One of the goals of my life is to help people grow in their spiritual walk. I want to help them become more like Christ in every way.

Through the years I have tried to notice markers to chart this growth. A decision to follow Christ is the first big step. Then comes things like connecting, serving, and giving. Lately, I have noticed two more signs of spiritual growth.

1. Admitting You Have a Lot to Learn.

I am continually amazed at the number of believers who act like they have everything figured out. They have heard some Bible stories as a child. They have read a little as an adult. They have listened to a few sermons. What more could there possibly be to know?

Honestly, there is a great deal to learn. The Bible has been compared to the ocean. It is shallow enough for a child to play in it and deep enough that no diver can reach its depths. With every page, there is something new to learn. No one has even mastered the Bible, and there is a breakthrough the moment you admit you have more knowledge to gain.

2. Making an Effort to Learn What You Don’t Know.

This first part of this is vital, but this is more important. I know numerous people who would sheepishly admit to not knowing much about the Bible or God. And yet, they do nothing about it.

One massive step of growth is when someone says, “I don’t know enough, but I am going to learn.” You read the Bible for yourself. You listen intently to the sermon and take some notes. You attend a Bible study of some sort. You buy a couple of books and read them. You take steps to feed yourself on the things of God.

Every day presents us with an opportunity to become more like Christ. There is a connection between is what is going into us and what is coming out of us. Those who are taking steps to grow are also the ones living out their faith in new and exciting ways. Once you admit you have a lot to learn and you are ready to do something about it, the possibilities are limitless.

In your mind, you vowed that you would never do it. Then you did it anyway. You made a mistake. You crossed a line that you should never have crossed. You broke one of God’s laws. You failed yourself, your God and probably some other people.

What do you do now?

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but what has happened cannot be undone. You cannot go back and magically make things the way they were before. The stain has set. The damage is done.

The only thing you can do now is to forge a new way forward. While you cannot undo the past, there are some things you can do.

1. You Can Be Forgiven by God. The Bible holds out this great possibility of hope. In Jesus death on the cross, my debt was paid. All we need to do is claim Jesus as our Savior and confess our sins to him. God is gracious and kind and will forgive our sins and shortcomings.

2. You Can Ask for Forgiveness From Others. If other people have been hurt there does not need to be permanent damage. You can confess your failure and ask for forgiveness. My shop class teacher in high school used to tell us that if you break a project, don’t give up. Try gluing it back together, and that broken spot can be stronger than before. It is true of both wood and hearts.

3. You Can Use This Mistake to Mold Your Life. Many times, our sins can move us in a new direction. We have seen the dark side of ourselves, and we no longer want to return there. A moment of failure can push us away from our addictions, flaws and bad habits. More than once has a mistake come to light, and it provided an opportunity for someone to change.

4. You Can Allow God to Use This Mistake for Good. Frequently I pray that God will somehow take an ugly moment and make it something beautiful. This past Sunday I shared a story of a woman who had breast cancer, and it became an opportunity for her to change jobs and start a ministry. Similarly, God can take whatever sin we have committed, and all the ugliness that comes with it do a mighty work. When we surrender our weakness to God, then his strength comes through.

5. Mistakes Make for Great Ministry. Rick Warren says that “You biggest failure may be your best opportunity for ministry.” After all, who better to speak to teenage moms than someone who has been in their place? Who better to talk to alcoholics than a recovering addict? Who better to minister to hurting people than people who have hurt themselves? Our experiences can be used by God no matter how we feel about them.

Your failures cannot be undone, but you do not have to be undone by your failures. Every mistake is an opportunity for us to grow and God to do a mighty work in us and through us. One misstep is not the end of your story.

What I am going to write in these next few paragraphs is the culmination of years of being a Church leader. I know that what I am typing right now flies in the face of all modern teachings about Church. But I have grown weary of hearing the same thing repeated without thought, and I have to say something.

Last week while attending a conference I heard the same type of phrasing at least six different times. It was the simple refrain of “the Church needs to get outside its walls.” Another time it was phrased as “we need to stop attending Church and be the Church.” Still a third time it was proclaimed as “be the gospel, don’t just preach the gospel.”

Everywhere I go there is the continually repeated plea to “be the Church.”

My problem is that there is not an either/or choice to be made. Meeting on Sunday morning with a group of believers is still the Church. Serving in our community is also the Church. Lately, the emphasis is on one of those. In fact, it has gotten to the point that some Christians are abandoning worship all together in an effort to “be the Church.”

I am here today to declare that I believe what we do on Sunday morning at our Church gatherings is vitally important.

There are three primary reasons I feel this way.

1. The Power of the Gospel. The Bible declares a message about Jesus that we call “good news” or “the gospel.” This is the story that God hates sin, but he loves people. He sent his son into history as a man to live and die on a cross. He was bodily resurrected and ascended to the right hand of the father. One day he will return to judge both the living and the dead based on their reaction to this good news. What truly separates the Church from the world is the message of Jesus Christ and his salvation.

I fear that much of what I see the Church doing could be labeled as “community service.” We go and do nice things to have a nice community full of nice people living in nice houses. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount that the real point of serving people is so that they glorify God in heaven (Matthew 5:16). We help people so that will be more receptive to hearing the message of the gospel proclaimed to them. The gospel is what will ultimately change their lives.

The Church gathers on Sundays to hear the gospel proclaimed and explained, that is a primary role of the Church.

2. The Power of Words. There seems to be this bias today toward action. If I help a person repair their house I have done something great, if I talk to them then I am just a man of words. I continually remind people of the power of words. Words have the ability to heal, to encourage, to bring joy and to serve in their own unique way.

To illustrate this point I usually point to doctors. There are two groups of doctors in the world. One of them heals the physical body. The other, called Psychologists and counselors, try to help heal the soul. And how do they do it? They talk and listen.

Each week, preachers like myself try to speak words of life to their congregations. In the past few weeks, I have preached about how to remove regret, confront anger in our souls, heal broken relationships and win over worry. Each week someone has told me that I helped them find healing. Church gatherings may involve a lot of talking, but that is not a bad thing.

3. The Power of Prevention. Another bias I see is that most people view recovery ministry as the highest form of serving. I would suggest that the Church gathers to also help with prevention. Let me ask you, “Is it more important to take a girl off the streets or to keep a girl off the streets?” Both seem equal to me.

The Church comes together to teach and train, and we work toward developing healthy people to live in this dark time. This week at youth group I am going to explain about honoring your father and mother. My hope and prayer are to teach children that their parents have the best in store for them (at least Christian parents) so they should listen to them. I hope it will help the child thinking about running away or making some other destructive choice.

My mother says, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It is still true.

I fear that we live in a time when the Church meeting on Sunday morning is being reduced to a non-effective form of ministry. I am here to declare that I think it is a vital part of everyone who calls themselves a believer. Sure, we can spend too much time at meetings and not enough out in the world doing ministry, but the opposite is also true. We can spend so much time trying to “be the Church” that we lose our saltiness (Matthew 5:13).

The Church has many roles, and I believe all of them are important to the life of believers.

On Sunday evening I had the opportunity to lead our Jr and Sr high youth group. I did something a little unconventional and had most of the evening be one big object lesson.

First, I explained that the Bible calls us to submit to God. Most people want freedom and the opportunity to do anything they want. Christians choose to follow God’s words for our life that we find in the Bible.

Second, I had them break into four groups.
-Group #1 had a cookie recipe and a leader who knew how to make cookies.
-Group #2 had no recipe and a leader who did not know how to make cookies.
-Group #3 had no recipe and no leader.
-Group #4 had a recipe and no leader to help them.

The ingredients and supplies they needed were all set at the front of the room, and they had to come up with a plan to make cookies. Then at the end of the evening, they would have to eat the cookies that their group made.

As you might imagine I was trying to prove a point; all of us are living our lives in one of these four ways.
-Some of us are trying to follow God’s word, and we have people to help us.
-Some of us are just following people older than us, even if they have no idea what they are doing.
-Some of us have no one pointing us the right way and no connection to God’s word.
-Some people have God’s word and yet have no one to lead them.

What was fascinating to me was how each group did on the project. I had several guesses as to how it would go, and I was surprised at what actually happened.

The first group did well. Having a knowledgeable leader and a recipe makes for good cookies.

The group with a recipe and no leader did well also. Their cookies were also good.

The group with no leader and no recipe was the most interesting. Several of the boys wanted to add a lot of sugar and handfuls of chocolate chips. One older girl who knew how to make cookies took over. She quickly became the leader simply because she appeared to have more knowledge. The younger boys in the group submitted to her leadership, and the cookies turned out okay.

The final group had a leader who didn’t have any knowledge of making cookies, but the leader was shown the recipe briefly before starting. This group seemed to have the most fun. They laughed and worked together. My favorite line from their group was, “Who needs a hand mixer when we have hands to mix with.” They had a good time, and yet their cookies were awful. In the end, they made two trays of goodies, and one whole tray went into the trash.

After all was done, I took a few minutes to explain to them the overall lesson. God gives us his word with all its guidelines and rules so that we will make good cookies with our life. Believers have the freedom to do anything with our lives, but we chose to submit to God’s recipe found in his word. Submitting to the leadership and instructions of God is the key to making a great life.

Many people go through life, and they look like they are having fun. They smile and laugh and don’t seem to be sidetracked by anything. They throw in whatever they want, and it appears to work out for them. That is until it doesn’t. One day they wake up and the recipe they have spent a lifetime making is a disaster.

Every day we should ask ourselves, “Are we choosing the right ingredients to build a sweet and wonderful life?” The choices we make each day are building blocks of the future. As some of the kids will tell you, the right ingredients are essential.

I usually have a plan for what I am going to write on my blog each day. Some days are written several days in advance, but Monday is typed up in the afternoon. As I said, I usually have a plan.

Then I flip on the news. As of this moment, 58 dead and at least another 400 injured in Las Vegas. People are dead, other people are hurting, and their loved ones are searching for answers.

In moments like these, I have three separate thoughts.

1. Father God, Hear Our Hearts. This is undoubtedly a time to pray. We ask God to comfort those dealing with loss and heal those who are injured. The Bible gives us an important statement about prayer in the book of Romans. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26 NIV.)

Honestly, I don’t know what to say beyond, “God, please help all those directly affected by the tragedy.” The passage in Romans says that the Holy Spirit will take the longing of our hearts and express them in words to God the Father. He will hear our “groans that words cannot express.”

2. Mourn with Those Who Mourn. While I do not personally know of anyone in Las Vegas, I do know of several Churches there who are trying to shine the light of Jesus. They will no doubt be affected by those involved in this shooting. Those Churches will be filled with people weeping over this disaster. I can pray for those people, and I can feel sorrow over their loss and pain.

I also hope that those Churches will be able to share the mercy and grace of Jesus in this dark hour. I pray that those people allow their compassion and love will overflow into their community.

3. Love the People in Your Life. We never know when our time is up. We never know when an accident is going to happen or a tragedy. With that in mind, take a few minutes to love the people around you. Call your mom. Kiss your spouse. Text your kids.

The world in which we live is a dark and scary place sometimes. Today our nation feels the pain of one lost soul who brought pain to the city of Las Vegas. We pray for them. We mourn with them. We ask God to use this evil for some good in this country, that city, and our life.

Here is a simple thought that connects to today’s sermon. No matter what is going on, I hope you find peace.

Here are some of the best articles I have read this week. I hope you enjoy them.

Will a Happy Marriage Prevent an Affair? – In my experience as Pastor, this article is spot on and well worth reading.

WHY CHURCHES SHOULD HAVE MEANINGFUL MEMBERSHIP – I have been saying this for years.

Seven Deadly Statements of Church Members

What You Don’t Know About Rural America: 3 Common Misconceptions

This week I had the opportunity to listen to some great Christian leaders, speakers, and thinkers. As each one taught, I was touched by their words. Slowly my mind began to think of the Church as a local and global gathering. Deep in my heart, I felt this conviction, “I need these people.” I need to be connected to other believers for all they have to offer me in the name of Jesus.

1. I Need Christians to Teach Me. There is so much that I to learn. The moment I think I have figured everything out someone comes along and points out something new. The Bible, theology, and personal application are limitless topics. God’s people are always teaching me something if I am willing to listen and learn.

2. I Need Christians to Point Out My Flaws. There are moments when a word cuts to my heart, and it can access something I am doing or thinking wrong. It might be as simple as an ungodly attitude or as deep as a hidden sin. Other believers can say things and see things that I might have come to accept as normal but are slowly destroying me and my relationship with God.

3. I Need Christians to Encourage Me. There are times that life has seems to kick me over and over. Failure and frustration are a way of life. At moments like that, I am ready to throw up my hands in disgust and quit. Then another believer comes along and says some kind word or thanks me for my service. They encourage me to keep going through their words and actions, and I find the strength to keep the faith.

4. I Need Christians to Remind Me of Grace. It is easy to assume that all of life is about my best efforts. Unfortunately, my best efforts are usually flawed. I end up failing and distraught at my lack of spiritual strength. Other Christians have a way of pointing me back to Jesus and his work on the cross. They speak of grace and offer it to me without limitation when I need it most.

5. I Need Other Christians So That I am Not Alone. There are moments that I feel alone in the world because of my faith. I feel like I am the only one struggling to walk this path. I am the only one who finds it hard to share my faith and wants to give up. The Church reminds me that I am not alone. There are a whole group of people who are walking this path along with me.

I do not believe the Church is strictly utilitarian. God did not bring me into community strictly to meet my needs. I have as much to offer as I do to receive. The gifts that God has given me through the Church are to be shared so that other people feel the blessings of knowing me.

I know someone will say, “That may be how you feel about the Church, but that is not my experience.” My response is that you only feel these things when you are connected deeply over a period of years. These are not God’s gifts to the casual believer. They are the fruit of a life lived with a lasting connection to God’s people.

Each week we ask you to join our group so that one day you will experience all that God has to offer you. Won’t you come?

Racism and inequality are in the headline almost every day lately. Yesterday I was driving down the road listening to Christian radio, and I heard a new song addressing the issue, and the chorus stated that we all “bleed red.”

While I do agree with that statement, I also realize there are some more Biblical and theological reasons to stand against racism in any form.

1. All Humans Are Created in the Image of God. I believe Genesis one and two give us a framework of how to view humanity. God says in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image.” Humanity is unique in all of the creation because it is made in God’s image. All of mankind has infinite value and worth because of its Creator.

2. The Cross for Was Everyone. We often quote John 3:16 with those famous words “For God so loved the world he sent his one and only son…” God loves the world. As I child we sang, “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight.” Jesus died for everyone.

3. In Christ We are United. Paul writes the Church in the city of Colossae, and there he says “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all (Colossians 3:11 NIV). People who have placed themselves into Christ have lost their ethnic or racial differences and been united in one.

4. Heaven Will Be Full of All Different Types of People. In the book of Revelation, we get to see a picture of a heavenly worship program. There was see Jesus as a lamb that was slain and those in his presence sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Revelation 5:9 NIV). Jesus saved people from every tribe and language. They are brought together locally in the Church and globally in heaven.

The followers of Jesus are called to be people who walk in his footsteps. We love the same people who Jesus loved. That truth should go beyond all ethnic and racial barriers. God’s love and salvation know no limitation and neither should ours.

About a month ago I bought a new notebook off Amazon. It was a little pricey, but it was beautiful. The cover is a solid cork, and the pages are thick, and even a heavy pen will not bleed through. Each page is perforated if I would like to tear them out for later reference. I smiled as I opened the box and I felt joy as I tore off the plastic.

The funny part of my new notebook is that I didn’t use it for almost a month. I carried it around, and every time I went to write a note I thought, “This will mess up my beautiful notebook.” I mean what if I write something and make a mistake? I could damage the cover or ruin the pages.

I know it sounds funny to you, but I was afraid to use my new possession out of fear of how it might end up down the road.

While sitting there staring at my book I thought of the parable of the talents that Jesus told in Matthew chapter 25. In the Bible, a “talent” is a measure of money. Jesus tells about a man who was going on a trip, and he gave a servant five talents, another two talents and finally the last man received a single talent.

The man with five talents invested his and gained five more. The man with two talents was able to get two more. The man with one came in and said, “I was afraid, so I hid mine in the ground.”

The owner was angry. Why not make an effort to gain more? Why live in fear of what might happen while not embracing the opportunities around you?

My notebook was made to be used. Your life, your money, talents, and treasures, were all meant to be used by God.

The goal of life is not to stand before God saying, “Look I made no mistakes because I never risked anything.” The goal is to use all that God has given us for his glory, sure you will make some mistakes and ruin some pages, but you will also bring pleasure to Him.

Each day I ask myself, “Did I do what God created me to do today or did I play it safe?”

While attending my conference this week, I finally used my new notebook. There is even greater joy in using it than in just owning it.