Stop making excuses

I know I might come across as a bit biased because I pastor a church, but I really am convinced that Christians should be in the regular habit of inviting friends, family, coworkers, and the occasional random stranger, to check out their church family. 

The reason I believe this is because I really do believe that we exist to follow Jesus, and part of following Jesus is being an active part of his family. I also believe that everybody spends eternity somewhere and Jesus is pretty clear that the path to eternity in heaven is through him. 

But when it comes to inviting people, too often we have excuses. Tom Rainer posted Ten reason why church members don't invite people. Here's his list: 

“I just don’t think about it.”  

"I’m afraid I’ll be rejected.”

"The music isn’t that good.” 

“The preaching isn’t strong.” 

“We’ve got too many church problems right now.” 

“Our church is already too crowded.” 

“Nobody ever challenged me to invite anyone.” 

“I don’t know how to start the conversation.” 

“It’s the Spirit’s job—not mine—to bring people to church.” 

“It’s too far for people to come.”

Now let's be honest. Some of those are really good excuses. Some are horrible excuses. But they are all still just excuses. 

Stop making excuses and invite someone.

The Christmas season is the best time of the year to invite someone to Hub City. So who's it going to be? 

Two ways to Be The Church

I'm going to let you in on a little "not-so-secret-secret" about me as a pastor. I'm not interested in doing church. Nowhere in Scripture are we called to do church where it's just an hour or so event that we can check off of our to-do list, where church is a place we go, where church is one of many things that competes for our attention. Scripture calls us to be the church and I am passionate about Hub City being the church. Scripture is clear that followers of Jesus are the church.

There are two ways for us to be the church. We can be the church individually. We can be the church corporately. 

I'll talk more about how to be the church individually in a later post, but I want to share with you an opportunity for us to be the church corporately.

There are many ways for us to be the church corporately, but we have been given an opportunity to strategically be the church corporately to the District 6 CDC. 

This means that we, as the Hub City Church family are going to take responsibility for praying for, loving, serving and meeting the needs of the teachers, staff and students at the CDC. We have two opportunities for us to be the church for them.

• Pray for teachers and staff. We have a list of all the teachers and staff at the CDC. We want them to be prayed for regularly. Feel free to write notes of encouragement to them as you pray for them. Everything worthwhile begins and is covered in prayer. Let's pray for these teachers and staff.
• Provide some things they need. We have been given a list of things that are needed by the teachers and staff. We're going to be collecting these items for the next two Sundays. Here's the list:

Crayons - regular size
Glue sticks
Clorox wipes
Baby Wipes
Boys/Girls new underwear
Pencils - regular size
Markers
Kleenex
Socks
Black permanent markers

I'm excited to see how God is going to use this partnership. We want to be a church that would be missed if we were to suddenly disappear. That happens when we serve. That happens when we love. That happens when we take serious our vision to Be The Church. 

Hub City: Be The Church.

It's Halloween

Every year on Halloween I encourage my fellow Christians to use this as an opportunity to serve your neighbors. Here are Jonathan's tips for making the most of Halloween:

Give out the best candy. 

Give our lots of candy. 

Welcome folks as they step onto your property.

Say nice things to the kids about their costumes.

Don't be the family who keeps their porch light off.

Don't give out tracks unless you are giving out awesome candy.

Don't be afraid to dress up.

This is the one time of the year that people will come to your door voluntarily and you have an opportunity to serve them. Make the most of it. You are where you are on purpose for a purpose. 

Be the house that everyone wants to visit this year.

Out of the loop

The past three weeks of seeing two churches unite into one church have been extremely exciting. God is doing some really cool things. Heck, we outgrew the baby room in week 2 and had to make people park in the back lot because we filled up the front lot. We've seen lots of new faces and so many of you are inviting people. I love being a part of what God is doing.

One of the biggest things we are working through in regards to the merging of two churches into one new Hub City Church is that some people are feeling out of the loop (I'm including me in those who are feeling out of the loop to a degree). 

This is a huge burden for me. So much so that I've spent a lot of time trying to keep people in the loop and trying to discern who's feeling out of the loop.

But I had a thought this morning. The reason people are feeling out of the loop is that we now have a new loop.

Change and transition create a new loop. We now have a new loop. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul: The old loop has gone, the new has come.

The challenge now is to figure out how to get onto the new loop. It won't just magically happen. You have to move from where you are (on the old loop) to where you need to be (the new loop).

So, how do you get onto the new loop? Here how:

1. Lean in. Our natural tendency when we feel out of the loop is to pull away for a little while. That's the WORST thing you can do. You need to lean in. That means leaning into the discomfort, leaning into different, leaning in when everything in you says to pull away.
2. Stay connected. This is all about relationships. You have to take responsibility for reaching out to people, connecting with people, hanging out with people, talking with people, praying for people. I know there are a lot of new people. It's weird, but the larger the crowd the more difficult it is to get to know people. That's why small groups are so important, by the way. We'll be launching those at the end of October, but for now intentionally look for ways to connect with people. Make sure you consistently attend worship and talk with others while you are there. Make sure to come to the Hub City Foundations class and connect with others while you are there. Whenever there's something going on over the next three months, be there!
3. Stay involved. This is all about serving somewhere, somehow. There are more things to do than we have time and people right now. You are an essential and necessary part of this body. Do something. Do anything. For example: With the rapid growth of the under age 5 population, there are many preschool opportunities. There's an endless list of things to do to continue improving and updating the campus. Jump in with both feet and stay involved!
4. Pray. I'm not adding this because it's the spiritual thing to say. I'm saying to pray because prayer is foundational. Pray for Hub City Church. Pray for me. Pray for yourself. Pray for others. Share your feelings with God. Ask him to show you who to get into the new loop. And then DO WHAT HE SAYS!
5. Give. I don't really understand why it works this way, but it does: Our hearts, emotions and passions follow our spending. As Jesus said, "Wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Something happens when we give generously and abundantly to God through our local church. So, how's your giving been? And I have to say that in order for us to be the church that God is calling us to be we all need to be giving.
6. Invite. Just as something supernatural happens in our hearts when we give, something supernatural happens in our hearts when we invite others to be a part of what God is doing at Hub City. If you invite a friend or family member then you automatically have a vested interest in what is going on because you don't want to look stupid for bringing someone with you. So who can you invite THIS WEEK?

There's a new loop and I want EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU to be on the new loop. I've given you a good place to start.

One more thing: If you have questions/concerns/comments/snide remarks... please share them with me... just not right before I speak on Sunday. :) I can't read your mind. I can't do anything about your feelings or an issue if I don't know it exists. We're in this together. We are the church. We are the body of Christ. Let's press on to accomplish God's purposes in our generation.

1 + 1 = 3 ... A united church

Hey everybody,

I wanted to pass along my transcript of what I shared yesterday about a Oak Grove's potential merger with Hub City. One thing that I think I forgot to say, that I want to emphasize, is this is not a 100% done deal. We believe God is leading in this direction and we are trying to follow his leadership, but Oak Grove has some tough decisions to make and discussions to have. We also want to give you time to ask questions. I want us to be united in our decision as we seek to obediently follow where the Holy Spirit is leading. I shared a timeline. I should have shared that the timeline is tentative and could change. We have to put the "f" word into practice: Flexibility!

Like I said yesterday, I want your questions. Email them to me before Sunday if you can. There will also be time for you to ask you questions on Sunday.

I want you to know that I am grateful for our church family. God has done and is doing some great things in us and through us. Pray for that to continue. Pray for Oak Grove.

Here's my transcript:

What was the first awesome gift you remember getting? For me it was an awesome banana-seat bicycle that I got when I was 5. It was awesome. I learned to ride a bike on that bike. I used to ride it to school when they still allowed you to ride bikes to school. It was like the best gift ever. That is until I turned 8 and I got an upgrade, a Mongoose Blue Max BMX with aluminum mag wheels. It was a better gift, a way better gift.

This morning I want to talk about a gift God has for the Hub City Church family.

I want to show you a verse. Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. That means that pleasing God and faith are linked. They go hand in hand.

But what is faith? Verse 1 gives us a definition:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

The best picture of faith that I can think of is riding on the back of someone walking across a tight rope. Now let me ask you: On a scale of 1-10, what would you rate your faith level?

The reason I ask that is that this gift that God is giving us is going to require that we take our faith to the next level. It’s going to take faith on our part to accept this gift from God. But as I’m going to show you, this gift will help us to become the church that God wants us to be and transform the world where God has placed us.

So what is this gift that God for us? What if I were to tell you that God is giving us a gift of 40 people? And what if these 40 people come with a building? And it’s as if God is saying, “Here’s a gift.” God is giving us a gift of another church that wants to unite with us and become a part of the Hub City Family.

Let me tell you a story. A few months ago, when we started this revisioning process where we’re moving from just doing church to being the church, I met James. James was facilitating some training that our church health task force was going through. James wanted to get together for coffee and learn more about Hub City and our story so that he could do a better job consulting and helping us.

I met James at Bella Latte on 290 and shared him the story of Hub City and what had led us to where we are. At the end of our conversation he asked me to pray about something. He told me that he was the transitional pastor at Oak Grove Baptist Church and that the church had just voted to pursue a merger with healthy church in the area. He asked if I knew of anyone who might be interested in talking with him. I said that I didn’t, but that I would pray for God to lead the right church to him. The truth is that I didn’t really know anything about church mergers, so the whole idea was foreign to me, so honestly, I didn’t think much else about it until the next day.

That happened on a Wednesday. On Thursday, I went to be a part of this pastoral leadership training that I’ve been a part of and Paul, some of you know Paul. He’s the big guy that has been helping us through our revisioning process. Well, Paul walked right up to me and said, “I hear James talked with you about Oak Grove merging with Hub City.”

I immediately said, “Whoa, time out! That’s not what we talked about at all. I thought James just asked me if I new of anyone who might be interested and I told him I’d pray.”

So after that meeting I went to text James and asked him if he was trying to test the water with his question. Like, “are you asking me if I’m interested in Oak Grove merging with Hub City?” He told me that all he wanted me to do was to pray about it.

So I did. I really didn’t want to pray about it. I wasn't really interested. So I said to God, “God, if you want me to have another conversation with James about this, then I want you to make it the only thing I can think about.”

So for the next few days, honestly, I couldn’t get it off my mind. So I met with Mike and asked him to pray with me about having another conversation with James. We prayed for a few days and both decided that God was saying yes to another conversation.

 So on June 16 I met with James to hear more. I heard how Oak Grove has been on the decline for over 25 years, and that they haven’t really had any real vision or mission for almost that long. I heard that they have a leadership void. I heard that they are willing to do whatever it takes because they want God to use them and their facility to build his kingdom and make disciples. I learned that they’ve been hurt and burned and are wounded and in need of love and care.

What I didn’t hear were any red flags. Now, I had a long, long list of red flags that I was looking for that would let me know that this wasn’t really what God wanted us to do.

I was totally shocked that not one red flag came up, so we decided that I should invite a few more Hub City people into the know so that they could pray. I met with Jaimee and Allen, Bryan Scott, and Mike. I shared with them asked for them to seek God’s leading. Does God want us to move forward with this? After a few days of prayer, they all agreed that God wanted us to move forward with this and have a first date. The first date was four leaders from Hub City getting together with four leaders from Oak Grove to share and listen and pray. Gary, Jaimee, Mike and myself met with four people from Oak Grove. After that conversation we all agreed that God was leading us to a second date.

On June 27 I met with the Leadership Community, Church Health Task Force and Church Health Prayer Team of Hub City Church to share about a potential merger with Oak Grove Baptist Church and to ask for prayer. We had 27 people in my house. All participants overwhelmingly and excitingly approved moving forward in obedience to how God was leading.

The second date would consist of 12 people from Hub City meeting with their merger team of 9 people to talk about the vision, mission, non-negotiables, and DNA of a united church. After that meeting, Gary and I met with their team one more time to answer some of their questions and clarify some things for them, and they voted unanimously that God was calling them to merge with us, and in the words of an 85 year old man named Bob, “We need to make this happen.”

Now, as I’ve said, there have been a lot of people at Hub City who have been involved in this decision making process. The Leadership Community, Church Health Task Force and Church Health Prayer Team as well as a few others. If you have been on the team that has been discussing this please stand.

The reason I want these people to stand is that I want you to know that this has been a decision that has been discussed by and prayed for by all these people.

And all of us firmly believe that this is what God is calling Hub City to do.

I want to answer some questions you might have. I know I won’t answer everyone’s questions, that’s why we’re going to have a question and answer time next Sunday.

What is going to change for Hub City?

The two big things that will change are where we meet and the number of people who are a part of our church?

But what’s awesome about this is that each of us bring something unique to a united church. I want to tell you what we bring to a united church.

We bring a name. The united church will be Hub City Church.

We bring a vision and a mission of making disciples who make disciples. They need a vision and mission.

We bring a come-as-you-are value of authenticity. Our casual atmosphere will stay the same. The reason we have a casual, come as you are atmosphere is that we don’t want to do anything that would put up a barrier between someone and God.

We bring a more relevant music and worship style. We will still have the band and do music like we do music. They actually bring some musicians who have been limited in how they can use their gifts.

We bring partnerships with Alex’s House, Disciple’s Village, Church Builders. Not only will these continue but they will get better. We’ll be able to do more.

We bring a lot to the table that they need, but the truth is that Oak Grove brings a lot to a united church.

They bring more people to love and disciple.

They bring people who have been burned and hurt by church and we get to help people who have been burned and hurt by church heal. Many of you have been burned and hurt and have found healing at Hub City.

They bring a partnership with a school. They already have inroads with the District 6 Child Development Center. I have always wanted us to be able to serve a school regularly and consistently.

They bring a group of people who want to serve and make a difference.

They bring a segment of the population that we don’t currently have: Senior Citizens. I believe that the church should be multi-cultural and intergenerational. We have a ways to go so that we look like that, but this merger moves us more fully towards being intergenerational with the addition of seniors who have a lot to teach us and who need some young energy to build their faith.

 They bring an opportunity to do things that are very difficult to do being portable. They bring an amazing, debt-free facility. Yes, it does need to be renovated. But it’s a great facility and property with a ton of potential. We’re going to give you the opportunity to tour the facility on September 4.

The facility has a workout room. That’s right, they have a workout room. It’s amazing what resources they have that don’t get used.

The facility has a fellowship hall where we can eat together. We get an ice machine which will be very helpful for Movies in the Park.

They bring a permanent home base, which will allow us to better train and equip you to be the church. We also get some property that we can make available to the community. There is a great ball field that the community can use.

They bring a neighborhood. Right here we are in the middle of a retail center. Behind and around their property are neighborhoods that we can serve.

Let me share the tentative timeline.

•      Today we share with both churches.
•      Tonight: Gary and I go to Oak Grove to answer questions
•      Next Sunday: We will use our worship time to answer questions.
•      September 4: We will worship separately, but after worship we’ll head over there to eat together. It’ll be a mix and mingle time.
•      September 11: They have to vote for this to be official. This will be our final day of worship in the theater.
•      September 18 will be our first worship gathering together as a new Hub City Church. This just happens to be Hub City’s 8th birthday.
•      September 18- October 23: This will be the only time we do Sunday Night Church. This will be a chance to teach our disciple making mission, our disciple making process, what Hub Groups are like, and our membership class.
•      October 30: Recommit and recovanant to membership in the new Hub City Church.

I’ll be honest, this is kind of scary. It involves a significant amount of risk. But what I’ve discovered is that doing what God calls you to do isn’t always safe and predictable. Remember what the writer of Hebrews said: Without faith it is impossible to please God.
I want you to know my heart. We would not be having this discussion if I or the Leaders here at Hub City weren’t confident that this is what God is calling us to do. In fact, I think this is the path for us to see our “be the church” vision come to fruition.

I also want you to know that I want each and every one of you to be a part of this. One of my reservations is that we would lose some of you in the transition. I have been praying against that. I’m going to do all I can to make sure that doesn’t happen. I want you to make sure you do your part to make sure that doesn’t happen as well. Commit to be a part of this.

We’re actually creating a team called the “no person left behind” team whose sole purpose is that we don’t leave anyone behind. This team will be made up of people from Hub City and Oak Grove.

So what do you need to do? First, I want you to ask questions. I know you have questions. We want to do our best to answer your questions. We want to hear your questions. That’s why, next Sunday, during our normal worship time, we’re going to worship with our questions and use our time for Q&A. This will give you a week to come up with questions.

Actually, I would love your questions ahead of time. That way I can make sure I have all the information I need to answer things well. In fact, some of you already have questions. Well, that’s why you have a 3x5 card. What questions come to mind for you right now?

Second, I want to invite you to pray. More than anything, we want God’s will to be done. I don’t want Hub City’s will done. I don’t want Oak Grove’s will done. I don’t want my will done. I want God’s will to be done. That has been my prayer and the prayer of our team all along. And we want to invite and encourage you to pray.

And honestly, this is a really big and life changing decision for the members of Oak Grove. Some of them have been members at Oak Grove for 70 years. There’s a lot of history there. So I would ask that you pray for them. It will be harder for them to make this change than it will be for us.

Finally, a want to invite you to live by faith. God is giving us a gift.

Pray

How to "Be The Church" in our chaotic world

I did something this past Sunday that I have never done before. On my way to gather with the Hub City Church family I felt led to lay aside the sermon I had worked on all week and call an audible. 

One question kept resonating in my head. It's a question that flows out of the vision God has given Hub City Church.

Our vision is for Hub City Church to be a training, equipping, and sending hub so that we can Be The Church in our neighborhoods, workplaces and around the world as salt, light and ambassadors for Jesus.

The question that I couldn't get out of my head was: In light of all that happened in our country last week, how can we "Be The Church?"

God brought 5 passages of scripture to mind and 5 things we all can do to Be The Church. Here they are.

In light of all that happened this week: What would it look like for us to be the church this week?
 Pray for those in authority.
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV
 
Pray for enemies.
““You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48 NIV

Pray for peace and prosperity of our city and world.
“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.””
Jeremiah 29:4-7 NIV
 
I have friends who aren't Christian who say, "Enough praying, do something." That's because they don't understand the power of prayer.
 Repent of racism, condescension, and disrespect.
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Galatians 3:26-29 NIV
 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 NIV 
Love your neighbor.
“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.”
Mark 12:28-34 NIV
 This requires a relationship. The best thing we can do to be the church in these divisive times is to pursue relationships with people who are different from us and show them love.

Hub City Vision Talk 2016

This Past Sunday, June 12, was a big Sunday for Hub City Church. We talked about where we've been, where we are, and where we're going as a church. It was exciting to look beyond-the-horizon at where God is leading us. Some of our regulars missed hearing, but I don't want them to miss out, so here is my manuscript. Let me know your thoughts and/or questions. 

Vision Talk 2016

This morning, I hope to paint a picture of what I’m calling the beyond-the-horizon vision. I want us to take a look to the horizon at what God has for Hub City and imagine and dream about how to get there.

As most of you know, Hub City is a little over 7½ years old as a church. Our mission has always been to make disciples who make disciples. We got that from Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

We want you to grow as a disciple who in turn makes disciples. And remember, we define a disciple as someone who hears from God and does what he says. A disciple is someone who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus and committed to the mission of Jesus, which is making disciples.

But mission is different from vision. Mission is focused on what we’re to do. Vision is a picture of a preferred future. Mission never changes. Vision is fluid because the horizon keeps evolving. Vision is like one of those old Polaroid pictures that becomes more focused over time.

When we started Hub City, the simple vision was to start a church. And that is what we’ve done. So, what's next?

About a year ago I started asking God what he might have next for us at Hub City. For a long time I didn’t hear anything. And then about six months ago some things started to take shape. This phrase came coming to mind: Be the Church.

Our first vision was to plant a church. We did that. Now it’s time for us to be the church. But what does that look like?

I want to show you a map. This is a map of Spartanburg from 1887. This map shows how Spartanburg became the Hub City back in the late 1800s. There were seven train lines that fanned out from the city like spokes on a wheel making Spartanburg a major transportation hub with passengers, goods, textiles, peaches and other produce passing through Hub City to nearly every corner of the country.

This history not only has a direct link to our name but more importantly to the be the church vision that God has for us.

I believe God is calling Hub City Church to be a training, equipping and sending hub, so that we can be the church in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and around the world as salt, light and ambassadors for Jesus.

See, we are at a crossroads in the life and history of Hub City Church. We have a choice to make. Are we going to just do church, or are we going to be the church?

See, over time churches, really all organizations but specifically churches, overtime, turn inward. We become all about us. And instead of being the church we’ll just be all about doing church. As time goes on we just keep trying to do church better, hopefully better than the other church down the street. But that’s a problem because we aren’t called to do church, we are called to be the church. The truth is that it would be so easy for us to fall into this pit. It’s easier to do church that to be the church. It’s easier to do church where it's all about its Sunday services. It’s easier to do church in a way that’s directed and defined by our preferences and desires as insiders.

Of all the organizations in the world, the last that should be inward is the church. The church as an organization, and it’s not even an organization, it really is a living organism, the body of Christ, but the church, as the body of Christ, at its core, exists for those who aren’t yet a part.

That’s why we don’t exist to do church. We exist to be the church.

But what does that look like? What will it look like for us to be the church? As I’ve asked this question and prayed over this question God keeps bringing me back to Jesus’ final words before his ascension into heaven. This was Jesus’ be the church vision for the future.

Acts 1:8 – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Notice there are two parts to this verse: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and then you will be my witnesses.

The first part is about having the Holy Spirit infill us and transform us from the inside out. This is about having a healthy and growing relationship with God.

We can’t force the Holy Spirit to come, but we can do our part to position ourselves and create a heart and an environment for the Holy Spirit to move. We do that through prayer, confession, meditation on God’s word, letting him transform us, and obeying him.

This is about our relationship with him. That’s why the first step in being the church is to have a growing and healthy relationship with God where he is speaking to us through his word and through his Spirit. It begins on the inside of us.

But there's a second part to being the church. It says: Then we will be witnesses of Jesus. When you see that word “witnesses” I want you to think of being salt, light and ambassadors of Jesus.

Jesus tells us to begin in Jerusalem. Let’s talk about Jerusalem. Jerusalem is your world, where you work, where you live, where you play. I want you to think about your world in terms of the domain in society where God has you. Each of you lives, works and plays in one of societies’ domains. This is your Jerusalem.

I want to show you a graphic. It shows the domains that make up our society. Now looking at that graphic, what is your domain? Write it down.

What Jesus is telling us is that we are to be salt, light and ambassadors of Jesus in our domains.

Imagine what it would look like for the church to weave itself as a disciple-making force in each domain. Where we are a subversive presence of salt and light, where we are outposts of ambassadors, where we are making disciples in whatever domain we find ourselves in. And as a result of our presence, over time, each domain will be transformed from the inside out. That’s what it looks like for us to be the church.

See, our mission hasn’t and will not change. It can’t change. Jesus told us to make disciples. It’s what he did. It’s what we are to do. But I want us to be a disciple-making force, transforming this county. And as we’ve said before, you are where you are on purpose for a purpose. That purpose is to be salt, to be light, to be an ambassador for Jesus, making disciples in your respective domain.

And then he says “in all of Judea and Samaria.” Judea and Samaria represent places that are near us but people who aren’t like us, or places that are far away from us and people who are like us. We are to be witnesses in all of those places.

Let’s be honest, we can’t do that, but what we can do is partner with and plant churches so that that happens. We don’t know exactly what this will look like. What we do know is that we can’t transform this community and our state and our country on our own. We need more disciple-making churches to grow out of us to connect with people we can’t connect with and further extend what we are doing beyond what we can do. We can be the church by planting more churches to be the church. And we want to send some of you out to do that. This also means partnering. Partnering and planting is how to reach all Judaea and Samaria.

And then we will be witnesses of Jesus to the ends of the earth. The ends of the earth for us is a village in Haiti that nobody wants to help. It’s a village that’s an hour and a half hike up into the mountains. It’s the village of Viello.

Over the next 5 to 10 years God is going to use us being the church to transform that village. It’s going to begin with sponsoring and educating the kids in the village. We’re going to talk more about this next week when our team that’s in Haiti today gets some more information to share with us.

All of this comes back to what I said earlier about being the church: I believe God is calling Hub City Church to be a training, equipping and sending hub, so that we can be the church in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and around the world as salt, light and ambassadors for Jesus.

My Be the Church Dream:

-       I have a dream that people will want us as neighbors.

-       I have a dream that we’ll be neighbors people want to spend time with.

-       I have a dream that people will see us live such different and Christ-like lives that they will ask us about the hope that we have.

-       I have a dream that our workplaces, neighborhoods, schools, clubs and places we visit are different and transformed because of our influence.

-       I have a dream that many new churches will be planted out of Hub City, so that there will be more training posts hubs both here in Spartanburg and around our nation and world.

-       I have a dream that we transform a village in Haiti through education, and making disciples.

This is what it looks like for us to be the church.

All of this is going to require a step of faith, or should I say, a leap of faith for each of us. Because if you’ll notice, this vision isn’t dependent at all on us meeting in the theater. It’s not dependent on me as the pastor. It’s dependent on each us being the church.

Which means my job is to equip you to be the church. My job is to do what I can to help you grow as a disciple and in a relationship with God so that you can impact your domain as salt and light and as an ambassador of Jesus. My job is to stretch you and maybe push you out of the nest.

God is calling Hub City Church to be a training, equipping and sending hub, so that we can be the church in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and around the world as salt, light and ambassadors for Jesus.

Hub City Weekly Update - 4/14/16

Hey everybody,

I'm sure you know that doctors recommend a yearly physical as a check up to gauge you health. We as a church have just embarked on an 8 month church-health checkup. You will be hearing more and more about this in the coming weeks, but let me give you a quick overview of what's taking place. 

We are in the process of assessing where we are as a church and our level of health. The main data for this assessment comes from you in the form of a church health survey. We need everyone at Hub City to fill out a survey. If you're in a Hub Group, then you will fill yours out there. If you're not in a group, then plan on coming early (9 AM) Sunday or staying late after worship to fill one out. Your input is essential to us getting clear picture of where we are.

After we finish the surveys, our Church Health Task Force and Church Health Prayer Team will be working to put together a plan for us to grow into a more healthy church. 

Now, why do we need to be a healthy church? I don't think we'll be all that God wants us to be and do all that God wants us to do if we aren't as healthy as we can be. 

I am extremely excited about the future and all that is going to come out of this church health process. Pray for us. Fill out your survey. And be ready to do whatever God tells you to do.

We are starting a very important series this coming Sunday called, How to be a good Church Member. We're going to spend the next six weeks learning what Biblical Church Membership is all about, why it matters, and how you are a part whether you realize it or not. My hope is that the next six weeks change how you think about church and what it means to be a part of Hub City Church. Membership matters. You matter. God has brought us together to do something unique.

I've attached graphics for Movies in the Park for you to post, share, email, print out, and use however you choose to spread the word about this summer's Movies in the Park. Here's a list of the movies we're showing:

• May 21: Minions
• June 18: Alexander and the terrible, no good, very bad day
• July 16: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• August 20: Zootopia

God is up to some exciting things in and through us right now. Join me in praying to know where God is working so that we can join him there. 

Finally, a big THANK YOU to Randy Nichols for speaking this past week. I love that we have a God who is for the outcast, and we need to follow his example an be a church for the outcasts as well. May God use us to connect many outcasts with Jesus.

See you Sunday.

Your friend and pastor,

Jonathan

Thoughts on this week's The Walking Dead episode

Liz and I are big fans of The Walking Dead. We have watched it since the beginning. It's such a great show. But I think this past Sunday's episode, No Way Out, was the best in the history of the show.

If you haven't watched the show yet then feel free to stop reading because there will be spoilers. If you don't watch the show at all you are missing out, but you can keep reading because there were some incredible illustrations in this week's episode.

Before you read further I want you to watch the show and think about it's implications for you personally and for the church.

First observation: The show began with everyone as victims. Darryl and his crew were victims to the biker gang. Glen and the teen girl (who's name has left me) were victims who couldn't get to where they wanted to go. Rick and the rest of Alexandria were victims to the hoard of walkers who had invaded Alexandria.

As victims they acted like victims: Scared, sheepish, hiding, cowering. 

They covered themselves in zombie body parts so as to blend in and not be noticed.

And if you watched the episode you know that fear lived out led to death (I was very sad about this because I thought Rick had finally found love again) and to Carl getting his eye shot out.

As a result, Rick threw his fear and safety aside and decided to do something about the problem. He took off alone to take on a million walkers.

But something happened when Rick had the courage to take the first step. Everyone followed. There are huge ramifications and implications of this kind of courage in our own lives. We need to be people of courage.

This courage was also displayed by Darryl when he took out the bikers with the RPG. That was so awesome I almost stood up and cheered.

Another observation: They didn't go after each other. They went after the walkers. It reminds me that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the ruler, authorities and powers of this dark world. We have an enemy. It's not each other.

Another observation: We can do more together than alone. They had a major team building experience. They needed one another. They figured that out by working together, fighting together.

I could write more but I don't have the time. And to be honest, I wrote this mainly for myself. I need to remember how important courage is. Be the one to risk for the sake of a cause that's bigger than me, even with death/failure on the line. I have an enemy and it's not the other human beings that share the planet with me. Make sure I'm fighting the right enemy. I need community. I need others.

Two books you need to read

I want to recommend two great books as follow-ups to my sermon this past Sunday about us being Salt and Light. 

The first book is Bob Roberts', Bold as Love. I have had respect for Bob since he spoke to my evangelism class in grad school, and my respect for him continues to grow. If you're not following him on twitter, you should be. He's doing incredible things to represent Christians and Jesus well around the globe, especially among Muslims.

The second book is by Kevin Palau. It's titled Unlikely. I heard Kevin last week at the Come Closer Lunch here in Spartanburg. His story is fascinating. It's about how churches in Portland have come together to serve their city and the unlikely relationships they have made along the way. It's a fascinating book. 

There are a lot of books I could recommend, but these two have been challenging and helpful to me.

Live it like a Song - From Jon Foreman

I posted this video yesterday. It really is worth 18 minutes of your time. As an added bonus, here's Jon's transcript that he posted on the Switchfoot website:

There is a melody inside of you, an anthem buried in your chest.

Your heart keeps time, your thoughts and your words sing out in a cadence and a rhythm that is yours alone. 

Every day this song of yours is burning comes to life against the backdrop of the great symphony of time.

The stars, the moon, the sun, the rising and the falling of the tide, the rhythm of the seasons keeping time, and then the human chorus chimes in with emails, and traffic, and coffee shops.

This is the context where your melody takes place.

And yet, you are unique. You were born to sing a song with your life that no one else can sing.

When you were a kid, this melody of yours was easy to sing. It wasn’t perfect, but it came so natural, so free.

And now, maybe it’s harder to find. I know firsthand – the years add layers of pain, fear, doubt, shame and insecurity. 

You read the headlines: murder, war, divorce, hatred, and death and you wonder: 

How can this fragile little melody ever make a dent?

Late at night you ask yourself, Does my song matter?

I’ve been there. those questions are real. 

I’ve spent many nights alone, looking up at the moon, asking the sky:

“Does my time here on the planet have a purpose?”

And you breathe and you close your eyes and listen – 

You hear the ocean’s roar.

You hear the wind blowing through the trees.

And maybe you hear the contagious, unbridled joy of your daughters laughter.

And it’s almost as if the composer of time and space has answered back in wordless beauty:

you matter. 

your song matters.

There is a void in the symphony of life when you are silent – 

Your melody is needed – the good, the bad, the ugly, the shameful, the painful… all of it. 

Don’t be afraid. You walk through the tension. 

Be brave and begin to sing the truth – one note at a time. 

————————————————————-

so how do you live a good song? How do you make it count?

(tune) 

Breathe, stretch, meditate, pray. 

This is your instrument! Get a good night sleep. 

When you tune, you learn to know your instrument. You realize what is yours to change and what is outside of your control. 

(listen) 

What does the song need? What do my friends need? My family, my community?

My favorite musicians are the ones who play exactly what’s needed – nothing more, nothing less. 

That takes an incredible listener. 

Listen to BB king – he could play three notes that say more than most guitars players who have ever lived. 

(be yourself)

I spent most of Jr. High trying to be BB king. And it’s good to learn from the masters. We learn best by imitation. But imitation has limitations, and the biggest thing that BB King taught me was that I am not BB King. BE YOURSELF.

You’ll never be as smooth as BB. You’ll never be as cool as Keith. But with a lifetime of practice, you’ll start to sound like you. 

(practice)

To be yourself will take a lifetime of practice. Humans aren’t like the other species here on the planet. Being human takes practice. 

You don’t have to teach a fish to swim or a horse to run. But it takes us years to learn to walk and talk. 

A doctor practices medicine. A monk practices his faith. You practice being you. 

It’s going to take time. 

(wrong notes)

And you will fail along the way. You will break strings, you will hit the wrong note, you will be frustrated, and you will want to quit. 

Congratulations: you’re human!

Forgive yourself. Forgive those around you – believe it or not, they’re human too. 

I used to hate playing live music – I could get it perfect on the record, but live was the unknown. 

I don’t know if you heard the mistake I made in that last song – the mistakes never stop!

The beauty of music and life is time travel – you enter the song a younger soul than when you exit. And even after the broken string the symphony of life is ever unfolding around you. 

Don’t let the wrong notes in the past ruin the present and the future – the song is still unfolding.

(tension and release)

Music is built by tension and release. Dissonance and resolve.  

Humanity is stretched tight between the womb and the grave, between control and chaos, between conflict and resolve. 

Like a guitar string, we are stretched tight, pulled in two places at once. 

 And when you’re in a difficult season you want to run towards one end or the other. To cut the chord.

And yet, to cut the string is death. The tension is where the beauty happens. 

The melody of our lives is when we dance on these strings of tension. 

Be brave, your melody is worth it. Be courageous, your melody is needed. 

I dare you. 

I dare you to live out your purpose.

That the melody within you would soar above the fear, above the crowd, above the past, above the pain,

and that the song that you were born to sing would come to life. 

The composer of time and space has given you a part to play in the great symphony of time. 

This is your life, this is your opus. I dare you to move.