Passion for people… Nov 14th.

I’ve done a terrible job of keeping up and relaying event information BEFORE the events happen. I’m going to work diligently to correct that! I would like to tell you about an event I just returned from and some of the observations from that experience.

I returned from Loveland, Colorado today with Brock Dewald and his wife Jordan. They joined me to help me lead worship for long time friend Angus McKinely at a church he is in the process of planting with a team of committed believers. It was an amazing time of fellowship, worship, outreach, community and opportunity! Before I get into the details of what I observed, instead of saving the ‘best’ for last – I have to go ahead and start with the most exciting portion of the trip. This weekend, at a tiny church plant that technically hasn’t even ‘officially’ started yet, had a group of 70 plus people meet in the back corner of a local high school. As exciting as that may seem, that is not the part worthy of front page news. The best part of that service, that day, and the entire trip is that two people – out of that gathering – are pursuing Christ in a personal relationship. Two new members joined the family Sunday. THAT is without question, THE best part of the trip.

Now that I’ve spoiled the climax of the trip, let me fill you in on a few other things I noticed and took from this experience…

I always love going to new places to worship and fellowship and serve with other believers in other places. Something about that experience brings joy to my heart – bonding with the body of Christ outside my local body which I see on a consistent basis. The reminder that there are like-minded people out there, who love God and live that out to me is encouraging! I think it’s a beautiful thing! This was no exception. I’m grateful as I always am to lead worship in just about any setting with anyone who has a heart for worship like Brock Dewald. That within itself is worth any trip for me. There were added bonuses on this trip. I took some things from this adventure and am still trying to figure out how to relate those experiences to challenge and incorporate them into my church life here at home.

Now please don’t misread or misunderstand me. I’m not criticizing my church or the way we operate by any means. I think there are MANY things our church does VERY well and we are very good at. I’m not looking to rock the boat, change what we do or who we are. I AM however, trying to figure out how to inspire others with the passion this group in Colorado had so that we too can impact the communities for the cause of Christ. I think this is what we should be doing as a body of believers yet often don’t for whatever reason. This weekend, I was shown a great example of HOW to do what we SHOULD be doing.

You see, there is a small group of people who have left their jobs, sold their homes, packed up all they have, left friends, and family to move to an area that is in desperate need strong Biblical churches. This group of people doesn’t simply open their church doors and wait for someone to show up or come in. They attack their community! They engage with purposeful intent and are diligent about it! After work, members will gather to go hang out in coffee shops – not to congregate with themselves, but to just engage and strike up conversations with locals. Not to ‘scare them’ into salvation, but to build relationships, to connect, to take interest in the lives of others. They invite people they meet who need Christ to their homes for dinner. They invite people over for Saturday afternoon cookouts with other members from the church. For the simple purpose of showing people that they care, they are interested, and want to connect. Isn’t that what we all want? Believers and nonbelievers alike?

Out of this purposeful engaging of their community they are drawing people in, meeting and seeing people around town and building relationships. This is opening doors for people to share, to question, to seek, to join, and to feel appreciated. This past Sunday, not only where there people present who had been to some of these meals at the homes of believers, or the cook-outs, or from multiple conversations at the coffee shops, but also people who heard about Elevation Church via word of mouth from NON-Believers! Some of which from people who didn’t even attend Sunday. What I noticed was more than a general curiosity (though that is part of it.) But an intrigue by lost people, that a group of people, would spend their time – on a constant basis, not consumed in their own world of activities, but take time to go out of their way to care for, love, and show genuine interest in others before themselves.

I was moved. Not as much by the approach of the church, but by the reaction of the local unchurched population. That church is less than two months in the “PREVIEW” process and already impacting their communities. This is a tiny group of less than 20 people who in approximately three months and only TWO services are already creating buzz, drawing people in, and (as stated above) winning souls for Christ.

If a group of less than 20 people, in less than three months can already have an impact on their community, why is it that our established churches of several hundred and countless resources do little to nothing to engage our communities? Why do we not go as groups to restaurants after church, not to seclude ourselves and only sit together, but spread out and meet those around us. Why do we not gather with others from our church and go to coffee shops or school sporting events or whatever not to fellowship only with one another, but to purposefully engage the lost community that is around us. I would venture to say many of us don’t even know the name of the family who lives two doors down from us.  I’m not talking about walking up to every person you meet and asking them if they died tonight where they would go?  I’m talking about connecting with people where they are, building relationships, inviting to dinner, intent of meeting again to engage people where they are.  Foundations have to be laid before we can gain any kind of credibility.  How many ‘strangers’ do you know that you take their advice to heart.   I’m willing to bet the answer is slim to none.

I’ll be honest – anyone who walks up to me that I don’t know and tries to tell me anything about how to run my business, live my life, where I should be spiritually, financially, politically, or whatever – they don’t hold a lot of influence with me. I may be polite and listen, but nothing you say will I take seriously. I think the reason for this is that those people know nothing about me. There is no genuine concern connection made. The people I am willing to listen to are those who are willing to take effort in finding out about me. Willing to take time to help me. Willing to just hang out and grab a cup of coffee or a bite to eat.  If you are willing to invest in me as a person, I’ll listen to you – because you have shown interest in who I am.  Not because you have presented some premise that I should follow or have an agenda to fulfill.

This group in Colorado is doing just that that – not showing up to give people random spiritual advice, judge, or condemn, but instead is loving people where they are, helping people who need help, serving people without alternative motives, they are simply being there for people with no expectation in return.  It’s the simplest concept but for some reason seems so foreign to us. It seems as believers we get so busy in our lives that we: A) don’t have time to take interest in others outside our immediate social circle of comfort, or B) the church isn’t priority in our lives, or C) we’re just comfortable, or D) we don’t really place high value on what we say the foundation of what we believe. We say the Bible is the foundation of what we believe, the ‘guide to life’ for the Christian. I’m not going to put up a poll – but I’m willing to take a guess that the majority (HIGH majority) haven’t even read the entire Bible. SO, the very tool that is our guide we don’t/ haven’t even read cover to cover – but this is the basic instructional and reference manual for everything we do as believers. Do we not see an issue here?

Think about this: most Christians would say that God is the most important thing and Christ is the leader of their lives. Yet, how much time do we spend outside our immediate family with other believers? How much time do we spend in service to our church (willing to bet its only 2 hours a week for most of us.) How much do we go out of our way to help our neighbors down the street who we know is struggling? Sure, we are willing to pray for them. After praying for them, when is the last time we two blocks to help them family rebuild their garage because it burned down last week. Not because it’s a ‘missions project’ the church set up and organized, but because it was someone in our community in need that we knew needed help?  I would venture to say not many of us have done that. I don’t even offer to help the retired lady three houses down bring in her groceries sometimes when I see her unloading because I “have things I want to do”…  I mean, the football game starts in an hour – right?

I think that is a sad state of our Christianity. What scares me is that I fall into this category more often than I would like to admit. That is one of the things that I’m so grateful for this past weekend. I was challenged – not by what someone said – but what I witness for four straight days. Active, purposeful involvement in the lives of non-believers in their local community with strategic intent to build relationships in order to lead the lost to Christ. That comes with great sacrifice for many of that team up in Loveland. Personal sacrifice, time sacrifice, monetary sacrifice and even some emotional sacrifice for putting themselves out there for constant rejection by many they come into contact with. But you know what, it’s Sunday’s like this past one, when people without hope are broken inside and realize the need for a personal relationship with Christ… THAT is what makes all of those sacrifices not feel like sacrifices, but rather blessing and fruits of labor for Christ. If we can’t find joy in that… then we have deeper personal issues we need to address.

I hope I’m willing to get out of my comfort zone, engage people, and love others in my community instead of being so consumed in my time and schedule – much like my brothers and sisters who have moved to a small town in north central Colorado with a heart and mission to reach those in need. Thank you guys for inspiring and motivation me… I’m praying for you all…