Mission-link

NEW WEB SITE!

2011-12-18T23:22:00.000-08:00

PLEASE GO TO THE NEW WEBSITE FOR THE LATEST BLOG POSTS AND OTHER INFO! Mission-link

Spiritual Warfare Series at Threshing Floor

2011-12-03T20:26:00.001-08:00

The Threshing Floor, one of our Mission-link associates, is hosting a four week series on Spiritual Warfare starting Sunday night January 8th. The teaching will be at 6:00 p.m. and the location is next to and behind the John Deere dealer on HWY 65 just North of Isanti. Hope you can make it.

THE MEANING OF ACTS - CHAPTER 4

2011-11-27T16:29:00.001-08:00

I found in the fourth chapter of Acts a witness to several powerful statements about the Kingdom of God. This is the aftermath of the healing that took place - begging the question of "By what authority?" these things were happening. The religious institutional leaders were beside themselves because of the connection the disciples were making between the miracles and the Risen Jesus Christ, demanding that all recognize that He was God's Messiah.
1. Only Jesus.
The first big statement comes from Peter in verse 12:
"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
Big implication..."Must be saved" - What does that mean to you? That will depend a lot on your background. In this context it meant healing - generally, delivered from sickness, bondage, judgment, etc. but there is no other "name" or authority that will do it for us. The holistic understanding of salvation comes in here - Jesus is the Messiah, for the people of God...and beyond! No one comes to the Father but through Him, so the Father draws all who seek Him to His Son! Remember the voice of God in the New Testament had basically one thing to say: "Behold My Son!" (Luke 3:22, 9:35)
2. Witness is not Optional.
The second statement is in verses 19-20:
"Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge, for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."

The silence we practice around religious beliefs is not an option for disciples. Peter and the others perceived their mission to be exactly what they were being commanded not to do by the authorities. But they saw no compromise possible...they didn't negotiate a "reasonable time and place", they didn't consult the zoning ordinances - Witnessing to the risen Messiah was life itself.

I honestly see two reasons we often don't experience the Kingdom moving in power today.
a). We don't recognize God's deliverance in our lives. Both inside and outside of the church, we have explained away so many of the things that evidence the grace of God in our lives...most often attributing them to "right living" or some such hog-wash. If we could just see the reality that true "justice" in our lives would leave us all dead, I think we would be grateful for every breath - Life is a deliverance!! What's more, God delvers us from bondage and sickness more than we realize - if we only had a glimpse of what goes on in "heavenly places"...
b.) We allow the world's shame to silence us about Jesus. So many places it is said right out loud: You can talk about God (maybe) or religious customs, but start talking about Jesus and all of hell will object! You will see the ripple effect in the reaction of those unaware of how the spiritual world is influencing their reactions. It's time we stand against the "gag orders from hell"! Jesus Christ saved my life! The Holy Spirit is a witness of His power, and so am I!
i have a good friend who tells how "Jesus rocks" every time I see him. He is telling the truth - every time! Isn't this what verse 13 is saying??

"Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus."

How did they recognize that they had been with Jesus? BOLDNESS! Looking ahead to verse 31,

"And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness."

This all points back to the reason Jesus Himself gave that He sent the Holy Spirit..."You will receive power...you shall be My witnesses..." This is the unbroken theme of the testimony of Acts - Not gifts, signs or wonders, but witnesses to the risen Jesus Christ - not only by those who were there for His earthly life, but witnesses of His power to save our lives today.

This is our treasure and our "common passion" as the Church in the world today - that we are witnesses to His power to save us - Not that this is happening in secret, but our blind eyes have to be opened to see it - and our mouths need to be open to tell it!

Who Stole the Passion from the Church?

2011-11-20T15:07:00.001-08:00

As we have been digging through the book of Acts, I stumbled upon a word that was missing from the Witness of the original text - the word in the Greek is homothumadon. It is a compound word that literally means "of one passion". "Thumadon" is a form of the word "thumos", where we get our word "thermal" from, meaning to "breath hard". Yeah, When was the last time you saw that happen in church??

As I searched the translations, I became very frustrated that NONE of them (New Living, NIV, New King James, New American Standard) translated this idea in the least. Who stole the "passion" from Scripture? Apparently the translators. Would it not be helpful to know that in Acts 1:14, 2:46, 4:24, 5:12, 8:6, 15:25, and Romans 15:6, that believers were not riding around in a Honda (NAS "one accord"), but rather had a shared passion for Jesus??? Well, it's there, and if it's not here among us, then we are missing something. So let's got over our selves and catch a common passion for Jesus - It was and always has been normal for the Body of Christ!

Three SW Workshops Left

2011-11-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

There are three weeks left for the Tuesday night Spiritual Warfare Workshops, where we have an hour of teaching and another hour for application. We meet from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Enterprise Commons, Isanti, next to the John Deere Store on Hwy 65. The last session will be November 22. We have not been doing the the monthly training while these workshops have been going, but will be picking those up on Sunday December 11th when we tackle the issue of:
House Meetings and Larger Gatherings - What is biblical,"organic","missional", ...or should we just be asking, Where's the fruit?

THE MEANING OF ACTS - CHAPTER 3

2011-10-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

"The Third Chapter of Acts" - almost sounds like the story after the headlines. For me, in the 1970's, it was the group "2nd Chapter of Acts" that redeemed my musical taste away from Earth Wind & Fire and Fleetwood Mack. It was my personal revival after a three year wandering in the desert while I put off letting God take over. But what happens after the revival, and the excitement is yesterday's news? We live in a culture that would just as soon wait for the next wave - the next flavor of the month being handed out to us by a god we call "the Market". The witness of the disciples, on the other hand, goes forward in power...
The Witness of Healing. The man had made a lifestyle out of dependence on others - sitting at the gateway to the Temple, right where people would be thinking about their relationship and "obligation" to God. A prime spot for begging when so much of the Torah and the Prophets exhorted giving to the poor.
Then comes Peter and John...having no silver or gold (not much giving from those 5,000 new converts?), and instead of money for a bill, they give him power to live differently. They dealt with him decisively: "Fixed his gaze upon him" (characteristic of a deliverance), demanded that he look at them, and commanded "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk!" Them he "seized him by the hand" and helped him up.
Well, the people immediately wanted to treat Peter and John like rock stars. But I like Peter's statement, "Why do you gaze at us, as though by our own power and piety we made this man walk?!?" This wasn't for their entertainment - it was to prove that the REAL God had raised up this guy Jesus, whom they had crucified, and that they needed to,

"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19-20

Jesus is presented here as the "prophet" who would be the great divider of Israel - those who listened to Him would have life, and those who did not would be destroyed! What impresses me here is that Peter nailed what it was that was keeping them from the "presence of the Lord", and invited them to turn away from it.

How often do we do this with others? - Nail the thing that is keeping them from following Jesus Christ and invite them the give it up? We mostly hear about believing in Jesus as something to just add to our other values in life. But I have found that there just isn't room in my life for walking with Him as a disciple without giving up something, and it's really not that hard to figure out what God wants me to kick out so that He can have His right place. The first thing for me back in the 70's was the toxic music. Lately it has been control of money. What is in God's place in your life that you need to let go of in order to follow the real Messiah? Do it. Turn away from it, and as it says, "...times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord."

THE MEANING OF ACTS - CH. 2

2011-10-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, this chapter of Acts may seem to be the most exciting one in the book. The outpouring of the Spirit of God on the Church (the 120 that were still around after three years, a crucifixion and resurrection). So let's really look more intently at the meaning of what happened: Remember, Jesus told them this would happen in the last chapter, and what the purpose and result would be. "You will receive power...you will be...witnesses..." Keeping this in mind, I notice that there are four different descriptions of what the Holy Spirit did that day - all describing the same event:

Baptized them (Acts 1:5)
Came upon them (Acts 1:8)
Filled them (Acts 2:4)
Poured upon them (Acts 2:17, 2:28)

It's hard to notice this and still make a big deal (or even a doctrine) out of separating these descriptions. Jesus said the Spirit would come upon them (tongues of fire) and baptize (immerse) them, Luke writes that the Spirit was poured out on them, and filled them. And the result? They became Witnesses! There were Jews from at least 15 countries listed, and they heard "the mighty deeds of God" (verse 11) in their own language. The question they asked in verse 12 was "What does this mean?" So Peter told them.

The reason the "mighty deeds of God" were now being heard in all these languages was because "God has made Him (Jesus) both Lord and Christ"! (verse 36) That's why. This was a witness to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah - Savior of the world. Peter preaches from the Prophetic Psalms which describe David's relationship to the coming Messiah - showing (witnessing) that Jesus is the One.

I think that the witness of Scripture is designed by God to help us see our own life in the Story. Our witness (experience) of what God has done in our lives is what the Spirit of God seeks to empower. Who is speaking about these things? Different from teaching doctrine, instructing how to live, the witness of God's "mighty deeds" in our lives lifts up His authority and worth before others. If we are not witnessing of what we have seen, how do we expect God to show us more? Where is our joy over the true treasure, when we so quickly move on to talk about the latest movie, or news about the Vikings stadium? What we seek, and what we think is worth talking about, that is what we will find! As Jesus said:

"Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!' In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:8-10

Acts 2. It's about the power of the Spirit of God - to make us Witnesses.

Spiritual Warfare Workshop

2011-10-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

The follow-up workshop for those wanting to be further equipped in spiritual warfare is meeting on Tuesday nights between now and Thanksgiving at the Threshing Floor, 4 Enterprise Commons (behind and next to the John Deere dealer on highway 65, north of Isanti). We meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for an hour of teaching and an hour of application. Please call or e-mail if you would like to join us. 763-221-4760.
bob@thejourney-ecmn.org.

Video of Intro to Spiritual Warfare

2011-10-13T05:13:00.000-07:00

A Youtube video of the opening session of the last conference called "Intro to Spiritual Warfare" can be seen by clicking this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scZJrJ_jD8k

If you would like to order the set of six sessions, send and e-mail to bob@thejourney-ecmn.org.

THE MEANING OF ACTS - CH. 1

2011-10-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

Many have taught on the Book of Acts, and I have heard many sermons and studies on it. There is always this tension around it - like an elephant in the room - because when we look at the record of the life of the early Church, it begs the question, "Why aren't we experiencing these kinds of things in 'church' now?"

This is kind of an embarrassing question for leaders. But I think there are a lot of reasons we don't see what we read about in Acts - everything from our understanding of "church", to our leadership culture, to a misunderstanding of the Holy Spirit. As I finished reading Acts a few months ago, I sensed the Spirit of God prompting me to go back (yes, I was out running at the time) and work through the meaning of the testimony of Acts for us today. Please feel free to chime in on this at the Facebook Page "Organic Church Movements" http://www.facebook.com/groups/16161960273/

I believe that the first chapter holds a key to understanding the rest of the story - it is in the words of Jesus. Like so many other things about Him and His mission, I think we have over-interpreted Him. He said a simple thing here: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses..." That's it. No mention of gifts, miracles, signs and wonders - Then I thought, that was His point. The empowering of the Holy Spirit was not for any other reason - TO BE WITNESSES. I thought that if that is the case, everything else from here on should show that to be true.

As I would read on the chapter, even the concern with replacing Judas as an "apostelos" was all about the witness - the witness of those who had seen the life of the Messiah from His baptism to His resurrection. I don't think it's a stretch to put this also next to the last words of Jesus in Matthew to the disciples: to "...make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey all I have commanded you...". The appointed task of disciples is to make more disciples - the role of the Holy Spirit's empowerment is all about being witnesses to the living Jesus Christ.

What I think it means for us today is that our witness of the reality of Jesus' work in our lives is the most powerful thing we have here. We can change the atmosphere around us by just saying what we have seen Jesus do. Haven't we all experienced this? Why do you think it is so hard to do? Is the enemy pushing back with all his might to stop the witness of the living Christ? Consider the power that accompanies your testimony - If we want to see what we read about of the early church, we can start here.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE CONFERENCE

2011-09-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

Don't miss this conference!

ALTAR TO AN "UNKNOWN JESUS"

2011-07-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

In first century Athens, Acts 17 records that many there "spent their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new".They also had an altar there to an "Unknown god", which Paul referred to in his gospel message to them.

There are many places we can go today that have pictures of Jesus, crosses and religious art of various kinds - and yet to many who are familiar with these images, Jesus Himself is "unknown", that is He is not recognized as someone you follow every day. He is "preached", but not known: His Kingdom message, His healing and deliverance ministry are stories in most places - acts to be remembered and rehearsed as proof of why we "believe" in what He did back then. Our response today is mostly to be nice and keep going to church every week, while the living Jesus remains unknown.

This Jesus who we read about is alive. He still calls followers - still heals; still sets captives free; still forgives sin; still upsets people in power. We can be one of His if we take everything else in our life and put it under Him - including our life itself. This Jesus can be known - He lives!

LEADING IN UNITY AND DIVERSITY

2011-06-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

"Diversity" is one of those current politically correct words today, and it also describes one of the tensions of walking with other Jesus followers. I was reading this morning in Acts 16 where Paul took Timothy on as a disciple, and right away prompted him to be circumcised in order to avoid a stumbling block in ministering to Jews.(His father was a Greek and so he was suspect among the Jews) I recalled at the same time Paul's words to the Jesus followers in Galatia, "...if you circumcise yourselves, Christ will be of no benefit to you!" Why the huge difference? Was Paul a hypocrite - and what does this say about leadership in the Body of Christ?

The first difference I see is that the decision made with Timothy was from a position of strength - a choice made for the impact it would have on others - It was opening doors. The Galatians, on the other hand, were being pressured from the outside by so called Christ followers who made circumcision a matter of getting righteousness, not a way to build bridges to unbelievers. I think there are still a lot of customs that we have made a matter of righteousness today: rules about dress, worship, and use of anything that others have made an addiction out of...EXCEPT of course our favorites - fluffy foods, materialism, being "nice", and the three "C's" (cash, comfort and control).

This leads to the second difference I see: That nothing - whether circumcision, baptism, abstinence, or attending "church" on Sunday - can be allowed to define my righteousness. Paul says in 1Cor. 6:12 "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything." That includes religious things! The "circumcisers" were attempting to "master" the Galatians - to hijack their righteousness! Paul's statement to them says, "You can't be righteous because of Jesus AND following rules - only one can be Lord of our lives: Rules or Jesus. Take your pick!" (That's a really loose interpretation, but I thinks it's accurate)

Finally, I see so much of Paul's writing creating this tension, which is why Peter wrote of Paul in 2 Pet. 3:16 "...as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." That's a pretty unique statement in Scripture, but it brings it down to earth for us. I think he is referring to people who look for statements in Scripture that seem to say what they want to say. Paul has plenty of ammo for them because he speaks into context so often - not in generalities.

How does this impact leadership? I think we need to check ourselves for ways we have reduced the message of the cross to rules in our own lives. We are called to apply the Gospel into the context of our life every day, but we have to hold fast to the grace of God, while holding loosely to the applications. May you find freedom to do this as you follow Jesus, and lead others with your life.

LEADING IN BATTLE

2011-06-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

Two of the four Spiritual Warfare Workshop sessions being held at First Baptist in Cambridge are completed now. The purpose of these is to equip believers for freedom, and so to lead in the spiritual battle to recover ground for God's Kingdom.
(more info is available at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116988511720361 )

Too long we have been vulnerable to the strategies of an enemy we cannot see, who wages a daily battle for our thoughts, emotions and decisions. Too many days we have walked out without spiritual armor on to ward off these strategies against us, and have wondered how we could veer off course so easily.

The fifty or so people coming to the Workshop will be better prepared to win - to stay free of the enemy's snares and attacks and keep on course with Jesus Christ. The class will stay open for the last two sessions on June 22 and 29 - all are welcome.

"IS THAT GOD?"

2011-04-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

It seems funny that the first childhood memory I have of talking about God was in a church building. I remember asking my mommy (I couldn't have been more than 3) where we were, and she said we were in "God's house". That really impressed me, and of course I started looking around for God. I saw a man in the choir loft, and thinking God would be higher up because people seemed to look up when they spoke to Him, I asked her, "Mommy, is that God?" She said it wasn't, but really didn't have answers for all the many questions that now were coming to my talkative 3 year old mind....

Years later in a different town, our family was attending a big church on the top a hill. It had a big choir and a huge pipe organ that filled the back wall above the balcony. The pastor was "Dr. so and so", and was referred to as Dr. instead of "pastor". I didn't like going to that church because they had Sunday School police, who if they found you outside the Sunday School room when class was in session would take you by the ear (seriously) and pull you to class. I was maybe in second grade.

Then one Sunday while I was avoiding the Sunday School police, I found a map - well really a floor plan of the church building. The amazing thing to me was that according to this map, in one of the rooms which I discovered to be locked up tight, there were bags all tied up, stacked inside and labeled "God". It must have been traumatic to me at the time because I still remember it in detail after all these years. I went and found the church janitor and showed him the map, and although he looked concerned, he didn't open the door to let God out, or even investigate.He just took me back to my parents and let them deal with me. I still remember thinking, "Maybe they want Him in there".

How much have these experiences motivated me life direction? A therapist could have fun with it I am sure - but you can be sure that I was determined to find God eventually. I did. He showed up in many ways through my youth, but I finally recognized Him with enough certainty to claim success when I met this guy named Joe.

I was in high school by now. My parents had divorced four years ago, which created another motivation in my life around relationships. But I was searching even more intently now. Joe was a Campus Life director at my high school. He invited me to Bible studies at his house with other kids, and eventually to a big rally in Minneapolis where I was happy to show others that I had found God through Jesus. It had finally dawned on me that God wasn't living in buildings, or bags in a store room, or up in the sky somewhere, or even in black leather-bound books. But that ever since Jesus came to make it possible, He has been living in people.That's were I finally met Him for sure, and I hope you have met Him too.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT AS CHINA'S INFLUENCE IN U.S. INCREASES?

2011-04-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

I just saw an article in USA Today that seems darkly prophetic. You can find it here:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-04-21-China-Christians-Easter.htm
I have been aware that we as a country are borrowing heavily from China, as annual payments on the interest on our national debt are now more than the value of all we export in a year (GNP).

I understand that our schools are trying to model themselves after the Chinese - while at the same time, they are looking to our older models which brought us greater success in years gone by.

When did we stop looking at results and instead chase after global trends? Maybe we are destined to be like Rome, which we ourselves used for a civic model despite the fact that it fell after a few hundred years. The world has been in awe of what America has built for almost two and a half centuries, but we seen to have no clue how we did it.

This article seems to foreshadow what may come for us as the Church in America. The tax-exempt status of churches has historically been based on the belief that "Religion, morality, and knowledge" are necessary to good government! (See the Northwest Ordinance of 1787) It's no stretch to suggest that the American people no longer believe this. Without this organic conviction, there is no basis to continue giving any advantages to the Church, and as a consequence, any allowances it has enjoyed will go with it.

China has no problem limiting which churches to allow or disallow because as a people they do not see a need to promote free worship. There is no interest in empowering individuals, because government takes care of people - not God. With the current direction of government policy across party lines, I see us heading this direction.

If worship becomes limited to institutions in America, there is no doubt that government regulation will increase. House churches here already face challenges in some communities based on local ordinances that try to limit worshiping in homes. The attending of events can always be accommodated in our culture, but when it comes to walking out a discipleship lifestyle, nothing can transform a culture like home-based fellowship. If we lose the freedom to assembly as believers in our own homes, we are going to be in big trouble as a nation. Let's pray that the influence of more than 60% of the Church in China who defying the government by meeting in homes transforms the government before it turns into a blood bath.

Our Latest Lesson in Leadership - True Ownership is Organic

2011-04-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Leadership - This word is so loaded with images and baggage that I would almost rather not use it. But it carries with it something that still matters - still has to be wrestled with. We see it at work everywhere around us, and the challenge for us is that much of the time, the examples we see are not healthy.

The biblical reference to "leadership" comes in a word that means literally to "stand before" - proistemi. The KJV unfortunately translates this word "rule" in most cases (I am sure it made more sense 400 years ago when it was translated). There are nine uses of this word: (Rom. 12:8, 16:2, 1Thess. 5:12, 1Tim. 3:4,5,12, 5:17, Tit. 3:8, 14). If one reads these passages with the the more accurate translation of "lead" (stand before), the passage makes so much more sense. There is another word, phero, that literally means to carry or "guide", that is used in the Lord's prayer (Matt. 6:13, lead us not into temptation). This word is an action, in contrast to proistemi which is a placing of someone in a position of influence.

So enough with the technical stuff. The point is that if we understand this idea of being in a position of influence ("standing before" others), we realize that this happens all the time, and mostly not based on a "plan". Jesus spoke of our light shining before men, not because we plan some kind of "show" or appearance, but because others are noticing how we live - all the time. We all have influence - we all "stand before" others in some way or another. To try to plan how often this happens is futile.

What we can, and need to, take ownership of is this: What is the impact of my influence on others? Am I allowing the Spirit of God to work through me, or am I living from some other source? We cannot give what we don't have - and what we allow to guide our lives will "lead" those around us. This all brings us back to the need to allow people to help us understand our impact on others. I for one am too good at selling myself an image of how I come off to those around me. I really need the input of those whom I share a deeper level of vulnerability with. They help me ask for what I really need help with - they are Jesus with skin on for me. When it comes to facing the truth about my influence - my leadership - I need all the help I can get.

TEACHING ON WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

2011-03-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we departed from the norm by including a teaching time on "women in leadership". It came out of a persistent message from many that solid Scriptural instruction was needed on the topic. Several affirmed after The Gathering that it was very helpful. A copy of the outline can be found in the Journey Downloads:
http://www.thejourney-ecmn.org/the-journey/downloads/

MISSION-LINK SUMMIT IN APRIL

2011-03-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

ANOTHER GOOD IDEA FROM HELL

2011-02-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

So today I am reading in Luke 16 where Jesus tells about Lazarus and the rich guy, and I stopped for a bit when I got to the part where the rich guy, who is burning up in Hades, makes his little appeal to "send someone back from the dead" to warn people about this nasty place. The conversation went like this:

Lk 16:29-31
"Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!'"

So the rich guy was implying that even though he ignored Moses (the Law) and the Prophets, he would have changed his mind... if only God had raised someone from the dead. In other words, "It's not all my fault! If God would have done more tricks to impress me, I would have put him on my calendar!"

It reminds of all the great ideas we come up with to bring people to God...when most of them, if we are honest, really don't accomplish that. What many of our ideas DO accomplish:

Get people to attend a church service;
Get people to feel guilty enough to "serve" in the church;
Get people to say the right thing instead of the true thing;
Get people to think spirituality is about the quality of a show;
Get people to focus on a certain leader or religious organization.

I notice that Jesus was highly resistant to "marketing" ideas. He seemed at times to even discourage people from following Him. Like when he told one guy He as was homeless, or another guy to sell all he owns first (so he would have less to put in the offering plate???), or telling another guy to let the "dead" bury his father.

The point is that if we had just heard the suggestion, "...if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!", without knowing where it came from, many of us would agree with this strategy...we might even write a tract about it! But to Jesus, this was just another good idea from hell.

So let's listen a little longer, and try to discern where our ministry ideas are coming from.

Grace and Peace

Who is Defining "Missional"?

2011-02-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Most of us who are involved in the discussion of "missional" church by now have realized that the term does not have a technical definition. I have heard it described as everything from a "missions-oriented" church, to a church with "flat leadership", to "organic church", to being somehow associated with "emergent" (whatever that means). Then there are the definitions that attach to the outward form, like house churches or groups no larger than 120. Who knows.

As for the current movement, Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch's 2003 book "The Shaping of Things to Come" gave defining it a pretty thorough shot. One of the attempts to illustrate it was on page 72:

It's interesting that he doesn't really use the term "missional" in the illustration, but "mission culture". When I look at the chart, I see mostly characteristics that reflect a leadership culture rather than a philosophy of church. All of the items, like being "lay-centered", "bi-vocational", "apostolic", "build leaders", and "rapid reproduction", are in my experience ultimately determined not by strategy, by by the culture of the core leadership.

I personally have been bothered by what seems to be an attempt to market countless different flavors of "church" by using the word "missional"...as if it somehow makes everything a church is doing relevant and "cool". Are we (The Journey) a "missional community"? I guess I would leave that to others to decide. I see many of the factors in the chart above in our culture, and I know that they are intentional - but not because they are what someone called "missional", rather because they are aligned with how Jesus began to build His Church. I think that's a good enough reason to do them.

What is The Journey Really About?

2011-01-28T01:26:00.000-08:00

The life pulse of The Journey is not about house church, but relationships - we are discovering how discipling relationships with Jesus and through each other are the crucible of our personal and spiritual transformation. Nothing is more essential than this.

WHO AM I?

2011-01-02T06:44:00.002-08:00

This morning as I read from the Harmony of the Gospels, I realized something about both John the baptizer, and his cousin, Jesus of Nazareth: When describing who they were to others, they both quoted from Isaiah. John even used this prophetic book to describe who Jesus was. (See John 1:19-29, and Luke 4:18).

This got me thinking about how huge self image is in how we do life. These guys both saw themselves through the words of God's prophet. I was reminded how a passage in Isaiah has had a very powerful impact on my own sense of personal mission: Isaiah 58:12.

"Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;

You will raise up the age-old foundations;

And you will be called the repairer of the breach,

The restorer of the paths in which to dwell.”

This has defined my path for the last few years, and I wonder if the Prophet Isaiah has a special role in the identity of all of God's people. I challenge you to read through it and see if the Spirit of God points out something of who you are.

Grace and Peace

MPR Does a Nice Spread on House Churches

2010-12-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks we had the chance to get to know Nikki from the Minnesota Public Radio. She shared how she had been interested in doing a story on the house church "movement", and asked if she could drop in on us up in Isanti County. It was great to have her, and she is an amazing photographer, as you can see from the article...
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/12/08/home-church/

TRACKING THE MESSIAH'S WAY

2010-12-04T05:23:00.000-08:00

Most of my life I have seen examples of churches and ministries following parts of what Jesus taught and lived, but there are some things He did that I have never seen followed. I guess that is what makes trying to put the whole life of Jesus in front of us a bit scary...and inspiring.

One thing that was implied back in my days with "Sonlife", was that there was something important about the patterns in Jesus ministry - the rhythm of how He began to build the Church. (and yes, I think this is still His job!) For instance, He called the disciples...more than once, and had them do the Kingdom along with Him for two years before He sent out the first twelve. (Did you know they weren't the only ones?) They were referred to as "apostles" (a very common Greek word) because they were "sent". He later, in His third year, just months before He went to the cross, sent seventy more out the same way - This is recorded in Luke 10, which is placed in the Fall of 29 A.D. He would be crucified in the Spring, around Passover.

I wonder - was sending them out a way of helping them not to get too "clicky"? I have noticed a strong leaning toward the comfort of the familiar in us - So that when get our house church groups established, we start to forget very quickly what it is like for someone to come into someone's home where a group of people who all know each other are meeting. I have noticed that very few people can adjust and successfully come to be part of that already-established group.

So we are tugging on a plan to open up our homes again for a month in February 2011 - the two year mark of the Journey. It's how we began this thing...giving people a chance to hear and taste and see what being the Church at home is like. We'll see what happens. Everyone is wrestling with how much they are carrying at the same time - and we are trying to pay attention to whether the things we do refresh us, or leave us more tired. We have this theory that if Jesus is showing up, we will experience the former!

We are all still messy, and trying to keep it sorted out. But God keeps showing up, and bringing His healing and grace to us in ways we least expect it. Amazing. May the Spirit of of our Lord guide us all through this holiday season.

LESSONS FROM THE "NEED ZONE"

2010-11-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

   When we dare to do ministry in the shadow of real needs, we walk into a place in people's lives where the stakes are very high.

In The Journey, we have often felt inadequate when walking into each other's "Need Zone" because there is no quick fix - It's not enough there to just pray and say "God bless you...be warm and fed". One of the three core values we have around our leadership culture is vulnerability - We lead by modeling this, sharing our own human weakness and establishing the grace of God for us first. This carves out a territory where the blood of Christ is not only spoken of as a doctrine, but relied on and leaned into by the "leader", driving away any reasons for pretending. When this happens, often there is a flood gate opened as others release all the struggles and pain they have kept hidden in the closet in the name of being "fine" (the "F-word" in a grace-based culture).

   Our own learning curve right now has been in the area of sharing resources. We have navigated the use of a kind of "benevolence fund" for each house church, and found that no one really wants to be in the position of "awarding" funds to those in need - deciding how much, if any, to give to individuals. Even having a core group making that decision gives this group an apparent "power status" that changes their relationship with the rest of the group. The other problem we found is that others who give to the fund don't get to be a part of connecting with the non-financial needs of those who are asking for help.

   What we have gone to now is to have people share needs with the house church, and just "pass the hat" right there at the time, as well as offer any other resources that the group members may have to offer. We have gotten rid of the "bottle neck", and maximized the accountability and ownership of needs-sharing in the house church "family". Time will tell how effective this will be, but I witnessed a great weight being lifted as the Commissioned Leaders reached consensus on this change, and I was reminded of Jesus' words:

   "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS [Jeremiah 6:16]; For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."    Matt 11:28-30

MARK VAN STEENWYK ON DISCIPLESHIP

2010-10-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

I count others like Mark, who are doing discipleship in the trenches like we are in the Journey, as priceless resources. We double our growth potential when we can widen the "lesson" that way. Mark recently shared "8 assumptions" he makes about discipleship:

1. You don’t “know” your way into “doing.” If anything, you need to “do” your way into “knowing.”
2. We can’t “blue-print” an approach to discipleship. We need to experiment into it.
3. We need to create space for this; it can't happen in the context of a typical worship service.
4. Certain ways of reading Scripture lend themselves more to this approach than others
5. Discipleship doesn't make sense apart from the margins. The way of Jesus is wrapped up with the poor and marginalized. When we do discipleship separate from the poor and marginalized, we're actually engaging in proto-discipleship.
6. All of this needs to be done in conversation with the struggles of a people in a particular place. Our experimenting, discussing, and studying needs to be done in conversation with real-life challenges that rise from a particular context.
7. Discipleship in an imperial context requires resistance. We can't say "yes" to the Kingdom of God without saying "no" to the American Dream.
8. Discipleship is revolutionary action.

So much of what he says here reflects our own experience, and why the call to follow the "Wild Messiah" is so difficult to answer - we are addicted to the "American Dream", just like the rich young ruler, and the Pharisees who loved the power they had over the people.

The Kingdom of God is not essentially academic, it is inherently...revolutionary. Revolutions aren't nice, so we have a hard time with that in our Minnesota culture. But with Jesus there is no "Plan B". We follow Him or we don't. He understands the cost. Yes, He really understands the cost.

Thanks, Mark, for sharing with us from the trenches. May the Kingdom come in all you do.

Jesus Shows up at SUMMIT III

2010-10-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

So how do you know when Jesus shows up? Well, since He lives in every believer, you could say He is everywhere we are; But there are those times He really leaves an impression....Jo Jo shared his journey into "organic church", and gave some great challenges for us not to fall into committing ourselves into just one more formula for doing church better - That our hope is not in the format but in living a crucified life. Great stuff.

One of his quotes:
"A non-traditional church that is born out of spiritual life instead of being constructed by human institutions and held together by religious programs. Organic church life is a grass roots experience that is marked by face-to-face community, every member functioning, open-participatory meetings (opposed to pastor-to-pew services), non-hierarchical leadership, and the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ as the functional Leader and Head of the gatherings. Put another way, organic church life is the experience of the Body of Christ. In its purest form, it’s the fellowship of the Triune God brought to earth and experienced by human beings."

Melody brought in the role of structure in organic church ministry. I loved her quote on simplifying church:

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction." — E. F. Schumacher, 20th century German economist and conservationist.

She talked about why we don't like structure, and how decentralized leadership requires learning how to use it to empower others rather than control them. More good stuff!

Ben Erickson, after sharing a couple of prophetic words with a few that were present, brought us what seemed like the key teaching of the day: Focusing on the concepts from Danny Silk's book, "Culture of Honor", he clearly laid out what it means to develop a transformational atmosphere that elevates the status of people around us - the way Jesus did with people. The message meshes so well with the "Leadership in the Journey" booklet, describing the relational dynamic of vulnerability in the face of the unlimited grace of God.

After a pizza break, Abbey led us in a time of worship that invited the Spirit of God to just come and fellowship with us. Bob then gave a summary of The Journey's path over the last 20 months, and landed on the challenge of simplifying our vision to that of Jesus and the way He empowered an organic movement of the Bride of Christ through discipleship and walking in the power of His Father's authority. For those present, the challenge was to read Jesus words in Matthew 18:19 the way a little child would read them:

"Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven."

We agreed together that His Kingdom would come in Cambridge and Isanti County in a new way that transforms the culture here.

After we closed, most of the thirty or so that had come that day stayed for a time of ministry where many received words that encouraged, and some were healed.

Brace yourself.

2010-10-10T23:48:00.000-07:00

NEW TEAMMATES

2010-09-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

I am really psyched about some new people that have joined the Mission-link Network this past week! See if you know any of these guys:

Jo Jo Spencer

Melody LaBeau

Ben & Abbey Erickson

These really interesting people will all be doing their part in the next Summit Workshop on October 17th from 2-8 pm at the Minnco Community Room in Cambridge, MN.

DON'T MISS THIS ONE! ;)

THE FOUR "NO ONES"

2010-09-08T09:07:00.001-07:00

I now have the ability to e-mail blog entries to this page, so I can share what I found this past week in Colossians 2…This chapter is warning believers about those who, seeing disciples who have such a tender heart toward God, would count this an opportunity to entrap them in their religious systems of legalism. I can recall one summer I was working with high school youth in a church in the west end of Duluth, and I encountered four different cults that tried to proselytize my kids. I realize they were targeting them for their teachable hearts and openness to spiritual things. I had to confront each of them, and it was interesting how in spite of holding different doctrines, they all had one common theme: Do it right and God will love you, follow main stream religion and you will go to hell. They were all some form of legalism.

So in reading Colossians 2, I found what I call the “Four No Ones”. These “no ones” are to be avoided – warned against, and the source of their message is actually demonic. In the NASB, they are found in verses 4, 8, 16, and 18. Paul warns the Colossians believers what these four no ones will try to do…

#1. Col 2:4 “…no one will delude you with persuasive argument.”

Jesus said in John 6:44, 45, “No one can come to me unless the Father draws him.” People who have something to gain by getting “converts” will ignore this teaching of Jesus and lean on their own persuasive abilities. As a lawyer, I can certainly imagine justifying the use of argument to bring people to Jesus, but I can’t ignore what Jesus said about how people really come to him. Back in Duluth, I tried my best arguing skills on these proselytizers, but they were not being drawn by God, so I that was accomplished was to distract me from the true Kingdom work and validate the credibility of these deceivers! I learned a good lesson about the value and place of “argument”.

#2. Col. 2:8 “…no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

The “elementary principles of the world” would be better translated “ranks of this world”. It’s the Greek word “stoicheion”, which appears in also in verse 20, and in Gal. 4:3 where is says that “we were in bondage” to them! There is a spiritual warfare element in legalism, taking advantage of a tender, teachable heart, and taking it “captive” to it’s good-sounding “principles”. These “ranks” are put opposite the person of Christ, not just His teaching – so it is not just a battle of words, but a spiritual battle as well.

#3. Col. 2:16 “…no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day,”

In the very next verse, it says how these things are just a “shadow of what is to come”. These “no ones” will cast judgment on us for not keeping certain holidays and for eating certain foods. There are a lot of people who watch what they eat, or avoid eating certain things, but when they attach religious or moral “merit” to this, I can get a little ticked off. It’s my challenge to understand that these guys have been taken captive to this conviction by the very thing Paul is talking about here. They need good news – not a return dose of “judgment”.

#4. Col. 2:18 “…no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,…”

Finally, these “no ones” will ultimately defraud us of our prize, or what is to be our real treasure: to “know” Jesus at the heart level. The way of legalism hardens our hearts to grace, because grace becomes a detractor of any merit we gain by following rules. It’s like the Prodigal Son’s brother – he found it impossible to rejoice in the redemption of his own brother because his eye was on his own comparing his own good behavior to his previously “lost” brother. Only the Father could love them both – only the Father understood the depth of grace – and the younger son was beginning to understand it because his heart was softened though hardship.

May the Lord keep our hearts soft to His grace in the midst of our struggles, and the struggles of others, and keep us watchful of the “no ones”.

Shalom

Bob Roby

The Journey, East Central MN

www.thejourney-ecmn.org

763 221-4760

2010-09-08T08:18:00.001-07:00

This is a text message from my phone...amazing

THE VIEW FROM HERE

2010-08-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

Every so often in a journey through unknown territory you come to a spot where the view opens up and get a glimpse of what is ahead in the journey. This past month The Journey house church network went independent of Mission-link, and now Mission-link is reforming with a new team. At the same time there are Missional Core people in the Journey who are being called to branch new home groups. It is really exiting to see.

As we are moving into this next season, we are refining the vision of Mission-link. What follows is a vision "refresh":

PURPOSE

To Change How the Church is Led

VISION

To see the decentralized, empowering, catalytic leadership culture of the Lord Jesus Christ restored to the Church, thereby igniting a world-wide awakening to the power of the Gospel.

Decentralized - Because the Head of the Church does not lead her from a central location, but from within every member of the Body of Christ - As it says of the “mystery” of the Gospel:

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col. 1:27

Empowering - Because the power of God’s presence always flowed from within Jesus to others, not from others to Him. Christ in us empowers us to establish the flow of grace, resources, life, healing, and salvation, away from us to others - as it says of God’s power:

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know … the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Eph 1:18-20

Catalytic - Because we are bringing people to a living Savior, to walk with Him, more than with us. We are called to give away the keys to the kingdom; To draw others to Jesus, share what we have to give, and get out of the way. As Jesus said:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” John 14:12

Under my picture to the right is some information about a Mission-link "Summit" on September 19th. If you or your group resonate with the vision and would like to be a part of this, give me a call. We looking forward to this as a time of sharing stories and tools from the trenches as we live out the Kingdom life together.

Bob

DISCIPLESHIP, WHO NEEDS IT?

2010-08-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

REASON #5 - "I Just Don't Buy It" (the god of Unbelief)

It's really not politically correct (especially in church culture) to say it this way, but that doesn't mean we don't think it. It goes something like this: "If being a Christian means I have to ___________ (fill in the blank with whatever lifestyle change you are facing) then you can have it - It's not for me". It's what happens every time there is a collision of our world with the real Jesus. For anyone who has been trying to follow Jesus for any amount of years, this no doubt has happened many, many times. If we are still following, it is because He eventually opened our eyes to see that the pain of changing our life-style (again) was well worth it - if not solely for the benefit of knowing Him.

It is encouraging to see that Jesus dealt with unbelief among His twelve. In Matthew 17:17 He mentions the unbelief that left a boy in spiritual bondage. In John 20:27 He meets Thomas' unbelief with the experience of touching His risen body, but at the same time calls those who believed because of what they already knew of Him, "blessed".

Unbelief can be the bigger problem behind the other four reasons - and maybe we don't find out how deep the rabbit hole goes until we address the parts closer to the surface. It was this very issue that shut down an entire culture according to Romans 11. Verse 8 even describes it as a "spirit" that blinds peoples' spiritual eyes. Matthew 7:21-23 gives account of Jesus warning to us about practicing Christian-looking things without really knowing Jesus. I think this comes down to believing it is worth it - being one of His "sheep" (John 10). We don't just answer this once, but our hearts are revealed in the end. It is written in
2 Tim 2:11,12:

For if
we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
If we endure , we will also reign with Him.

Finally, I have to give my personal take on all of this-Follower-ship with Jesus stuff. It will be 35 years for me on New Years Eve. With all that I have been through, I am more like Thomas than the other disciples - because I have seen and touched the reality of Jesus' work in my own life and the lives of others. I have no excuse - but I had to start somewhere, and for those who have not seen and yet still believe, remember He calls you "blessed". Hang in there!

Grace & Peace
Bob

REASON #4 - "They Can't ALL be Wrong!" (the god of This World)

There is no question that as we look over the vast sea of those who identify themselves as Christians, a lifestyle of discipleship, by any reasonable definition, is not the norm and is simply not assumed by this group(may I refer to it as... "Christendom"?) to be, in any way, essential.

But what did Jesus say about those who wanted eternal life?

v The rich guy in Matt. 19:16: "How do I get eternal life?" Jesus, "sell it and follow me";

v Jesus to His audience in Matt. 19:29: "Leave your family to follow me - you get eternal life."

v John wrote, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life" John 3:36

v Jesus again in John 10:27-28 - "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish;

v And finally, as Jesus spoke of Himself to God in prayer in John 17, He says, "...to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life: that they may know You,...".

There is no way that we can see anyone but followers of Jesus getting eternal life. Even though we think of the word "believe" as a theology issue, it actually has the same root word "obey" in the Greek. That is why the two words seem to be used interchangeably in John 3:36. When I first found this out I have to admit, it pretty well scared the crap out of me. I knew I wasn't obeying at that point in my life. Other things still had more authority in my life than Jesus. I could talk you into a corner on theology, but I couldn't walk to the next corner and stay close to Jesus.

According to Jesus, eternal life is for followers...those that "obey". In our vocabulary, discipleship is "follower-ship" - a lifestyle of living under the authority of Jesus. This is not rule-following, it's the living Spirit of God/Spirit of Jesus that first taught our hearts who He was, so we could agree about who He is. As it says in Romans 8:14..."For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." Follower-ship defines the ones who receive eternal life.

REASON #3 - "I Can't afford it!" (the god of Money)
We are doing chapter 5 of Luke this month in our house church, and it opens with an account of Jesus invading Peter's workplace that most Bibles cross reference to passages in Mark and Matthew. The Harmony of the Gospels (Thomas & Gundry), however, sets this passage apart as unique to Luke's Gospel, and after looking closely at the details given it is not hard to see that they are correct. The difference that makes is this: Peter, John and their brothers had been called by Jesus once before, (Peter is calling Him master in this passage) so that the scene is one where the brothers had followed Jesus, and then gone back to business as usual. They had not trusted Jesus with their livelihood.

Jesus handles this by bringing a crowd to the shores of Gennesaret where their boats were landed after an all-nighter on the lake with no fish to show for it. How annoying for Peter to be interrupted by Jesus asking to take Him out so he could use His boat as a pulpit...then after he has him out there He tells him to put his nets down again (the carpenter telling the fisherman where to put his nets!) . When Peter did this of course they overflowed with fish and had to get all four involved in loading the fish into the boats and hauling them to shore.

So much for Peter thinking he couldn't "afford" to follow Jesus as a disciple, but what about me? As I write this I can only tell you what I have seen: after being an 'unbeliever' for most of my life when it came to Jesus being in the middle of my work (except of course when serving in a church), early in 2010 I began asking God for "daily bread" every morning as a way of recognizing Him as my source of income - regardless of where it looked like it was coming from. I am a small business owner, and I consider it to be Jesus showing up in my work that since January of this year all of my budget needs have been met - every month.

I don't think I am being overly pessimistic when I say that most who call themselves Christians do not bring Jesus into the middle of their work and finances. Money is a powerful and jealous god, and does not like competition. It claims to be the source of our comfort, our esteem and our power in life. To set aside and guard time for discipleship - even just once a week...well, try it and see what happens. See if financial "considerations" don't pop up and demand that time back.

It happened to the rich young man, and to the one who wanted to "bury his father" first (most likely a euphemism for settling the inheritance). It is my prayer that Jesus will show up at more of our workplaces and ask for a tour, then show the power of His provision...because there really is no "plan B" for the commission to make, and be, disciples.

Reasons 4 and 5 are coming this week!

* * *

REASON #2 - "It's really out of my comfort zone" (The god of Comfort)

If there is one thing we are learning about trying to walk with Jesus' it's that it involves no right to be comfortable. Living with a band of people who spend time with each other at least twice per week (more than many spend with spouses or kids) means getting really close - close enough to not only see each other's weak spots but have them really get annoying.

Jesus warned would be disciples about this in many ways: Luke 9:58 ("foxes have holes...), John 15:20 ("...if they persecute Me they will persecute you"), and Matthew 10:34 ("I have not come to bring peace but a sword", speaking of conflict in the family) Jesus' relationships with the twelve, and especially Peter, James and John, superseded his biological family - and there is no doubt from the account we have that those apprenticing relationships were hot spots for both discomfort and growth.

These kinds of relationships in life make it hard to feel that you are ever alone...but they also temp us to use a skill that many of us put to work all too often: AVOIDANCE. Through my friends in the Journey, I have been faced with this in a big way over the past year - and can tell you it was UN-COMFORTABLE! But you know, it has also been a year of the greatest personal growth I can remember having in that amount of time.

So...is discipleship comfortable??? Definitely NOT, but is there spiritual/personal growth? I would personally guarantee it.

Three more reasons coming in the the next three days...so keep checking back - and feel free to comment!

* * *

Shalom. I have been challenged lately with communicating this whole thing of discipleship. So many can say "Yes" and sound excited about "following Jesus", but when it comes to arranging our life around that, well, that's just a whole different concept.

In The Journey, we talk about it in terms of "rhythms" - daily, weekly, monthly and even seasonal...in that order. If being a Jesus follower doesn't translate into a life-style, then it's all just another theology. I think there are many reasons we don't make this shift from theology to lifestyle, but here are what might be the TOP 5 reasons we decide we don't need to quite take it that far. Here is the first one:

REASON #1 - "I'm not really THAT available"(the god of Control).

Jesus dealt with this on a couple of levels. One guy was faced with selling all he had in order to follow Jesus. When he realized he was not ready to make that big a change (Luke 18:23), he got real "sad". We would have no doubt looked for a way to make it easier...wouldn't we??? Another guy ask to wait until he buried his father (Matthew 8:21), and Jesus told him to let the dead bury there own dead! Availability has always been a big reason not to be a disciple.

There have been many in The Journey who heartily agree with the ideas we share about following Jesus, but for one reason or another can't do the "rhythm" or lifestyle piece that we see tied to it. It is a battle for control: We ask simply, "what do I understand Jesus wants for my life?", and then decide if we will follow that. If we say "No" with our lifestyle, at that point no amount of rationalizing can free our conscience - we just have to avoid thinking about it. Maybe this is why Jesus called "blessed" the people listed in Matthew 5... the "poor in spirit", the ones with the least to lose. They simply place less value on having ultimate control of their lives. I need to learn to be one of these people.

THE ATTRACTIONAL JESUS

2010-07-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

As I was diving into Alan and Debra Hirsch's new book, "Untamed", something very disturbing occurred to me about the way we view Jesus: I am seeing that our evangelical presentation of Jesus attracts people who don't want to grow. Let me explain.

It has to do with the attitude of those "outside" the Church. Those who are invited in are told not to be influenced by "the world"...because after all, now we are "right". We stop listening to those who are "wrong", because we see them as in "darkness" (wrong). What is more disturbing is that our identity becomes so tied to the hope that we are "right", that we even quit listening to others in the Church who don't agree with us about things. In the name of not being "influenced", we cut ourselves off to the reflections of ourselves through those around us whom God would try to use for our growth.

This very dynamic precludes the one thing that the REAL Jesus told us to do: Discipleship. Discipleship, by any definition, requires close proximity to people who will not agree with us about everything - and will challenge us by reflecting our blind spots. No wonder Jesus said that the "children of darkness are often wiser than the children of light". I think He meant by that comment that we had better listen to those who don't agree with us...they have something valuable to say to us. If we cannot learn from our brother who we can see, how can we possibly learn from God who we cannot see? (see 1John 4:20)

So, I don't think a true image of Jesus will flatter us when our doctrine is "right". The image of Jesus in the Gospels didn't repel the sinners of world and attract the religious. Quite the opposite. He exposed the blind spots of the "righteous" while He drew the unholy to Him. He was irresistible to those who thought nothing of themselves, while those who thought of themselves as righteous only wanted to kill Him.

What is our image of Jesus?

NO BLACKSMITHS

2010-05-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Today I was reading in 1Samuel 13 about how the Philistines had eradicated blacksmiths from the people of God to make sure no one could make weapons. It paints this picture of Saul, the first Israelite King, and his son Jonathan leading this army with no weapons. The king and his son were armed, but the people had been completely disarmed by the enemy's strategy while they were in captivity.

I was hit with the realization that our spiritual enemy has done this to the Church. Where are those with the knowledge of spiritual warfare - those who know what 2 Cor 10:4 is talking about - who walk as Jesus did in setting captives free? Hasn't there been a great shortage of "blacksmiths" among the people of God so that while we still see people respond to the gospel, they are not equipped to walk in victory and freedom? I think we need to quickly restore the ranks of the "blacksmiths" among people of faith - We have been far too vulnerable for too long.

NEW "NORMS" FOR A NEW SEASON

2010-05-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

OVER the last 15 months our learning curve has been through the roof - and now the novelty is wearing off and we are seeing how we need to make adjustments for sustaining the Journey.

As with many movements, one of our biggest challenges is keeping it simple. One of the ways we need to simplify is in how people ramp into the Journey. We have been working on the "irreducible minimum" description of our daily/weekly/monthly rhythm, as well as our general vision.

First, the other night we came up with:

"Imagine... if God could live in you?..."

It's a question that could have all kinds of responses, and it describes what is the theme of our ten core values.

Another way we are simplifying is to take the "L" word (leadership) out of the on-ramp into the Journey. We have found so far that, aside from the positive challenge for people recognize their influence, it has had two unintended and unproductive results:

1. Some are intimidated by the reference to leadership and shy away when they shouldn't;

2. Others jump right in and hold to the "leadership" references as a title and license to have power over others.

We think people need to grow into the understanding of leadership, so we now have "Follow-in" as the step people take into the Missional Core of the Journey.

Finally, we have found we need to be clear about what we agree on for our weekly and monthly rhythms - That being part of the missional core is to embrace weekly discipling triads, fellowship in homes, monthly Equipping Days and Missional Gatherings. These are all a part of our lifestyle in following Jesus together. Some find they are not ready to express their faith through such frequent connections, and are not ready to be more than attenders. We welcome people at every stage of wrestling with this, and allow God to continue His work of drawing people into following Jesus in a daily way.

Soon our written materials will all be updated with these new details - Comments are welcome!!

THE BIRTH OF A STARFISH

2010-04-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Monday night we had a meeting of the "missional core" of The Journey - those who have been through what we have called "Lead-in", and have taken on the rhythm of weekly discipleship triads and monthly training in addition to the weekly house church meetings. For the first time that I can remember in the last year, everyone spoke their mind, and many adjustments were made and affirmed to chart the course of next steps in the journey we are on. It was very exciting to me.

One of the changes we made in order to remove an obstacle for others was to take the "l-word" (leadership) out of the step that takes a person into the missional core. It has mostly created misunderstanding since most have a very definite image of what that word means and what a "leader" looks like. We are breaking that mould, but not all in one day. We find organic leadership has to be learned by doing, and the doing part needs to be free of hinderances. The change was part of "contextualizing" the path of following Jesus. So we are calling it "Follow-in" now, in keeping with the first of the three priorities of walking in the manner Jesus walked: Followership.

He followed the Father - John 5:19. Jesus only did what He saw His Father do. Only that!
He followed God's prophet - Matthew 3:13-17. He followed John the baptizer in baptism, despite John's protest.

"Follow-in" speaks of following the manner of our Messiah: coming under authority as the way to walk IN authority - God's. When our lives lack authority from God, we fall to the pattern of living from the influences outside ourselves; the pressures of life, rather than the leading of the Spirit of God within us. To follow Jesus in coming under authority is to begin living from the influence of the Spirit of God within us, who presses against the spirit of the world outside us.

We cannot lead until we learn to follow. That is Jesus' way - and there is no real debate about the power of Jesus' leadership in the history of this world. His way is rock-solid!

APPRENTICING WITH JESUS IN AN ADDICTED SOCIETY

2010-04-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

I have never really been "apprenticed", at least not like I have imagined it would happen...

The closest thing I can think of was when I worked for a professional law firm for four years while I was in school, and a couple of the partners were at different points taking me "under their wing" by giving me projects. But I have always pictured apprenticeship as shadowing someone day by day while they go through each step of their work. You wouldn't just learn the job, you'd learn the person's "ways": how they talk, walk, eat, relate to others - you are shaped by their life.

When Jesus told His disciples "Follow Me", I understand this was an invitation into apprenticeship. After all was said and done, and Jesus was raised up to His position with the Father, others seemed to be able to tell by observation that the disciples had "been with Jesus", (Acts 4:13) and I thnk that people should be able to see the mark of Jesus on our lives today if we are being apprenticed by Him now; Why doesn't this happen? I see maybe the biggest threat to being really apprenticed by Jesus is the addicitive culture we live in.

Addictive behavior can be understood as something or someone who has ultimate deciding power in our lives...whether we are acknowledging it or not. So what is addiction if it is not having something in the "God space" of our lives, controling our ultimate priorities from behind the curtain that covers our "heart" - what is our true "treasure" of life. Jesus showed His zeal for the temple of God during His whole life as we know it:

First words spoken about being in the temple;

Did much teaching in and around the temple courts;

Anger only shown when temple was being violated;

Referred to His body as a temple;

When all was finished He ripped the temple curtain in two.

So if we see addiction as something being in the 'Holy of Holies" that is not God, it is certain to stand in the way of following Jesus. Here are five points to check to see if there are ongoing addictions or attachments in your life:

FIVE MARKS OF ADDICTION OR “ATTACHMENT”:
Uncovering the true nature of “idolatry”-
(Adapted from Addiction & Grace” by Dr. Gerald May)

1. Tolerance: Needing More. Tolerance happens when the body and mind adjust chemically and psychologically to a new “normal”. The chemical impact of the behavior which gave the “high”, or sense of satisfaction, triggers a reaction in our body to compensate for the change. The compensation levels out the chemical “imbalance” caused by the behavior, requiring more of the chemical change produced by the behavior to achieve the same effect next time. More drinks, more hits, more sex, more shopping, more hunger pangs, more cutting.
Question: Do you find yourself needing to do it more (the addictive behavior) in order to feel “O.K.”?

2. Withdrawal: Stress and Backlash. The first reaction when failing to engage in the addictive behavior at the “using point” in the cycle, and its requirement for “more”, is stress. The body responds as though something is “wrong” - irritability, change in sleep patterns, a lack of a sense of well-being. In chemical use addictions, one can even experience convulsions and black outs. Backlash is when one begins to experience affect that are opposite to those brought on by the behavior, resulting from the now “unbalanced” presence of the body’s compensating for the chemical affects of the addictive behavior.
Question: Do you experience irritability or stress if you don’t engage in the behavior with a certain frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)?

3. Self Deception: “Stinkin’ thinkin’”. The thoughts generated in the unconscious mind to perpetuate addictive behavior are unpredictable and powerful, but not always expressed to others. Some of these thoughts are so obviously pretentious that to say them out loud would unravel their ability to influence behavior all together. This is one of the keys to helping one another in addiction recovery - to practice the regular sharing of our thoughts around our behavior and choices; “walking in the light”1John1:6-8.
Question: Have you had contradictory or confusing thoughts around the topic of the behavior, or doubts that seem to question the obvious?

4. Dividing of the Will: Competing Agendas in the Heart. This is one of the pervasive traits, not only of an addict, but of an addictive society - The inability to decide to live differently, and succeed at it. We are battling with a divided, crippled will: As Paul confesses in Romans 7:14-25, this is a common struggle. In true addiction, the ongoing war in the soul is most apparent, as the body’s demand to restore the “normal” created by the addiction battles the mind’s conviction that freedom from the addiction would be better. It’s the “two wolves fighting inside”, and the one we feed will prevail.
Question: Have you been unable to keep commitments you have made to quit or change the behavior?

5. Distortion of Attention: Unconscious Denial. This is the sometimes amazing ability to ignore or block out the addictive behavior and its consequences all together. It is this phenomenon that is confronted in an “intervention”, where several trusted people in the addict’s life tell him or her what they are seeing - not to make them care or feel more convicted, but to “turn the light on”: because they really weren’t seeing the behavior or its consequences - at all.
Question: Have you minimized comments or concerns that others have brought up about the behavior?

If you answer “yes” to these questions in relationship to a behavior, you are likely “attached” to it in a way that allows it to control your life. At the point you really want to be free, you will need to seek help.

Note: There may also be (and often is) a spiritual dynamic involved in attachment that will need to be addressed as “spiritual warfare” - the above only addresses the physical and psychological processes of the “soul” (mind, will & emotions).

One of the best tools I have found to help understand the apprenticing of Jesus is the PCI, or "personal craziness index". I looks like this:

You just consider ten things you understand the Lord wants you to do every day, and then track them. I believe we have all been "convicted" of things God is prompting us to do, but we quickly forget and go back our usual patterns that take us away from God. This is a discipling accountability tools to be shared between disciples. When it comes to addictions and attachments, simplifong life becomes a critical factor.

May the Lord give you victory as you follow the Savior!

The Irreducable Elements of the Mission-link movement

2010-03-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

I have been challenged with a next step in the mission - to pull back once again and recast the vision in its simplest form. More and more I see the essential things in terms of daily rhythm: The simplest unit - a day in the life of... But what common things are basic enough to connect an entire movement?

We could look at common resources:

Shaping of Things to Come (Frost & Hirsch)
Forgotten Ways Handbook (Hirsch & Altclass)
21 Most Powerful Minutes (Maxwell)
Boundaries (Coud & Townsend)
Messy Spirituality (Yaconelli)
Starfish & the Spider (Brafman & Beckstrom)

Or common tools we use:

Leadership in the Journey booklet
Lead-in manual
PCI (Personal Craziness Index)
Spiritual Gifts Inventory
Strengthsfinder
APEST

But I think the best thing I have seen so far are the five arms of the "starfish" (my comparison) from the second book on the list:

Jesus is Lord - The central confession of the true Spirit of God in our world, tying together all who belong to Him. This is the core DNA for the whole "fish" coming from the "head", who lives in every cell of the Body.

Apprenticing - The one thing Jesus gave for His disciples to do - with all the peoples of the world...He would build His Church, we do the disciple-making;
Outward Thrust - The opposite of "in-grown", we share a culture of engagement with the community, connecting at every opportunity to recontextualize the gospel;
Empowering Environment - Called "apostolic genius" by Hirsch, it is a leadership culture that lifts the lids of everyone involved, giving away power and maximizing strengths;
Decentralized Leadership - Called "Organic Systems", where leadership culture is allowed to adapt to the individuals and the community they operate in, while still true to the DNA of the movement;
Garden Relationships - Relationships in this movement are forged in the pain of growth, with those who stay recognizing that there is no growth without pain - we value grace all the more because we know the "way out is through".

My next question is whether this is all simple enough to guide a movement. Please feel free to make comments!

Shalom

The Starfish

2010-03-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

I recently heard an amazing thing about starfish that helps picture the true leadership of Jesus in His Church. It came from a book titled "The Spider and the Star Fish", by Brafman and Beckstrom. The book refers to "leaderless ogranizations", but in truth it does not imply lack of a leader, rather, an organic or catalytic leadership culture that draws on the ownership and strengths of all members and maximizes both the body and the individual at the same time.

The DNA for this is uniquely present in the Church of Jesus Christ, which is really organized not by external definition but by the supernatural presence of its one "head" in every member.

"Christ in you, the hope of glory" Colossians 1:27

"Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." 1John 4:4

While the Bible records that Jesus is the "head", it also locates Him in every believer, so that like a starfish, which has the ability to replicate itself from every part of its body, every believer has the ability to spark expansion of the Kingdom of God where they live and work. This understanding leaves no room for many of the traditions that have crippled the Church for so many centuries:

Professionalized ministry - Every member has full ownership and capacity for moving the Kingdom forward;

Dualism - There is no way to divide our lives between religious and secular, church and private life, percentages for God and percentages for us;

Leaders and Followers - Everyone follows God and the Lordship of Christ, as well as those that serve with greater responsibility, but everyone also leads, having the Head guy residing in them and empowering them by grace and the gifts of His Spirit.

There is no way to put this aside. It is solidly established in the gospel itself. Let this saok in for a season...I see that it will transform faith as we know it.

Following a Wild Messiah

2010-01-13T23:38:00.000-08:00

We are being challenged lately by the attention we are giving to the life of Jesus Christ - as His followers. I was told recently by a pastor friend that he didn't think we could be followers of Jesus...I am not sure what was meant by that because it seems like the last directions Jesus gave to His guys: Go make disciples of all people...teaching them to obey all I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19,20) Anyway, one common thread in our experience on The Journey is that of pain. Now, in a culture that really does worship comfort, it is hard not to go down the road of thinking that if we were really being "good", or doing what God wanted, we would be "blessed" and not be experiencing such discomfort.

It is what we are seeing about the impact of Jesus coming to the world, his community, and to the personal lives of others that is reshaping our thinking on this. Think about it: His birth (which we just got done remembering in "Christ-mas") triggered the slaughter of every child under two years of age in the Bethlehem region; His dedication prompted a prophet to report to His mother that a "sword will pierce even your own soul". His invitation to follow Him was given with a "take up your cross and follow me". In the face of our taste for the comforts of this world, getting involved with Jesus is always a disturbing proposition. Yet people have still been doing just that for the last 2000 years, despite the cost.

Here is our study outline - Sort of a "warning label" for following

Jesus, the Wild Messiah. For all who are tagging along, it's OK if you occasionally feel like you are dying, because it's the only way His life can really move in.

Grace & Peace

A New Door Opens to Take Back Ground for the Kingdom

2009-12-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

Starting next month, Mission-link will be providing ministry and teaching on Spritual Warfare at The Fish House in Isanti, MN. Three appointments will be available on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, and as otherwise arranged individually. Teaching sessions will be on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays from 1-3 p.m., also at the Fish House. We are excited to see captives set free as believers learn to walk in the inheritance of Jesus' authority in their lives! Please be praying for us as we develope the team for this new opportunity.

BUILDING A "GRACE BASED" LEADERSHIP CULTURE

2009-11-27T22:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight I got to speak with a band of guys who were ministering down at the Marie Sandvick Center in Minneapolis. Like so many others who hear about what we are doing in the Cambridge-Isanti area, they were curious about how we are doing leadership. Without exception, the people I have talked to who have tried house church have always run into leadership problems.

Last night I was talking to someone who was wrestling with the high value we place on "vulnerability" with leaders, and it occurred to me how the level of "grace" (as opposed to "shame") that is going on in any given group of any size is directly related to the vulnerability of the leaders. It's the leadership that let's everyone know how safe the group is (and by implication, how safe our God is) by how much they share of their own weaknesses - not for shock value, but truly with the purpose of showing confidence in the grace of God.

We are spending the next few weeks digging into the grace of God and how huge it is. Here is our study outline on it:

I will be writing more on this, but I would really like to hear some comments on this topic. What reasons do you hear as to why leaders are not more vulnerable?

RESTORING THE RIVER

2009-11-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

Jesus told His disciples, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:38. This seems to come from Proverbs 10:11, 18:4, and others that predict a flow of life and wisdom from those God will bless. I take this to mean at least one thing - That whoever those people are, others will notice that the effect of being around them is to come away richer, more alive and refreshed than they were. These are people who give away life - who give away power to others. I think Jesus was the picture of this dynamic, and the "first of many bretheren" who would be known for it.

When I look at leadership in the church today, I don't see this picture so much. I see church staff battling for limited resources, church boards that don't ever expect to pay a living wage to employees, and pastors that can't ever afford to hand off leadership roles for fear of not fulfilling their job descriptions. The flow of real life and power to people seems to be at best incidental to the management and glimmer of programs. Investment in discipleship is difficult to find. I notice Jesus giving away things:

His authority - to seventy guys whose names are still a mystery;
His Dignity - to twelve who wouldn't have thought to wash His feet, let alone theirs;
His Keys to the Kingdom - to guys who argued about who was the greatest;
His Church - to those who had denied and abandoned Him at His death.

When I look at how Jesus entrusted the treasures of His Kingdom to these people, my excuses for holding on to these things make me ashamed - I wonder who I am to think I am handling what I have been given better than one of the least of those who are like Jesus' disciples. I think that if I am going to be one who has this "River of Life" coming from him, I need to learn to release power to others, like Jesus did in His vulnerability, His reckless trust, and always undeserved radical grace toward others. May we sit at the Rabbi's feet for this. Amen

UPCOMING GATHERING AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE CONFERENCE

2009-10-23T08:25:00.001-07:00

Hey - this is just a reminder that next weekend (Halloween) is a big one for us - We are doing everything at the Fish House that weekend: The Spiritual Warfare Conference from 6:30 Friday night to 4:...00 pm on Saturday, then our Gathering will start at 5:00 in the upper room of the same location with a CHILi FEED, and go into a worship time with Stacy & Serit leading us in Israeli worship dance. After our open mic time, we will join the Fish House Crowd downstairs for a combined service where the message on restoring the Keys of spiritual authority in the Church will be given - that will be Halloween night. Our victory over darkness does not step aside for Halloween, it meets it head on!!!

For more details, go to The Journey Website: www.thejourney-ecmn.org

The Thing of Momentum

2009-09-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

Today I am reading John Maxwell's book, "The 21 Most Powerful Minutes...", where he uses the life of Solomon to illustrate how momentum works in leadership. It is interesting to me how something comes to be called a "movement", as this implies an increasing momentum - people catch a vision and find a way to do what they see - to live it out, and in doing so they find that they have the power to make a difference.

I see this in The Journey EC house church network. How many of us as believers in Jesus have read how the early church lived with a sense of "awe" (Acts 2:43) at the power of God, meeting house to house (v. 46), and sharing what they had with those in need (v. 45), only to wonder why we don't see this today? We have asked ourselves, "Why can't we do this", and maybe we've tried to give it a go, only to find the challenge of a smaller, closer community more daunting than we thought.

But now I see people who have attended church for decades learning to become the Church - the dwelling place of God; And although the relationship part is a challenge and we make a lot of mistakes, we are excited to be walking out what we see in the accounts of the ministry of Jesus and His disciples.

As for momentum, we are learning the difference between the initial draw of "novelty" and the longer term connection to the mission. Actually making the shift from the "initial interest" crowd to the more long term group with the "get-it factor" can seem like a loss of momentum. It looks a little like a three stage rocket that drops a section after certain points in its journey to reach its destination, only we are actually seeing others added as the journey goes forward and becomes more defined. Maxwell makes some good points about what keeps momentum going:

Leaders who have accepted that it is in their hands;
Willingness to direct it rather than just ride the wave;
Continuing to fuel, and show the value of, the vision;
Catching people doing good things.

It is an amazing thing in the history of the world as we know it - this story of the Church. No one can get away from the proof that faith in Jesus Christ, and the Kingdom He brought, has only increased over the last two millennia. Even now when our willingness to adapt to changing culture is being tested once again, we see an amazing gift in the Church's readiness to move into a simpler mode, unburdened by buildings and big budgets. Generations who have generally held each other, and God, at an arms length as they attended weekly formal services in large sanctuaries are giving way to a more connected church - one who is bringing Jesus home for dinner. What a great picture of Jesus' desired result as he stands knocking on the door of our house...not just our hearts. I have often wondered how we could talk so freely about receiving Him in our hearts, when we had yet to welcome Him into our living rooms?

Can we agree to ask,

"Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth (starting in my living room) as it is in heaven." ?

Shalom

Bob Roby

NOTES ON HOW THE CHURCH IS LED

2009-09-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

THE STRENGTH OF OUR WILL

Today I spotted an article in the September 21, 2009 issue of "Leadership Journal" by John Ortberg called: The Strong-Willed Leader: There is a difference between a surrendered will and a weak will. I was really encouraged to see this come to light, because over the 27 years that I have been involved with the church as an institution, I have consistently encountered teaching - both specific and implied - that God's plan for us is have no will of our own. I have observed that the resulting passivity of church culture in America, particularly as it is encouraged in the "laity" or attenders, is linked to the taking away of the "key" in Luke 11:52; It hinders those who are trying to enter the Kingdom, or domain of God. Then there is that disturbing statement in Matthew 11:12 about "violent men" taking the Kingdom by force.

So how do we square that Jesus both "set His face to go to Jerusalem" in Luke 10:51, and yet only always did what He saw His Father doing? (John 5:19) It doesn't seem a mystery to me any more. It has a lot to do with what we believe God wants from us, and what He will do if we bow our heart to Him. You see, every other god (and I use this term in the broadest sense) seeks to take power from us - to use us, and use us up. The true God is the only One who can afford to give us more power than He takes from us. (Note the promises in Acts 1:8, Ephesians 1:20, e.g.)But old habits are hard to break - we have been taught by our other gods that to come under the authority of another means we must disengage our will. At the same time we are doing this (which I beleieve is very offensive to God - kind of like bonevolent adoptive parents bringing a child home only to see him crippled by a constant, parylizing fear that they are going to beat and abuse him), He is all about the task of healing and rebuilding our will so that it is functioning again - evidenced by the ability to daily choose to follow Him. (Romans 8:14)

More could be said about this - and I hope that we as the Church will begin to grow in this understanding: that God comes to empower and repair our will, and to equip us for the spiritual battle field we live in. Passivity is not close to godlikeness - rather it takes an incredibly strong and healthy will for us to do as Jesus did in setting His face toward Jerusalem, for this where our cross awaits us...the one we are to take up daily as we follow our Savior.

Grace & Peace

EVENTS COMING UP

2009-09-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

THE GATHERING - SEPTEMBER 26TH AT THE SHED!
The Topic is "Hearing from God - Why at least every Christian has already heard God's voice"

The Shed (34092 Vickers Street NE in Cambridge) has been offered by Dale Forslin for us to meet starting this month! To show our thanks we are going to be out there next Saturday the 12th to work on clean up and whatever else is needed.

Plan to be out there from noon to about 4:00 p.m.

LATEST EXCITEMENT IN THE JOURNEY

2009-09-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well, we had four baptisms in July, and our August Gathering was filled with sharing around a campfire in the park - what God is doing among us.

The Blue Fish house church has been on an amazing journey around learning to invite the Spirit of God to teach us - as Jesus promised He would. (John 16 :12-15) We are going to breakout discussions with questions that send us into the Bible for answers, and seeing how God speaks to all of us - It has been amazing.

But lately we have been tugging on the meaning of "ministry" to each other, and what ministry really means. Ministry has been defined by some as "Our needs being met by God's resources", but how do God's resources get involved? We recognize that the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit are our only hope of "ministry" happening, so we have to go to God with our hands and hearts open, while at the same time we test what comes to us by its:

Consistency with Scripture,
Confirming fruit, and
Confession of Jesus Christ as Lord

We are beginning to see healing and freedom among us - but it's a learning process. We find we have been affected by all kinds of teaching and perspectives on these things - But as long as we can all defer to the authority of Scripture, we are going to find our way through the experiential part of our walk. He will complete the work He began in us!

JULY 25TH GATHERING - "SAVED - BORN AGAIN" WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

2009-07-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 25th from 5:00-8:00 at the Cambridge City Park

Food - Live band - Open mic - Drama group - Baptisms

See what the journey is about. It's the journey we are all on to discover the part of our existence that can't be measured in a lab; The part of our world that has to be learned by heart. Come and eat, sing, share your journey with others, or just hear from regular people what they are discovering in their own journeys. All are welcome.

THE GATHERING - SATURDAY JUNE 27th

2009-06-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

5-8 p.m. at the Cambridge City Park
THEME: PRAYER - "What is it and does it really change anything?"
Food at 5:00 - Worship and Open Mic at 6:00

Bring friends and stories of answered prayer!

For Home Church group information go to www.thejourney-ecmn.org

WAR & HEALING IN THE KINGDOM

2009-05-31T18:07:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY NIGHT, May 30th, the house churches of the Journey had a Gathering at Cambridge City Park to celebrate personal victories and healing. Victory never comes without a battle - so the two themes: war and healing, come together in our human experience.

When it comes to addictions, (those things that take control of our lives against our better intentions) it often requires a true battle to evict them from the claim they have on our lives. These are the things that are "energized" by the Ephesians 6:12 struggle, not just with our own weaknesses, but against spiritual enemies, without bodies. Submission to God is only a first step when it comes to confronting these "strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4), we have to take a second step. James 4:7 states we have to also "resist", as do Ephesians 6:13 and 1Peter 5:8.

Few of us were taught this dynamic when we learned about Jesus, how ever we came to know about Him. Yet, about a third of Jesus's ministry involved "resisting" these evil spirit beings, starting with Satan himself in the wilderness. We also see Him resisting the money changers in the temple courts with a camel whip. Not the classic "gentle Jesus" we see in the paintings. When He was resisting, He was never praying, so His example takes us outside of the teaching of even most current books out on the topic of "spiritual warfare". In Jesus's ministry, there was no such thing as "warfare prayer". War was war, and prayer was prayer.

Once the dust settles, after the battle is won and the enemy is out of the "house" (that is, our bodies - God's intended temple), Jesus the Carpenter needs to go to work restoring the areas of our soul that have been damaged, including the paths that the enemy has worn so well in our mind, will and emotions. The battle is about driving out the enemy that is at war with God's design for our lives. - Healing is the restoration process after the enemy is out of the way. The picture we get from the Old Testament Tabernacle is helpful:

The teaching of Jesus ties the Tabernacle to our bodies as God's intended home, and so its design reflects the blueprint of our soul. God's idea of "salvation" gets real practical when we talk about removing any things that do not belong there, and inviting the Savior to set up housekeeping and start restoring and redecorating us - as His sacred place.

How differently do we see our life when we consider that we have been made a "sacred place" - a temple of God Himself? Some of the words shared on Saturday night reflected the power of this truth. I think it is really God's passion that we see ourselves and others as sacred places, made to be inhabited by God's presence.

Bob

EVENTS & PEOPLE

2009-05-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

THE JOURNEY - OPEN GATHERING
Food, Music and Open Mic to share what God is doing!
TOPIC: Healing & Addiction
May 30th from 5 to 8 p.m.
Cambridge City Park

Our Weekly House Churches:
BLUE GROUP - Contact Bob & Becky - nogah@izoom.net
RED GROUP - Contact Josiah & Fancey - josiahlorsung@yahoo.com
GREEN GROUP - Contact Scott & Tammie - stjmelliott@gmail.com

"Look at what they make you give."

2009-05-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks, I was reminded of this phrase, spoken by Jason Bourne (acted by Matt Damon) in the third of the Bourne sequels, "Bourne Ultimatum". He had come to the end of any desire to play the game, and spared the life of another agent who was assigned to kill him. When the other agent asked why he didn't kill him to save himself, he answered with these words. "Because, look at what they make you give." He realized that they were all being driven by a third party to play a game that none of them could win. They were pawns, and the only way out was to stop playing, possibly at the cost of their lives - which were already forfeited anyway.

None of us gets out of this life alive. All we can choose is what we will say to the world we live in with the time we have. There were many things in life that Jesus pointed out we could not hold onto as tightly if we were going to follow Him, and (as we would say) "Get a life!"

Devotion to extended family;
Devotion to employers without boundaries;
Devotion to financial gain;
Devotion to religious traditions.

I think we all see the battle in one or more of these areas on at least a weekly basis. For us in the journey, we are finding out the cost of carving out a different life rhythm as we try to walk with one another in closer proximity...and finding out that transformation always comes at a price: something like taking up our cross. It's not that Jesus didn't pay it all, it's just that getting the "flesh" (patterns, habits and attachments) out of the way is really painful. But God gives enough grace to survive it.

So, why did Jesus have to die? Partly, to show us the cost of following Him in life. Why would anyone follow Jesus in dying to what is a "normal" life to us? Maybe my answer to that is to say, "Because,...look at what we made Him give!"

GATHERINGS AND PEOPLE

2009-05-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER WALK FOR LIFE
Come Help us Keep this Life Saving Station Open!!
Saturday May 16th - Register 9 a.m., Walk 10 a.m.
Cambridge City Center Mall Parking Lot - Call 763 689-4319

THE JOURNEY - OPEN GATHERING
Food, Music and Open Mic to share what God is doing!
TOPIC: Healing & Addiction
May 30th from 5 to 8 p.m.
Cambridge City Park

Our Weekly House Churches:
BLUE GROUP - Contact Bob & Becky - nogah@izoom.net
RED GROUP - Contact Josiah & Fancey - josiahlorsung@yahoo.com
GREEN GROUP - Contact Scott & Tammie - stjmelliott@gmail.com

DIGGING INTO WHY JESUS HAD TO DIE

2009-05-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

On April 25th at the Gathering, The Journey brought us to look into why Jesus had to die. We had a few passages of Scripture and divided them among three groups, who looked them up and listened to what God might be saying to us about them. When we got back together, we were all in awe of how the Spirit of God had spoken to us - we were energized by the power of God and how He had set up so many events in history to speak of the meaning of Jesus's sacrifice.

If you would like to follow our Journey through Scripture on this topic and see what God might say to you, here are the Scriptures for the last two weeks in May:

Week Three - Fulfillment of the Law:
(1) Jesus fulfilled the requirement of the law, that sin results in death, but since He had no sin, His payment could be applied to us. He drank our cup of judgment, and gave us His cup of “blessing”. (Matt. 20:22, 26:39, John 18:11, 1Cor. 10:16)
(2) Jesus as Son of Man and Son of God holds both delegated dominion and effective dominion in this world (Matt. 28:18).
(3) Through His perfect sacrifice He prepared us for adoption (Galatians 4:8ff) and restored our spiritual dominion/authority in this world (Ephesians 2:6).

Week Four - The Lamb of God has Unique Authority
(1) Jesus identified as the Lamb of God (John 1:29)
(2) Jesus worshipped as the Lamb who is Worthy (Rev 5:12)

We will be jumping into a new topic starting May 30 at our Gathering in the City Park in Cambridge (5 to 8 p.m.) - "HEALING & ADDICTION" . All are welcome to hang out with us there!

The Gathering

2009-04-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday people from our three house churches, and other friends rushed

over to the Fair Grounds for a Gathering and ate (of course), shared some stories,

and generally enjoyed doing some music and hanging out together.

The Historical Society building was nice...

...it had plenty of room inside, and outside, ...but of course it wasn't as homey as our houses. Even so, we shared some of the amazing things that God is up to among us, and it was a great party! The topic of the night was: "Why did Jesus need to Die?" - looking at Easter just a couple of weeks ago.

So, Why? Was it to prove what God was willing to give? He had one son that was His - an amazing leader and teacher who healed and transformed lives wherever he went. God was excited about Him - In fact the only times He spoke out loud in the New Testament part of the Bible, He was bragging about Him; like "Look at My Son, I am really happy about Him!" and "Here is My Son; listen to Him!" So why did God send Him to a cross to die?

He had asked us all through the Old Testament to make HIM our greatest treasure - to show it by giving up the things we needed most for our security (the best of the sheep, the harvest, our "treasures"). Was giving His Son a way of showing that He was making US HIS greatest treasure? That He would trade His Son's life for us?!?!?! That's sure what it looks like to me.

It says that Jesus, "for the joy set before him, endured the cross..." Hebrews 12:2. It seems the Son of God had joy in opening the way for us to find His Dad - God didn't make Him do it. So that had something to do with it as well. But it seems so drastic...wasn't there another way? Jesus asked God the same thing (Matthew 26:39). There wasn't. Our sin problem was really that bad. That's what I don't think we can get somehow: that it's really that hard to get a new heart - a new life - a clean slate. We can't do it ourselves. So, it's either let what Jesus did be enough for me - 'cause God said it was - or sit in my stew and try to keep adding things to make it taste right.

So, once I accept God's help - the Jesus solution - I have to keep asking God to help me out of my stew on a regular basis. I still add things that mess it up. But that's what grace is for: not a one time event, but a lifestyle of giving back to God. I am one thankful guy!

WATCHING THE SON RISE

2009-04-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

At our April 4th meeting, where we commissioned our lead teams for three home churches, there was a real sense of anticipation as everyone considered how God had been knitting them together with others over the past few weeks.

The biggest surprise was that everyone seemed to already know what group (tribe?) they should be in! One is referred to as the "blue group", another is the "red group", and then there is a "green group". More colors will be added as more house churches are launched, but we don't expect to have to go through the same process again since future groups will be branched off from already existing groups.

So what do things look like now?

Our three house churches meet weekly - (You can e-mail me at the above address to get contact info for the lead teams); The lead teams for each church meet weekly in "triads" (groups of three - one from each house church); and all the house churches get together for a "Gathering" on the last Saturday of the month at 5:00 p.m. for food, informal worship time, and sharing of stories. This will happen at the Isanti County Historical Society building at the Fairgrounds in Cambridge, EXCEPT for July 25th when we will meet at a lake for baptisms. These monthly Gatherings are open to anyone, so freely invite people to come hang out with us for that!

Here are some pics from our Sonrise Service at the Paul's Lake landing on Easter morning.

It began and ended with a blast (I use the term loosely) of the Shofar, and included a bonfire, and some resurrection songs.

OUR NEXT EVENT

"The Gathering" April 25th - 5:00 p.m., Historical Society.
Bring your favorite "slow cooked" dish in a crock pot.

NEXT GATHERING APRIL 25TH

2009-04-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

So we have branched into three groups, and will soon need a fourth! We are having our first big multi-group Gathering (party time!) at the Fairgrounds in Cambridge at the Historical Society Building on April 25th from 5-8. Anyone is welcome - bring food to share if you can.

THE GREAT BRANCHING

2009-04-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY APRIL 4th IS OUR NEXT GATHERING - AT LORSUNGS' from 5:00 - 8:00pm. This will be our "branching out" day, where we will be forming our three smaller home groups, which will keep meeting weekly - EVERYBODY, BRING AN ORIENTAL DISH TO SHARE!

Our next large Gathering will be 5:00pm SATURDAY APRIL 25TH AT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY - Isanti County Fair Grounds.

DOING WHAT WE BELIEVE
When I was in law school back in the late 80's, I remember a Jewish woman coming up to me to tell me that her Rabbi claimed Christianity to be false because it taught that you can believe something and not actually do what your belief says. I didn't have much to say in reply - I knew her Rabbi was making a simple observation...one that others had made within the church: Brennan Manning is quoted as saying, "The number one cause of Atheism in America is Christians, who profess faith in Jesus with their lips and deny Him with their lifestyles. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

And this is why our core value #9 says,"For all the theology we can conceive, at last what we DO is what we believe." We are looking at our lifestyles - not just our doctrine, knowing that all of us are on a journey of transformation, as the Spirit of God draws us.

On March 24th, we gathered again at Lorsungs and had about 35 total with kids, confirming to us it is the right time to branch out into three House Churches. We had a great time breaking the "ice" with probing questions all around.
Worship time included an action version of "Every Move I Make",and some more current favorite songs.

There was teaching from the Scriptures...

Laughing...

...and we have some of the greatest kids anywhere:

...and as we always do, we broke bread together - seeing that in sharing something as common as a meal, we are to remember the daily closeness of our Savior in our lives. He gave us His cup of blessing, while taking the cup of our sorrows for Himself. That is what family does, and what we are learning to do.

KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

2009-03-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

It was a Sunday meeting last week, and we had a group visiting from Minnetonka who is also pursuing house-church networking. We also think we may have been among the first group around to have our grills fired up this "Spring". Here are some pics:

What About the Keys?

In ancient times, Jesus spoke against the "lawyers" of His day (I know, that's why He was considered so wise) and said,"Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering." But today we wonder, what were those keys? Knowledge of what?

Keys speak of authority...without them, we are not "authorized" to open our car-our house-our firesafe at home. It's also pretty hard to drive a car without them. Are we missing some keys, and what is it we are prevented from doing without them? I have taken Jesus's words somewhat personally, being a lawyer myself, and it has compelled me to see about one thing: giving them back. It's the knowledge of the spiritual authority of the believer; the inheritance, the hope, and the power given to us all by grace; the tools of the Kingdom given in healing (physical and otherwise), victory in spiritual warfare and understanding gifts, and speaking our testimony - how God has reached into and transformed our lives.

This coming Saturday we are gathering again to eat, worship, and dialogue on our last two "core values", and we're getting ready to branch into three home groups - Exciting times ahead!

COMING UP

2009-03-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

OUR NEXT GATHERING IS THIS SATURDAY MARCH 28th, 5-8 pm, AGAIN AT LORSUNGS' (Six miles East of Cambridge on 95, turn into driveway across from mailbox marked "6868") We are having BBQ pork, so bring a side or dessert to share.

DATES FOR APRIL:

SATURDAY APRIL 4th, 5-8 pm, Final weekly large group gathering (Lorsungs'). We will be finalizing our three home church groups at this gathering, and each will have break-out time together this evening. These will meet weekly in homes.

EASTER SUNDAY SUNRISE SERVICE, APRIL 12th, 6:20 a.m. at Paul's Lake Landing (Paul's Lake Road North of 313th Ave, East of Hwy 65) Bring lawn chairs. (Alternate location in case of bad weather will be posted here!)

SATURDAY APRIL 25th, 5-8 pm, First monthly "Gathering" - , location (tba) probably the Historical Society Building at the Fairgrounds.

For more info, contact Bob at nogah@izoom.net or 763 221-4760.

"GROUPING OUT"

2009-03-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the circle expanded with 22 adults and 11 kids... and started thinking about smaller, home groups. We are now getting past what even a large living room could handle. But we all learned a couple of true things, and one "fake thing", about each other. That was interesting...:)

Our break-out discussions were on our next word for RE-defining: LEADERSHIP. We batted around whether you have to be a good follower in order to lead well. We also took time to take care of each other and pray for each other - from new people to core team, it generally felt like "family". Here are some pics from the meeting:

Kids are with us most of the time, but when we go into teaching and break-outs, they have their own things to do...

You know, it was really a radical thing Jesus did when he made His cousin John baptize Him. John knew He was the Son of God, and tried to pass on the whole thing; but Jesus insisted on being a "follower" of John first, and a follower of the prophets who spoke for His Dad over the centuries. It had nothing to do with who was greater or smarter, or worthy of being followed - He came under John and the prophets so to carry the authority of John and the prophets, that the leaders who would kill Him could not rightly accuse Him of rebellion, or discounting those God had used in the past. He followed them, and then He followed His Father.

In John 5:19 Jesus says,"Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." In other words, Jesus never had an original idea - it all came from His Father as He "shadowed" Him through life. We have a hard time following - though it would be hard to argue with the idea of following God, we would have all kinds of objections to following people; whether they were prophets, pastors, teachers or whatever. We don't want to give anyone that kind of influence in our lives. Yet, as Jesus followed His Father, He also insisted on following people whom God had used to accomplish His purpose - even though they were far from perfect.

So how do we re-think personal boundaries for people and leadership: Not to give anyone too much power ("anyone who has left father or mother...), but allowing God to lead us through people at the same time? The best we have come up with so far is to follow the lead of Jesus in others. To follow each other as we follow Him. We all need God "with skin-on" in our lives, but we know that no one is perfect. So, being patient with each other, we look for God's influence in each other's lives. What an adventure.

STRINGS ATTACHED!

2009-03-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had some fun trying to hook a weight and lift it off the ground - Sounds easy, but try it when 13 people all have a string attached to the hook - and at first without looking! Mark here had the daunting job of trying to direct the group on how to pull their strings to guide the hook to the weight. Don't feel bad, Mark, I've never seen it done that way! But once everyone could see what they were doing, the job was done in seconds!

REDEFINING "DISCIPLESHIP"

This is a scary word to a lot of people. Maybe a lot of this is because we feel awkward asking someone to 'follow' me, like Jesus did, when our own life is so wobbly. We suggested that the invitation is not really to follow me, but to come and follow Jesus with me. Most of us could do that. It's not one of us who is in the spotlight in the discipleship, it's Jesus. Something I personally could not help noticing in the last few months was that making disciples was the ONE thing Jesus told His followers to do before He left...It was His last statement in the book of Matthew. He said that He would build the Church, and that we should make disciples. I think we have some flipping around to do on this one - So we are going to give it a shot: To ask others to come with us while we follow Jesus.

We are going to be at Lorsungs' again this Saturday March 14th, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. It's about six miles East of Cambridge on Hwy 95, turn into the driveway across from the balloons on the mailbox!

Bring your favorite chicken dish and a side or desert to share! We will be talking about branching into two or three home groups for next month, and the next two core values around what 'leadership' really is at the everyday level...and of course there will be some crazy game to get things going. ;)

CHANGE IN MEETING PLACE FOR MARCH 7th!

2009-03-06T21:36:00.001-08:00

LORSUNGS' HAS A LAKE in their driveway, and lots of mud. SO, we are back to Elliotts' place for Saturday night:

5-8 p.m. Saturday March 7th

At the home of :
Scott & Tammie Elliott
1004 Hillock St. N.W.
Isanti, MN 55040

From Hwy 5 in Isanti, is just up Whiskey Road from the Mobile station. Give a call if you need more info!

Remember to bring Italian food to share!

Making Circles

2009-03-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

Did you ever notice that if someone asks a group to make a circle, people always face into the circle?...and if others approach the circle, people really don't even like to make room for them to get in?

Well, we experimented with that a little last Saturday night - What if we faced our neighbor so we had one hand reaching into the circle and one reaching out, and we could keep it so others always felt invited by those on the outer ring?

That is kind of the idea with a home church network: personal connections with lots of loose ends for others to grab onto. We are taking a few more weeks to get to know each other in the big group, then we will be taking "church" home with us into two or three home churches. Then we will continue gathering as a big group at the end of each month, and celebrating what God is doing among us.

OUR NEXT GATHERING TIMES:

March 7th
Saturday night 5-8 pm at Joe & Deb Lorsungs (6868 Hwy 95 NE, North Branch. It’s about 6 or 7 miles East on Hwy 95 out of Cambridge, and look for the balloons on the mail box across from the driveway). Bring Italian food to share!

March 14th
Saturday night 5-8 pm, same place (Food to be figured out)

March 22nd
Sunday night 5-8 pm, (Food and place to be figured out)

March 28th
Celebration Gathering - (tentatively at Historical Society on the Fairgrounds)

We are working through the basics of what "home church" is about and some of the "why?"s of the movement that is, trying to simplify what it means to be "church", and to walk together with Jesus Christ. We are having some great discussions!

more info: call bob at 763 221-4760, or e-mail me at nogah@izoom.net

2009-02-19T05:15:00.000-08:00

Hey, we just got this pic of the commissioning service last Sunday when Bill Berg and NHCC Elders prayed for us:

MY TOP TEN - BOOKS (What are yours?)

2009-02-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

I know that not everyone likes to read books. Many of us, maybe even most of us, would rather read a life. I think that is why Jesus didn't write books. There are books I think I should write, but I have been slow to do that partly because I have been considering that my life should be that book before I write it. Well, that's my struggle.

Even so, there are books that have had a big impact on my life because, even though I don't know the authors personally, they have explained the message of my Savior, as presented in the Bible, in ways that have helped me understand it better. Here are my top ten:

Messy Spirituality, Michael Yaconelli
The Rabbi's Heartbeat, Brennan Manning
Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning
Victorious Spiritual Warfare, (I had the honor of contribuing - Lighthouse Ministry)
21 Most Powerful Minutes..., John Maxwell
Boundaries, Cloud & Townsend
Addiction and Grace, Gerald May, M.D.
The Shaping of Things to Come, Frost & Hirsch
The Church Comes Home, Robert & Julia Banks
Transforming Discipleship, Greg Ogden

This list is not static for me - I am always looking for others that bring light to the path. Let me know what you find!

Newspaper Towers

2009-02-17T17:41:00.000-08:00

Our first evening together was spent getting to know each other better by building newspaper towers,

and making up descriptions about each other, like:

"Beautiful Barbie, Justice James, Joyful Josiah, Notorious Nic, Bouncing Bob’s B’wife Becky, Joyful Julie, Evangelist Esther, Amazing Amanda, Judge Jeff, Brilliant Bruce, Missionary Meg, Miraculous Muriel, Precious Pam, Terrific Tammie, Silly Scott, Mysterious Mark, Ken, Jazz, and all the kids…(and I didn’t write it down either)
...", it's a little scary with all the “judging” or “justices” or whatever they were…it reminds me of my lawyer days, like walking into court! :)

Seriously, we are off to a good start in getting to know each other, with 10 kids and 18 adults! February 20-22, Becky and I will be at a “marriage encounter weekend”, so you can pray for us as the Lord moves you to… We don’t get really excited about conferences, but it will be good time away together.

Our next get-together will be Saturday night, February 28th, from 5-8 pm. It will be at the home of Joe and Deb Lorsung, at 6868 Hwy 95 NE, North Branch. It’s about 6 or 7 miles East on Hwy 95 out of Cambridge and look for the balloons on your right. We're going to do Chili night with other Mexican food. If you like milder stuff, bring it, otherwise each family can bring a main dish; and if it’s just you, bring chips and salsa or another side thing. Drinks & coffee will be provided.

We will keep meeting all together through the Saturdays in March, and in our study time we will be discussing the Biblical base for the first five of ten core values.

1. Everybody is worth dying for; John 3:16
2. We are called to love people and control resources, not the other way around; John 13:35, Luke 16:9
3. The blood of Christ really works; 1 John 1:9
4. Eternal life is great for dead people, but we’ve been provided an abundant life now; John 10:10, Ephesians 1:18-20
5. We all lead, because we all have influence; 1Corinthians 7:14, Daniel 12:3
6. We can’t lead well until we have learned how to follow; Matthew 3:13-15, John 5:19
7. If we aren’t being led by God’s Spirit, we will be driven by other things; Romans 8:14, Luke 4:1
8. We hold tightly to our personal calling, but trade our hats as needed; 1Corinthians 12:7-11
9. For all the theology we can conceive, at last what we do is what we believe; James 2:18-20
10. In the end, making disciples is the ONE thing Jesus told us to do. Matthew 28:18-20.-

We will have some break-out discussion on these.

Also at this next meeting we will set aside time to celebrate things God has been doing, so be ready to share answers to prayer and other ways God has shown up in your life!

Our First Party!

2009-02-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

So my last day officially at New Hope is this Sunday, February 15th! This marks an end and a beginning - From here on, church comes "home", and we are going to be hanging out at Scott and Tammie Elliott's house that day from 5-8 p.m. It's 1004 Hillock Street in Isanti (let me know if you need directions - e-mail me at nogah@izoom.net)

We have had 23 people say that they want to hang out more together, so we are really looking forward to doing some fun stuff and sharing more of what is God saying to us on Sunday. I expect to have some good pics to post after that - and I hope we can have a website soon.

We plan to keep meeting as a large group through March to get to know each other better before grouping up into house churches. The next gathering will be on Saturday February 28th, 5-8 again, but we haven't confirmed a place yet.

Here is a great website to check out for missional church strategy:
http://www.missio.us/

Exciting times...good to be following the Wild Messiah!

The In-gathering

2009-02-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

It's February 5th, and we are looking at the last of our four open houses this Saturday from 7-9 pm at our house (1087 313th Ave NE, near Bear Circle in Cambridge). As you may have noticed, this blog has a new name - "Mission-link". A few of us got together and thought this was pretty descriptive, and a better way to refer to what we are doing than "the missional house church network".

On the 15th, New Hope Community Church will be commissioning and praying for us, and taking as offering to provide some resources for the start up period - a real blessing!

So after the last "open house", it will be time to really get to know each other, so we will keep getting together on the weekends as a bigger group (21 as of right now) and do some things to connect better and find out how God has wired each of us - it will be fun to discover how God has been at work in the lives of others to draw them to this vision. Eventually we will see probably three groups emerge out of the big group, but we will be waiting to see how God connects people before moving into that.

If you would like to find out more about Mission-link, you can reach me at 763 221-4760, or my -email: nogah@izoom.net. Live the adventure!

Grace & Peace

Bob

A Quest for the "Ancient Paths"

2009-01-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah 6:16 says,

"Thus says the LORD,'Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it;And you will find rest for your souls.'"

I think that anyone who gets it is his head/heart to start a new church is instinctively drawn by the promise of this passage. The "ancient paths, where the good way is..." - It seems almost nostalgic, but the prophet's statement is obviously serious.

Well, it's not so nostalgic for me right now. In fact, there has definitely been a graduation from theory to reality as far as "asking for the ancient paths". I have just begun working with a group to start a network of house churches, connected through discipling triads with a common mission to live incarnationally in the community. What could be so hard about it? But I suppose if it were easy, churches everywhere would still be doing it!

So, where does one find a Spirit-led and empowered, multiple servant-leader supported house church network, much less cultivate one from scratch? At times I have wondered if we have messed it up by running over Jesus' claim that HE would build His Church, while he gave us the job of making disciples and witnessing to His Kingdom.

Well we're giving it a try in Cambridge, Minnesota. This thing started out with a temporary name "Omega church", but at this point the name along with most of the details of how it will happen are back sitting at the feet of the Savior, where they should be.

I would invite you to follow along on the adventure, and if you have relevant experiences to share, please comment freely on what you have seen. We welcome your input.

Bob Roby