Monday, April 25, 2022

Genesis 37 | Small Group Questions



The story of Joseph is a favorite among children’s tales. It’s a story of family dysfunction that leads to slavery. The pain of loneliness and abandonment that ultimate lead to Jospeh saving Israel. So often we don’t sit in the pain that Joseph experienced. We don’t think about what went through Joseph’s mind in the bottom of the pit. We forget that Joseph never went to his senior prom. We miss that he lost a vital relationship with his mother. For this series I volunteered to write the small group questions that go along with each sermon. It seemed like a waste to leave them in a file on my computer and not share them with everyone. 

Small Group Questions | The Dysfunctional Family | Genesis 37

The story of Joseph is a favorite among children’s tales. It’s a story of family dysfunction that leads to slavery. The pain of loneliness and abandonment that ultimate lead to Jospeh saving Israel. So often we don’t sit in the pain that Joseph experienced. We don’t think about what went through Joseph’s mind in the bottom of the pit. We forget that Joseph never went to his senior prom. We miss that he lost a vital relationship with his mother. This week we start an eight-week journey through the life of Jospeh in Genesis. Most scholars affirm that Moses wrote Genesis from the oral tradition as a way to preserve Israels’ history.  

1) International Justice Mission exists to protect people in poverty from violence by rescuing victims, bringing criminals to justice, and restoring survivors to safety. Share what you know about modern day slavery with the group. 

2) Read  Genesis 37:1-4. Jospeh was raised in a dysfunctional family. Share about what you learned from your family or origin and how you would like to create a better home for your roommates, immediate family, or those you live with. 

3) Jospeh had to dreams from God that related to his family (read Genesis 37:5-11). Joseph knew how to interpret dreams but didn’t know how to care for people. Where do you want to excel in caring for people & what needs to change?

4) Read Genesis 37:14-18. Jospeh’s brothers plotted to kill him. Scripture has much to say on murder (read Exodus  20:13, 21:14, Matthew 5:21-26, and John 8:44).What do you think allows a group of people the ability to dehumanize others? 

5) We are called to love others & protect them (Gen. 4:9, Malachi 2:16, 1 Corinthians 13:7). Is there someone in your life that you need to do a better job at loving at protecting? What Could Jospeh’s brothers have done to protect their brother?

6) Read Genesis 37:26-28. Neal shared some statistics on modern day slavery. Pull our your phone and see what you can learn about modern day slavery. What bothers you most? What can you do to start helping free people from slavery? 

7) Joseph was sold into slavery and his brothers lie to their father about his whereabouts (read Genesis 37:29-36). Thinking of how many dreams seem to be broke here: where have, or do, you see God at work in your broken dreams? 

Close your time in prayer. Pray for strength to invite a friend to meet Jesus. 


Thursday, April 21, 2022

22 Years of Sober


I never thought I would write those words: "22 years of sobriety"

On April 20, 2000 was the last time I took a drink of alcohol. I could tell you all the details surrounding but I'll tell you a better story. 

When I was five I wanted to be a fireman so I could help save people, but that’s not the path I ended up choosing for my life. See that first time I smoked pot led me down a very dark road. A road that was filled with violence, drugs, horrible behavior, drinking and the back of police cars. 

My deep doubt in God and lack of trust for people in my teens took me places I never thought I’d end up going. When I was nineteen I got arrested for the third time in my life. I had way too much to drink, crashed my truck into the side of the mountain, totaled it, almost killed one of my friends and fled the scene. I was pulled out of a bush about a quarter mile down the road at gun point, taken to the hospital and then transported to jail. 

It was one of those, go straight to jail, don’t collect $200 and you can’t say goodbye to your friends. I was charged with two felonies and looking at doing 3-5 years in jail. Now check this out, my mom and her friends started praying and I got out with no felonies and serving a week in jail, a week in jail!

You would think I would have learned my lesson at this point right, that I’d start trusting God? Well four months later I was a drunk sitting in another jail cell. As I sat there I thought, “This isn’t the life I had imagined for myself.” 

On  February 14, 2000 I was looking at doing a year for violating my probation and the reality of who I had become sunk in. As I sat in jail I had a silent conversation with God in the dark of night. I don’t remember exactly how it went but I said something like: “God, if you’re real get me out and I’ll do whatever you want” It was my last ditch effort. Fourteen hours later I was released from Vista jail in San Diego County. I had no clue what I was going to do next but I left the jail that morning knowing God is real and He really cares about me. The focus of my life changed in an instant! 

I wish I could say that it's been an easy 22 years but it hasn't. There have been many moments that I wanted to use again. I wanted to use to forget the pain that I didn't know how to handle. I wanted to use to enjoy a time with my friends. 

But as I sit here, looking back, I'm so grateful for the grace of God in my life. I couldn't have done this without the help of God. 

Monday, April 18, 2022

Luke 24 | Small Group Questions



Most of our life we are concerned and consumed with the three dimensional world we can see. We wake up, drink coffee, eat food, go to work, eat more food, connect with people we love, and sleep. We think that paying the bills, mowing the lawn, and grocery shopping are requirements of the week. What if the world is more than three dimensional? For those who believe in God that means we believe the world is at least four dimensions. The Bible teaches us about spiritual things but we don’t always focus on our spiritual growth; that is what “The Battle” is all about In this series we’ll lean in to God’s word and examine what is taking place in the spiritual realm. For this series I volunteered to write the small group questions that go along with each sermon. It seemed like a waste to leave them in a file on my computer and not share them with everyone. 

Small Group Questions | The Road to Discovery | Luke 24

For eight weeks we’ve talked about the unseen spiritual battle taking place behind the scenes. On Easter Sunday we wrapped up The Battle by looking at Luke’s account of The Road to Emmaus. The gospel of Luke was written by Luke. It’s the only gospel that wasn’t written or dictated by a disciple. The good news for us is that Jesus won the battle. On Good Friday, the cross that was meant to kill means Salvation for those who trust Jesus. Luke wrote about the arrest, conviction, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. Just two days earlier Jesus was crucified and Luke zooms in on the life of two disciples who are about to have a personal encounter with the risen Lord.

1) In 1985 Vance Havner wrote a book titled “Playing Marbles with Diamonds.” He shared a story about walking into a poor African village and seeing the children playing marbles with diamonds. Where are you playing marbles with diamonds? 

2) Read Luke 24:17-19. Cleopas describes Jesus as a prophet who was powerful in word and deed before God and all people. Read Luke 2:52, Matthew 16:16, & John 1:1-5. How would you describe Jesus to someone in one sentence? 

3) Read Luke 24:19-24. Cleopas explained what he knew about Jesus. Read Matthew 4:18-20, Mark 1:1, Luke 2:11, and John John 10:10. After reading the previous verses, how would you explain Jesus as the Messiah to someone? 

4) Read Luke 24:25-27. On the road, Jesus taught the disciples about Himself from Scripture. Take some time, as a group, and find different passages that you think Jesus might have mentioned to help the disciples understand the truth. 

5) Jesus knew these disciples lost hope too. He didn’t read their minds, He could hear it in the tone in their voice. Share a time in your life when you felt hopeless and Scripture encouraged you? What passages encouraged you? 

6) Read Luke 24:33-35. Anytime we have good news we find ways to share it with others (Read John 1:41-42). Who, in your life, do you need the boldness to share the Gospel with? What is holding you back from sharing it with that person? 

7) After the disciples rejoin the eleven back in Jerusalem, Jesus appears in their midst (see Luke 24:36-49). Looking at these passages, what are some key elements that Jesus shares with the disciples before ascending back into heaven? 

Close your time in prayer. Pray for strength to invite a friend to meet Jesus. 


Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Guest Post: When Growth is Overrated

When I was in my twenties I met Doug Meye while serving in Vegas. He was leading a church in town and then helped at our church during while we were searching for a lead pastor. Doug became a mentor in my life. He helped me walk through my ministry call. For the last couple years he's been helping us at Coastline in numerous ways. One of those ways in our preaching team. Last month he sent me this article, that he had written. I asked for permission to post here. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

WHEN GROWTH IS OVERRATED

I was weaned on the Church Growth Movement. As a church planter I counted everyone and everything—children, babies, pets.  Later, when I was no longer able to count people myself, I graphed attendance counts that were turned in weekly hoping to discern telling trends.  You might have guessed--I’m an Enneagram 3. 

I believe growth is good.

But, today, more than ever, I realize that growth doesn’t tell the whole story. In fact, there are times when growth is over-rated.

Growth is over-rated when the people in the church are not growing up in Christ.

Numerical growth is ultimately empty without spiritual growth. 

The pandemic made this very clear. How many times have we heard? “They are gone, and they are not coming back.”

Most of the time, this absence can be traced in some form back to a lack of discipleship. The people came because we worked hard to get them there: flashy sermon series, timely texts, bounce-houses for the kids. 

Now we realize that while people came to our events, their confidence and outlook remained embedded in self, not rooted in Christ. While these people inflated pre-Covid church counts, they are gone today--like “chaff which the wind drives away” (Psalm 1). 

Some churches may have a unique evangelistic calling and capacity. But, when a church “baptizes” someone it also has the responsibility to teach that person “all things Jesus commanded” (Matthew 28:19-20). 

I would not want to be the pastor of a church and tell Jesus, “Discipleship was not our thing!” I afraid Jesus would ask, “What was your thing. I can’t see anything to show for what you did.”

Growth without discipleship will ultimately be exposed for what it is—fluff.

Growth is over-rated when the pastor pays too high of a price.

Most of us are familiar with Peter Scazzero’s story at New Life Church. He talks about it freely in his many helpful books. Lack of boundaries and overwork nearly caused him to lose both his ministry and marriage.

Unfortunately, Peter’s situation is not an isolated one. How many pastors have burned out themselves and burned up their families because they wanted to see their church grow?
Here’s the problem?  A pastor’s long and crazy hours do lead to growth.

And pastors are highly competent people, who are able to juggle the competing demands of a growing church and busy family, until…

They can’t!

Then they become another statistic. Their family becomes another tragic story.

A church will never be healthy in the long run, if the pastor is not healthy today. A healthy pastor recognizes the primary ministry he has to his family. A healthy pastor honors boundaries and limits. A healthy pastor finds his identity in Christ and leaves the growth to God.

Growth is over-rated when the pastor pays too high of a price.

Growth is over-rated when the staff is used, maybe even abused.

Because of their reputation some churches are easily able to attract staff.  Young staff feel honored to be part of these dynamic ministries. 

Unfortunately, the same church which can easily attract staff, may be tempted to easily hurt staff.  

Young staff come to the church because they love Jesus and want to be part of a dynamic ministry. But during their time at the church, they are underpaid, overworked, and never given the promotion promised to them.

These staff members help the church grow. But ultimately these staff are dispensable commodities; after all, the church has the capacity to easily attract new staff.  

Out with the old, in with the new. 

The church continues to grow, but the growth leaves a trail of wounded, disillusioned, angry young men and women who may never want to serve in a church again.  I hear about this way too often!

Those of us in church leadership are called to develop people, not use them. Growth is over-rated when the staff is used, maybe even abused.

Growth is overrated when it comes at the expense of other churches.

Since the days of Rick Warren and the founding of Saddleback, most of us in ministry have targeted the unchurched. We want to reach people who are not part of a local church; even more, who are far from God.

Yet, when it comes right down to it, many of the churches in our country are growing not because they are reaching unchurched people but because they are reaching churched people who are looking for a different ministry. 

This can happen for any number of reasons--some understandable, some regrettable.

While we claim to go after the unchurched, most of us I suspect, feel pretty good about those who come to the churches we pastor from other churches. Not only do they add to our count; they pamper our ego. We interpret their presence to mean, “You lead a better church than the one we left!”

I believe there may be valid reasons for leaving one church for another. I’m not against people attending a church which is good for their family and will truly challenge their growth. 

Let’s call it for what it is—people looking for a different kind of ministry.  And, if we are truly about the Kingdom of God, we will never feel great when our church is growing at the expense of another.

Growth is over-rated when it comes at the expense of another church.

Final Thoughts

I’m not against church growth. Quite the opposite. I pray almost every day that the God will renew His church and cause it to explode with the growth of new disciples who are on fire for Christ. I pray that this growth will happen God’s way in Gods time by God’s Spirit.

Otherwise, the growth may be way over-rated.