes legislation is said to be needed to protect those who are "different."  Schools should be places of learning and "morals" should not be a component of education. (foolish thinking).  The dismantling of free speech is not really what is going on- it is giving the "less something" folks a greater voice.  And the centralization of power is not really what is going on - it is government "helping" people! 

The reality - one might be able to "tolerate" or "work-around" one of the above mentioned 4 areas of concern. But put them all together - the atmosphere now exists where Christians, or any other group that falls out of favor with the powers that be can be legally pursued and silenced. They will not call it "persecution," -  they will call it "prosecution."

So - I have a prediction!!!!!! If the heat gets turned up on the church - two things will happen! The "church in name only" will run like rabbits.  They will not allow themselves to suffer for five seconds.   Second - the greatest movement of God in American church will take place - real evangelism will soar - lives will be genuinely transformed, and God's people will experience God's power in ways they never dreamed possible! 

I believe the greatest days for the church are actually about to unfold before us.  The days ahead will challenging but full of great blessing for those who remain faithful to Christ.  It is no time for despair - but a time for hope.  Real change is coming!

Immeasurably More!

Ephesians 3:20-21 has been my life verse for a long time. It says, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

WOW! I once heard someone say that persistent problems are just proof that we have not fully used our imaginations! This verse, to me, confirms that. God is able to more than we ask - OR IMAGINE!!!! 

We know that we need many more churches to reach all the people who need Jesus. The problem: we have gone about church planting in some of the most costly ways possible. There are costs of property, rental facilities, staffing, and equipment.  Yet, right under our noses and in so much of the world beyond our shores, there is and has been a thriving organic church movement that is very New Testament. Some call it the "house church," and it is probably the most common expression of this movement, but the name "organic" is preferable because a church can really exist and spring up wherever believers gather.

God has given me what I believe is worthy of being called a "vision" related to the organic church.  Starting organic churches costs almost nothing. They need no property or buildings beyond someone's home. Everything needed for an organic church to grow and multiply is readily available.  It is just a matter of imagination! 

Can you "imagine" a church like ABC starting organic churches in George County? in Jackson County? in Harrison County? in Stone County? Well, I can "imagine" starting organic churches that grow and multiply rapidly in all 82 counties.  Amazingly, there is practically no cost to this proven, New Testament method that turned the world upside down for Christ in short order. But the rewards are incredible - thousands coming to know Christ. 

The effort just takes faith, obedience, and a willingness for some "imaginative" people to become involved in a great work!  May the footprint of the Kingdom of God be expanded mightily in our day! More to come!

The Night Watches!

How you feel about something is all a matter of perspective!  For example, sleep had been slowly improving for me over the last few nights following my heart bypass surgery.  But, that changed a bit last night / this morning!  I laid down at 10:30 pm and went promptly to sleep.  But I woke up around 3:30 am  and that was it.

I was hurting a bit too much and was just too wide awake to go back to sleep.  So, I have learned a good lesson about this over the last couple of weeks.  The primary thing is perspective.

Instead of being frustrated, I just see it as a "night watch!"  David referenced these a couple of times in the Psalms. Psalms 63:5-6  5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

When David would find a sleepless time at night, he just saw it as a time to feed his soul and to praise the Lord with joyful lips.  He could be upon his bed and meditate in the night watches.

So, having been up since 3:30 am I have:

1. Listened to some wonderful praise and worship music on my ipod while in the recliner in the dark.

2. Prayed!

3. Listened!  It is amazing how crisp and clear God's voice can be at 4:00 am. 

4. I may have dozed for about another 10 or 15 minutes.

5. And now, I am composing this post.  It used to frustrate me when I could not sleep on a morning like this. Now, I just figure that God has something important enough to teach me, tell me, remind me of, or that He just wants to fellowship. 

In the past few days, I have learned that having spent that time with God, I do not seem to suffer ill effects from the sleeplessness.  

Turn your sleeplessness into a night watch with God! Experience the difference it makes in your life.

What's The Difference? Part Two (How do you do it?)

In the previous post, we examined three kinds of churches. At the most basic level, they were:

A bad church, a good church, and a great church!  I concluded with the question, "How does a church become a "Christ-focused" church?  Here we go!

I heard one country preacher describe in plain language why so many ministers burn out! He said, "It's because they spend so much time trying to get lost people to act like saved people!"  This observation starts us on the path towards an answer to being Christ focused!

What we normally do in trying to become a great church is to start with the symptoms and not the cause! We will try new programs! These programs are designed to get us to do things that we don't have the heart for doing!  We will have some type of "read the Bible" emphasis! Or we will have a "tithing and stewardship" emphasis!  Or we will have another "soul-winning" training! Or we will have another "attendance campaign!"  Or -well -whatever the program of the day happens to be!

Do you realize the futility of all these things? Just take the "tithing emphasis" for an example! Do you buy your children stuff? I mean, across the board! Do you buy them clothes? Yes! Do you buy them something for their birthday? Yep! Generally, in most loving homes, our tendency may even be to lavish too much on them! Do you provide food for them? Yep! Do you take them to the doctor and pay the bill? Yep! Do you give them money for the ball-game? Yep!  Why? And, do you have to have a "reminder" course on it? Does someone have to have "Prove the Provision" day with you to convince you to provide shelter, clothing and food? NOPE! Do you buy things for your husband / wife?  Do you have to have a course on "buy the birthday" present? Nope! The only people that I know who consistently fail in providing both necessities and gifts to their families are those who don't love them properly! 

Now, back to the church! We will not become a Christ-focused church by having all these "programs" to improve our Christian participation in the Kingdom! The reason - they are only dealing with symptoms. The focus problem is not in the head - it is in the heart!  If you are industrious enough, get online and find the testimony of Johnny Hunt about his first days at First Baptist Church, Woodstock, GA!  I don't have space and time to tell it here - but not too terribly long after he began there, squabbling and problems were the dominant reality. Until something happened! The Lord SAVED the church! A good number of the membership and quite a few of the deacons got saved in a glorious move of God! The church has been Christ-focused since! And, there has been no end to the powerful things that God has done through them.

The number one way to become Christ-focused is really the only way! People must have a life-changing, soul soaring, transformational salvation experience in Christ!  Now, the outward emotional expression of salvation may certainly vary from person to person - but there will be a consistency in real salvation - there will be REAL change, REAL transformation, and REAL change of focus!  THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR THIS!  The GREAT church, the one that doesn't care about "my way," "my deal," "my opinion,"  - the GREAT church that doesn't spend endless hours protecting turf, taking votes, taking sides, whispering about others - the GREAT church that does not do these things but rather focuses on Christ does so for only one reason! They have been forgiven much - so they love much! They have counted everything as loss for the cause of Christ Jesus!

It is impossible to be a great church and be predominantly filled with unsaved folks! It is impossible to be a great church without a heart that has been born from above! It impossible!  Programs just treat symptoms. They actually provide a temporary delay in dealing with the real issues of the heart!  Too many churches are trying be Christ focused by programming a change! But the programs ALWAYS fail! Why? The heart must be changed. When our heart is His, we don't need a program to remind us to give! We do so because we love Him! We don't need a program to gather with brothers and sisters in Christ. We will do so because we love Him!  We won't need a program to figure out that we need to pray - we will do so because we love Him! 

So, do you want to be a bad church? Probably not! Most people don't say so anyway! Do you want to be a good church? More folks than you might think are probably satisfied with that!  Do you want to be a great church? There is only one way - surrender your heart to Him! Then you will be a Christ focused church!

Tomorrow! Can you transition a church to a great church??

Just Stuff!

Just random stuff each and every Saturday!

1. Missing in Action - It is an interesting thing how many people in church go AWOL from time to time! They will be there working and participating - then - suddenly - you realize they are missing! We start asking around! Have they been sick? Don't think so! Been on vacation? No, they are at work! Had something happen? Not that we know of!  Finally you are able to track them down!  No problems, we just had this or that one Sunday! Then the next we just felt like sleeping in! Then the next we decided to run to the beach for a couple of days! Then the next one - we just got out of the habit!  After observing this type of deal for 30+ years I have found that there is only one answer and observation rolled into one that solves this! Where your heart is, there your treasure will be also! Matthew 6:21

2. The Rain - Today is Saturday and it is raining! Since I have been up I see that a softball team cookout scheduled for this afternoon has been postponed! A roadblock for the fire department to collect money for the scholarship fund has been canceled.  Understand, that is fine! But I can't help but smile about it after reading the Wild Goose Chase!  I have been looking at weather differently lately!  The Lord, the disciples, and the early church experienced "church" and the Christian experience in the elements! They climbed mountains, had theological studies out on the water, in the rain, even in the storm!  They got hot and thirsty and had to send for water!  They prayed in the dark before morning! They spent entire evenings out in villages healing the sick!  Again - I understand the cancellations today- but I have been thinking about how neat it would be to schedule a prayer time under the pavilion in the rain, even a bit of a storm! How much would it make us "alive" and "aware" of our surroundings?  Instead of "canceled because of rain" how about "scheduled because of rain?" Chase the Goose!

3. Grandchildren - Yesterday was National Grandparents Day! I didn't really realize that until I was driving down the highway yesterday evening listening to the news. Well, it would have been that with or without a day for it - we were on the way to see RILEY!  We stayed from 6:00 pm until 10:30 pm playing, talking baby talking, bouncing, napping, hugging, loving, kissing, feeding, changing diapers!  Ain't life grand???????  She's beautiful!

4. Building a Foundation - A lot of work was done fine tuning the foundation at the church yesterday! They spent a lot of time shaping the ground around the foundation to get some drainage problems addressed that had been created in the foundation building process. They got the foundation ready to dig for plumbing. They had all the batter boards up!  It would help about now if the rain cleared out for a couple of weeks!!!!

5. Who is well? It has been amazing that so many people have been or are sick! Whatever the "crud" is - it is a real doozy!  The rest have flu, swine flu, or the nastiest - stomach flu!!!!

6. Power Bills - Ok, now my curiosity is up! Did they just significantly raise rates? When my power bill went up a couple of months ago by $75.00 to $220.00, I was not surprised.  We had 100 degree days, and I was watering my yard, thus running my pump.  The next month it was around $198.00. Still not too surprising because it was still hot, and I was running my pump some for watering.  This month, it is $188! Now that one puzzles me! We have one less person here, we run the thermostat up some during the day, we have not watered the yard at all, and yet it only fell by $10.00.  Before the big "jump" a few months ago, it ran about $150.00 every month!  I guess I need to compare bills to look at the rates!  Andrea and I had a meeting - we decided to go ahead and pay it!!!! :)

7. Perry Mason! Using Playon, a media streaming software, I am able watch original episodes of Perry Mason. I watched one yesterday! It really was a good "mystery" crime show! One of the first things I noticed - everyone smokes!  It was the "cool" thing back then!  Also, if you want to be charged with murder, just hire Perry Mason as your attorney. That makes being charged a sure thing!

Redefined!

A comment on one of my posts, Just Thinking About Prayer, got me to thinking about how we have redefined a lot of biblical terms to mean something a different than what was originally intended.  Perhaps you would add some of your own in the comments!

1. Prayer Meeting (Today)- A Bible Study, most often on Wednesday nights, that involves about 15 minutes of prayer requests, about 3 minutes of prayer, and about 40 minutes of Bible Study

            ** Prayer Meeting (Biblical Meaning) - A time where prayer takes the place of prayer requests. A time where people gather and earnestly pray, not only for the sick, but confessionally for the sins of the church, expectantly for the salvation of souls, and eagerly for God's power and direction for the day and the future.

2. Worship (Today) - A service held at church. Something we attend!  A time of announcements, greeting, singing, and a sermon. An invitation is usually given! An to be honest, in most churches, very little visible response takes place!

        ** Worship (Biblical Meaning)  The expression of praise and adoration to God; the action of trust and obedience to God; the result of life transformation in God!

3. Church (Today) Mostly an address! Church is a place we attend on Sunday! It is a place where we believe our needs are to be met. We believe it is a place that is responsible for "feeding us!'  It is a place of fellowship, a place to hold weddings and funerals, a place with great programs. Most often it is referred to in the possessive - my church - our church!  It is a definition lacking balance, understanding, and power.

        **Church (Biblical Meaning) The church is the body of Christ!  It is only a place when the body of believers gather together!  While it is right and even commanded that we gather together, the gathering of the church has become the all consuming thing for Christians. The church is the body of Christ scattered and gathered. The church belongs to Christ! We have no possession over it. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is to operated in an offensive posture, not a defensive posture.  The church (believers in Christ) are responsible for eating spiritual food.  The church meeting is not the place of all spiritual education and formation - the church (believers) are responsible daily for their spiritual formation and education before God.  The church is a supernatural body - the presence of God in the world until He comes, remembering that we are all filled with the spirit of God. The church (believers following Christ) will be built by God!  The church is comprised of "the called out ones!"  The church, a body of believers, knows and experiences the power of God!

Random "Goose Chasing" Thoughts!

Here are just a few random thoughts thus far that are burning a hole in my heart and brain!

1. God is not boring! If you think God is boring, or if you are bored spiritually, go on a mission trip! It will rejuvenate your spirit and wake you up spiritually!

2. Worship in the elements! One of the key differences between the modern church and the experience of the disciples and the early church is weather!!!! We worship corporately (and most times privately) in a clean, sterile location, like a church building or our homes!  But they were taught and worshiped together in storms, rain, climbing mountains, walking in the dry dust, on the hillsides etc..  So, find a less than perfect shelter in the rain to worship God - pray outside in the dark - sing to the Lord outside as the sun rises - have some friends get together by a lake  or pond to do a Bible study!  I love it!

3. When God gives you a passion, it becomes your responsibility! Has God given you a passion for something? Then don't try to pass it off to someone else. See what God will do with you!  Allow His passion to grow inside you and have tangible expression in the world.  See how God will provide for your passion, how He will equip you for the passion, how He will resource the passion He has placed in your heart!

4. Remember that God uses the "unqualified!"  When God places a passion in our hearts, we too often respond that we are not "qualified" to do it!   Godly, spirit-filled passion will trump qualified indifference every time! (see 3 above)

5. Change of place + change of pace = change of perspective!  Direct quote - page 50, Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson, Multnomah Books

6. We need to use more imagination!  It is easier to pray from memory than imagination - maybe I should say - it is lazier to pray from memory than imagination!  We can get into such a rut that prayer becomes a mindless and really heartless exercise!  A memorized blessing for food! A standard prayer for the sick!  A very generalized prayer about our sins!   Studying this idea of using our imagination more in prayer reminded me of my life verse in the scripture -  ²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

He is able to do more than we ask - or imagine!  Surely that truth will unleash us for greater service, less routine, more chasing of the Goose - (following the Spirit).

7. My prayer is for ABC to be known for Goose Chasing! (following the Spirit!)  I don't anything else to really say about that one! May it be so!