For those of you who made it to this year’s celebration, I hope you are already looking forward to next year. If you weren’t able to make it this year, mark your calendar now for next year. And go ahead and start saving for it now. A family of four needs to set aside just $10 per week to have the weekend covered. Save your pocket change and get a big jar.

As always it was a great joy to have Terry Virgo with us for the weekend. He started us off so well by reminding us Jesus is our rest, shade and delight. Perfect timing. Many rush from work on Friday afternoon to arrive at UCM, load in kids and provisions and then head to the first meeting. The band has already been there for a day preparing to lead us into the presence of our Savior. And that they did. During his 2nd preach, Terry reminded us of Jonathan and his armor-bearer (1 Samuel 14:1-15). Knowing who they were and what God had called them to, they went for it and started a route of the Philistines. Several years ago as we began to work into Maryville, God spoke the same passage to us and said ‘come on up.’And that we did and continue to do.

Therefore (one of my favorite Bible words), we move forward as Living Hope Church, and as a family of churches, on mission together. We look to our own Northside neighborhood and on to Iowa. We look to Columbia and Springfield in Missouri and the churches yet to be planted there which are already formed in the mind of God. His kingdom is advancing and we are advancing with him.

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What is the most important gift? The one that will help the most in a particular situation! Sweet! Again, content and intent is key. Is it for me or the building up of the body by seeing Jesus manifested amongst us?

The time for our seminar grew short so not all of chapter 14 was expounded upon.

Here are a few of my thoughts from Tim’s teaching…

1 Corinthians 14:1-19 – How to administer the gifts at home and in meetings.
2 – speaking in tongues is to God – praying
3 ways of tongues (languages)

• to speak and be understood in a language you do not understand (Acts 2:4-7)
• to speak to God in private without interpretation (we believe available to all who are baptized in the Holy Spirit)
• to speak to God in public with interpretation

To interpret is to proclaim the burden of what’s been prayed in tongues – not necessarily the exact wording of the one giving the tongue. God gives the interpreter the burden so that in their voice they declare to all the prayer to God which exalts Jesus. We are not simply robots, we are human, and God uses our “humaness”, our similarities and differences to display His glory.

Back to unity/diversity in the church body:

Ephesians 1:22-23

Together we display the wonder and plan of God more than we ever can on our own. The fullness of Jesus now dwells in His corporate people.

1 Corinthians 14:3

Prophecy (which is to be desired and according to Paul done more) does 3 things:

• Edifies (build’s up)
• Exhorts and encourages
• Comforts and consoles

1 Corinthians 14:4

Private use of tongues/languages builds me up. Me being built up in Jesus equips me to build others up and do it from the heart of chapter 13: Love!

1 Corinthians 14:5

Paul wishes that we all speak in tongues and prophesy. How do tongues work in private? Praying in tongues in private is a commitment to live in the supernatural. This is something I want to be committed to! Don’t you ever run out of English (or whatever your native language is) words to express what’s in your heart toward God? I do, so I pray in tongues and my soul is lifted!

That was where we ended. Wow! So much. So rich. Making Jesus famous in our midst so that we make him famous in our world!

If you missed this time with Tim, we will be working with him shortly to do the same teaching this fall at our Maryville location. As soon as we know the dates, clear your calendar! It would make Paul happy.

Express your earnest desire by attending, learning and then growing in the gifts God wants to give to and through you for the fame of Jesus.

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“We should focus our delight more on being part of the body than our part in the body.”

- Tim Chambers

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 is progressive in variety, a gift works and has effect. In these verses we see Spirit, Lord and God – our great 3-in-1 God!

We use gifts to serve, not to get attention or find identity!

Tim hit this several times. I believe we all have a tendency to find our value in what we do instead of who we are. They are difficult to separate but we must fight for this or we will live in a perpetual state of feeling good about ourselves and then feeling bad – a dangerous and depressing roller-coaster to live on.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

Gifts are manifestation of the Spirit, God is here now! Every believer gets gifts. It’s not just for me. They are given to share for the common good. We are the body of Christ. There are no lone-ranger Christians. We do not work out our salvation on our own.

The perfect time for gifts of healing to break out is when we are taking new territory. Think about going into the Maryville, Northside and Iowa – we should always be taking new territory for Jesus. Therefore, we should always be earnestly desiring Spirit gifts when we go so that Jesus is made manifest.

To those unfamiliar with the Bible, the word “tongues” can be confusing. The real word behind “tongues” is “languages”.

Ephesians 4:11

Gifts are given for the building up of the church: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor/Teacher.

The Gift of intercession is not in the Bible. We all intercede. It’s available to all of us, although some appear to grab a hold of it and have more passion for it. Is that you or do you want that to be you?

1 Corinthians 12:12-26 – The Body Analogy

Unity and diversity in Christ’s body displays the manifold beauty of God.

1 Corinthians 12:14-20 – The Wrong View of Ourselves

We minimize our part and can be dissatisfied with the gifts God gives us. This can cause us to live independently and removed from the body of Christ and a local church

1 Corinthians 12:21-26 – Our Wrong View of Others

“The exclusion of the weak is the death of the fellowship.”

-Bonnhoeffer

1 Corinthians 12:28

It’s not about importance but about the order of building. The foundation comes first, then so-forth. Jesus is both our cornerstone and capstone. It’s just all about Him!

1 Corinthians 12:29-30 is about diversity. It’s not about justifying the status-quo or my comfort so that I can set aside the Gifts and say all I need is love (cue Beatles song under your reading!).

1 Corinthians:14 continues this thought on seeking the higher gifts. Is part of our regular prayer life asking God for these Gifts to be resident in us for the building up of the body and the common good? Though 1 Corinthians 13 is often read at weddings this is not the context it was written in. Please, if you want, still use it in your wedding!

This chapter on love being “the more excellent way” goes right along with looking for the content and intent of the Gifts. Does it glorify Jesus? Am I using the Gift God has given in order? Am I using the Gift God has given with, out of and for the sake of love? Or am I using the gift to build myself up and tear someone else down? Am I loving in my use of the Spirit gifts? If not, I need to examine my heart, repent and seek forgiveness.

1 Corinthians:13:10 is especially used to say the gifts have ceased in our time. We obviously believe this not to be the case, biblically. 1 Corinthians 13:10-12 provide markers indicating the time for these gifts to cease has not come. Briefly, here they are:

Verse 10 – when the perfect comes…Paul is writing this after the Perfect One (Jesus) has come and gone back to the Father…this must be speaking of when He comes again to make all things new…Paul knew the times he lived in and knew Jesus.

Verse 12 – then face to face…when Jesus comes again (which hasn’t happened) we will see Him face-to-face and the gifts won’t be needed because then we will also fully know and be fully known like I currently am not because the Perfect One is waiting for His Father’s command to return.

While I long to see Him face-to-face, to know fully and be fully known (some days more than others), I also want Him to wait so as many as possible can come into His glorious, wonderful, amazing, exhilarating, mind-blowing kingdom before it’s too late to do so!

The gifts are still for today! When Jesus comes again and makes all things new, we will be glad for the gifts to cease because we will have the Giver present with us forever and ever, Amen.

Stay tuned for Part 3…

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Does that describe you and me?

Does that describe Living Hope Church?

Paul opens chapter 14 of his first letter to the church in Corinth (though to him it was just the continuation of a letter) with these words, “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1.

It is now Monday morning and I am still thinking through, meditating on and praying through the teaching given to us from our friend Tim Chambers this past weekend. I hope you are also.

Just a few practical follow-up notes…

1. If you were able to attend part of the seminar but not all, we will email you when the audio is available by private link for you to download. Since it was a seminar/teaching we will not post it to the public side of our website.
2. You should be receiving an email soon, asking you to send us the 3 spiritual gifts that you are earnestly desiring through prayer, study and action. We will be praying for you, LHC and our community so that through the faithful use of these gifts we might all be built up for the common good and the glory of Jesus.

My quick hits

Warning: If I misquote or misrepresent any of Tim’s points in any way, it is completely my fault. I was taking notes as fast as I could!

1. We now serve a speaking God. Previously we served mute idols that were unable to give us an answer – though other spirits often communicated through them (1 Corinthians 12:2).
2. Gifts of the Spirit (hereafter referred to as Spirit gifts) have everything to do with the manifest (here & now) presence of God! The first purpose of Spirit gifts is that we hear His voice – He declares His own presence.
3. Spirit gifts are not a way for me or you to discover our identity – it’s not about us! Our identity must stay firmly rooted in Jesus (Psalm 84:10). If we limit the Spirit, we limit how much we hear from God; we diminish His manifest presence.
4. The Holy Spirit always exalts Jesus! Yes, Always!
5. Content of genuine prophecy will be Christ-honoring and exalting.
6. Jesus said the Spirit would testify (just like a witness in a courtroom) about Him (Revelation 19:10). When receiving prophecy we are looking for both content as well as intent.

Throwing out the baby with the bathwater

1. Great damage comes from confusing principles of order with principles of source.
2. In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul never says the gifts are not from God – Paul just speaks of getting in order. Let’s not forget this. A corpse is orderly!
3. Bodily manifestations (shaking, falling, etc.) don’t prove or disprove anything. God knows He’s working with and through humans – He made us after all.
4. Disorder has to do with context.
5. God desires order in a meeting so that when He speaks everyone can hear His voice and know He speaks. It’s His meeting, isn’t it?

Stay tuned for Part 2…

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Frankie: Tim! It’s so good to be talking with you! Thanks for taking time to shed some more light on what your upcoming seminar on spiritual gifts is all about. First things first, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?

Tim: Ok. Sure. Well, my name is Tim Chambers. I was raised in Pennsylvania before coming to Joplin to go to school. We started attending a church here and I eventually got involved in leadership. I’ve now been the lead elder of that church, Christ’s Church of Joplin, for over 20 years. In 1994 we joined up with the Newfrontiers family of churches.

Frankie: Spiritual gifts… Not the typical weekend seminar topic! While parenting and budget courses are still important, why do you feel this subject also deserves some special attention?

Tim: Because it’s how the church functions. We say we’re charismatic – and we are – but being charismatic and welcoming spiritual gifts is about how the church actually works. How do meetings work? How does the government of the church work? In the New Testament, the answers to these questions have to do with spiritual gifts. Another big thing is that spiritual gifts are a way God manifests His presence among us. So, the greater our understanding of spiritual gifts and the more accurately and enthusiastically we practice them, the more God’s presence will be experienced in our churches. Also, it’s through spiritual gifts that the church is built up, so this affects the maturity of a church. I think these are some pretty good reasons for why we’d want to give this special attention – but it’s more than just knowledge, we need to grow in our confidence to be used in these ways.

In our seminar, we’ll have time to discuss some questions that people have. Things like: How should a meeting look? Why would we have someone speak in tongues in a meeting? How do you know whether something needs an interpretation of not? How can we tell if something spoken is from God or not? What about order? One person’s idea of order might be a lot different than the next person’s. How do we know if we’re being orderly? Can we get new gifts? Many of us have questions about spiritual gifts. Sometimes people have questions they are afraid to ask. But these questions are answered in the Bible.

Frankie: Is there a specific list of spiritual gifts or is it more of a generic term?

Tim: What we’ll do in the seminar is really focus our attention on the longest section of scripture that deals with spiritual gifts which is 1 Corinthians 12 through 14. In those three chapters there are specific spiritual gifts that Paul talks about more than others, like prophesy, tongues and interpretation. But he lists others. So we’ll examine those plus other lists in scripture. We’ll compile a big list and think about definitions and about ways we would like to be used. But none of the lists in the Bible are exhaustive. I don’t think there is a limit to the number of spiritual gifts God gives to His people. We’ll focus most of our attention on the things the New Testament texts emphasize. I’m also really interested in getting everyone at the seminar to think about what they want in regards to spiritual gifts. This is at least as important as thinking about what we’ve got. Paul talks about eagerly desiring spiritual gifts, so one of the goals of this seminar will be to make people want stuff.

Frankie: What was your first encounter with spiritual gifts like?

Tim: Well, there are different kinds of encounters. I think anyone in church has encountered spiritual gifts. For instance, I grew up going to church, so I would have been around people with teaching gifts. I don’t know if people thought of those things as being gifts of the Spirit. It wasn’t talked about in those terms, but I was encountering the gift. If you are in church you can’t avoid spiritual gifts. So in that sense I encountered them early. But later, I really began to study spiritual gifts in the Bible and saw that there were gifts that were not given much place in the church. When I was in my early 20’s I began to see actually how much more there was. And then I was filled with the Spirit and started to experience some of those things.

Frankie: How have those later experiences affected your life?

Tim: Oh, in a huge way! I mean, it’s changed the way I view the church and God being among His people. You know what I’m talking about Frankie, this thing we experience at Living Hope, Christ’s Church, and other Newfrontiers churches where in a meeting people who aren’t on the “program” actually come up to speak, and God is there, weaving it all together. That isn’t practiced very many places. But I’m totally sold out to it. I think it’s the New Testament pattern, and I think it radically changes the life of a church Monday through Friday when we “open the lid” on spiritual gifts during our times together. What happens in our meetings is wonderful, but it’s not just about what happens in meetings, it’s about how the church functions day to day. So, it’s revolutionized my view of the church, my prayer life, my time in worship, and the way I view pastoral ministry. When I’m trying to help someone, I’m not just thinking about counsel, I’m thinking about supernatural insight as being on the list of things God can do!

Frankie: So maybe even in evangelism, too?

Tim: Yes, absolutely. When you really break it down, there isn’t any aspect of church life that gets left out, that doesn’t benefit from spiritual gifts.

Frankie: On the topic of spiritual gifts, what advice would you give to someone who would consider themselves a new Christian?

Tim: Study scripture. Learn how these things work in the Bible. Learn how they worked in the life of Jesus. Be expectant. Expect God to continue to use you in new ways. Ultimately, we all should want to be filled with the Spirit, so that’s what I would desire for any new Christian. Be filled with the Spirit and step into those things that God has for you. And that really applies to any Christian, not just new ones.

Frankie: Well Tim, we’re very excited to be having you come up to be with us and we look forward to learning more in your seminar!

Tim: Thanks for calling. It was nice talking to you and I’m excited to see you all soon.

Spiritual Gifts Seminar
May 14-15, 2010 at Living Hope Church St. Joseph
Session 1 – Friday, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Session 2 – Saturday, 12:00 – 3:00pm (Please eat lunch beforehand, we will provide coffee and snacks.)

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6. Your Kids
Looking back to when I was a kid, CMW had a huge impact on my life! The friendships I built have lasted into my adult life and I’m fortunate enough to say that I am still pursuing the call of God in my life with some of those childhood friends right alongside me. God knits hearts together within our family of churches and it often begins with our kids. It was also in a CMW kid’s worship meeting when I first heard God speak to me. I remember it vividly and it changed the course of my eight year old life! Our kids are hearing from God during these times together. Let’s encourage them!

5. Your Teens
You have not seen uninhibited worship until you’ve seen a CMW Oneblaze meeting! Our young people are passionate about Jesus and it’s contagious. Your teenager is looking for missional purpose in their life. They won’t find it at school or on a sports team – they find it in Jesus, through the mission of the church. Gather 200+ of them into a crowded room with some loud speakers and get ready…they’ll teach you a thing or two about passion!

4. Togetherness
Only at CMW can you meet someone from Fayetteville or Chicago and feel like you’ve known them your whole life! To be on mission together is more than just a creed – it’s hearts being molded together for His purposes. By coming together to celebrate who God is, and where He’s called us to go, the Holy Spirit really opens up a feeling of togetherness, which in turn, spurs us on all the more!

3. Worship
One of my favorite things about CMW is the time we spend together in worship. The Holy Spirit faithfully meets us as we devote our attention to Him together. It’s a refreshing time. It’s a passionate time. God really does inhabit the praise we bring with the full spectrum of His presence. Come enjoy it!

2. Apostolic Teaching
There are far reaching benefits when we open our lives to receive apostolic teaching. The mission we are on isn’t easy. We need each other and we need spiritual fathers who can help us realize vision. Often, we forget what God’s already done for us and what He’s asked us to do. Come and remember what God has called us to be. Let’s spur each other on into that calling and work it out together!

1. God Speaks
Our God is more faithful than we could ever be. CMW or not, He is faithful to speak to us and prove that He’s running the race ahead of us. Even just a few years ago, before he became one of our campus pastors in Maryville, Parker Marks was given a prophetic word during a CMW meeting and was completely healed of a rare and serious form of dyslexia. After a life-long battle with the condition, Parker was healed in an instant, reading complete words, sentences and paragraphs without interruption! That particular year, Parker had decided not to walk with his graduating class in order to attend CMW – and I think it’s safe to say that was one decision he’ll never regret!

God wants to meet with us. He wants to heal us spiritually, emotionally and physically. He wants to pour out more grace on our lives and wants us to just enjoy being His. Let’s enjoy it together!

Celebration Midwest 2010 » June 4-6th at UCM in Warrensburg, MO

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Easter also means this is the time of year when those you’ve been inviting to church are very likely to say ‘YES’! Call it what you will: a cultural phenomenon, crazy (or call me crazy), just call somebody and invite them to church. If they’ve said ‘no’ before give them another chance to say ‘YES’. And maybe – no, we believe – they will come to know Jesus. Jesus said so, He is drawing people to Himself, today.

So go for it! Invite someone. The worst they will say is ‘no’ and usually, in America, they’re pretty nice even when they say ‘no’.

And if you’re on this site just checking us out, consider yourself invited. Join us this Sunday at 10 a.m. in St. Joseph or 11 a.m. in Maryville. We look forward to meeting you.

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Freely given? Come on, there must be a catch, right? No. Freely given, but in actuality, costly to obtain on both sides. It cost Jesus His life and for us to appropriate it, it will also cost us our life. We trade our life for His. When we reach that point it’s an absolutely amazing offer. Do I have to clean up my life? No. Trade your life, with all your stuff (even your religious rules), for Jesus’ perfect life. That’s freedom.

So, who is it a scandal to? Most often to the religious. To those who’ve forgotten who they once were, or who have never actually received grace. Maybe they have just adopted a religious lifestyle and joined their goodness to Christ’s. Maybe they are now taking credit for the grace of God still at work in their life. Ouch. I do that sometimes. Jesus, forgive me. It’s all you, all the time.

Maybe the scandal is that we would offer anything less than our entire lives to Christ. Although it may be better said this way: the scandal is that we would offer anything less than our death to Christ. I believe this is it. He gave His life and we are often satisfied with just adding Him to ours, compartmentalizing Him or putting Him in our pocket for when we need Him. We try to give Him the leftovers of our life (time, energy, money) instead of the first, and best, parts, or better yet, our whole lives.

That’s the scandal. That I am satisfied with so little when He has already given so much and has more in store for me. That I freely obtain this costly grace and expect it to cost me nothing. That I am satisfied to die just a little and not continually die day upon wonderful day.

I’m undone. I have so far to go, yet His grace sustains me and carries me forward. What He began in me, He will continue. The race I began by grace will only truly continue by grace. Glorious, amazing, undoing, stunning grace. Jesus, You are amazing!

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“…because the times in my life when I have been most happy haven’t been the times when I’ve had the most money or the most freedom or the most anything, but rather when I’ve been in love or in community or right with people.”

– Donald Miller, ‘Searching for God Knows What’

On Sundays we gather as Living Hope to celebrate our love for God and one another and hear the preached word. We catch up with friends we haven’t seen throughout the week and welcome guests who are checking out us and Jesus. Sundays are also the time we are reminded of our who we are together as Living Hope Church: a local church to St. Joseph and Maryville, a member of the Newfrontiers family of churches that stretches around the world, and as part of that great cloud of witnesses which stretches down through the ages.

Community groups are smaller groups of people that gather in homes throughout our community to ‘live life together.’ They ideally consist of 15-20 people who meet together as a community group once per week. They share a meal or a snack (depending on the group), enjoy a short time of worship together (this can be in song, the reading of a Psalm or a poem depending on the talents and gifts resident within that group), explore how what was taught in the previous Sunday’s preach can be applied and worked out in our everyday lives, break bread (communion), and finally, pray together and for one another.

Most groups last approximately 1 1/2 hours officially, but as friendship grows, you may hang out late into the evening. Childcare will be arranged as needed depending on the group.

Community groups are where we care for one another. We do this in practical ways, like preparing meals for a new mother and her family, helping with that move into a new house or apartment, making hospital visits, and the like. They are where we share “the stuff of life” and bear one another’s burdens in love.

Should you join a community group? The answer is yes! Father God created us to live out our Christian life in community. God exists in perfect community and He designed us to live in community with Him and others.

As we learn to live our life together in these community groups, our hope is that our lives are changed more and more to look like Jesus’. As this happens, we then look outside ourselves – which we are always called to do, it’s not one or the other, it’s both – and invite our friends, neighbors and co-workers to join us in this new community. We believe everyone is looking for connection, friendship and deep community. It’s how we’re made.

I very much encourage you to join a community group and be a part of the mission we are on together: Connecting people to Jesus, His church and the world.

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Proverbs 16:9 says this, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

Plans are good, and I am finding that in my own life, they really do make more room for God to do as He wills. I would like to point all of us to some resources to help us have a plan for reading the Bible and engaging God in His word this year.

It’s the year 2010, so why not use that to help us engage with Jesus? I’m asking and praying that each of us take 20 minutes a day to read our Bible and 10 minutes to spend in prayer and contemplation upon what we’ve read. How does that sound? That’s 30 minutes of each day solely devoted to Jesus! Let’s have true 20/10 vision in the year 2010 with the help of God’s Word. Let’s do it together!

Now, what should I read during that 20 minutes?

Below I will point you to three different sites that can help you plan a systematic plan to get through the whole Bible, the New Testament or whatever part you plan to get through in a year. I believe that most us (with 20 minutes a day) can get through the whole Bible in a year. So, pick a plan. Without one we tend to read what we like and know and give up once we’ve run out of things to like!

1. YouVersion

YouVersion has a multitude of plans. You can get plans delivered to your email or to your phone, etc. You can adjust plans, pick the amount of time you want to take, on & on & on. It’s crazy. Give it a look.

2. The ROAD Method

The Journey out of St. Louis has developed the ROAD method. It’s read a 3 days, then take a day off plan. Sweet! You can get a downloadable, printable version of the plan directly off their website. As well as printed and video overviews of the books you’re reading. Darrin Patrick, who leads The Journey, is a friend of ours and he will be speaking at our Mobilise USA conference in January. It’s online, it’s free, thank you Journey.

3. The SOAP Method

The SOAP method from New Hope in Hawaii (I think I need to go there to personally check it out…haha) is another great choice and one that we have promoted a lot in the past. Several of you have been reaping the benefits of journaling. This plan teaches you how to use the SOAP method and will link you to their reading plan is designed to take you through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice in just one year.

I highly encourage you to write down your thoughts, either using New Hope’s SOAP method or Journey’s ROAD method. These are essentially the same methods, but with different names. Both emphasize (and we agree) picking one verse to concentrate on, observing it in context, deciding how to apply it to our life and then doing so, and writing out a prayer based on what God has showed us.

Another practical way to make our Bible reading more effective is to deepen our understanding of Scripture itself. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart is a great book that focuses on understanding context and the style of writing each book is written in.

We have access to all the tools we need. We have access to the same Spirit who inspired the writers. We have access to the Father through the Son. What are we waiting for?

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