In the summer of 1995 I lived in Russia as a part of a summer mission with Campus Crusade for Christ.  The “wall” had recently fallen, and I was one of many outsiders who took advantage of the newfound opportunity to visit the former Soviet Union to share the hope of Jesus Christ with people in need.

When I arrived, I realized that some parts of “my world” had gone before me behind the iron curtain.  I still remember sitting in a Russian dorm room, having a student play for me Ace of Base and Metallica songs on CDs.  I also remember going to the grocery store and seeing hot dogs that were made in Kansas City, Missouri!  Parts of American society had made it to Volgograd ahead of the Gospel.

But in addition to these legitimate items in the city, there were also several counterfeits.  T-shirts were for sale on the street for “Reeebok” (that is not my typo … there really was an extra “e” in the shirt).  There were also “Nike” shoes with wrong shaped swooshes, and CD’s with photocopied covers.  There were lots of counterfeits of actual western products.

My experience in Russia reminded me that in this fallen world, sometimes people take the good name/image/likeness of a well-respected person or product and then exploit it for their own gain.  This tendency is only amplified further in our current world of  virtual realities, artificial intelligence, and deep fakes.

In our knock-off world, how do we recognize the real thing?

Let me take that a step deeper.  As followers of Jesus Christ, are there purported pastors, missionaries, and “Christian” workers who are masquerading as ministers, but are really wolves in sheep’s clothing?  Sadly, the answer is yes.

So how do you tell the fakes from the real thing?  Well, in order to spot counterfeit bills, the treasury department knows exactly what the REAL THING looks like, smells like, and feels like.  By knowing what the real thing is, they are able to see the slight differences in the knock-offs.

As Christians, we need to know what the true heart of a Pastor looks like, so we can avoid the imposters.  Of course, our ultimate “Pastor” is Jesus Himself.  He is the prototype, and all true ministers are only undershepherds tending His flock.  But we have other examples as well … including the Apostle Paul, who famously said to the Corinthians, “Follow me as I follow Christ.”  Paul truly was the real deal, so by looking at his example as a minister and missionary, we can see what the true pastoral heart looks like – how the real deal behaves, and what the faithful fear.

This Sunday, we will look at Paul’s example of faithful ministry in 2 Corinthians 12:11-21 in part 4 of our “Mission:Own” sermon series.  Hope to see you there at Wildwood in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 services … and bring friends.

On September 17, 2023, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a message based on 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. This message was part 3 of the “Mission:Own” sermon series. Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion. You will also find the audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download, or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
3. Do you have any kind of persistent “pain” in your life?  Could be physical/illness, relational, or a temptation to sin of some kind that persists.  What has been the effect of this “thorn” in your life?  Has it caused you to turn to God?  To be angry with God?
4. What are some of the “credentials” people try to rely upon to gain credibility as they attempt to influence others for Christ today (i.e. seminary degrees, which podcast they listen to, which books they have read, etc.)?  Paul does not rely on those things … but instead relies upon “what he says and does” in the presence of those he is ministering to (i.e. his current testimony and lifestyle – see 12:6).  How has the current lifestyle and loving (or unloving) demeanor of Christian leaders helped validate (or invalidate) their ministry in your life? 
5. When was the last time you pleaded with God multiple times to do something?  What was God’s “response”?  Based on this passage, what do you think the Lord may want to be teaching you in this struggle? 
6. In your life, how have struggles enhanced your dependence upon the Lord?
7. What is one particular application you took away from this message?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

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Mission: Own #3 9.17.23

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Have you ever had a lingering struggle?  Could be a person who is making your life a living hell, a temptation that continues to rear its ugly head, or a physical infirmity that aches on day after day?  If you have this experience, you are not alone.  Many (if not most or EVENTUALLY ALL) people have such a prickly issue in their lives.

• If you have such a persistent difficulty, what do you call “it”?
• If you have such an unending pain, how do you deal with it?
• If you have such an aching heart, is there any hope?

Well, in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, the Apostle Paul is talking about a persistent ache in his life … he calls it his “thorn in the flesh.”  But, do you know what else he calls it?  A gift.  WHAT?!!?!?  That’s right, He calls it a grace gift from God.

In what universe is chronic pain a gift?  Well, for those “in Christ” persistent pain is a fresh opportunity to to experience the power of God in our lives.

As Tony Evans would say of this passage, “When I have a really bad headache, I take extra strength pain reliever because it has the power to address my problem. In other words, my weakness drives me to a pill so that its power may be demonstrated in my life. If not for the weaknesses that God allows us to endure, we would lack opportunities to seek His sufficient grace and experience His perfect power.”

What satan intends for evil, God can use for good in the lives of those who know Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28).  How does that happen?  We will look at that this Sunday in part 3 of our “Mission:Own” sermon series at Wildwood Community Church.  Before taking the Lord’s supper in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 services, we will see how our steady struggles can drive us to dependence upon the Lord, and allow us to experience the power of God in our lives.  He is sufficient for us in the midst of all our struggles.

Join us Sunday in our study … and bring friends!

On September 10, 2023, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a message based on 2 Corinthians 11:1-33. This message was part 2 of the “Mission:Own” sermon series. Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion. You will also find the audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download, or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read 2 Corinthians 11:1-33
3. Have you heard the expression “Christianity is more of a relationship than a religion?”  What do you think is meant by that statement?
4. What are some of the “different” (i.e. not accurate) versions of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Gospel that you see in the world today?  Are you ever tempted to follow these false deviations from the truth?
5. In chapter 11, the Apostle Paul gives a version of his resume – authenticating his ministry.  What stands out to you most about what he shares?  How does this differ from how we normally authenticate a Christian leader’s “credentials” today?
6. What is your primary orientation to those around you?  Do you look to others mostly to get something FROM them, or do you think mostly about how you might do something FOR them?
7. On a scale of 1-100 (where 100 is very zealous and 1 is mostly apathetic), how fervent is your fire for Christ today?
8. What is one particular application you took away from this message?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

To listen to message offline, click the link:

Mission: Own #2 9.11.23

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You may have heard it said that Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship.  I am not sure who first put that phrase together, but I have heard it most of my adult life.

This statement sure is catchy … but is it true?  I mean, it seems like Christianity is a religion … after all it has doctrines, and places of worship, and organized leadership structures, and philosophies of living, and thoughts about God and creation and morality.  Religions all have these things.    

So in what possible way is Christianity (at least MORE of) a RELATIONSHIP than a RELIGION?

Well, it is found not in ecclesiastical structures and style … but in who Christians insist that God is.  As a Christian I 10000% believe that God is knowable, relatable, accessible, and THAT HE LOVES US.  I really believe that is true.  So do hundreds of millions of Christians who are on the planet today.

When we say that Christianity is a relationship, we are saying that we can ACTUALLY KNOW GOD, because God has graciously made Himself available to us.  Tim Keller once said that in order for the Gospel to be good news, then the God behind the Gospel must be both both all knowing and all loving.  If God were all knowing and not all loving, then God would see our sin and not intervene in any way for His people.  If God were all loving, but not all knowing, then we would live in fear that one day He would find out what we have done and He would reject us.  But the fact that God is all knowing AND all loving, means that we (who have trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins) can be both known AND loved.

So when we say that Christianity is a relationship and not a religion, we are actually saying something even better than that.  We are saying that the relationship that we ALL LONG FOR (to be both fully known and fully loved) is accessible for us ETERNALLY through our God who has graciously made this possible in Christ.

Now, the situation gets even better … we know that God is like this and that He wants a relationship with us BECAUSE Jesus came to this earth!  Jesus is God in the flesh, and so when He walked the earth, eyewitnesses saw Him, interacted with Him, and recorded in the New Testament what they learned.  This allows us to look at Jesus today and say with confidence “THIS IS WHAT GOD IS LIKE.”  When a woman at a Samaritan well interacts with Jesus in John 4, Jesus reveals to her His omniscience by commenting on her troubled history, even though He was from out of town.  Then, Jesus reveals to her His love by offering her “living water” that would quench her thirst forever and ever.  The One who fully knew her, fully loved her.  The same relationship with God is also available for us!

Like any relationship, our relationship with God in Christ grows as we spend time with Him and communicate with Him.  As Christians, we believe that the Holy Bible is God’s Word.  So when we read it, we are listening to the Lord.  As Christians, we also believe that God welcomes our prayers (after all it was Jesus Himself who taught us to pray … Lord’s prayer anyone?).  So when we pray, we are talking to God and He listens!  As Christians we believe that Jesus is still at work in this world through His Spirit empowered church, so when we gather with other Christians and serve others in His name and obey His teachings, we are walking a path WITH HIM.

Christianity is a RELATIONSHIP with the LIVING GOD.

As a Pastor, my greatest joy and chief job is to introduce people to Jesus Christ and encourage them toward growth in their relationship with Him.  This job is not just unique to me … it is also the job of every true pastor going all the way back to the first century.  The Apostle Paul had this same Pastoral heart for his churches, including the church in Corinth.  Apparently, though, there were some who (under the banner of the religion “Christianity”) came in and tried to promote a different version of Jesus, and lead the people astray.  Paul wasn’t having any of it.  He speaks out strongly against these opponents in 2 Corinthians 11:1-33.  Paul had introduced the Corinthians to the real Jesus … like a matchmaker of sorts … and he was not going to sit idly by while they flirted with another philosophy or mythology or religion.

Jesus, the real Jesus, is jealous for the hearts of His people.  He does not want to share us with worldly philosophies and made up religions.  Why?  To steal our fun?  Absolutely not!  He is jealous for us because the One who fully knows us and fully loves us knows the life that is best for us.  The life we were created for.  We are most satisfied in Him.

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church, we will explore this beautiful chapter in Scripture together in part 2 of our “Mission:Own” sermon series.  We will be reminded of the relationship we have with Christ, and then will have a clarification of what leaders in Christ’s relational network (i.e. the church) look like.  See you Sunday at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 … and bring friends!

On September 3, 2023, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a message based on 2 Corinthians 10:1-18. This message was part 1 of the “Mission:Own” sermon series. Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion. You will also find the audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download, or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read 2 Corinthians 10:1-18
3. Have you ever been exposed to Christian leaders who did not seem very “Christian”?  How about leaders who were more Christ-like?  What made the difference between the two?
4. How have you imagined the Apostle Paul looking and sounding?  Does it surprise you that the Corinthian opponents of Paul pointed out negatives about his appearance and public speaking?
5. This morning, we talked about how this passage gives us some things to think about when we are looking for a church home or a ministry to connect with.  These were:  don’t rely only on a “first look,” examine what the primary weapon is that they are wielding, discerning if the leaders of the church are looking to build others up or simply to control, is the leadership walking the walk or just talking the talk, and who is the hero of the congregation?  Using that grid, evaluate the spiritual influences/church in your life to see how they/it stack up.  Anything stand out?
6. Also this morning, we talked about how we can learn from Paul’s model as we “own” the mission Christ has for us.  We saw how we need to know where the power lies, know who the hero is, know who you are following, and know who commends you.  How does remembering these things help you as you serve Jesus with your life?
7. What is one particular application you took away from this message?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

To listen to message offline, click the link:

Mission: Own #1 9.3.23

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When I was in high school, I played for a basketball team that had not one, but TWO sets of twins!  Out of the 10 or 11 guys who played the most when I was a senior, four of them came from two families.  I am not sure what the criteria is for identical twins, but I can say that both sets of twins looked very similar.  How similar?  Well, if you didn’t know them well, you might mistake one for the other.

As someone on the team who saw all four of them daily, it was easy for me to tell them apart.  Their mannerisms, vocal tone, slight differences in their appearance, and how they moved athletically had enough minor differences that those who knew them well could identify them.

That said, this fall I will most likely see all four men as our high school team is being inducted into the Bartlesville Sports Hall of Fame.  It will have been nearly 30 years since I have seen a couple of these guys, and at least a decade since I have seen any of them.  I can tell you … I am a bit nervous to do so.  Why?  Though I could easily tell them apart in 1992, I might not recognize the differences 31 years later!

I tell you this because when I look at 2 Corinthians 10:1-18 I see the Apostle Paul talking about differences between himself and others who were opposing his ministry in Corinth.  At quick glance, they both looked similar (i.e. both claimed the name of Christ … both wore the jersey of “church leader,” etc.).  These (not so identical) twins might have been confused by those who did not know them well, or those who had not spent much time with their Savior Jesus Christ recently.  Given the confusion, Paul writes to correctly identify the true apostle from the fake imposter.

This is important for us to consider as well.  We live in a day and age when many people wear the jersey of Christianity … yet their voices don’t always sing harmony.  How do we separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to Christian leaders?  Well, Paul provides some great insight for us, and we will look at it this Sunday at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 worship services. 

The next 6 weeks we will be in one final series from the book of 2 Corinthians … a series titled “Mission:Own.”  In 2 Corinthians 10-13, Paul gets very personally about how he is owning his role on mission with Christ.  By looking at his example, we might also see how we might step into “owning” our role in Christ’s mission as well.  Hope to see you Sunday as we are in part 1 of this series.  See you there … and bring friends!