The NLT and me…

I’ve made my decision.  Beginning with my next message series, I will be using the New Living Translation for preaching, most teaching, public, and personal reading.  This was not any easy decision to make – I love my NASB! – but there were a variety of factors in my decision…

My goal as a speaker is to communicate truth in an understandable way.  I’m not trying to impress people with my knowledge or soaring oratorical skills.  No, really, I’m not…  No, I swear!  I’m trying to help ’seekers’ turn into believers, believers turn into disciples, and disciples turn into disciple-makers.  In order to do that, I need to use methods and resources that aid understanding and communication.  I believe the NLT is well suited for the task.

Almost everybody reads, but at what level?  Literacy rates in the U.S. are around 99%.  Almost everybody can read – and that is great news.  But studies conducted in the U.S. and Canada consistently indicate that the average grade reading level is 8^th to 9^th grade, and also that around 20% of adults read at a 5^th grade level.  Most newspapers in the U.S. are written at a 9^th grade level.  The novels of popular writers like John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, and Stephen King are written at a 7^th grade level.

The NLT reads at a 6^th grade level – meaning that the vast majority of those who would ever hear me preach and teach should be able to easily understand it.  Here’s a handy chart at christianbook.com that shows the grade reading level of several translations.

The NLT has been updated and improved.  When it came out in the mid 90’s, I bought the first hardback copy our local Christian bookstore had in stock… And I thought it was pretty lame.  But the NLT translation committee has worked hard to address concerns and make improvements.  The second edition substantially improves accuracy, while maintaining its easy-to-read quality.  The improvements have helped the NLT become the third best-selling Bible, right behind the NIV and the King James.  And as I have read it the past few months, it has really grown on me.

Nostalgia.  The original Living Bible was the favorite Bible of my youth – Did anyone else have “The Way?” the version with all those groovy pictures? –  and the first Bible I ever read from cover to cover.  I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a factor in choosing the NLT.

I’m going to keep comparing 3 or 4 versions when I study, and making good use of the tools that help me work through the original languages.  With God’s help, I will always share the goal of every Bible teacher – clear and life changing communication of the Word.

The Church Has Left the Building

Here’s a video slide show from our recent Sunday of Service…

Some of you have asked about the music:  “Dirty” by Audio Adrenaline, and “Song for My Family” by the Michael Gungor Band.

Sunday Replay 10.19.08

The church left the building… and the community was glad they did! Our Sunday of Service was AMAZING! 

I was blown away by how our church rallied to support a special day of community service – 90% of our regular attenders came to worship and glorify God by meeting needs and serving others.  Our people saw firsthand that serving others is something simple, and something anyone can do.

We took our faith to the streets and put our faith into action by transforming our regular Sunday service into an opportunity to practice “kindness with a purpose” throughout the community.  Volunteers from Jubilee went door-to-door collecting food for the local Food Pantry… A group washed cars for free… Another team picked up trash in the community park and along state road 18 in both directions and along Main Street…  The “elders” team painted the fire escapes at Carroll Manor… Our younger children visited the nursing homes, taking flowers to the residents of the Manor and St. Elizabeth’s Healthcare in Delphi… One construction crew began rebuilding a porch for a local family, while another did indoor carpentry work and laid flooring for a single mom… Our amazing lunch crew stayed at the church to prepare a great meal of soups and sandwiches!

The day produced some great stories – I can’t wait for Melissa to tell everyone about the lady who told her, “There’s something wrong with you people!” – and some unexpected service opportunities:  The kids who went to the house across the street from one of our projects and raked leaves for a man with a broken collar bone, and the donated, brand new recliner we were able to give to the single mom – her old one was held together with duct tape.

Sunday of Service also kicked off our new community service initiative called “Second Saturday.”  Each month on the second Saturday of the month, we will send teams into the community to serve and help people in any way we can.  But we don’t just want to serve our community, we also want to serve with our community, and so our Second Saturday projects will be open to anyone in our community who wants to participate and give something back.

Next Sunday will conclude our “Taking it to the Streets” message series, with a time of celebration, some stories from yesterday, and some vision for the future.

I am so proud of everyone who participated, and I’m about to BUST with excitement over what God is going to do through this church, and ANY church, that is willing to love their neighbors as they love themselves!

Have a great week!

Measure

The other night Luke, my seven-year old, was doing his math homework.  He had to find something in the house that was six inches long.  He rummaged around in the junk drawer and pulled out a ruler – the promotional giveaway kind I’m sure we picked up at a fair.  As he was searching around the room I could only see the back, unprinted side of the ruler.  I kept seeing him hold the ruler up to different things – a candle, a candy dish, a cup – and to me some of the things looked like they were hitting dead center on the ruler.  But Luke kept saying “No,” when I asked him if each thing was 6 inches long.  Finally, I snatched the ruler out of his hand, convinced that he wasn’t “doing it right!”  That’s when I discovered that the ruler was 13 inches long!  Seriously?  Who gives away 13 inch rulers?  I mean, c’mon! That messed-up ruler caused me to be wrong about the size of things.

I’ve got another messed up ruler that I need to lay down.  For a long time, I’ve measured the maturity of Christ followers by their knowledge.  I’ve always thought that the person who knew more, had more verses memorized, and could interpret or exegete Scripture accurately – or at least in a way that agreed with what I believed – must be farther along than those who didn’t or couldn’t.  That measure has caused me to be wrong more times than I care to admit.  Wrong about maturity, depth, strength…

It’s the wrong measure.

In the gospels and beyond, the mature ones seem to be those who do something with what they know…

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments…”

“…everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them…”

“…prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers…”

Please don’t hear what I’m not saying… I appreciate the scholar, the serious Bible student – I benefit from their work on an almost daily basis.  I’ve not turned into an “anti-intellectual,” – far from it, I’m the guy who reads systematic theology for fun…  I’ve just decided – when it comes to measuring maturity – to give more weight to those who are actually doing something with what they know.  Ideally, every follower of Jesus would always be learning AND serving.

I’m also applying that measure to myself – I have been the poster boy for those who are educated way beyond their obedience, and I’m taking to heart the predisposition I see in the pages of the New Testament toward action.

Let’s face it – nobody is going to get saved because I can satisfactorily explain the Trinity or exegetically finesse Paul’s thorn in the flesh or the identity of the giants in Genesis 6…  But if I serve them in practical ways, witness and share my faith, tell the Gospel truth every time I get a chance, the Holy Spirit just might catch hold of their heart and turn them toward God.

Sunday Replay 10.12.08

Tuesday afternoon, and I’m just getting around to my recap of Sunday – no particular reason, just working on things other than the blog for the past week or so…

Worship was great!  In Anya’s absence, the worship band went with a more mellow, acoustic set, and Jesi did a fantastic job leading.  And Sunday night at the talent show, I think another budding vocal talent was discovered – don’t you agree Sam?

The third installment of our “Taking It to the Streets” message series focused on “Little Acts with Big Impact.”  We looked at Jesus’ description of the Kingdom in Luke 13:18-21.  There, Jesus said the Kingdom was like a small mustard seed that grows in to a bushy tree large enough for birds to build nests in.  Then He said the Kingdom was like a lump of yeast that was worked into 50 pounds of dough to make bread for as many as 100 people!

Jesus wasn’t teaching horticulture or giving cooking lessons – He’s revealing truth about the kingdom of God…  And this was His point: When it comes to spiritual things, God uses small things to do BIG stuff.  We get our word “ministry” from the Latin root for “small things,” the same root as the word “miniature.” Ministry is involved in small things. We’re called to get involved in little acts, small gestures and everyday service.

Next Sunday is a huge day for us – instead of Sunday services, we going to have a Sunday of Service!  We are about to unleash on this community a church that, for a welcome change, is not saying “come to us,” “join us,” “give to us,”  but instead is saying, “we’ll come to you, and serve you, and give to you, expecting nothing in return and we’re doing it because we love Jesus and He loves you!”  Be prepared to be blown away by how people respond!

Whatever you do – don’t stay home this Sunday!  We’ve got some fantastic projects lined up, and afterward, we’ll all meet back at the building for soup and sandwiches – and a BIG ANNOUNCMENT!  But unless you’re here, you’ll have to hear it from someone else!

Have a great week.

Sunday Replay 10.05.08

Some Sunday’s are better than others – any pastor will tell you that.  And yesterday was one of the best I’ve experienced during my ministry here…

Worship was exactly what I needed!  The songs turned our attention toward God and His goodness, and also challenged us to live a life that makes a difference.  The worship band was tight and the vocals were also very good.  I so appreciate the vision the worship band has, and their commitment to not settling for “o.k.” when they serve an awesome God! 

I was so excited to preach Sunday, I was about to bust.  The second installment of our “Taking It to the Streets” series focused on learning to see like Jesus sees.  We looked at Luke 4:14-21, Jesus’ announcement of His ministry in Nazareth.  We saw that the statement Jesus made there was His mission, and it is our mandate.  Jesus said His mission was to

• Preach good news to the poor.  In that day, poverty was seen as a judgment from God.  Jesus brought the good news of the Kingdom directly to the poor – telling them that the Kingdom was present with them.  The Kingdom of God is that place where His will is done, and in that Kingdom, everyone eats, has a place to live, clothes to wear, and the truth about Jesus shared with them.
• Proclaim freedom for the captive. Jesus is talking about freedom for anyone who feels trapped, feels they’re being held against their will in a circumstance or situation that they feel helpless to confront and unable to control. 
• Recover sight for the blind.  In Jesus’ day, the blind were thought to be suffering the consequence of sin – theirs or their parents.  Jesus declared recovery of their sight – in other words He released them from shame and condemnation.  We always tell the truth about sin – but we let God bring conviction, not condemnation – through His word and by the Holy Spirit.  In other words, back off, show mercy and grace and love and kindness, and let the Holy Spirit do His job…  He’s way better at it than we are.
• Free the oppressed.  Jesus came to set wrong things right. He came to help the helpless. He came to bring justice to those who had been victims of injustice.  We are called to stand up for people who’ve been done wrong, who need help, who need an advocate.
• Proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.  In Israel, every 50^th year was a year of Jubilee – in that year all slaves were set free, all property returned to its original owner, and all debts were cleared off the books.  It was a time of celebration and rejoicing.  Jubilee was a symbol of the freedom that Jesus would gain for us on the cross.  People who are enslaved by and in debt to sin, can be set free, debt of sin is paid, because Jesus died and rose again!  Jesus was announcing an entirely new age of freedom and liberty.  Jesus is our Jubilee both now and forever!

Jesus’ mission is our mandate – and it’s people-centered, outwardly focused, and compassion driven.  If we can see people as He saw them, sees them, we will overflow with ideas and discover dozens of practical ways to show them the love of Christ.

Two weeks until our Sunday of Service – not Sunday services, but first, next week, we will look at how God turns small things done with great love into HUGE things that change lives, and the world!

Have a great week!