David Horner: Principles and Lessons Learned

Last night I attended the SendRDU Church Planting Forum at The Summit Church.  As mentioned here previously, my pastor David Horner spoke on the topic of "The Church that Will Outlive You: Planting a Church that Will Last."  He started Providence in 1978 and has led the church for over 30 years, so he has the requisite experience to talk to planters about a church's longevity and consistency.  More info, and potentially the forthcoming ability to listen to or download the audio of the event, is available at the SendRDU website.  You can find out more about David at the Providence site.

David Horner

Amy and Matt Morgan

 

Mike Hall and Blake Hickman

Not pictured: Nick Roark and George Tissiere, who apparently chose not to sit at Matt's front-and-center table. ☺

SendRDU Forum with David Horner

Last minute, but wanted to broadcast this opportunity for tomorrow evening, Tuesday, April 7, for everyone in the Triangle area.  David Horner, my pastor (and boss), will be speaking about churches that last at a church planting forum at The Summit Church.  From the SendRDU website:

Church Planting Forum - April 7th

David Horner
The Church that Will Outlive You: Planting a Church that Will Last

Tuesday, April 7th, 7-8:30 pm
The Summit Church, Brier Creek Campus (map & directions)

SendRDU
SendRDU is a network of churches in RDU partnering together to equip leaders to plant gospel-centered churches in RDU, North Carolina, North America, and cities around the world.

Our monthly Church Planting Forums are designed to equip leaders to apply church planting principles to ministry.

Upcoming Forums: May 5th - J.D. Greear will speak at Providence

About the Speaker
David Horner is the founding pastor of Providence Baptist Church, and he has served as the senior pastor ever since. A native of Graham, NC, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest University and holds a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has authored three books, including Firmly Rooted, Faithfully Growing,  and Dad’s Words of Wisdom. Most recently he wrote, A Practical Guide for Life and Ministry, which offers help for people in ministry who are trying to maintain a biblical balance in their lives.

Exponential 09

Wanted to mention this great opportunity: the upcoming Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL.  The conference is also, or perhaps formerly, known as the National New Church Conference.  This year, instead of focusing primarily on the science and practice of church planting, the organizers hope to emphasize the art and movement aspect of starting new churches.  Click the banner below for more info.

Mindful of Heaven

It seems that, in popular culture, the idea of the "End" or of heaven has always prompted some interesting responses.  But Doomsday in 2012?

"Fueled by a crop of books, Web sites with countdown clocks, and claims about ancient timekeepers, interest is growing in what some see as the dawn of a new era, and others as an expiration date for Earth: December 21, 2012."

After recently seeing the above quote and reading the entire piece on CNN.com regarding some people's concerns about the end of the world in 2012, I was reminded of some thoughts I shared last year in speaking about heaven.  This article is a very abbreviated version of a message titled "Are We Ready Now?" regarding the Christian perspective of heaven.

So what is a pop culture perspective on heaven?  Take a look at some excerpts of what Joel Stein, Los Angeles Times opinion columnist, had to say about heaven in 2007.

"I have a bad habit of annoying Christians.  Partly it's because I don't believe in Jesus, and partly it's because Jesus keeps letting me write columns about how I don't believe in Jesus.

"Last March, after some campaigning, I got Starbucks to put a quote from me on the their paper cups.  It said: 'Heaven is totally overrated.  It seems boring.  Clouds, listening to people play the harp.  It should be somewhere you can't wait to go, like a luxury hotel.  Maybe blue skies and soft music were enough to keep people in line in the 17th century, but heaven has to step it up a bit.  They're basically getting by because they only have to be better than hell.' ...

"I wasn't surprised that I got a lot of angry e-mails and letters.  But I was surprised that a stranger cared enough to send me the book Heaven by Randy C. Alcorn.  In the next few months, four other people sent me the same book—one of them inscribed to me and autographed. ...

"The book is 533 pages long, so I decided to just call Alcorn at his ministry in Oregon.  He's one of the foremost non-dead experts on heaven, having also written 50 Days of Heaven, In Light of Eternity: Perspectives on Heaven and Heaven for Kids.  Alcorn said that a few outraged people had shown him my Venti cup.  It made him laugh.  'Not because I thought it was silly, but because I believed it, in essence,' he said.  'Hey, I agree.  The Christian church has communicated an extremely boring view of heaven.  I think it's wrongheaded and flat unbiblical.' ..."

From Joel Stein, Los Angeles Times opinion column, December 21, 2007

The problem is that we Christians have contributed to, or perhaps even helped to create, these flippant ideas about heaven and the afterlife.  The problem, simply put, is the trivialization of heaven and hell.

_______________

Followers of Christ believe that heaven exists and that it should affect how we live.  So what does a heavenly perspective mean as I live my life?  How do I begin to see today in view of the future?  How should our church community respond in light of what the future holds?  These are important questions that should come to mind, and we must honestly answer them if we hope in the reward of heaven.

Ultimately, what we are asking is: What would it be like if we in the church were all truly mindful of heaven—if our thoughts were filled with heaven?

As I searched the Scriptures to review what actions we should be taking in light of the future, over and over again I was reminded of the connection Scripture makes between the "Day of the Lord" and the actions we should take because of it.

In the Scriptures, in 2 Peter 3.10-18, we are told that the day of the Lord will mark dire consequences for those who do not know God, but wonderful blessings for those who not only know Him but eagerly await His return.  While we wait, however, our minds should be filled with thoughts of heaven, which then drive us to action.  In this Bible text, we are given five specific paths of action when we are mindful of heaven.

1. Being mindful of heaven keeps us eagerly anticipating our home (see 2 Peter 3.10-13).

Part of the joy of going to a great destination is the excitement that builds along the way.  This eager anticipation is true about heaven.  For those of us who trust in Christ and long to see Him face to face, there is great anticipation and delight, and there is no earthly happiness that can compare.  This is true for all who just "can't wait" to see Him.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ...  Philippians 3.20 (NASB)

So for fellow followers of Christ, let's ask ourselves: Does the thought of heaven ever bring tears to our eyes, or even laughter to our faces?  Do we really even want to go there?

2. Being mindful of heaven keeps us diligently maturing our character (see 2 Peter 3.11, 14).

My son's steady process of maturity never ceases to amaze me.  With each passing week, I watch as his little mind expands in its ability to understand simple concepts—ones that older children and adults take for granted.  There are concepts regarding heaven that we cannot possibly understand now.  But as we fill our minds with thoughts of heaven, much like a child we begin to mature, and progressively we then desire to keep growing.  This progress in Christlike character is the result of the grace of God at work in us, while we wait for His return.  It makes us want to live upright lives because God is holy, and He wants us to be like Him in this regard.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.  Titus 2.11-14 (NASB)

How much have you grown in your understanding of the Lord in the past five years?  What are you doing on a consistent basis to maintain progress in Christlike character?

3. Being mindful of heaven keeps us faithfully maintaining the truth (see 2 Peter 3.15-18).

In our day, it has become in vogue for an individual to have a self-determined set of ideas he or she calls truth.  The concept that there is no universal, objective standard of truth is a postmodern idea that has only gained momentum in the past few years.  But we who believe the Scriptures believe that God has offered us the greatest treasure in the gift of Jesus.  And instead of allowing cultural shifts to determine who Jesus is, and what truth is, we must lovingly and patiently preserve, protect, and proclaim the truth that God has revealed about Himself.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.  2 Timothy 4.3-4 (NASB)

Christian friends, do you know the Scriptures well enough to be able to personally distinguish between truth and error?  When you hear error, how active are you—in patience and gentleness—to challenge those who oppose?

4. Being mindful of heaven keeps us patiently sharing the gospel (see 2 Peter 3.9, 15).

This point flows from the previous one.  If we truly believe that knowing God through Christ is the greatest treasure, we will want to share it.  Even when it will involve disputes and debates, if we care about others, we will care about their beliefs.  Too many Christians I know would rather "leave others behind" simply because of the opposition nonbelievers may initiate.  That attitude is absolutely un-Christian.  If God is patiently waiting as the text above describes, then how can we grow impatient?  Simply put, if we believe the Scriptures teach that nonbelievers will be separated from God forever, then we ought to care about them.  And how we communicate the gospel makes a huge difference.

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders [nonbelievers], making the most of the opportunity.  Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.  Colossians 4.5-6 (NASB)

...but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.  1 Peter 3.15-16 (NASB)

How much do you really care about those who are dying apart from Christ?  What intentional, proactive difference can you make in your routine this week to share the gospel with someone you know?

5. Being mindful of heaven keeps us urgently contemplating the end (see 2 Peter 3.3-4, 10, 17).

The pervasive idea underlying these verses of Scripture is urgency.  Whatever we plan to do before the end comes, we should do it now.  Our lives are short, and there is no guarantee of tomorrow.

...and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.  Hebrews 10.24-25 (NASB)

Is there any sense of urgency to the changes you know you need to make in your life?  What if Christ actually returned tomorrow?  Is there anything you would want to do first?  Is there anyone you would want to talk to first?

_______________

I have a bad habit.  Well actually, probably several, but one that matters for this discussion.  When I travel, I take an unusually long time to pack and prepare.  I tend to wait until the evening before the departure and then stay up into the wee hours of the night thinking about everything that might happen during the trip.  Part of that is the healthy, eager anticipation described in #1 above.  But honestly, the primary aspect is that I know something is coming, but procrastinate.  There is no excuse.  It has been on my calendar for weeks or months, and I could have prepared much more efficiently.  Instead, it's as though the trip takes me by surprise, I'm unprepared, and I'm far less effective in my wasted opportunities.

Heaven will be like this for some of us.  We know it's coming, but we live like it's not.

When we're prepared, and truly mindful of the real heaven where there are "pleasures forever" (not the boring pop-culture version), note the positive influence we could have even on those who disregard heaven, in the conclusion of Stein's remarks.  Remember what he said?  He was "surprised that a stranger cared enough to send me the book."  He closes this way:

"I called Shelly Migliaccio, who'd sent me the autographed book.  ...'I was thinking it was sad that you looked at heaven that way.  I wanted you to know about the heaven I know about and I look forward to go to,' she told me over the phone.  'Life here on Earth can be so trying sometimes, and I just anticipate it.'  In Migliaccio's heaven, the colors are more brilliant, we all have jobs we love, we are free of the lies and horrible stuff she sees on the news.  And, at least for the little while we were on the phone, I believed in Migliaccio's heaven too."

I have to keep asking myself, would I have merely rolled my eyes at post-Christian culture, or would I have responded in the same heavenly-minded way that Shelly Migliaccio did, making a loving impact for the glory of God?

A New President

On the eve of the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama, there are a couple of observations that I would like to share.

First, although I would much prefer that Obama were far more socially conservative, it is of huge significance that our nation has elected our first African-American president.  To have a black American chosen as our chief executive and commander-in-chief makes such a clear statement about the positive progress Americans have made in the path to racial reconciliation.  There is much progress still to be made, but for now we celebrate the simple yet momentous fact that the color of one's skin can no longer keep him from the highest public office in the land.  Again, although it should be no surprise that I believe that genuine reconciliation can only come through Christ (reconciliation with God, and then with man), still, today marks an important milestone in our nation's history, and for that we can be thankful.  So let's note today's huge progress, and pray for the ultimate reconciliation to take place in the hearts of our people.

Second, I have some considerations for all my Christian friends.  Since Obama's election, I have heard some of the crudest and nastiest remarks from some of my friends who claim the name of Christ.  It deeply saddens me to know that while a nonbelieving world is watching, some have considered it more important to disrespect an elected official than to represent Christ well.  Some of the statements are so bad that I could not reproduce them here.

So let me take this opportunity to remind all my peeps, my Christian brothers and sisters, what the King (Jesus) has to say in the Scriptures about how we should treat our governmental leaders, regardless of whether you like them or not.

1. Pray for them.  Scripture cannot be clearer:

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  1 Timothy 2.1-2 (NIV)

2. Honor them.  The general idea cannot be missed:

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.  Honor everyone.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the emperor.  1 Peter 2.16-17 (ESV)

3. Submit to them.  When the Bible talks about subjection and submission, it means, well, subjection and submission.  So unless the governing authorities tell us to do something that opposes the principles of Scripture, we are to submit:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.  Romans 13.1-2 (ESV)

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.  1 Peter 2.13-14 (NASB)

For the Lord's sake (according to the Apostle Peter), do what is right.  Pray for Obama, honor him as president, and submit to the authority granted him.  In so doing, you will be a blessing, and you will be blessed.

New Year's Preparations

As 2008 turned to 2009, I had a random thought pass through my mind.  I remembered the second time I was allowed to preach during a worship service at the church where I served several years ago.  Prior to that, my pastor had asked me to preach, but I had been serving as an interim youth pastor, and when one of our special student ministry days came, I guess he felt he "had" to let me preach that night [smile].

This second opportunity came at the end of the year, on a Sunday evening just before New Year's Eve, and later I joked that letting me have a go at it again towards the end of the holiday period couldn't do too much damage.  Not surprisingly, I spoke on the change of year: moving beyond the past...going forward into the future.  Quite an original idea.

I thought it was a lousy sermon.  Not exactly good biblical exposition.  But the principles were sound.  And at the time it was what God was teaching me, and I thought I should share it with everyone.

So, random as it sounds, the thoughts from that second sermon of mine—from circa 12 years ago—came to mind as we rang in 2009 this week.  I think I need to re-learn those lessons, and I'm publishing them here in case you need to re-learn them, too.

It has always intrigued me how people handle the perceived changes that coincide with a new year.  Usually the changes are merely perceptions, since the new year will most likely not bring any radical changes.  But perhaps the unique feature of watching December turn to January is the proverbial turning of a page.  It is the closing of one chapter in order to begin another.  It reminds us of the cycle of life inherent in the seasons, and with it comes the hope of a genuinely new day.  But we humans deal with New Year's Day in interesting ways.

Perhaps the most obvious ones are those who make new year's resolutions.  These are the folks who are determined not to remain in the same old habits.  You probably know someone who has resolved to lose weight, stop smoking, quit being lazy, cease gossiping, etc.  Maybe you are that person.  Frankly, I think those who make new year's resolutions may be getting a bad rap.  Sure, perhaps they should have been doing something already about whatever they wanted to change, but at least they recognize the problem and want to do something about it.

Then there are those who have new year's traditions.  Now, clearly many folks love to go to New Year's Eve parties and ring in the new year, sharing the event with someone they love.  But there are also those who have to have a specific meal on New Year's Day.  For some in the American South, if on January 1 you don't have ham, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and beets, you haven't had New Year's Day.

Still others can't wait to read about new year's predictions.  Amazingly, you can apparently find these every January in your grocer's newsstand or check-out aisle, as the tabloids publish what the "experts" say will take place in the new year.  What will Jeanne say about the stars (Hollywood and astrological) this year?

However, the first day of January often does have a therapeutic effect on humanity.  The truth is that God is always ready to bring positive change in our lives, but the problem is that we are often unprepared for the changes God wants to make.  So how do we prayerfully make new year's preparations?

I encourage you to read the story in Acts regarding the Apostle Peter's rescue from prison (imprisoned simply because the king didn't like the Christian church).  Acts 12.1-19 speaks of the miraculous and yet the everyday work of God, and the literal and symbolic nature of the story is refreshing.  The narrative relates, with detail and even humor, the release of one man from his bondage.  I don't think it's a stretch to say that implicitly, allegorically, it reminds us about being prepared for our release—into the newness and the changes God wants to make in our lives.

We would be wise to follow what God said to Peter through the statements of the angel.  Following the metaphor, we need to heed the statements to be released into the change God desires.

1. "Get up!"

The first statement to Peter is to "Get up quickly" (v. 7).  Now, this might have seemed humorous to Peter had the angel not hit him to wake him.  To see how ironic Peter might have viewed this statement, consider how carefully he had been bound.  The story says that he had been handed over to four squadrons (quaternions) of soldiers (v. 4).  That's four groups of four—16 men were guarding him.  Even if they were rotating in shifts, that's quite a bit of overkill for one man.  When Peter was told to get up, he was sleeping between two of the guards, bound by two chains, and more guards were outside the cell (v. 6).  If I had been in this position, I would have at the very least hesitated at getting up.  But notice that God did the supernatural: on the command to get up, his chains fell off.  From what the angel told him to do next, it appears that he got up.

All too often, I feel like saying that I can't get past something—that I am too bound by the circumstances to actually get up.  At times the situations in which we find ourselves seem insurmountable.  We think them to be impossible.  But when God says to get up, he provides the means to do it.  Perhaps the circumstances of this year have some saying, "I don't have the will to get up.  I can't do it."

With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.  Mark 10.27 (NASB)

That verse in Mark pertains to the salvation of those who don't think they need it because they are rich in this life.  But the principle of God being able to do anything He pleases is clear.  God wants you to live in the full, new life that He provides and that will glorify Him.  So whatever difficulties have bound us in 2008, God has the capacity to overcome them, according to whatever His plan may be.

…[God] is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think…  Ephesians 3.20 (NASB)

So trust Him.  And get up.

2. "Get ready!"

The next statement to Peter is to "Get dressed and put on your sandals" (v. 8).  Again, Peter might have balked here except he had just seen his chains supernaturally unlock.  But notice that he shows no hesitation: he immediately dressed and put on sandals.  He had seen the work of God, and was ready to trust Him more.

How many times have I seen the work of God, and yet still balked when I am uncertain of the outcome?  I sense I am not alone.  And yet God patiently waits for us to trust Him more fully.  The problem for many of us is that although we have seen God work in the past, we are grossly unprepared to see Him do so again.  Although all things are possible with God, sometimes because of our unbelief He chooses not to remain working in or among us:

And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He wondered at their unbelief.  Mark 6.5-6 (NASB)

Our unprepared state reveals that we have failed to "put on" that which will prepare us for His plan.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  Ephesians 4.22-24 (NIV)

So trust Him.  And get ready.

3. "Get going!"

The last statement to Peter is "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me" (v. 8).  Peter clearly recognized the hand of God at work, he was obedient to ready himself, and he was prepared to go a step further—he was following the messenger.  The language used is interesting in that it says he was prepared to continuously follow him, except that the angel soon vanished.

I've never seen an angel, but I have seen the work of God.  I've never heard the voice of God, but I have clearly sensed His leading.  The problem comes when I do not follow Him in faith.  When God makes His direction clear, our job is to follow.  Continuously.

There are times when God desires that we sit still before Him to learn of Him and be satisfied in Him.  And then there are times when God says to get going.  I've always loved what the "two men in white clothing" said as onlookers watched Jesus ascend into the sky.  Jesus had just told them, amid their questions of the coming kingdom, not to go anywhere but to "wait for what the Father had promised."  It's as though He was saying, "Don't just do something; stand there!"  But then when they were staring at the ascension, they were asked:

Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? 
Acts 1.11 (NASB)

Now as they were staring at the sky, they were essentially told, "Don't just stand there; do something!  Get going!"

When we feel we are bound and can't go on, we are reminded of all that God has done on our behalf.  His unfathomable love for His people should drive us.  The Apostle Paul put it well:

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 
2 Corinthians 5.14-15 (NIV)

So trust Him.  And get going.

In these early days of 2009, I'm re-learning to make the kinds of new year's preparations that will continue to release me from the bonds of the past and allow me to follow Him into the future.

When 'Stupidity' Becomes Costly

Have you ever felt really stupid?  Has being "stupid" ever cost you?  I've had more than my share of those moments.  Often it's not actual stupidity, but the feeling of stupidity that really seems costly.  Like today for example.

I had the day off today.  It wasn't vacation—it was a floating holiday.  I've never known exactly what that means, because I didn't really celebrate much of anything today (except that I had the day off), and it didn't seem like I was floating at all.  In fact, gravity kept me down all day.  But I digress.  I had the day off, so it seemed like the perfect day to finally have an electrician come to the house and figure out what was wrong with our main kitchen light.

When our light first went out, I checked all the fuses.  Nothing.  Then I bought new lamps and changed them.  Nothing.  Then I bought a voltage meter and checked the electric current going through certain wires.  Nothing.  Or at least I thought nothing.

Admittedly, it had been out for a little while.  However, with three other secondary lights on, it was quite luminous.  But the thought of paying an electrician for something I thought I should be able to figure out was discouraging.  Amy was, rightly so, "encouraging" me to get it fixed.  Yesterday, the day finally arrived to schedule an appointment for today.  The professional came this morning.

Robert is a great guy.  Super nice, and he knows what he's doing.  Unlike me apparently.  In short order he checked the same basic electric current issues in the same basic ways I did using the same basic voltage meter.  But he also found what he thought was the problem.  He told me he could go to Lowe's to buy a ballast that seemed to be the issue.  No extra charge for the service call except the ballast cost itself.  I said sure.

He came back, and was working away.  We had a nice chat.  We talked about our kids.  I invited him to my church and found out that he is a deacon at his.  Like I said, super guy.

Okay, all done—check the switch.  Presto...the light is working again.  The ballast cost: $30.  The company's standard service call: more than I care to admit.  Worth it, due to my stupidity, but still—I'm just sayin'.  I then tipped Robert beyond the service charge, because of his good service.

If I had known what I was doing, beyond the lamps and voltage meter, I could have simply spent $30, and that would have done it.  Instead, I feel really stupid for not possessing some basic knowledge of electricity, which could have saved me my arm and my leg.  I still think I should have been able to figure it out.

So, help me out.  Have you ever felt stupid?  So stupid that it cost you?  I can think of multiple car repair items, home repairs, finding coupons or sales immediately after purchasing something...you name it, I've paid for it.  I'm hoping at least one person will comment with a story—so that I can at least feel better. :)