Fear - the Obstacle in Front of Most Obstacles

On Sunday, I spoke about overcoming obstacles in life. The apostle Paul was amazing when it comes to being a victor and not a victim. You know what great things he did with his life. Did you also know of the obstacles he faced along the way? Check this out:

“I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,

26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, I n danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Corinthians 11:23 – 30)



The truth is FEAR has so much to do with whether or not we overcome obstacles. I find that fear is the great paralysis that grips many people and causes shut down. As you read that passage above, imagine the fear the apostle Paul must have felt. But somehow he overcame and in doing so, was the ultimate winner for God and His Kingdom on planet earth.

What fears might have you gripped today? What obstacles could be overcome if you adequately and appropriately dealt with the fear that has you paralyzed and stuck? Often fear is the great barrier between me and my obstacle.

The truth is that all of us, at one time or another, are driven by fear. Fear is a natural response. Fear tends to creep up in us and takes us by surprise whenever we are making big plans.

However, as we mature in the Christian faith, fear actually becomes a sign to which we should always pay close attention. Self-awareness is critical. A pastor by the name of Bill Cornelius says this:

"Fear serves us in two unique ways: The first way is that fear can be a warning. Fear warns us to think things through, to make our plans well, to seek advice and advisors. This is a healthy fear that normally means you are thinking ahead to avoid typical pitfalls. Yet, for the believer, fear also serves us in a way you may not have thought about: Fear can also be a sign you area heading in the right direction. The truth is that any time we are doing something new, something daring, even adventurous, it will conjure up fear in our hearts. This fear can cause us to stop what we are doing because “it just doesn’t feel right.” The “feel right” feeling only happens when you are doing things that are familiar or come easy to you. The reality is that if you want to take new ground in your life, passing into unchartered territory will require you to “feel the fear...and do it anyway.”


As you press on and overcome obstacles, do NOT run from your fears. Instead, embrace those fears and hear the Word of God. In Acts 18, the Lord says to the apostle Paul:

”One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." (Acts 18:9 - 10)

The key part of that verse is the Lord saying, "I am with you..."

In those moments of fear, the only reality that enables to press on and overcome is the incarnational reality that our God is with us." As such, I can embrace fear, eventually overcome fear, and the obstacle staring me in the face.

May it be so in your life...

191 Backpacks and a ton of newhopers in Ministry and Small Groups

To say the last two weeks at newhope has been CRAZY GOOD is an understatement. This is a church of people wanting to live lives of Olympic style faith. Way to go, newhope.

Last Sunday, we collected 191 bookbags slammed with school supplies. We have established end roads into the area schools and principals have agreed to get them in the hands of the most needy children. Please pray for those 191 children and their families, not to mention the teachers and administrators who sense God's love through the hands and feet of Jesus' body!

Also, last Sunday, I saw one of the most amazing sites ever at newhope. I shall never forget seeing all the newhopers pouring down front to grab a white hand towel to symbolically represent surrendering to God and becoming a servant! I was in awe of the commitment and potential. And that happened not once, not twice, but in three different Worship Celebrations. Go God!

If you were one of those, or just hearing this makes you want to be involved in the ground swell movement taking place in central North Carolina for Christ, DON'T MISS OUR STARTING POINT CELEBRATION ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 AT 6:30 PM AT THE CHURCH. All the pastors and staff will be present and we will offer ministry opportunities and hands on training! You all stepped up on Sunday and our team has responded. Of course, you do NOT have to wait until September 17 to get involved.

As I have reflected on last Sunday, I remember reading Max Lucado's book, Just Like Jesus. It begins with this question:

"What if for 24 hours Jesus wakes up in your bed, walks in your shoes, lives in your house, assumes your schedule?...What if for one day Jesus lives your life with his heart?"

Have you ever thought about that? Let's do it for just a minute. Think of how your day begins, your morning routine. How would it be different? We know that if Jesus was living his life inside you, the morning routine would include prayer: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35) This is how Jesus began his day; it's how he would begin yours.

What else would happen? How would he speak to your family? Would he be on time for work? How would he perform your job? What would be his attitude? How would he spend your money? Imagine what it would be like to live one full day to complete perfection: No mistakes, no blunders, no regrets.

Maybe it's not so far-fetched. Of course, we will never (this side of heaven) be completely perfect, but the Bible does teach that we can be like Jesus -- and we are commanded to follow his example. [Philippians 2:5-11]


What does that look like? What would our church look like? I think it would look a lot like it did on Sunday as hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people took on the role of a servant to follow in the footsteps of Christ. More specifically, as I study the life of Christ, here is what it looks like to live fully devoted to Jesus Christ:

1. The Jesus style of leadership is to direct glory to God.

Jesus is God in the flesh. He's the second person of the Trinity. He's the very God of very God, as the Nicene Creed says. He has existed for all eternity, he is the creator of all things, in him all things are held together, and his name is above every name in heaven and earth. One day, the Bible says, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Yet, when he was here on earth, he didn't seek out praise, and he didn't seek to draw attention to himself. Several times when Jesus healed someone he said to them, "Don't tell anyone about this." This is hard to understand, because if most of us performed a miracle, we'd want everyone to know. We'd issue a press release, write a book about it and hire an agent to negotiate film rights. Sometimes it's hard for us to understand his lack of self-promotion.

Jesus didn't want all the attention directed toward his earthly ministry, he wanted the attention directed to his Father in heaven. He made it clear: "I don't speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me gave me his own instructions as to what I should say." (John 12:49 NLT) Another time he said, "I'm not teaching my own ideas, but those of God who sent me." (John 7:16 NLT)



2. The Jesus style of leadership is motivated by love.

There's a simple comment Mark included in Mark's gospel as Jesus deals with a man who had accumulated large amounts of wealth. Mark's gospel is the shortest of the four, but he has such a flair for uncommon details. He says in mark 10:21, "Jesus looked at him and loved him."

The church has a cultural responsibility today to love people, no matter what. Yes, we must be faithful to proclaim the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We never compromise truth. But sometimes we make a terrible mistake. Sometimes we proclaim truth not from a position of love and compassion, but from a position of disapproving self-righteousness. On the outside, many people's impression of the church's message is: "We're right. We're always right. You're wrong, and you'll always be wrong till you become just like us." FYI - that is not a good approach for outreach in the 21st Century :-)

Some Christians think standing up for the truth means verbally bashing their opponents. Others think that standing up for the truth means picketing a movie theatre. Others think that it means letting the whole world know that they will not, in any way, tolerate offensive behavior in society. What do you think is the motive behind these attitudes and actions? Is it the same kind of love that Jesus felt for this wealthy man? We need to speak the truth, but as Paul said in Ephesians 4:15, we need to "speak the truth in love."

Just writing this fires me up about the future of our church! Just imagine the newhope movement spreading out across central North Carolina and then gathering on Sundays to serve like Jesus! Imagine us serving to direct glory to God and serving in the spirit of love! With a church like this, THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

Can't wait to see you Sunday...

Fishers of Men / Women...

I have long said that fishing is the only true biblical sport. :-) Why else would Jesus call fishermen to be His disciples? Why did He say, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." (Mark 1:17) The gospel accounts of Jesus' life tell of Him calling fishermen and then saying, "Hey, if you drop your nets and follow me, you will catch people now instead of fish! As an angler, I think that is so cool. (BTW - don't miss church this Sunday - I promise you will experience the most amazing story of a fisherman who lived out Olympic Faith, despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles)

Yesterday, I had an amazing morning on the lake. It was an unbelievably cool August morning, the air was fresh, the water was slick as ice, sunrise was breath-taking, and the fishing was awesome. For the anglers out there, I threw a top water bait until 11 am and they kept coming up for it! (I digress so allow me to get back to my main point)

As I was catching fish, I found myself thinking about Jesus' words to catch people. I found myself asking, "Do I still get as excited about catching people for Jesus as I do catching these beautiful bass?" "Am I still willing to give the effort, energy, time, and resources to catching people as I do getting up at 5 am, filling the boat and truck up with gas, traveling to Jordan Lake, and spending 5 hours on the water?"

As I reflected, I found myself thankful that the answer to those questions is still a resounding YES! I love to catch bass. But I simply love to let God catch people through me far more. I am willing to spend time, energy, and resources on catching fish that swim, but I am far more willing to spend greater resources and time catching people and seeing them saved and changed throughout this life and all of eternity!

Check it out - most of our witnessing is likely to happen in passing moments of conversation--those occasions when we show, in relatively minor ways, who we are and to whom we belong. (You might want to read that again)

I think of a suburban woman who was playing tennis with her good but quite secular friends. In a conversation break between sets she began referring to something she had read that morning. It would have been easy to say, "I read something this morning." Instead, with no attempt at piosity, she simply introduced one word: "In my devotional reading this morning." It was not a major soul-winning engagement. It was, however, a true sowing of seed. By a word, she had opened the door for some further conversation.

Perhaps our greatest problem in becoming Christ's fishermen is that we miss the opportunities that come to us; or we are so possessed of the idea that we must say something dramatic and far-reaching that we fail to say the small, immediate and potentially significant thing. To put it in the language Jesus spoke, we often don't act as if we even have a call to "fish." We're out in the waters of human need every day, but we often miss incredible fishing opportunities.

Dr. Ellsworth Kallas, the sitting President of Asbury Theological Seminary outside of Lexington, Kentucky, says this:

"The issue is not that we should become more aggressive about sharing our faith. It is that we should be more sensitive to the needs of the world around us, and more sensitive to the subtle prodding of the Holy Spirit. The two sensitivities are wonderfully intertwined."

To be sensitive to the Holy Spirit means that we will be more sensitive to people and their pain and spiritual needs. And to be more sensitive to people ought to make us more open to God and His purposes in the world.

Have you "dropped your nets" and followed Him into the water of human need? Have you accepted the call to fish for people? Are you open to God wonderfully working through you to invest and invite those in your sphere of influence? If so, great. Way to go - I am thrilled to fish with you.

If not, I invite you to pray about that and read the gospel of Mark and then move on to the book of Acts. You will be blown away by Jesus' mission to fish for people. That is why He came and if you are a believer, that is what He wants to do with your life.

It is Tuesday now so I am off the water and back in the culture. But make not mistake about it - this is where the true fishing begins. I have an idea - let's go fishing together.

Sunday Night Download...

* Well, it is actually Monday morning but what's the difference. (12:30 am) I am up this late because I just returned from the IMAX theater in Raleigh where we saw Batman - the Dark Night. In two works, FREAKIN INSANE.

* Really solid day in church this morning. I am loving the Acts study. It reminds me of six years ago when we started the church and we made our way through the Acts of the Apostles. This is completely different series, but the same themes run throughout this amazing book. (i.e. Conversion, Small Groups in homes, Ministry to meet real needs by a real God, Discipleship, Changing the world, and the Word coupled with church growth spreading like wild fire. Hmmmmmm - that sounds a lot like newhope. Thanks God!

* Pastor Curtis was on vacation today so we had Point of Grace on the stage. :-) We had 5 women on one stage and 3 men on another stage. It almost looked like you gals / guys planned it that way.

* We prayed in all three Worship celebrations for the Mulders and the BIG week ahead.

* Loved praying over Heather Doss in the third Worship Celebration. That was rich and powerful. I love how God calls people into full time ministry.

* I will never forget seeing so many newhopers come forward to drape white serving towels over their arms and serve the world for the cause of Christ. WOW - there is nothing else I would rather do with my life.

* Have I told you I have a "man crush" on Michael Phelps. :-) (FYI - for those of you who don't know me, I am a heterosexual man, happily married to a one such Amy Lynn and together we have five kids) But hear this - Phelps is the man! I REALLY hope you didn't miss history this weekend.

* I LOVE FOOTBALL and pre-season stuff has started. As you know, I also love the Olympics. FYI, I also love the Little League World Series. AND THEY ARE ALL ON TELEVISION RIGHT NOW. God is good. :-)

* Had three pastors in worship today. I love when Pastors show up at newhope.

* Speaking of pastors, I am bass fishing with one in about 5 hours so I must go to bed.

* Peace out people...

I Need to Work Out...

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever muttered, "I need to work out" underneath your breath as you saw someone jogging or watched a chiseled athlete on television? I know I have said it more times than once. Just this week, during the Olympics, I have been inspired to work out more and increase my running mileage. And then, the creative arts team had me shoot a video this week for Sunday (Another hilarious video :-)), and I felt that way again, "Ohhhhh, I Need to Work Out!"

What about "Working Out" in the faith? What is required to live an Olympic style faith in Jesus Christ? Well, the truth is the Bible likens it to athletic imagery and working out. We have to exercise our faith. We have to give our spiritual muscles a workout. We have to build endurance, strength, and stamina for this adventure we call life.

The apostle Paul said, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13 – 14)

Can't wait to see you Sunday....

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

Since teaching on the subject of faithfulness a few Sundays ago, I have been asked by many if I might provide the writing I shared at the end of the message. Be challenged and encouraged...

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The Fellowship of the Unashamed

I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His.

I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.

I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, live by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. l am a disciple of Jesus. l must go till He comes, give till l drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me -- my banner will be clear!

Written by a young African pastor - rumor has it he died as a martyr and this was tacked on a wall near where he read the Word and prepared sermons.

Beware V

With our church growing like gang busters and averaging a 30 - 47 % annual growth rate for the 6 year history of our church's existence, I think this post is particularly relevant. Again, this is written by Pastor Noble of New Spring Church and is the last post for this Beware series.


#5 - The “This Is Too Big” Person

These people amaze me. A church will begin growing, lives will begin to change...literally the Bible begins to come to life...and because a person finally has to face the fact that the church is not about them...they take off, saying that the church is TOO BIG.

Now, that same person will go to a college football game the day before with between 80,000 to 100,000 fans (99% of whom they do not know) and be absolutely PUMPED that the stadium is packed. (Usually a sign that their team is winning!)

BUT...they want to go to “God’s house” the next day and desire for it to be small and “intimate.” Hmmmm, they want the football crowd to grow and the church crowd to be small...sounds like some very screwed up priorities to me.

Bottom line...the church is SUPPOSED to grow–period! And if it gets “too big” for someone, I would say it’s because their heart is “too small.” Seriously, ask yourself, what spiritual force would motivate someone to get angry when large numbers of people are coming to Christ and being taught to walk in an intimate relationship with Him? Jesus...or satan? Seriously – it’s NOT rocket science.

Let the “this is too big” person go...