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Which Peter?

 

Chuck Sackett

Which Peter?

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

Which Peter do I follow?

Sometimes the simplest observation is the most profound. 1 Peter is written by Peter, apostle of Jesus.  This is Peter is the one who followed Jesus from the time he heard him call at the fishing boat. This is Peter who walked on the water. This is Peter who received the promise, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” This is Peter who accompanied Jesus to the mount of Transfiguration and saw Moses and Elijah and heard the voice of God. This is Peter whose feet Jesus washed in the upper room.  This is Peter…who slept in the garden of Gethsemane and denied Jesus three times…

This is Peter…broken, humiliated Peter. Peter, who at first refused to believe the reports of resurrection. Peter, who refused to eat with Gentiles. This is Peter..broken, humiliated Peter.

Sometimes what we need more than anything else is a fresh awareness of brokenness…healed. That’s the picture Peter paints.  You may have messed things up royally, but you can start all over. You can be born again.  You get a new lease on life. You get a “do-over.”  Jesus, in His incredible mercy and grace, gives you the chance to be redeemed. Jesus’ word has the power to totally transform your miserable, broken life into something powerful, incredible, mysteriously influential.

To follow the early Peter is to follow one who would make a mess of things. To follow the early Peter is to lead people to a narrow-minded, unreliable, self-congratulating, self-adulating, failure. But to follow broken Peter is to lead people to healing, health, holiness.  It doesn’t take a genius to know which Peter to follow.  It merely takes a humble heart.

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Venting: Economic Realities

Wednesday, December 26th, 2012

I just read that holiday spending increased only a small percentage. In times of economic uncertainty and potential recession, shouldn’t spending decrease? I just have to wonder how people are buying anything if it’s true they don’t have any money.  Maybe (and with apologies to vendors/sellers) we should curb our spending and simply do with what we have. My parents’ generation was a cash only generation. You simply didn’t spend what you didn’t have.

Debt is debilitating to discipleship. It’s hard to concentrate on growing as a Christian when you are worried about paying the bills. It’s difficult to lead your family when you are struggling to not fight with your spouse over finances. It’s nearly impossible to “grow in the grace of giving” when you are unable to pay all the bills at the end of the month.

I’m not suggesting you should not pay your bills…you should. I’m suggesting you should never live beyond your means…and your means should include a place for generosity and stewardship.  Years ago Gail and I made a commitment to put our giving first.  I don’t remember a time when we’ve failed to give. I do remember times when we’ve held back on paying bills until some money accumulated. I do remember times when we didn’t buy things because we didn’t have the money.

If your economic reality is that you’ve buried yourself in debt, we can help you.  We have people who will work with you to get it under control. We regularly offer Financial Peace University. We want to help you learn to elevate stewardship and generosity as key components of being and becoming a disciple. Don’t let the world and it’s experts in advertising cause you to fall into the debt trap. Commit even that part of your life to Jesus.  You will ultimately be much happier.

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inverted thinking…

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

Timothy Keller says, “Christians often believe in their heads that, ‘Jesus accepts me; therefore I will live a good life,’ but their hearts and actions are functioning practically on the principle ‘I live a good life; therefore Jesus accepts me.’” His comment makes me take a serious look at my own thinking.

Do I “do good” to earn God’s acceptance? Yours? Am I bound up in a cycle of trying to do good so that people will accept me and God will find it in His heart to forgive me?  Or am I so grateful for the grace of God that forgives me that I can’t help but live a good life–out of sheer gratitude for what Has done and is doing.

Such inverted thinking is pernicious. Once we begin acting as if God forgives us based on our good works, we’ve adopted a works righteousness and are not “saved by grace.” We think God owes us; that we are capable of putting God in our debt by our personal acts of goodness. That usually leads to a legalistic, judgmental spirit toward others. They simply aren’t living up to the standards we’ve established.

But we are not free to think that “doing good” is unimportant. Just because we are not saved by doing good works doesn’t mean good works should be dismissed.  We are not antinomian anymore than we are legalists.  Doing good matters. It’s the direct result of salvation. Good works reflects the deep gratitude we feel toward God for His grace. Paul reminds Titus that believers are “eager to do good.”

Thanks Timothy Keller (Center Church) for stimulating my thinking…and encouraging my good behavior.

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Quote…

Monday, August 27th, 2012

Started reading The Divine Embraceby Robert Webber.  He says, “I ask you not to subscribe to the relativism that all paths lead to God but to a countercultural affirmation that God, the Creator of the universe, has cut a path into our history and, having become one of us in Jesus, unites us with himself. Look in all the religions of the world and you will find no better story than this. God has come to us in Jesus so that we may come to God through Jesus. That is Christian spirituality. And living in that union, that divine embrace, that is the spiritual life.”

The way of Jesus is a narrow way.  It isn’t for the faint of heart. It isn’t for the uncommitted. It is for the trusting. It is for those willing ot let God be God. God longs for everyone to know Him…but on His terms.  He loves all people, but He accepts only one means of coming into relationship with Him–that is, Jesus.  In Jesus, God reached out to us. Through Jesus, we reach back to Him. The meeting of these events is the Divine Embrace.

I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the book and thinking about the Spiritual life. I’m looking forward to exploring the Divine Embrace and discovering just how good God’s hugs are. God is incredibly gracious and kind and I’m looking forward to experiencing that even more.

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God’s arrival is never without incident…

Monday, August 20th, 2012

I ran across that quote this morning as I was reading. What a powerful thought–”God’s arrival is never without incident.” It captures so well what we mean by our Encounter strategy. We believe that if people are brought into the presence of God, something will happen. As this author says, “…the landscape will change…”

We serve a God who is bigger than our methods and efforts. We serve a God who is more capable than we often give credit. We don’t need to create a perfect place, perfect experience, perfect anything…all we need is to give God room to work. If we can just get people into His presence, He’ll do something.

Of course, that can be frightening. Sometimes His presence drives people further away. They rebel against His presence, are uncomfortable with it, react to it. Sometimes they are drawn near.  When they are…life changes. God works and good things happen. Even though those “good” things may not feel good, they are.  God is working.

Changing a landscape requires heavy equipment. Scrapers, plows, bulldozers, trucks. It requires removing objects, adding fill, digging in and often down. It requires painful processes (if what we were working on wasn’t an inanimate object). When God goes to work on a spiritual landscape, it requires the same hard work and painful efforts. But, when He’s done, wondrous beauty occurs, efficiency improves, life gets better.

I just wonder how many of us are willing to get out of the way and let Him work. How many are okay with the pain and the change? How many are open to His activity?

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visions, decision, tears

Monday, August 13th, 2012

It was one of those “I wish Mr. Doe had been able to see this” moments. I was in the foyer talking with a man who was involved 25 years ago in setting a vision and making decisions that led to Sunday’s service.  He had tears in his eyes as he reflected on the days of 2 or 3 students in youth group.  Those visionary leaders could see something most others can not see–the future. They made decisions based on what they believed God could do, not what God had done.

For over 20 years this congregation has poured resources into student ministry. We have good facilities from the nursery to college. We have fine staff and incredible volunteers for every age group. We spend $1,000s scholarshiping children to camp and teens to Local Sweat and Element. We invest in Madison Park people doing interns and making mission trips. We pray for, encourage, and hold accountable our “kids.”

Sunday was not the first (and it will not be the last), but it may have been the finest display of how that investment has paid kingdom dividends. I watched and listened as students and sponsors led us in worship, opened up Acts 7, revealed their hearts, and pointed us to Jesus. It was amazing, moving, motivating, challenging, and gratifying. God is indeed moving and we want to shout it from the mountaintops.

But beyond affirming decisions made in the 1980s, it reinforces the need for ongoing vision and decisions that reach into a yet-unknown future. I hope I live long enough to see the repercussions of the decisions being made today that will propel us into a 2nd site (and who knows about beyond that). What an incredible privilege to be part of a body of people who cares about broken, hurting people. May God multiply their kind among us.

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writer’s cramp…

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

I just signed 300+ letters going out to those who made commitments to our Relentless campaign. It was a clear reminder that no one person can carry the load of a church’s vision. We are in this thing together.  And together we will see what God has in mind for us come true.

What a blessing to know that over 300 families believe that the relentless pursuit of God, His passion, His people, is worth a financial commitment as well as a time commitment. I could easily be overwhelmed with the size of the task before us.  But when I realize it’s being carried by 1,000 people…I breathe a sigh of relief.  Amazing what God can do when His people commit themselves to follow Him.

Thank you to all who’ve made commitments. May God pour the blessing of His kindness on you.  For those who’ve yet to commit, it’s never too late. You can jump in on the fun at any point.

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prayer walking…

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

I’ve done prayer walks on a number of occasions over the years. Most of them occurred in New England some place as we sought God’s direction for a site for a new church or for open doors into lives in a certain neighborhood.  Over the past couple of years I’ve prayed as I walked through the northwest side of town. God has laid a burden on my heart for that neighborhood.

Today, I walked around a potential location for our 2nd site. I circled the building, then the block and the building, then the neighboring block and the building. I was “claiming” that property for God’s use to help broken people find Jesus. I walked around it 3 or 4 times.  I dared not do 7 lest it fall down and we not be able to use it. But I believe it would be a great place for Madison Park west.  Lots of opportunities to impact people for Jesus.

I’m asking you to “prayer walk” with me. It’s too soon to reveal a specific address. But, circle that idea, will you?  Go around and around a place that God has in mind for us. This location, or another, better one. Ask God for His leading, direction, and blessing. Ask Him to reveal Himself clearly. Ask Him for the wisdom He promises from on high. Ask Him to lead us to the place where lives can be changed for His glory.

Lives are so broken…God is so good…the two merely need to come together. Honestly, I can’t wait to see what God does and where He does it. I’m so excited, it reminds me of Christmas eve.

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incredible promise…inherent responsibility

Monday, July 30th, 2012

“Here I am.” You may recognize that phrase from Isaiah 6 as Isaiah’s faithful response to God’s call.  But he’s not the only one to say it.  Later, in Isaiah 58:9, God makes the same commitment, “Here I am.” It’s the incredible promise God makes to hear and answer our prayers. That promise is why we can gather in a park and ask God for rain, or sit in a parking lot and ask God for a piece of property for our second site, or in our worship area and ask God for broken people, or in a new office space and ask God to use that space to lead.

But, that promise begins with “then”–”then you will call.” The “then” implies something must come first and that something is our inherent responsibility.  The context of the promise is the explanation of true fasting–not a fasting from food or drink–but a fasting from injustice.  God says He wants us free those in bondage, share bread with the hungry, bring the poor in our houses, clothe the naked…perform justice!

When we have done that, God will hear.  Notice the order.  We don’t pray and wait to see if God will act and then, if He doesn’t, we do something. Instead, we do something, and when God sees what we’re doing, He acts. Amazing!!! We act…then God acts.  Not, we pray and He acts.  We do our part…He does His.

So, I’ll keep praying for rain, buildings, blessings…but I’ll also take money from my pocket, or give hugs that are full of hope, or share a ride. And, when I do, God will do more than I can imagine.

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dream come true…

Saturday, July 28th, 2012

Many of you have heard or read there’s a “Pray for Rain” gathering at Madison Park. Several times over the past two days I’ve had to explain that it’s at the actual Madison Park–24th and Maine.  We’re using the band shell there for a podium. Only once before has my dream come true…now it seems more true than ever.

My dream? That when people in Quincy (is the tri-states too much to wish for?) hear Madison Park there first thought is: Madison Park Christian Church. I dream that our people are so contagious, our actions so imitable, our spirit so infectious, that people just tend to think of us when something good is about to happen. It isn’t that we are so popular, or so visible, or so anything selfish; it’s just that we’ve done the right things, acted in the right spirit, made a palpable difference in enough lives that “Madison Park” means the church.

Then Jesus wins. It’s not about us…it’s about Him. It is always about Him. That’s all we want…for people to experience a life changing relationship with Jesus. That will happen when we are each a means of Encountering God in a meaningful way. That will happen when we are each an avenue through which others can Connect with God’s people around God’s word. That will happen when we are each Serving each other, the community and the world.  That will happen when each one of us is visibly demonstrating Life Change.

Thank you for making this dream a reality. Thank you for being people who infuse our community with confidence that a church matters and would be missed if it didn’t exist.

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