Stay on the Wall

God has entrusted to His followers the good work of His kingdom. I often share at Refuge Church that our mission is to display and declare the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far.

What greater work is there in the world?

This work is both our joy and honor to be participants with God in fulfilling.

Like Nehemiah, who passionately pursued the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the restoration of Israel as a city of light to the nations, the church is to be a people allowing God to make us a city of light, set on a hill, shining the light of God's glory and gospel to the world.

This work, however, is not easy for this work takes place in a work of brokenness, fatigue, and opposition. Nehemiah and the men who worked to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem faced it all.

Threatened with invasion and death by enemy armies, the men worked for weeks moving rubble and rebuilding the walls. In the midst of this, they were taunted and derided for their work by their opponents, while their family and loved ones begged them to leave the work and come home. Amazingly, though, none left. They all remained on the wall!

There are in life a few works in life that are so precious as to never abandon for any reason. Following Jesus in the pursuit of Him and the advance of His kingdom ranks first.

Of course there will be moments when you are opposed in the work of the kingdom. You will be belittled for following Jesus and perhaps persecuted or put to death. Sharing the gospel may not receive and warm reception. Serving the needs of the city may come under suspicion or lead to our being pushed away. The response of others changes not the importance or urgency of the work.

Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to stay on the wall. Paul said, "Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vein" (1 Corinthians 15:58). At another time, Paul reminded us that reaping comes to the faithful who do not give up or grow weary in the good work of God's kingdom.

Are you still on the wall?

Take a Daniel moment:
1.  Give thanks to the wonderful gift of Christ to be part of His salvation.
2.  Celebrate God's calling us into the work of His kingdom.
3.  Pray for strength amidst adversity and opposition, fatigue and personal struggle.
4.  Ask God to make clear where your place on the wall is and ask His help to see it through.

The Refuge Mission

Planting a church takes work. In the flurry of activity, it is easy to lose sight of the mission. For it is the mission that is far more important than the method. 

The mission is more important than where you physically meet, the music style used in worship, or the general structure of the church. While all of these may and should be shaped by and supportive of the mission, the mission stands head and shoulders above.

Jesus' lasts words conveyed the mission. Displaying and declaring the good news to individuals near and far so that they may become worshipping disciples of Jesus is the mission. It is God's mission. It is the mission we seek to keep in the cross hairs at Refuge Church.

Ed Stetzer has written much about church planting and the mission of the church. His article on Church Planting and the Mission of God is a great read and reminder. Let me commend this to you, especially those of you who are part of Refuge Church, as we embrace a work that looks, sounds, and structures differently than where many of us have been.  The article can be accessed here.

It is a joy, amidst the work that is relentless and at times exhausting, to be part of what God is doing at Refuge Church.

Refuge Launch

You may be arriving here to read the latest on our family.  After all, there are so many things I could write and share by way of our newest son's arrival, our next child's arrival in March, Micah's health, or you name it.

Today, however, I'm talking about the Refuge Church launch. In January of this year when it became clear that the work of the church I pastored would be changing greatly, God led in a most interesting way. It became abundantly clear that God would have a new work to start and He led Sarah and our family to launch out in that direction. 

A lot of work ensued from the end of January to the vision meeting the first of March. Then, on March 31, Refuge Church met for the first worship gathering time as part of something we called pre-launch. In business terms, the last few months have been our "soft" opening as we prepared, did some rethinking, ironed out wrinkles, set best practices into place, and more. Everything isn't perfect and never will be. But now it is time for the "grand opening."

Our official launch is September 8 at 10:30 AM preceded the day before by a fun day for all. You can find that information here.

As we are heading toward Sunday, I've compiled a Top 10 Ways to Have a Great Launch.  Enjoy!

1.         Be Present. Sounds simple, but you won't experience our official launch and the celebration of that day if you aren't present. Prepare for anything and everything to come your way to discourage, distract, or prevent you from coming.

2.         Come Expecting. All right. To come with the expectation that we are worshiping the Most High God who alone has the power to radically transform our lives is an essential of every Sunday. But especially on a day when we want, pray, and expect God to do a great work, we need to come expecting.

3.         Pray. Pray for God to work. Pray for God to prepare your heart. Ask our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to send many who don't know they matter to God. Ask for Jesus to transform lives by the gospel.

4.         Invite. Invite at least one. Invite neighbors, family, friends, coworkers, teammates, hairdressers, store clerks, etc.

5.         Arrive Early. Get up late, leave late, show up late, run into the worship gathering late and you're likely to have a negative view of the launch because you're stressed and flustered. Don't plan to be on time. Plan to be early.

6.         Greet. It is the need of every person at Refuge to make a great first impression upon guests. Don't talk to them and they won't come back. Walk past them like they aren't there and they'll think they don't really matter to us. Greet guests. Make Sundays about new friends, not huddling in long conversations with old friends.

7.         Volunteer. Yes. I'll beat this drum until it ruptures. Volunteers are the backbone of our work at Refuge. Even now, we need volunteers to insure set-up occurs well and on-time; tear down happens quickly and on-time; kids receive great care, parents have great comfort with the care of their kids, and the gospel is unhindered by a frantic child or a worrisome parent; guests receive a first impression that leaves a positive, lasting impression. Where can you volunteer at least ONE Sunday each month?

8.         Celebrate. Celebrate that the God who is perfect has grabbed out from the kingdom of this world and made you a son or daughter in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Celebrate the good news that you have new life. Celebrate with freedom. You can lift your hands, sing out, laugh, cry, stand, sit, bow, or respond as you sense is appropriate before God.

9.         Respond. Hearing God's Word is not enough. We must do what it says. Come expecting that God will ask you to respond to Him in a specific way.

10.       Repeat. So this isn't a "launch" tip. But Sunday, September 8 is the first Sunday of many more worship times to come. Every other Sunday doesn’t have to be second-class to the official launch. God can do an extraordinary work to transform lives by the good news of His kingdom every time we gather. 

His Work, His Church

Jesus asked the all-important question, "Who do you say that I am?"  His disciples had many responses to the previous question, "Who do other people say I am?"  But when Jesus asked them personally, only one man gave an answer.

Peter said to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."  Understanding the Old Testament, Peter declared that Jesus was the promised redeemer and He was the Son of the Living God.

On this powerful truth, Jesus promised to build His Church.  The church are "the community of people called out of the kingdom of this world to take part in and advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ" (Darrin Patrick).

As one who is on the relative new journey of seeing a new church grow by displaying and declaring the good news so that others are called out of the kingdom of this world into the kingdom of God, the words of Jesus are both comfort and power.  

The work of building the church is His work because it is His Church.  He does not build the Church for a pastor or a people.  He builds the Church for Himself, for He has always been at work to gather a people for Himself from all the people and nations of the world.

Trust must not be misplaced for the work. I dare not trust the music or programs, the preaching or facility. I must only trust that this is His work to gather a people as His Church.  This He is doing through His followers to display His power and wisdom (Ephesians 3:10).

Shadrach the Bird

I had an African Grey bird when I was in college.  His name was Shadrach and his stay with me was short-lived (that's another story). But he stayed long enough that I learned what the word repeat really means.

African Greys are  medium-sized parrots from the rain forests of West and Central Africa.  The African-Grey is regarded by many experts as one of the most intelligent birds in the world. 

Shadrach's mimicry amazed me. He would repeat the words I said over and over to him with precision of both the words and the tone of my voice.  At other times, he would seek to mimic the tone of others including my sister-in-law.

It wasn't until I had spoken the word or phrase to him numerous times that he finally picked it up.

Richard Nixon had a good quote.  No, not the "I am not a crook" quote.  He said, "You know, when I'm tired of hearing it, I know my staff has gotten it. And when my staff is tired of hearing it, I know the press corps has gotten it. And when the press corps is tired of hearing it, I know the nation has gotten it."

As we put in place foundational pieces upon which the life and ministry of Refuge Church will be built, there are foundational truths that will be repeated over and over again. That isn't an apology but a promise.  For I, like most, can easily become distracted and lose focus of not just the what, but, more importantly, the why.

One of the most important statements I will repeat is our vision/mission statement.  This statement encapsulates not only why I believe Christ led us to begin this new work, but also how we desire to do this. 

We want to be a church that displays and declares the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far.

Refuge Church is the work of God to display and declare the good news of His kingdom to those of every tribe and nation, beginning where we are, for His ultimate glory.

We desire to accomplish this vision by leading individuals to connect in a relationship with Jesus Christ, belong in community with other Christ followers, and serve the world by displaying the gospel in action and declaring the gospel in word.

This is our focus and 'why' Refuge Church began.  This is our mission and purpose in God's redemptive plan.  This will be repeated a lot, along with a number of other key principles and truths for Refuge Church. When we are tired of hearing it, then we may have only begun to accomplish it.

Who's Your One

Forbes Magazine recently ranked the Raleigh Metro Area the fastest growing city in America.  The growth in the Raleigh-Durham and surrounding areas continues to explode. In the North Raleigh and Wake Forest area, significant growth and development have occurred in the last ten years.  The expectation for future growth remains optimistic, with the anticipated growth occurring north and east of Capital Boulevard in North Raleigh.

When Sarah and I, along with a small team, began praying through and discussing the planting of a new church, God used this realization of the population growth coupled with the great spiritual need to confirm His leading to begin Refuge Church.

The desire to begin Refuge Church was birthed from a desire to display and declare the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far in order that lives would be transformed for the glory of God.  A new church planting movement across North America and around the world is, encouragingly so, motivated by this heart.

Therefore, we must collectively and individually be constantly asking how we are displaying and declaring the gospel.  We cannot afford to lull ourselves into a place of thinking we  enough people or we are financially stable enough.  

For Refuge Church, we know that in our immediate target area there are 70,000 people who are unchurched. (Yes. Our target is the world. That's 6.9 billion.)

Who's your one?  

It is easy to see large numbers and be overwhelmed.  It isn't surprising that faceless numbers never become a passion.  But the face of a friend, neighbor, family member, hair-stylist, car mechanic, landscaper, etc. can help us to see the need not as a number, but as people who need the gospel.

Think of one.  I'm thinking too.  

You may not have to think long.  You may think of ten.

But who is your one. And let's set out to display and declare the good news (and it really is good news) to that one.  How can you serve them?  How can you love them?  How can you share with them?  Who is your one?

Refuge Church

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works. Psalm 73:28

God gave life to a new church on Easter Sunday. Refuge Church gathered together for worship for the first time. On the day when we celebrate the resurrected life of Jesus Christ; on the day when we rejoice in the eternal life we have by faith in Jesus Christ; that same day God gave life to a new church.

I have the privilege to serve as the lead pastor of this new church. My words can in no way describe the excitement and anticipation in my heart as we expect God to display and declare through us the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far.

A refuge is a place of safety, peace, and acceptance.  When a person seeks a refuge, he or she desires a place for help and relief from difficulty. Ultimate refuge isn't a place, it is a person. Christ is our Refuge.  

The gospel declares that we all are broken and hurting, facing difficulty and alienated from God. Yet God sent Jesus Christ to restore the broken, heal the hurting, give hope to those in difficulty and draw near the alienated. By His death and resurrection, this and more is made possible. Christ is our Ultimate and Eternal Refuge.

The ultimate goal isn't to bring people into a place, as important as the gathering of believers is, but to lead individuals near and far into the embrace of Christ our Great Refuge for all eternity. Too many celebrate the 99 who have already found the Refuge, while forgetting the one(s) who, as U2 sings, "still haven't found what they are looking for." 

No soul will ever find peace and contentment until he or she finds refuge in Christ.

Our mission demands we never give up until all have found refuge in Christ.