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Thoughts on Rick Warren Retiring

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In case you missed this week’s announcement of the transition beginning at Saddleback church in California: Pastor Rick Warren announced that he will be stepping down from his role as Senior pastor there once a replacement has been found. From a practical point of view this is not surprising. He and his wife Kay have given over 42 years of their lives serving not only their church and its many campuses but also countless outreach ministries around the world. Yet the thought of them leaving their role as voices of calm in the storm of our ongoing American culture wars brings a sadness to my heart. I pray only the best for them both and their family as they seek God’s next step. Too many times we only realize how much leaders need our prayers after an embarrassing public failure or financial scandal. Why not join together and pray that the leadership at Saddleback will have the grace and wisdom to find the person or persons to fill the role of a future lead pastor? If you would like to hear more about this coming transition beyond just the headlines, I am posting Pastor Rick’s video here. I found it both quite interesting and encouraging.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— Colossians 4:3 ESV

Why is There a Cross – On Top of the Steeple?

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And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. John 12:32 KJV

Have you ever wondered why most churches have a cross at the top of their steeples, or that hundreds of millions of Christians wear crosses around their necks? It certainly isn’t stated anywhere in the Bible that we are supposed to do this – and yet we do.

In fact, when we think about the events of the gospel it might seem more appropriate to have an empty tomb on the roof showing the victory of Jesus over death or a throne showing that He is King of the universe. But there is something about the cross that attracts us to Jesus. But maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus told us that when He was lifted up that He would draw people to himself. Jesus healed lepers, multiplied bread, and walked on water but the lepers went home, the bread eaters stopped following and even Peter who had walked on water with Him, denied knowing Him. But on the cross things began to happen no could have imagined. At the cross, a thief believed and was promised paradise, and a Roman soldier cried out that He was the Son of God. Nicodemus came and boldly requested to give Jesus a proper burial and even His enemies remembered His claim of resurrection and asked for the tomb to be guarded and sealed. Repentance and faith, remembering His words and watching the tomb all began at the cross. The cross calls for us to take a stand and gives a place where we can see and believe that Jesus is God’s Son. So keep putting the cross where everyone can see because He has promised that when He is lifted up that He will draw all men to Him!

Chosen to Serve Tables

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Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, Acts 6:3-4 ESV

If you hadn’t read the beginning of this chapter you might think that these guys were being selected to be missionaries, teachers of theology or pastors of large churches. But in fact, they were picked to serve food at the tables of widows. They were in charge of a first century “Meals on wheels”!  We rarely stop to think that ministry is so mundane and unspiritual. But the early church considered feeding widows and supplying the needs of the poor as the front-line duties of the leadership. When these so-called “unspiritual duties” were neglected by the apostles, the entire church began to complain. Notice they didn’t complain about the lack of sermons or the rarity of miracles. They got mad because no one went to feed the elderly widows. The church felt that the most important ministry was to act as the family to the widow and as mothers and fathers for orphans.

When we are ready to help with for the most needed ministry in our local church, we just might be amazed to see what happens next!

Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem…Acts 6:7