Good stuff from Colossians

I have started reading Tullian Tchividjian's book, "Jesus + Nothing = Everything." At the same time, I am listening to Matt Chandler preach through Colossians. Kind of a double whammy, since Tullian takes a lot of what he says from Colossians. Anyway, here are some thoughts/quotes from the first 3 sermons by Matt.

• You can't love God and hate the church. (But that doesn't mean you have to agree with everything that is going on in current Evangelical churches either).
• According to the Bible, it is not just your badness that falls short, it is your goodness too. (So just showing up for church doesn't give me any brownie points? What about all the pain I am going through! Has God heard my preacher?)
• We don't do good works to fall in love with God, we fall in love and then do good works. (Just like obeying the speed limit really doesn't make me love that cop sitting behind that sign.)

I obey the speed limit because I don't want a ticket. If that is all there is to my religion, I fear that I am just wasting my time. If I don't see God as beautiful, I would feel just as out of place in heaven as I do when my wife hosts a Pampered Chef party. And I don't think that is any way to spend eternity. Do you?

If you have about 45 minutes...

About church growth...

1 John 1:1-4

 ¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ²the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

They (John and whoever else "we" refers to in verse 1, probably leaders of the church) had seen Jesus with their own eyes. They had witnessed more than just the miracles, they had seen them in context. They had heard Him speak of the Father and proclaim the gospel. So now what did they want? They wanted to share that with others, they wanted others to be a part of this great fellowship. But not to fellowship with them, but to fellowship with God.

Church growth is a great thing, provided it is growing into fellowship with God and Christ. Just having a large or a small gathering without it being completely centered on God is irrelevant. As Matt Chandler says about church, it is a lame hobby.

But there is something else in these verses. At the end, he states a motivation for proclamation, "so that our joy may be complete." They found joy in sharing God with others. Failure to find joy in serving God is a problem. And failure to serve God gives us a joy that is incomplete. So, God is not in need of our begrudging submission. I don't think He even wants it. He wants our hearts to be turned to Him. He wants us to find our joy completely in Him regardless of circumstance. He wants us to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. So it naturally follows, that if we do love Him in such a way, that our joy will not be complete unless we serve Him wholeheartedly.

Matt Chandler and Suffering

Matt is a favorite preacher of mine. He speaks in a way that challenges my heart. Here he speaks of a topic that he is very familiar with, suffering. Matt's battle with cancer is on-going, and the prognosis in the long-run is not good. So he speaks in a way that deals with the idea of "sometimes God blesses by healing and sometimes God blesses through suffering." Anyway, if you have about 40 minutes, it is worth listening to.

This is what I am talking about...

Hosea 8:14 "For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces..."

Hosea 10:13 "You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors."

Hosea 13:4 "But I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God by me, and besides me there is no savior."

Hosea 14:9 "...for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them."

The basics of the Gospel

I posted this a while back, and was watching it again. Man is it powerful. Hard to watch this and think about church tomorrow. I think of the girl he sat with, and it makes me think of sitting next to my brother who was addicted to heroine. At least Matt realized how awful the message was...it took me a while to do the same.

And if you watched the first, here is another....

Always on Target

I like to listen to Matt Chandler sermons, there is just something about them that seems to always hit me where I need to be hit (slapped, smacked, prodded, pushed, etc.)


The first few times I just thought it was the working of the Holy Spirit. Not that I am discounting that aspect, but I think that there is more too it than that. Matt always preaches and interprets Scripture in light of the Gospel. Every verse and sermon is filtered through that lens. It is intentional on his part, and I think it is how Scripture was meant to be viewed. That is why it always hits home.


I think that is true of life in general. Shouldn't everything be filtered through the light of the Gospel? That new job (or the old one, or the lay-off, etc), how we spend our money, what we eat (ouch!), how we react to any number of given situations, where we attend church, how we dress, etc. etc. etc.


It is when we don't filter our lives through the Gospel that they start to get off track.


If you are interested in hearing some Gospel preaching, and have not already heard Matt preach, click here. But I warn you, it could be contagious and life changing.


But this is not a post to promote Matt, it is to promote us (me!) putting the Gospel more intentionally into every area of my life. (What I watch, what I blog, what I read, where I go, etc.)


So whose sermons do you like to listen to?
What are some other areas we need to intentionally apply the Gospel to?

Yes He is.

We are finishing up a study in Philippians (video series by Matt Chandler)in our Sunday School class. In the 11th session, he goes into detail about the life of the Apostle Paul. Wow! What a guy. Such highs and such lows, and through it all he manages to stay focused on the cross.


I want that.


Not that I want the pain, but I want the ability to be content regardless of circumstance. I am tired of being comfortable. God calls me to learn contentment, not live in comfort.


When there is so much of God to be had, why do we settle for finite things that in the end never do satisfy?

Hey Ref, that was not a foul!

Matt Chandler offers the following in one of his sermons...

Religious people, they're like referees. They don't score any points, they don't sweat, they don't play, they know nothing of the highs and lows of the game. They just run around blowing their whistle. And when they retire, no one cares.

The only problem with it is there is always another one.

I have heard him say that church can be a hinderance to conversion. Amen, Matt!

I struggle sometime with what to do regarding church. I don't want to be a part of the problem, but running from what God has ordained is not the answer either, at least not in my heart.

So I work. Slowly. Waiting. Sometimes in anguish. Until He leads somewhere else or until He comes again, I work. Not because it somehow makes me better in His eyes, but because I love Him and His bride.

So I slaughtered a sacred cow in the process. That was not a foul, Ref.

The Rose

I have just recently found Matt Chandler's preaching, but I find it powerful and convicting. It is no wonder that the church he minsters at has grown dramatically.


If you aren't aware, he has been diagnosed and begun treatment for a malignant brain tumor. Please consider praying for him.