Westwood Message–March 10, 2011

Be sure to turn your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night as we resume Daylight Savings Time this coming Sunday, March 13.

Jerod Walker to Preach at Westwood on March 20

If you have followed the announcements we have published about this year’s WCMA church plant (in partnership with other organizations), you may recognize Jerod Walker’s name. He will be the lead planter for the new church, and we have him coming to Westwood on March 20. He will preach that Sunday and discuss plans for the church plant during the adult class in our 11:00 AM class time.

Jerod began working fulltime on the plant on January 1. Prior to that he served as Family Life Minister at Central Christian Church in Beloit. Previous to that he served as senior minister of a church in New Mexico.

Children’s Workers to Meet on March 20

Our children’s workers will hold their next meeting on March 20 at noon. We will order pizza for lunch. We will order pizza for all family members who will be waiting unti the end of the meeting. If you are interested in working with our children or are a parent, you also are welcome to attend.

The main discussion topic for the meeting will be planning and scheduling our special children’s activities for the year.

Potluck Dinner for Small Groups Coming on April 10

Mike Notaro and Dawn Zimmerman are organizing a meeting for anyone interested in being part of a small group. More details will be coming, but if being in a small group is of interest, put April 10 at 5:00 PM on your calendar.

The Question of Authority Prompts an Encounter With Jesus

People today are not comfortable with authority. I experienced it in my teen, college, and young adult years. It was the era of the Viet Nam War, and massive demonstrations took place against the war and the political leaders (authorities) of that time. Hippies were everywhere it seemed and were a very visible indication of cultural rebellion against authority.

Today we see this discomfort with authority all through our culture. As children grow older, they sometimes rebel against the authority of their parents. Employees often dislike rules that have been established in the workplace. Many of the legal conflicts of our day are conflicts over authority. Much of the reaction to the posting of the Ten Commandments in public places is argued on constitutional grounds, but it is really a matter of authority. People do not want to live under the authority of moral guidelines.

This issue with authority is not new to our day. Much of the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leaders was over authority, and that prompted an interesting encounter with Jesus in Matthew 21:23-27. The people came to Jesus because he taught them as “one who had authority,” so some of the Jewish leaders came to Jesus one day and questioned his authority. They asked, “By what authority do you do these things?”

Jesus asked them a question about whether John the Baptist’s baptism came from heaven or from men. They would not commit themselves to an answer. They reasoned that if they said his authority was from heaven, Jesus would ask them why they did not then believer John. If, on the other hand, they said his authority was from men, they would lose the respect of the people who held that John was a prophet. Jesus, then, would not answer their question about his authority because he knew they did not want to live under the authority of God anyway.

When we reject the authority of God, in our lives, we reject what is best for us. Jesus came to earth and showed us how to live under the authority of God because living by his authority is best for us. We see authority in a negative way and when that authority comes from other people it often is. When it comes from God, though, it gives us the best chance, the only chance, of living holy lives.

You may not like authority, but God’s authority is one you can trust, one that will benefit your life. Determine to let God rule your life.

RECLAIMING YOUNG ADULTS WHO DROP OUT OF CHURCH

I have been in leadership ministry all of my adult life, and all that time we have been discussing how to get young adults engaged in the church, so that they stay in the church. Some young adults would leave the church until they married and/or had children, and then would come back. Others stayed away. We have discussed how to help these individuals maintain their faith, but have never reconciled the issue. Perhaps we never will reconcile the problem, however some recent reading has refocused the issue for me.

In last November’s Christianity Today, Drew Dyck had an article titled “The Leavers.” In his opening paragraph, he describes the problem like this: " Some striking mile markers appear on the road through young adulthood: leaving for college, getting the first job and apartment, starting a career, getting married—and, for many people today, walking away from the Christian faith.”

Here are just some basic statistics that frame the issue. First, consider those who drop out of church. Thom S. Rainer and Sam S. Rainer III in their book Essential Church? state that a study of 18- to 30-year-old adults in America reveals that 70% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 22 drop out of the church. Second, there are the “Nones,” those who claim no religion. Dyke cites findings released in 2009 from the American Religious Identification Survey showing that the Nones comprise 22% of 18- to 29-year-olds, up from 11% in 1990. Seventy-three percent of Nones came from religious homes; 66% were described by the study as “de-converts.”

While there is some truth to the claim that young adults will end up coming back to the church, Dyck claims that the crisis of people leaving the faith has taken on new gravity because young adults today are dropping out at a pace that is “five to six times the historic rate.” There is also what he calls a “tectonic shift” that has occurred in the broader culture. Today’s young adults have been raised in a pluralistic, post-Christian world that leaves those who grew up in the church with a weakened faith.

Essential Church? discuss the top ten reasons that their research shows as to why church dropouts stopped attending church. They include the following: “simply wanted a break from church,” “church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical,” “moved to college and stopped attending church,” “work responsibilities prevented me from attending,” and “didn’t feel connected to the people in my church.”

The Rainer’s conclude that “Churchgoing students drop out of the church because it is not essential to their lives.” They frame the issue positively by asking, “Why do one-third of churchgoing young adult Americans stay in the church?” Their answer emerged from several years of research. “Young adults are likely to stay in the church if they see church as essential to their lives.” This conclusion grows out of their conviction and research showing that “most churches in America are doing little to become essential to the lives of their members.” This is especially true of young adults who see the church today as one option among many for their lives.

So, how do churches become essential to the lives of people? The Rainer’s suggest that the essential church has four major components that I can only summarize here:

(1) The essential church simplifies. This idea is discussed in Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger’s book Simple Church where they define a simple church as “a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth.” In other words, the church should be built around helping people grow spiritually.

(2) The essential church deepens people’s knowledge of God’s Word. Many churches are “dumbing down” biblical teaching in order to make the church “more attractive.” The Rainer’s research shows that the church instead needs to hold to firm biblical teaching.

(3) The essential church as high expectations of its members and attendees. Low expectations result in low commitment. The Rainer’s state, “The high-expectation church expects much and, thus, receives much from its members. As a result, the church exodus is minimized.”

(4) The essential church helps its members multiply spiritually. Believers need to be engaged by the church in evangelism, missions, ministry, and church planting.

This would be a good topic for your church to explore. Finding ways to attract and retain young adults by making the church essential to their lives will also make the church essential to people of all ages. That, after all, is what we should be seeking to accomplish anyway.

WHERE DO YOU FIT IN THE MISSION OF WESTWOOD CHRISTIAN CHURCH?

In their book Simple Church, Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger define a simple church as “a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth.” They go on to suggest that the simple church has four major components:

• Clarity — Our mission statement provides this clarity, describing what we are about as a congregation. Remember the four key words of our mission statement and find your place in that mission: winning, building, connecting, sending.
• Movement — By living out Christ’s mission, we should be moving to become the people God wants to make us into.
• Alignment — We should align everything we do in life and in the church with Christ’s purpose, and be united around that purpose.
• Focus — We are called to abandon everything that falls outside of Christ’s purpose.

Let’s continue working to carry out the mission that God has given us.

Soulprint by Mark Batterson

I was recently asked by Multnomah Press to review Mark Batterson’s latest book, Soulprint. Here is my review:

This was the fourth book by Mark Batterson that I have read. Like the others, I found it a worthwhile read, filled with thought-provoking ideas and worthwhile illustrations. He speaks to the reader's heart and soul and helps you understand your walk with God.

I appreciated how Batterson grounded the material of his book on the life of a Biblical character, in this case King David. As an expository preacher, I have a strong sense that we need to ground Christian teaching in the words of Scripture and in an understanding of the people that we find in Scripture.

For this reviewer, however, I found that the grounding of Batterson's book in Scripture is also its weakness. Except in a couple of places, Batterson does not adequately "exegete" the life of David. His look at David's life mostly has the sense of illustrating his thesis, instead of guiding his thesis.

I did find Batterson's transparency about his own life and ministry were helpful tools in illustrating and clarifying his ideas. He does not, in my view, let his life get in the way of what he is "teaching," but does show how he has wrestled with his concepts in his own life before preaching and writing the ideas.

In the end, I think there are some things that could strengthen the book, but overall found it to be helpful and thought-provoking.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Joseph–Living With Integrity and Forgiveness

I spoke at Christian Workers’ Meeting at Southside Church of Christ in Milwaukee, WI on 2/15/2011 about Joseph. The following outline is an outline of my series of message on Joseph for those who attended the meeting.

If you would like Word documents of the sermons from the series, you can download the zip file that this link will take you to: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10269289/Joseph%20Sermons%20-%20Henes.zip.

LIVING WITH INTEGRITY AND FORGIVENESS

Genesis 37-50

A review of Joseph's life shows us how to live when when we face a variety of issues and circumstances in life.

I. LIVING WHEN YOU ARE HATED - Genesis 37

II. LIVING WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED - Genesis 39:1-20

III. LIVING WHEN YOU ARE FORGOTTEN - Genesis 39:20-40:23

IV. LIVING WHEN YOU ARE REMEMBERED AND REWARDED - Genesis 41:1-57

V. LIVING WITH YOUR CONSCIENCE - Genesis 42:1-34

VI. LIVING WITH DIFFICULT DECISIONS - Genesis 42:35-43:15

VII. LIVING WITH GUILT -- AND EXPERIENCING GRACE - Genesis 43:15-34

VIII. LIVING A LIFE OF GRACE - Genesis 44:1-45:15

IX. LIVING AS A FAMILY - Genesis 45:16-46:30

X. WORKING WITH INTEGRITY - Genesis 46:31-47:31

XI. LIVING WITH INTEGRITY AND FORGIVENESS - Genesis 48:1-50:26

INTRODUCING PEOPLE TO THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Karl Vallentin, a Munich comedian, did a skit in which he walked on a stage where everything was dark except for a small area under a street lamp. He began to look for something on the ground. As he looked, a person playing a policeman came on stage and asked what he was doing. He told the policeman that he was trying to find a key, whereupon both of them continued the search. Finally the officer asked, "Are you sure you lost it here?" "Oh, no," said Vallentin as he pointed to a dark corner, "It was over there, but here is where the light is!"

That is the tragedy of many people’s lives. They are looking in the wrong place for help with their lives, and sometimes even in the church we have people who look for the light in the wrong place. For instance, we have a lot of teaching to do when Christians mix faith in Jesus with beliefs from other religions or when they distort the truth of the Gospel with claims that all religions are equal.

Then there are those who make no claims to follow Christ and are living in moral blindness. Certainly some of them have never heard of Christ in the way the Bible presents him to us. They have heard of the distortions of Christ that are talked about in our culture. Others reject Christ for any number of reasons.

With any of these people, we have to ask whether we are introducing people to the light of the world. Are we bringing people who wear the name Christian to an understanding of Jesus as the only light that brings hope to their lives? Are we sharing Christ with others as the only one that can answer the longings of their hearts?

I had these questions refocused for me recently as I studied John 9 which tells the story of Jesus healing a man born blind. The setting for the story actually begins in John 7 when Jesus goes to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish feasts. While at the feast, he makes the pronouncement in John 8:12 -- “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He declares that the answer to the darkness in our lives, the only place to find those answers, is in him. Then he demonstrates the reality of this truth in John 9 by healing a man born blind.

The blind man has something of the same experience as Helen Keller who said once, “Gradually I got used to the silence and darkness that surrounded me and forgot that it had ever been different until she came—my teacher (Annie Sullivan)—who set my spirit free."

Jesus put mud on the eyes of the man, sent him to the Pool of Siloam, and told him to wash. When the man did so, he was able to see for the first time. Up until then, he had no doubt gotten used to the darkness. When people asked him how he could now see, all he could do was tell them what had happened to him. If we will point people to Jesus, they will have the same experience.

Just seeing the light, though, does not always end the matter when the light of the world – Jesus – enters a person’s life and changes him or her. There will be those who misunderstand. The Jewish leaders misunderstood this healing, carefully questioning the man twice about what had happened and questioning his parents in between. They sought to discredit Jesus, but all the man could say to them was, “I was blind but now I see…. If this man were not from God he could no nothing.” Then Jesus came to him again and offered him a choice – would he believe in Jesus, the light of the world, or not, and he chose to believe.

This is the clear choice we must present to people There will be plenty of people who will try to discredit a person whose life has been changed. There are plenty of people who will do whatever they can to discredit Jesus. We know the truth of the matter: people find light when they choose Christ. He makes all the difference in their lives. Our responsibility is to introduce them to the light of the world.

Following Jesus

Among those people who had an encounter with Jesus in the Gospels were those we call the Twelve Apostles or just the Twelve. We have met some of those individuals in my current sermon series “You Can Meet Jesus.” However, it is worth paying attention to them as a group and how their individual encounters with Jesus affected them as a group and drove them to carry out the mission of Jesus.

A post this week on his Internet site by Mel Lawrenz, minister-at-large of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, WI, set me to thinking about this. He posted a column titled “Leadership — So What?” as an introduction to a year-long series of discussions by himself and others regarding spiritual leadership today. One comment about Lawrenz’s post and one sentence in the post itself particularly caught my attention in regard to how the Twelve encountered Christ.

First the comment: The comment said, “Spiritual leadership begins and ends with our ‘followership’. As leaders, we must first, and always, follow our Savior and Lord.” That is certainly what the Twelve did. They followed Christ first and sought to model him in how they served. In fact, the essence of Jesus’ “recruiting” them was to call them to follow him.

The term first appears in John 1:43 when Jesus said to Philip, “Follow me.” It appears again in Mark 1:16 when he encounters Simon and Andrew as they were fishing, and he said “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The phrase appears again in Matthew 9:9 when he called Matthew to follow him. In each case, when called, the Twelve followed Jesus.

We cannot avoid this call if we are going to be known as Christians. Jesus calls us to follow him before we lead or serve. We are to emulate his character and service by how we live.

If we are to follow Jesus, we should understand this comment by Lawrenz: “When we look at the first generation of Christian leaders, they definitely pursued the mission Jesus left them with power, authority, and truth.” That is, the first followers of Christ made it their priority to carry out the mission of Jesus. So, as their story progresses, the Gospels tell us how Jesus sent them out in pairs to minister as he did, and later he would send them out again as part of a group of seventy. Eventually, they would be the early leaders of the church.

Meeting Jesus, encountering Jesus as his early followers did, means we are to carry out his mission. As we continue meeting people in the Gospels for the next few weeks, but more importantly as you live your life, consider what you are doing to contribute to the mission of Jesus. Are you making it your priority to introduce people to Jesus? When you do that is when you really meet him.