Some People Just Get It, and Some Don't!

I have had two conversations in the past few days that shows me that some people get it, and some don't. It was actually a surprise as to which one got it.

A few days ago, I followed up with a pastor that I had spoken with about ministering to new believers. I had sent him the materials that we use here at Palm Valley Church and wanted to see how things were going. I speak with people from churches about our ministry to new believers every couple of months and I like to see how they have implemented a similar ministry where they are. This pastor shared that he wasn't able to implement anything because his elders thought they were doing just fine as they were. They just don't get it!

Yesterday, I got a call from an eighty year old lady who was so excited she could hardly stand it. She was at a friend's house this weekend and some other friends came and brought the Fresh Start Packet that they had just received at PVC that morning. In all of her years walking with Christ, she shared that she had never seen such a wonderful resource for new believers. She wants to have her pastor contact us to learn more. She gets it!

Ministering to new believers is different! It's often messy, and your heart will break hearing the stories of lives messed up by sin. But, it is so rewarding when you see the joy they have received in Christ! To see God work in people's lives and change them so completely is amazing. Most who come to us to grow in their faith have never even picked up a Bible, or if they have, they haven't read much and don't know much about it. What a privilege to come alongside these people to partner with them as they take their first steps in faith. It is humbling and often overwhelming to be used by God in this way.

The reward is walking around the church campus on a weekend and seeing the many who have come to Christ here and are now growing and serving. They are connected to Home Teams and Ministry Teams in every area of the church. To me, that is success. Unfortunately, there are still many who make a decision, but never begin walking with Christ. We still have so much to do! Fortunately, our ministry team gets it!

The Navy Has Arrived in Arizona!

OK, not the whole Navy, but one particular Navy Seal. Yesterday I had the privilege to pick up Chris from the airport and help him surprise his family with an unexpected visit. He shared with me how many people, when told he was heading to Arizona, asked him if he knew that we don't have an ocean here.

Chris has spent time in my home. He is a friend of Josh's, and he accepted Christ here at Palm Valley Church. He attended a New Believer Growth Group in my home and was baptized here. His father accepted Christ and was baptized at PVC too.

Chris is now in the Navy, going through Seal training. He told me that he may soon be sent to Iraq. There isn't much waterfront in Iraq, but I guess they make the most of it! As we drove, he shared his experiences and assured me that he is still strong in his faith. He shared the many ways his faith has been challenged, and how Satan had tried to convince him that he wasn't doing what God wanted him to do, and how he overcame those thoughts.

I am so proud of him! I am certainly proud that he is serving our country, but more importantly, he is serving God in what he does, and there is nothing more worthy than that, no matter what the job is!

It is such a privilege to get to see how this young man has grown in Christ. Praise God!

God Is Into Numbers

God is into numbers! That's why there is a book in the Bible entitled, "Numbers". Numbers matter because each number is a person whom God loves. Numbers matter because they represent the lives God has called us to serve and to minister to. It's not about the numbers, but the numbers remind us what it's about.

Having said that, here are some numbers that are important in my life right now:

15 - people are interested in the New Believer Growth Group starting Wednesday night
12 - people who are confirmed that they are coming to the NBGG
2 - people who were signed up for the NBGG one week ago

318 - people who have made some sort of decision at Palm Valley Church from the beginning of the year to the end of August
137 - people have gone to the Fresh Start table to learn more about their decision through August
70 - people have attended the Fresh Start Class through August
22% - of all decisions that have attended the FS Class
51% - of people who came to the FS table that have attended the FS Class
40 - people per month make a decision to connect or re-connect with God at PVC
17 - people per month come to the FS table to learn more about their decision
9 - people per month attend the FS Class

I know that our numbers for the New Believer Growth Group attendance are incorrect, so we will be working on those.

What this shows me is that God continues to change lives at Palm Valley Church! It shows me that people want to grow in their faith. It shows me that if they will come to the FS table, more than half will continue to the next step in their walk with Christ.

What these numbers also show me how much work we have still to do!

The numbers show me that 181 people didn't come to the FS table. The numbers show me that 67 people didn't take the next step after coming to the FS table.

Then, I am reminded that it is our job to plant seeds, and to water, as the Lord provides opportunity, but it is He that causes the growth. We are to be diligent in doing everything He leads us to do, to create opportunities for people to connect and grow in their faith, but it is God, working in the hearts of these people who draws them to Himself.

Our job is to remain faithful!

O Ye of Little Faith!

Early last week we only had two people signed up for our next New Believer Growth Group which begins Wednesday, September 17th. I sent an email to a couple of leaders asking them to think and pray with me about moving it back a couple of weeks.

I no sooner than hit the send button that the Holy Spirit nailed me for my lack of faith! People usually sign up at the last minute for these groups, so why was I giving up? I began to pray, first for forgiveness, then for God to bring people who wanted to grow in Him.

Every day since, we have had people sign up. How cool is that! Add to that the fact that we had 11 people come to the Fresh Start table after just the 8:30 and 10:00 services!

God continues to move in a big way around here and I just need to remember that the best place for me to be is on my knees. I need to continue to learn to trust the Holy Spirit's leading. When he leads us to set a launch date for a group, I need to trust that he will take care of who will be coming.

Praise God for his faithfulness!

Olympic Politics

OK, I'm going political. We are having a blast watching the Olympics. Michael Phelps is amazing and fun to watch. The contrast of the men's and women's gymnastics teams is profound.

I am certainly disappointed with the whole women's gymnastics fiasco. I'm not saying that the girls deserved to win, because they made enough mistakes that they didn't earn it. I am wondering however, about the ages of the Chinese gymnasts. There are reports with "evidence" (not seen) that at least two of the girls aren't actually old enough to compete. The IOC's response is that since they showed a passport with the appropriate age, that they meet the standard, and won't investigate.

I'm not really commenting about that whole thing, but what I want to mention is the way that teams, including the USA have chosen to handle the situation. No one has filed an official protest, so there is no reason for the IOC to investigate further. Even if the reports are true, we may never know, and always wonder.

What I see in this though, is the decision to focus on the greater purpose. China is beginning to open its doors to the world. They have welcomed people from around the world to see them in action (even if there are some smoke and mirror tricks). The USA and other countries have chosen to pick their battles wisely. They see the greater purpose in encouraging China to open up, rather than to challenge them at every turn.

I commend our teams, who are often seen as arrogant snobs, for their care and graciousness in a variety of situations that could be real controversies. I even love that when the French relay team was talking smack, our guys just went out and beat them, and didn't say anything in response.

When we work with new believers it is often messy. People come to Christ with lots of baggage. The focus isn't on getting their lives cleaned up, it is on drawing them closer to Christ so that he can change their hearts, and lives, in his timing. Sometimes you have to bite your tongue, but there is a greater purpose - Leading them to become fully devoted followers of Christ!

Ministry to New Believers - Correcting a Mistake

I was wrong. I know that comes as a shock, but I made a mistake this past weekend that I have already taken steps to correct going forward.

This past weekend we had our Fresh Start Class. Usually we off the class on Saturday and on Sunday. In the past, once we added a Saturday night class, we offered the Saturday class every other month. This past fall, we added a second Saturday service. For Fresh Start, we began offering the class two times each month, and on Saturday once per month. This proved too often to have more than one or two in the class, so we went back to once per month with both Saturday and Sunday classes.

With the beginning of summer here, I thought I would pull back the Saturday class and in June and July, only offer the Sunday class. I got an email this last week from someone who attends Saturday night and works on Sundays. She wanted to attend the FS class. The Holy Spirit convicted me. Even though sometimes no one comes to the Saturday night class, we need to offer it every month, especially since we now have two services.

Yesterday I made sure that we added the Saturday classes to the calendar. One major reason we have Saturday services is because some people can't attend on Sunday. If they can't attend on Sunday, then they can't come to a class then either! This is a good lesson to learn. We can't offer things when we want, we need to offer things when they are needed.

From now on, we will offer both the Saturday and Sunday class each month. Lesson learned.

Update

OK, it's been too long since I have posted, but not as long as some of my friends and fellow staff members!

Since my last post I had surgery on my arm (doing OK), and we had nearly 2800 people on the weekend at PVC! No the two aren't related other than seeing God work in both situations.

We're nearly finished with the two NBGG groups that Mark and Debbie are leading. Dennis and I had the opportunity to visit last week and the growth is very cool to see! It was great for another staff member to see what's happening with our new believers, they don't always get to see the results like my team does.

We're heading into summer and instead of slowing down, we're cranking it up. June will be interesting with the "One Prayer" series. It will be cool to experience the teaching of some outside of PVC's gifted speakers. It will also be good for Greg to have a long break!

We have some tweaks coming in our New Believer ministry and some expansion plans too. This past weekend we had three potential coaches observing to see if this is where God wants them serving. It's great to see people coming to the table and asking what it takes to serve in this area.

Today I am having a conduction test done to evaluate nerve damage in my lover back and legs. Think of it as volunteering for the electric chair! OK, it's not that bad, but the test hurts, and yes they are electrocuting you in the process. This better help them solve some problems I am having!

Next!

After God showed up so hugely this weekend, it would be natural to take a break. It would be easy to sit back and reflect on the joy of this past weekend when 136 people went public with their faith by being baptized. But we can't!

Last weekend was one victory in a great war. It was one battle in the epic battle of Christ vs Satan. We got the privilege of witnessing God's power at work, and the evil one was powerless to stop it!

The war rages on. We don't have time to reflect on the battle won, we must prepare for the next one. We must equip as many as we can to stand up to the enemy and be victorious in their everyday lives.

So, what's next? This weekend is the Fresh Start Class. It will be Saturday at 5pm and Sunday at 10am. And so it continues. The preparation for the next battle. Reflection is necessary, and we will spend some time doing that today, but then we must move on. We must prepare for the next one.

As much as we rejoice in 136 baptized this weekend, we need to notice the thousands who are still without a relationship with Jesus Christ. So, we press on. We prepare others for battle. One thing you will notice though, is a bit quicker step, a broader smile on our faces, and a renewed vigor to accomplish the task before us.

Next!

Falling Away

Why do people fall away from Christ? And just as important, what draws them back? Lastly, how to we shore them up to prevent them from falling away again.

Some may argue that those who re-commit to Christ, probably weren't Christians to begin with. Their first decision probably wasn't sincere. That's not a call I can make. That's a matter for God to determine their heart. What I do know, is that people with genuine relationships with Christ, sometimes go through tough times and need a Fresh Start with God!

So how do we help them? Do we act as though they never had a relationship with Christ and have them use the same materials and go to the same classes as those accepting Christ for the first time? The more and more that I encounter people truly wanting to re-connect with Christ, I am convinced that they need something different. Something in between the new believer process and plugging them into regular home teams.

What that looks like, I don't know, but God has been impressing upon my heart that there needs to be resources geared to them. So, I am beginning work on that. Next week I will be taking some time for focused prayer and study in this area. Then, I will be meeting with other pastors to brainstorm in this area. I hope that by fall we will have a resource that will bring hope and connection to those re-connecting with God.

It's Raining New Believers!

I got curious. Since Easter, the decisions to accept Christ, re-dedicate lives, and people coming to the Fresh Start table has been off the hook! I ran a report this morning because I was curious to see how many people have made some sort of decision for Christ since Easter (total of 3 weeks). I took out duplicates and those who were just letting us know that they were believers (You'd be surprised at how many I get of those and from those who were just confused when they filled out their card).

The total?

In three weeks we have had 163 decisions! Take a moment to let that sink in.

I have cauliflower ear from talking on the phone so much!

Of those, 68 came to the Fresh Start table. That's an average of 23 people at the Fresh Start table on a weekend! That's people who aren't just saying that they made a decision. These are people saying that they made a decision and that they want to take the next step in their journey!
It wasn't long ago that our average was 4 and I was so excited to see that it had grown to 7!

We had 22 in the Fresh Start Class last weekend, the most ever!

There are 21 people signed up for the New Believer Growth Group! We had to multiply the group, and we are having two groups meeting on two nights of the week. The hosts, Mark and Debbie are going to lead both groups (I don't know who is more excited, me or them!)!

We have 46 people signed up to be baptized, but we just started announcing the date, and I just sent out about 200 letters inviting people to sign up for it.

I know it's a goofy term, but I really am giddy with excitement about all that God is doing here at Palm Valley Church! The fact that I get to be involved in this process is so humbling. The responsibility is as great as the opportunity to touch lives for the kingdom.

Perhaps even better, everyone who attended the last New Believer Growth Group is connected and serving! That means that the process is working. We are able to move people from decision to disciple and have a true impact in their lives. They aren't just going to classes, or joining groups, they are connecting with Christ and others. They are learning to feed themselves and others spiritually.

I am in awe at what the Lord is doing in our midst! I pray that it continues. I pray that we do it better so that we connect more people. I pray that God would send more people to participate in the process and help these people connect. I pray for strength and endurance, and I pray that the Lord will keep the evil one away so that these children of God can grow to maturity.

Praise God!

Connecting Point

Beginning February 5th we will be launching a new video based discussion series called Connecting Point. While primarily designed for new believers, it contains core teaching that anyone can grow with. I am so excited to finally launch this series!

I have learned a lot about creating and producing materials of this nature. I've done some video teaching in the past, but that was as a youth pastor (many years ago) and using an old fashioned video camera (it had the VHS tape inside). Quality was terrible, and I had no clue how to edit. For this series, we're using real video equipment and Don who is shooting and editing the material, really knows what he is doing. Even the rough cuts that I have seen look good!

I am praying that this series has a huge impact in leading new believers in their next steps of growth. I get to lead the first group to use the material and I am anxious to spend time with people who are hungry to grow in Christ.

We still have a lot of shooting to do, and I could use a lot of prayer that it all comes together as God has led.

New Believers Come with Baggage

This shouldn't be a surprise, but to some it is. Christians often think that everyone thinks like them, has the same moral and ethical values and boundaries, and have some knowledge of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

While that might be partially true for many of those returning to their relationship with Christ after running from him and doing their own thing for a number of years, it is often not the case for many making their first time decision to follow Christ by giving their lives to him.

Jesus said it was the sick who need the physician, and I see that to be true over and over again. When people come to Christ for the first time, they don't have any idea what they're getting into. Some are living sinful lifestyles, some have no social understanding or boundaries, some carry the baggage of years of hurt, or of hurting others. Others carry guilt or the baggage of a religion they were "involved" in, but never understood.

So how to we change these people into mature believers? WE DON'T!

Let me clarify. Our job is to love them in Christ, teach them to get to know Jesus and pray for him to work in their lives. We aren't their judge, but that doesn't mean that we condone sin. We need to coach them and mentor them along the way, and allow the Holy Spirit to convict and reveal his purposes in their lives.

2 Timothy 2:2 says that we need to teach God's truth to others who will be able to teach others also. In other words, we need to reproduce what God has done in our lives into the lives of others, who will reproduce what God has done in their lives in the lives of others who will do the same.

We need to lead them toward maturity, and let God change them. Everyone has a part, the person needs to learn to feed themselves and seek God, God will continue to touch their hearts and fulfill his purposes in them, and we need to be humble servants who love and care for those God brings our way.

Working with new believers can be messy, but it is so rewarding! There is nothing like seeing the light turn on when someone hears from God in their life. We simply need to help them learn to hear from him every day, and we need to make sure that we are doing the same!

You Know it's a Bad Day When...

I was making a bunch of phone calls to some new believers here at PVC the other day when one asked when the next Fresh Start Class was going to be. He said that he had gotten a postcard the other day with a September date! Ugh! I sent out 75 postcards that said September instead of January! Fortunately, besides me, our Fresh Start Team is making calls too. Hopefully people will figure out the error and look on-line, or ask at the Fresh Start Table.

If that's the worst thing that happens, that's not too bad! I spoke with some new believers who were not just excited about their new faith, but excited about reading the Bible too. I hope our regular people are as excited as these people are and stick with it!

We should have a good crowd for the FS Class on Sunday!

Two Minute Tuesday - Fresh Start

2007 went out with a bang with 19 people committing or re-committing their lives to Christ here at PVC! That means that about 266 people had there lives changed at PVC in the past year! God is so amazing, and we are so blessed that He chose us to be a part of the life change process in the lives of these people!

So what's in store for 2008? Hang on for the ride, because it's going to be even more amazing than last year! I obviously have no idea how many people will connect or re-connect with Christ at PVC this year, but even if it were only one, we have a significant work ahead of us! I believe that it will be many, many more, and won't venture a number because that's God's thing, but I will say that we will make every effort to endure that each person who makes a decision for Christ this year will connect with God's Word and His church.

There will be some new materials coming out this year that will help us better accomplish our purposes. Stay tuned!

In the mean time, here are three things that you can do to help new believers at Palm Valley Church this year:

1. Connect deeper with God yourself. Be sure to do your daily devotions. Here from God every day!
2. Pray for the Fresh Start Team, for Diane as the coordinator, and for me as the pastor in this area.
3. Serve graciously! Not under compulsion, but with a joyous heart. Bring others into service with you!

I can't wait to see what God's going to do!

Question

Here's a question that I have been praying through.

When we begin equipping new believers,do we focus on the cost of discipleship, the benefits of discipleship, or a combination of both?

Of the limited material out their for discipling new believers, the vast majority focuses on one end of the spectrum or the other. There is little if any decent material available which takes a blended approach.

The cost approach focuses on what we give up to follow Christ. It focuses on "counting the cost" and on "carrying our cross" and on "denying ourself". These are all Biblical concepts, but do they scare people away? Some would argue that if someone is scared away, they didn't really believe to begin with.

The benefits approach focuses on the promise of heaven and eternal life. It acknowledges that we will struggle in this life, and that we must put Christ first, but focuses on "will not perish but have eternal life" and "my burden is light" and "cast your cares upon Him". Some would argue that this Utopian view of discipleship leaves people weak and without deep convictions leading to holiness.

Is it not possible to blend these two? If we teach people to love God and love others aren't we capturing both approaches? Loving God includes the cost and benefit teachings of Scripture. Loving others is the active side of our faith. It is practical holiness, what I believe Jesus modeled. Jesus lived the cost, but didn't dwell on it because He knew the benefit outweighed the cost. He was trying to show this as He ministered to people. His focus was on reconnecting people to God, which leads to holiness and therefore receives the benefits, and connecting people with community, which is holiness revealed to the world (see Matthew 5:16).

So what does a blended approach look like? How do we teach both at the same time? That's what I am working through. I would love your prayers and ideas!

Two Minute Tuesday - Preference VS Purpose

Our purpose is very clear - To love God, and love others. The way we accomplish that, or live that out often is governed by our preferences. Some prefer to worship to a particular style of music, or to attend a service with a particular style. Over time, churches tend to develop a particular style. Just like people, churches develop personalities. The down side is that after some time has passed, it is often difficult to make necessary changes to reach a changing culture, or paradigm. The upside is comfort and stability.

One constant here at Palm Valley Church is change. Not change for change sake (though some may think that is the case), but change to make sure that we are doing everything we can to fulfill our purpose. Our Ministry to New Believers is no different. God has been speaking to me a lot lately about how we encourage new believers to take the next step in their spiritual journey. Shortly after the first of the year, I'll blog specifically about the journey and the changes that are coming. Right now, I'm asking you to pray for me. Over the past couple of months, God has been "disturbing" me, and challenging even some core methodologies that I was discipled with years ago. It's beginning to come together and I can't wait to see the finished product. I believe that it will shake things up, but that's a good thing! Stay tuned!

Feeding Others

Tis' the season. During this time of year we focus on those in need around us. We give food, we serve food, and we send money to purchase food. This is all good and it is desperately needed, but I want to talk for a moment about a different type of starvation.

People all around us are starving. Many don't even realize it. Many Christians don't even notice. I'm talking about those who accept Christ, and starve because no one will feed them. Now, understand what I am talking about here. I am a huge proponent in, and firmly believe, that we need to feed ourselves spiritually by maintaining good habits, or disciplines, such as prayer and Bible study. I truly believe that it is not the church's responsibility to feed mature Christians, but to equip them to feed themselves.

That said, my heart aches for those who are starving. I'm talking about those who have just accepted Christ, or have returned to Him after trying to live life on their own terms, discovering that it is Christ who brings "fullness" of life. These are spiritual infants who cannot yet feed themselves. We would never let a newborn starve to death, we would feed him/her. Why are spiritual newborns any different? Isn't our spiritual life as important as life itself?

Why then are so few Christians willing to feed others? Why don't we have a line of people begging to help new believers learn to feed themselves? I would think every mature believer would want to lead a home team, and serve in a ministry geared to new believers. I know that I am biased, but don't accuse me of tunnel vision here. I know the church has other needs. We need people to feed children, literally and spiritually, as well as other needs. What I am talking about here goes beyond program to lifestyle.

I think part of the problem is that many Christians don't consider themselves mature. This is sad in the church today, with all of the resources that are available, to have such immaturity. I think anyone who has been a believer long enough to be able to find things in the Bible and talk to God is mature enough to help feed infant believers.

The bottom line is that we need to raise the importance of feeding spiritual infants. We need to feed them until they are able to feed themselves. Just like babies, it doesn't take long, only a few months, but they need help until then. We need people to step up and feed the hungry!

Two Minute Tuesday - Thursday already?!

Sunday night we had the Fresh Start Team over to our house for dinner and some equipping. After a great video from Pastor Greg, I shared some thoughts with the team. I challenged them to be in the Word of God every day. To focus on their relationship with Christ because it is out of that relationship comes our ability to care for new believers. If our tank is empty, how can we fill the tank of someone else?

At the end of our time together I saw our Ministry Coordinator Diane act on a prompting by the Holy Spirit to pray over each of the team and Paige and I. It was a powerful moment and it was awesome to see God use her this way. She is such an encouragement to me and to see her fulfilling what I was just talking about was great! It was obvious that she is walking with God because if you aren't, you won't hear His voice. She not only heard His voice, she acted and did what she was being led to do.

Thanks Diane for your example of love and obedience to Christ!

Two Minute Tuesday - Celebrate!

I can't wait for Sunday! I especially can't wait for this Sunday when I get to hang out with the Fresh Start Team at my house for dinner! These people love Jesus, and they love people who are getting to know Jesus. They inspire me and challenge me to work hard on their behalf.

We need to get together more, and I'm going to work on that. I want to celebrate what this team means to me, and to new believers that God brings to Palm Valley Church. Many of them have faced difficult challenges this year, which makes their faithfulness all the more special as examples to me and others.

Jesus called for workers for the harvest. God continually brings a harvest to PVC and these workers are ready. We can always use more, and we would gladly welcome others to the team, but these people rock!

Our vision to encourage people to take the next step in their spiritual journey is an integral element in the church's vision to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

Thank you for leading people to take the next step!

Two Minute Tuesday

I first want to say thank you and welcome to two new members of the Fresh Start Team. Ken has a great heart and has served at PVC for some time. I have worked with his wife in the hospital ministry. They are great people you will want to get to know. Velma is new to PVC, but has served Christ for some time. I am excited to get to know her and her husband. Along with Connie, who has such a compassionate heart, the team has grown by three in the past several weeks. Keep praying that God sends workers to the harvest!

I want to focus for a minute on love and joy. In your personal and spiritual life, I encourage you to foster, focus, and grow in these areas. Learn to love God more and draw closer to Him. Learn to love people more and focus on drawing them closer to Christ, especially those our culture considers "unlovely" or "unlovable". May your joy increase as you grow closer to Christ and others and get to Him and His people better and better. Out of love and joy comes the best service! If you aren't serving out of love and joy, we need to find you another place to serve. We also need to spur one another to greater levels of love and joy. Not just as we serve new believers, but in life.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, take some time to express your gratitude to God for what He has done and continues to do in your life. Thank Him for the opportunity to be used by Him to help others grow closer to Him. You do a great work serving new believers.

I love you all and my heart is filled with joy when I think of you and the ministry we have the privilege of sharing in together!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Paul