NOT SO PERFECT

This week there were a number of instances of people in the public eye, who made their imperfection known. There was Serena Williams in the US Open who reamed a line judge, Senator Joe Wilson who called President Obama, in all essence a "liar", and the infamous Kanye West, who hijacked Taylor Swift's VMA acceptance speech, to pretty much say "Beyonce should have won". (stay classy Kanye) So, we live in a world where we are not so perfect. This week, as my 7 year old and I were playing some Wii baseball, he hit a home run to win the game. He then looked over to me with a look of half smiles and half confidence and says, "Ha dad, you are not always so perfect." I smiled, as I knew he was just having fun with me, and then thought about the truth to that statement. WOW, that statement is so true. I am the first to point out my imperfection. It made me think of Philippians 3:12- "Not that I have already obtained this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me." I am not so perfect, but I do strive with ambition looking at what the prize is and know that I am made perfect through Jesus Christ. So, although losing in Wii baseball may make my son believe tht dad is imperfect, I know that that is just the tip of the iceberg; however, I aim to grasp the resurrection and the power of Jesus. It is humbling, but it is also a part of the discipleship journey I am constantly sharpening.

The Ghost and the Darkness

Have you ever had your past used against you? Satan does a pretty good job at trying to throw your past wrongs in your face and try to make you think you are worthless. I Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilante, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." The Greek word for "vigilant" is gregoreo, which means to be on your guard, to be watchful. The purpose of that word is to denote the watchful attitude of one who is on the lookout to make sure no enemy can penetrate any part of their life. This tells us that we should be on high alert. Peter reminds us that Satan is going to be aggresive in his attacks. Peter then goes onto use another interesting word "adversary". The Gk word is antidikos, which literally means a lawyer who argued in a court of law. A prosecutor who brought offenders to court and and argued against them. This is a great image of what the devil does when he strikes. If he can convince us of what he says, he has won. It is the way he does it. He poses as a ghost in the darkness, and attacks when we aren't ready or accuses to the point where we buy his lies. The word devour in the Gk is pino, which means to lick, to drink, or slurp up, as in a lion licking the blood of its prey. That is the way the devil works. However, Peter reminds us in the next verse that we have an out when the enemy comes roaring. "resist him, by standing firm in the faith." If you apply this you can literally stand alert and be ready when the Satan comes out of the darkness, and then with God's authority and Jesus' name turn the hunter into the hunted.

WHY SMALL GROUPS MUST BE "R" RATED

The three most important words in small group multiplication is RELATIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP. There are plenty of "R" words that we don't want small groups to be about...like...ritual, religious, rules, and repetitious. People are in life transition about this time of season with school starting back up, church shoppers hunting for new ones, new jobs, new neighbors, and other transitions taking place like crazy. So, it is naturally a great time to reflect on Jesus as a leader, and use His example of multiplication. Jesus was about hanging with people. Inviting them for water, or offering a friendly talk to those no one else would even consider talking with. The heartbeat of God is relationship. God is about covenant...and that spells relationship. Yes, the people who we see as faith heroes in the Bible did incredible things like kill lions, knock down walls, and won battles. However, they were all about relationship and were heroes because their faith spilled over with "R"elationship. We have to be careful that the "program" doesn't become relationship, we need to become relationship. As we dive into small groups this Fall, we need to think about relationship. We will multiply as we get out and build relationship with people, new, old, and everywhere in the middle. The vision of small groups is simplified into one-word: MULTIPLICATION. To initiate this, we must get out and be about relationship. In the housing market the phrase is "location, location, location". In small group life it is "relationship, relationship, relationship." Go introduce yourself to someone and talk to them. This is how LIFE happens, this is how TRANSFORMATION starts. For small groups to grow, we must be "R" rated.