As the dust continues to settle from last week’s presidential election one overarching truth has been the dominant force in the societal narratives these days: our country is extremely divided. We have the left digging their heels in, and the right not wanting to budge either. Words such as anxious, fearful, and nervous can be used to describe many of us during these days, even those who are in Jesus Christ are nervous! I’ve been experiencing many emotions, but I will say as I write this post I’m at peace. In looking at Heaven I’m reminded that God is in control and are future is set. One big teaching moment during these days for us as the church to look at: have we put WAY too much hope in flawed human beings we call politicians and not enough hope in Jesus Christ?

1) Let Heaven blow up your expectations about what good is.

I love what Louie Giglio says, “We don’t think a lot about Heaven, because we often equate Heaven to our best day here on earth.” I’m writing to remind you, Heaven will be better. Heaven will always be better than our earthly existence. There are many reasons to always choose Heaven and always fix our eyes on Heaven, but one reason trumps them all. In Revelation 5:12 John writes that the angels were singing, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Heaven is better because of Jesus. There is nothing that this Earth can bring our way that will be better than being in the presence of Jesus for all eternity.

Heaven will always be better. We fear often on earth because we fear this is as good as it will get. I want to remind you that Jesus has prepared a place for us, and He will come to take us to that place. (John 14:1-6) One thing I can bank on, Jesus always keeps His promises.

2) Stop trying to work your way into Heaven.

Many of us hold true to the promise of scripture: we are saved by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9) We quote this scripture, talk about it, preach on it, but there are  many of us don’t live this truth. We either fall in one of two camps: 1) we try to work our salvation out tirelessly or 2) we don’t take the promise of our salvation and the need to produce spiritual fruit seriously enough.

So, where does that leave us? Well, if you’re like me I’m an action guy, and here is what I encourage you to do: 1) Know your salvation without a shadow of a doubt. Many of us have this amorphous time when we prayed a prayer when we were young, and we think we’re saved. No, no, no know the time and the day when Jesus entered your heart and reconciled you to Him. If you don’t know the day or time, make today a HUGE priority to recommit your life and ask Christ to save you today.

2) Understand who you are in Jesus Christ. What I mean in saying this is you are beloved. You don’t have to prove yourself, Jesus will always point to the Cross to remind you, you are beloved. Live as a beloved Son or Daughter. Pray out of love not obligation. Worship freely and joyfully because you want to not because you live in fear. Allow the Holy Spirit to shift your motivation, and you will be amazed at the results.

3) Join and Go. There are many steps in your Christian journey, this in no way is an exhaustive list. But, I encourage join a church and a Christian education opportunity that allow you to explore, ask questions, and grow. When opportunities arise, especially those that correspond with your gifts, be confident and go and serve. Look to dialogue with Christian leaders and people you respect, and they will begin to show you wonderful ways and opportunities where you can live out your faith.

We come to a somewhat awkward topic: stewardship. Before we dive in more fully let me be clear what we mean by stewardship: the proper and efficient way to manage resources for the maximum amount of good. In getting back to the previous sentence, stewardship feels awkward when we treat it as a sales pitch. In stewardship we aren’t trying to sell you anything, rather we are calling the church and the people of God to live into their identity as followers and friends of Jesus Christ. Here are a few things to consider as many of us not just at Second Ave. look at stewardship.

1. Don’t get caught in the comfort illusion.

When I say this, I want you to know that you should hold on to enough to feed, clothe, and house your family. But, if we look around at much of our possessions, much of our resources I’m fairly certain the truth will emerge: we have WAY more than we need. The average American household has three television sets and over 300,000 belongings. We are blessed to be able to acquire many material possessions.

However, if we look at Jesus’ examples in the gospels people of means aren’t spoken of very positively. Jesus tells His followers that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than the rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 19:24) He tells the rich young ruler he can follow if he sells his possessions and gives money to the poor (Mark 10:17). Do wealth and Christianity mix? Well, the answer is yes and no. Many wealthy people are very devoted, generous Christians, meanwhile wealth can also become an idol or temptation that ensnares many people.

Many people desire to live comfortable lives, but always know that living comfortably doesn’t always lead a happy, fulfilled life. God is calling all of us to be faithful and generous let us look to listen always to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

2. Generous People Break Status Quos

Part of our frustration in our country right now is many of us don’t like the status quo. We want things to change, situations to improve, and people’s lives to become better. However, the sad reality is that won’t happen if we keep acting normally. To go alongside that generosity is sadly not the norm in our world today. My charge to you as you read this is to do something. Not everything. The world’s problems are too big for one person or church to do everything, but everyone can do something. Pray as a family to do something big and look to serve together. Our country is ready to change the status quo for the better and it will happen not through any government mandate but through generous individuals, families, and churches. Be blessed and always look to give what the spirit leads you to give.

Many of us have politics on our minds during these days. We are walking in fear and trepidation as we fully don’t know what will happen on November 8th or in what direction our country we go. Here are a few reminders for the days and weeks ahead:

1. Look to rise above all the noise.

We live in a culture that is filled with shouting, name calling, and belittling people all the time. We are called to be a people who live in the world but are not part of it. Jesus’ followers are called to be salt and light, and in so doing we will push back the darkness, the noise, and the chaos our world seems to be in at the moment.

Learn to respect all. Pray for those who hurt you with their words, and we need to be a people who know the truth of scripture, live the truth in love, and look to bring others to follow Jesus no matter what.

2. God won’t be surprised by the results.

I promise God won’t be surprised when CNN declares the winner. We live in a time and a day when many Christians love to talk about faith but many don’t want their faith tested or stretched. This will be a time that will test and stretch your faith especially if you did not vote for the winning candidate. Please know that God is not surprised, and God is calling the church to continually stand up and be the church during these times.

3. Don’t get distracted in the minutia.

The entire goal of our existence is to bring others to a life saving relationship with Jesus Christ and to enjoy Jesus forever. Please don’t get bogged down in the political name calling and noise of this generation. Politics are important. It is important to know the candidates and to vote your values, but please know that God raises up leaders both elected and not to accomplish His will all the time. He’s been doing it since Creation, and I know He will continue to do it until the Kingdom fully comes.

We live in a crazy time to be the people of God. In many moments it seems that our world is spinning out of control, chaos and violence rule the day, and we often have more questions than we do answers. God chose us to witness to Him during these days, and I cannot think of a higher honor for us.

I’m constantly floored that the God of the universe trusts us enough to make His name and mission known to the world. God also equips us to be able to succeed in this mission. We aren’t just tossed in the “deep end” of the world without everything we need to succeed. Despite our failures, ignorance, limitations, and baggage God still uses the church to accomplish His mission of making disciples and grow the church. Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons the church has in breaking down barriers and making disciples for Jesus Christ.

Prayer is very powerful and can be very effective, when used in Jesus’ name. During our looking and study of prayer we saw that many of us do pray, but our prayers our focused inward and on our own glory. The question we looked and continue to look at is what would happen if we began to pray, pray powerfully, and pray consistently for our church? Prayers move the heart of God, and we know that God is honored and glorified when His children pray first and foremost for His will to be done. What would our church look like if we committed to praying four times a week for our church, its witness, its leaders, its vision, and for the church to make vibrant, effective disciples of Jesus Christ? I don’t know about you, but I’m through wondering, and I want to see the power and glory of God exude from Second Ave. to touch the world! Let’s begin by committing to praying for our church four times a week, every week!

On Sunday June 28, 2015 we begin a new series on The Lord’s Prayer. Jesus taught us to pray. Consequently, prayer is so central to our faith. When His disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus was specific and yet comprehensive in his response. The prayer he taught them was one he re-purposed from a traditional Hebrew prayer. When Jesus retooled this prayer he made sure it was a community prayer. We will take a number of weeks to look at the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer to understand what it is we are to be praying. and how does it apply to the circumstances to our lives today. Here is how will look at the prayer week-by-week.

1. Our Father who is in heaven
2. uphold the holiness of your name.
3. Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.
4. Give us the bread we need for today.
5. Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you, just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.
6. And don’t lead us into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

Come join us on Sundays at 8:15am (traditional) or 10:45(contemporary) for worship. These are the words of LIFE.