James MacDonald's Blog, page 9

Get Your Focus Back

Hey Pastor:

What are you working on today? What are you striving after? Grieving over? Burdened about?

Let’s keep our focus: We are not important. We are unprofitable servants on our best days. We have a King—and it is His glory we seek.

John 2:11 says, “This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory.”

It didn’t take long for Jesus to get the lid off His total identity, and glory started flowing out of Him like a river. He thought differently than humans think. He spoke in a way that made everyone hush to hear. He loved in a way that no one had a category for. And His miracles were to manifest His glory . . .

Where Jesus Christ is at work, things are happening that cannot be explained by rational categories. We understand them rationally, but cannot elucidate their means or replicate them ourselves. John’s two words to describe the purpose of the miracles Jesus did were manifest and glory. It’s what God gives to satisfy the longing He has placed in every human heart, and it’s the only “product” the church has to offer.

When every pastor in North America gets hold of the reality that we are providers of nothing, but are facilitators of glory—that we are just channels through whom Christ can reveal Himself—churches will have returned to their created purpose, and God will begin to move in power to display that glory.

In John 5:41, Jesus discloses the true purpose for His glory, saying “I do not receive glory from people.” The word order is emphatic: “Glory from men, I receive not.” I can hear the disciples asking Why, Jesus, why do you not receive glory from people? Answer: Mountains do not receive glory from dirt piles. Do you understand? Oceans do not receive glory from birdbaths. Redwoods do not receive glory from shrubbery, and Jesus Christ does not receive glory from people.

Then why are we exhorted to glorify God? The answer, to be sure, is that God is lovingly leading us onto the path of our greatest joy, the truest alignment with the divine nature that in Christ we are made partakers of (2 Peter 1:3-4). Let us be done once for all with the illusion that God needs or is validated in our glorifying. We alone are the beneficiaries whenever the glory of Christ is manifested.

Glory is a two-way street—vertically. It flows in two directions, not four. Glory goes up from the created world in a whisper and from the redeemed world in a shout. And when that happens, glory comes down as manifest presence in the church. In John 5:44, Jesus continued: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” I was so arrested by that verse in my quiet time recently that I wrote it out in my neatest script and posted it on the bulletin board behind my computer. Read it again. Wow, that verse lays me out.

I have always understood that taking glory belonging to God is sinful—and, in fact, taking glory is stealing because it is never rightly ours. I get it—“Deflect glory, it’s not yours. You’re just the messenger. Give it to God.” What I didn’t get is that failing to do so restricts my ability to believe and receive the glory God wants to pour down. God’s glory is such that it will not displace human praise; it will not wash away our preoccupation with exalting one another. If we allow the culture’s compulsion for celebrating celebrity to carry the day in our churches, we inhibit the glory our people desperately need.

Ephesians 3:21—“To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.”

Shhhhh…It’s a Mercy Killing

Allow me to date myself by quoting a line from a song by the Imperials (a popular CCM group before the dawn of time):

“Now in my house there’s been a mercy killing,

the man I used to be’s been crucified,

and the death of this man is a final way of revealing,

in a spiritual way TO LIVE YOU HAVE TO DIE.”

How very, very far I was from understanding those words, as I sang at the top of my lungs to the cassette player in my lime-green Datsun 30 years ago. Be assured that God is at work today, in the midst of the most painful thing you are enduring, to bring about a mercy killing. The reign of self has to end for King Jesus to hold the throne of our hearts.

As we grow in Christ there are countless ongoing adjustments, but for our deepest, darkest patterns of sin to disappear there must be a funeral. The more we fight the execution, the worse the pain. Surrender today to the death that must occur, and soon you will see God’s immense mercy in putting to death something specific that had only made you restless and miserable. You may think the language of death and funeral and dying to self to be overly dramatic . . . You won’t after it’s happened to you. Praise God for His goodness in every mercy killing.

John 12:23-24 “And Jesus answered them . . . Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

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Elevating Worship Through Scripture

Dear Pastors and ministry leaders—a new year of God’s faithfulness is upon us. I am praying for a year of growth for me, my family and for our church. I hope this blog has been and continues to be a source of encouragement to you in your service to Christ and His kingdom.

We’ve all been in a service where the worship leader repeatedly enjoins, “Louder!” In some instances we hear the emphatic “Sing!” or “Come on church!” While these exhortations may be a mystery to the congregant, those on the platform understand the desire to see the people engage more fully in their expression of praise.

Careful thought and planning, however, can add elements that amplify worship more naturally. Certain service elements elicit emphatic praise from joyful hearts without the need for repeated, though biblical (Psalm 98:4), exhortations for volume. We have used video testimony, spontaneous Scripture reading, more careful song selection, specific featuring of an instrument, baptism in the middle of the worship set, and many other elements to increase the intensity and focus of the adoration.

Recently, a particularly emphatic Scripture reading from the platform truly punctuated the people’s praise to Jesus. Even the most passionate and doctrinally-sound worship lyrics are elevated by the Spirit of God through the Word of God—exalting Jesus Christ. Consider something like this for the first Sunday of the new year or in the weeks ahead. Happy New Year!

Watch the impact of Colossians 1:15-20 in our service and the crescendo of praise for our Savior that followed.

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For additional insight, see Steps into Worship from Vertical Church.

The Best Novel I’ve Read in a Long Time!

Hey, who’s not up for an early Christmas present? Consider today’s post just that—a pre-Christmas gift from my good friend Jerry Jenkins. Jerry is the much-loved author of the Left Behind series and more than 150 other books and novels. But of far greater significance, Jerry is a dear friend and truly humble follower of Jesus. We won’t know till we’re in heaven how many men, women, teens and kids have been awakened to the gospel or called back to Jesus through his compelling gift of writing.

I had the privilege of providing biblical research for his latest novel I, Saul. It’s a thriller in the truest sense of the word—a fantastic story about the life of the apostle Paul. It’s told in a way that grips your heart with the historical Paul and makes his enduring example alive in your current experience. Please consider getting I, Saul under the trees of some loved ones. My royalties for this and all writing projects are being directed to our church’s 5G campaign. Check out the trailer, then follow the link to the first chapter, my guess is you will want to read more . Consider giving some great resources that bless and impact lives for Christ in our gift-giving decisions. Early merry Christmas! 

> Download the first chapter of I,Saul.

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This Is My Bible

This weekend I preached from John 15:1-17 about the secret to a joyful life, which Jesus makes clear begins with abiding in Him. I challenged our church family to make a plan to spend time in His life-giving Word every day…

We need God’s Word to cleanse, influence, correct and encourage our hearts, minds and lives—every day. I think it’s helpful to remind ourselves why we need it, so in each service we read this declaration together as a church family. I hope it’s helpful to you as well.

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This is my Bible.

I am who it says I am. Matthew 5:16

I can do what it says I can do. Philippians 4:13

I am going where it says I will go. John 14:3

God’s Word is milk for my soul. 1 Peter 2:2

God’s Word is seed for my faith. Luke 8:11

God’s Word is light for my path. Psalm 119:105

God’s Word is power for my victory. Hebrews 4:12

God’s Word is freedom for my life. John 8:32

When I read God’s Word, it brings me joy. Jeremiah 15:16

When I study God’s Word, it keeps me from shame. 2 Timothy 2:15

When I memorize God’s Word, it purifies my heart. Psalm 119:11

When I quote God’s Word, it defeats my enemies. Ephesians 6:10, 17

When I meditate on God’s Word, it brings me success. Joshua 1:8

When I abide in God’s Word, it gives me confidence. John 15:7

I am a Bible-believing follower of Jesus Christ!

P.S. There are many ways to read through the Bible. One good source is ESV Bible Reading Plans. I encourage you to check it out.

When Men #ActLikeMen

Everywhere you look, men are in trouble—falling to superficiality, entertainment lifestyles, sensuality, secularism, lives lived apart from God, reaping for themselves and their families the harvest of what they have sown.

Someone needs to throw men a life line. Men are are sinking, and only Jesus Christ can save them. Christ Himself must invade the territory of men’s hearts and rule without rival or equal.

Almost 20 years ago I chose the subject of men and their sin as my doctoral thesis. I was seeking answers for myself and the men I loved and led at the time. The burden has not gone away, but only increased through the years, spawning most of my ministry priorities and shaping the messages I bring each year to the men in our church family. More recently, a passage from Paul to the carnal men in Corinth led to some conversations soaked in prayer, then some dreaming, then a ton of logistics, more prayer, and ultimately a season to test if this vision was truly of the Lord.

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Together with my friends Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, Greg Laurie and Eric Mason, three Act Like Men conferences unpacked the power of that Scripture for more than 23,550 men across North America this fall. Over 1000 men made public decisions for Christ, and thousands upon thousands were convicted, challenged, encouraged and equipped to get a firm grip on what it really means to act like men.

God showed up so powerfully at each conference . . . there can be no doubt He has been leading all the way. Now we are asking . . . what next? Please pray with me for God’s direction and take a minute to be impacted by a visual collage of God at work in the lives of men during the conferences we were privileged to witness and be part of.

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Hey, if you were at an Act Like Men conference, you can help us as we pray about the future by taking a moment to share your story. Tell it here. Dates for 2014 and 2015 conferences will be released soon.

>> “Jailbreak” from Vertical Church Band, available here.

Watch Out for These!

Keep your heart alert to the powerful stories of God at work in your church. As the Spirit moves and changes lives you will serve your church well by building a team of people, volunteers at first, who can grow their ability to tell those stories well.

I praise God for Dallas Jenkins, our Sr. Media Director, and our dedicated video team—Mike Griggs, Lead Video Editor; Trent Jones, Video Producer; and Colin MacLeod, Video Producer. These men work under Janine Nelson, our Executive Communications Director. Together they have grown into a dynamic force to find, capture and tell the stories of God’s transforming power in the lives of our church members. They’re just a fraction of the stories that could be told, but powerful wind in the sails of weekend worship. Watch and be blessed.

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Last week I traveled to Seattle to speak at The Resurgence Conference 2013—an event attended in five locations across the nation and broadcast to more than 20,000 people in 177 countries. Sessions were preached by Mark Driscoll, Rick Warren, Crawford Loritts, Greg Laurie, Matt Chandler, Judah Smith, and myself, and we enjoyed some wonderful fellowship in the gospel.

Here’s a Resurgence clip from my sermon on humility. More R13 excerpts can be found here, and full messages are here.

God’s Fingerprints Are All Over This

Incredibly blessed to host Harvest University at our church this week, with more than 2000 church plant and ministry leaders from 15 countries around the world.

The session that reported on our international church planting efforts was so encouraging, I am going to bring that report to our church this weekend. Watch the video that opened the conference and expressed the passionate pillars of a vertical church.

Praise God for all He is doing in Harvest Bible Fellowship around the world. We are wonderfully encouraged by God’s favor upon this work for His glory.

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Catching Up

So many great things are going on these days, and I pray you are blessed in your service to Christ and His church as well. Just to give you a sense of where my heart is at today…

1: ACT LIKE MEN

Still blown away by the nearly 7000 men who attended the Act Like Men conference in Toronto. Thankful for my friends Greg Laurie, Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, Eric Mason, and LeCrae who all ministered powerfully and very profitably to the hungry hearts of men who deeply desire to “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). Very excited for the next two events in Long Beach, October 18-19 and Indianapolis, November 8-9. Do whatever you can to get to one of these conferences.



2: HERITAGE PREACHING LECTURES

On Thursday this week, I am greatly honored to return to an institution that gave me my foundation in biblical ministry, now known as Heritage College and Seminary. I have been invited to preach an expository message from God’s Word, then spend three sessions unpacking what I believe and have learned through the years about the “craft” of biblical exposition. I am so excited about this and hope to have a great turnout of pastors to pour into.

3: LYDIA HOUSE

Both Act Like Men and Heritage have been asked, in lieu of any honorarium, to make a gift to LYDIA House, a national, Christ-honoring organization whose mission is to strengthen families to care for children and care for children when families cannot.

The name LYDIA comes from the Book of Acts, which tells the story of a Christian woman who was a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira. Upon meeting the Apostle Paul, she urged him and his friends to stay at her house, and it became a place of comfort and rest to them. The goal is for LYDIA to be a place of comfort and rest to children who are broken from years of abuse: “We want them to ‘come and stay at our house,’ where we can help them experience a relationship with God and break free from the traumas of their past.” Since their small beginnings in 1913, this ministry has grown to serve more than 3,000 children and their parents every year.



Kathy and I are excited to see our occasional itinerant ministry taking part in supporting such a worthy cause.

4: HARVEST UNIVERSITY

Our annual ministry leadership conference, Harvest University, is less than two weeks away. We are excited to have our biggest and broadest attendance ever. We are expecting the worship center on our Elgin Campus to be full as we welcome guests from 11 countries representing several hundred different churches—including 97 Harvest Bible Chapels, now in 14 countries. Just last Sunday, we started our first church in India, where 572 people attended the launch. By God’s grace, that makes it the highest attendance to date at a first service of any Harvest Bible Chapel in the world—even the U.S.



At Harvest U, more than 2000 pastors and church leaders from across North America and around the globe will be exhorted to lead differently, equipped with the conviction that “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24), and prepared to return to their ministry fields with an expanded capacity and renewed desire to serve Him with all of their heart, mind, soul and strength.

I am especially excited that 82-year-old Dr. Gene Getz, who has mentored me through a tough season in ministry with almost daily contact, will be joining us there.

Dr. Getz serves as Senior Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church North in Plano, Texas. Though he still teaches part time at Dallas Theological Seminary, his primary focus involves his pastoral responsibilities and directing the Center for Church Renewal, an organization that ministers to pastors, missionaries and other church leaders. He has also authored over 40 books, many of which have been distributed in nearly 30 different languages.

Dr. Getz will be conducting special Harvest University workshops on “A Biblical and Pragmatic Perspective on Eldership” and “Leadership Challenges in Practicing Biblical Eldership,” and we are so privileged to have him with us.

5: MISSIONS WEEKEND

To kick-off Harvest U, we’re having a special Missions Weekend, October 19-20. God’s amazing work through our missions and church planting around the world will be celebrated in our weekend services with an international choir, a focused evening of prayer, and international Harvest Bible Chapel Pastors from countries as diverse as Romania, St. Vincent Island, Scotland, Liberia, Austria, and Nicaragua preaching on each of our campuses.

For the past five weeks, even our kids’ ministry has been a frenzy of excitement, as they’ve engaged in prayer ‘trading cards’ for our church plant pastors.



One family told of how their kids pray for our pastors and their families with the cards on their way to church. As their daughter started praying for one of our pastors in Liberia, she noticed the unusual name of his daughter, Princess—and of course couldn’t help wondering aloud why Princess wasn’t her name too. Just a glimpse into the powerful, personal, and impactful way these simple cards are being used to help our smallest seek out their heavenly Father on behalf of our churches and the godly men who lead them. “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).

6: GOD AT WORK

When you need to be refreshed in your confidence about the saving power of Jesus Christ, there is nothing that ‘hits the spot’ like a fresh testimony of God at work. Watch this and rejoice in the goodness of the Lord.

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7: I, SAUL

You may be aware that I contributed my research, meager as it was, to Jerry Jenkins’ new novel I, Saul. He is currently working on the sequel I, Paul, which is the rest of the story. My faith is so stirred as I reviewed, in novel form, the personal sacrifice and awesome work God did in and through the Apostle Paul. Jerry Jenkins is also, you should know, an exemplary follower of Jesus from whom I have learned a lot. Take a moment and read this inspiring blog post he wrote: “Kinder than Kind.”

Joyfully serving Jesus Christ,

james

Stop and Celebrate!

Dear Pastor Friends:

God is faithful, His promises are true, His ways are just, and our trust is rightly placed in Him. For this reason milestones in the life of a ministry matter, and they’re important to the people who meet to celebrate God’s faithfulness with you.

Watch this video summary of our big day at Boomers Stadium. When the details are forgotten, our people will remember that we celebrated God’s goodness and faithfulness. Don’t miss important milestones in your family and ministry. Stop and celebrate!!

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:1-5

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