This past weekend was a real highlight. 5 services at Midway, one on Good Friday and 4 on Sunday. Met a lot of new people, worked with a great Guest Services team to make sure things were organized, and helped pray for people at the end. We have had a dramatic re-enactment of the crucifixion each year for about 20 years. Once again I saw the same scenes that our cast & crew have rehearsed. And once again it sent a chill down my spine and stirred up a lot of emotion. On the surface that might seem surprising. After all, I already know the story and I’ve seen this particular drama dozens of times. Generally I never read any other book twice and never like to see any movie if I already know what happens. So I was wondering, why is this story different? There’s at least a few reasons that stand out to me:

1. The Story of the Cross is Alive! The Word of God, His message, is alive. It’s not static, unchanging information. It is active, relevant, used by the Holy Spirit to affect us, and penetrates to the core of our soul if we allow it. In Hebrews 4:12 we read “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The drama includes words from the Bible and is faithful to the message so the Lord uses it to bring judgment and conviction. Any Christian with any sense should feel anger, guilt, love, and gratitude when they are reminded about the death of Jesus. Hope should enter us as we think about the resurrection of our Lord.
   
   
2. The Story of the Cross is Powerful! As the Apostle Paul so truly said, “For, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1Cor 1:18) If you are being saved, if you have the Holy Spirit, If God is your Father and Jesus is your brother (Heb 2:11-12), then you have the ability to understand this message. As a believer I experience the power of the cross to defeat my own sin, expose the deception of the world, and protect me from the power of the Devil.
   
   
3. The Story of the Cross is My Story! Everyone likes to talk about themselves. This can be self-centered, but in some ways it is normal and healthy. Plato said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” That’s not exactly biblical but it is a wise saying. Our kids love to hear the same stories over and over about their birth, first words, and early years along with stories about their relatives. The stories of their life are not all that unique but they give them context, understanding, and identity. In a healthy family it should give them a sense of significance and security. The gospel story has completely changed me so it is my story. Galatians 2:20 tells us  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me…” There is a clear dividing line, a fork in the road, in my life when I came to truly understand and accept the gospel message 25 years ago at age 18.

Let’s remember this story all year long. We will teach it, share it with each other, explain it to people who have not clearly heard the gospel, recall it when we take communion, review it in the Bible, and apply it in everyday life. We never get past the cross. I believe it was Martin Luther who said that “Christians need to get saved every day.” Not that we lose our salvation, but we need to remember who we are and whose we are every day. So hold on to the story. Unlike other stories, it isn’t just entertainment and it won’t get old. The gospel is alive with power and it is our story!

This past Sunday I did my best at all 3 English services at Midway to exhort people to invite friends, family, neighbors, & co-workers to one of our Easter services. I did everything I could think of: showing off the invitations, encouraging, giving a guilt trip, praying for the invites. Right after I gave the announcements at the 12:00 service Pastor Mark asked the congregation to do something unusual. He asked us all to think of someone we could invite and, if we had a cell phone with us, take out the phone and call that person right now and invite them. I couldn’t think of anyone but I began to scroll through the contacts on my phone. I quickly realized that all of the names were New Lifers. Embarrassed that I had no one to invite, I found a ‘backslider’ and called him. He didn’t answer so I left a message.

Not only did I not have anyone to call but I didn’t have anyone specific in mind to invite this week. I’m like so many other Christians. I believe in the urgency of evangelism, I talk about it, am glad when I see it happen, and take pride in the fact that our church is growing. I don’t want to see Christians simply invite other Christians but instead reach out to those who appear to be far from God and need to clearly hear the gospel. However, I don’t currently have a specific ‘love list’ of people that I am reaching out to.

After the Sunday service I ate with my family at Wendy’s and made sure I invited the worker for Easter. I’ve invited a few people already this week and am going to personally talk to some people I know today. My wife also has gone out of her way to invite a woman she knows that needs to take a step to follow the Lord.

It reminds me of the saying “We Teach What We Know but We Reproduce Who We Are”. It’s so easy to get consumed with church life inside the 4 walls of the church that we give little time and effort into trying to reach new people. As Jesus called His first followers he told them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt 4:19). Regardless of our calling, schedule, and gifting, if we are a follower of Christ then we should be a fisher of people. I’m convicted and am setting aside some time to connect with people outside of the church this week. Are you following? Are you fishing?

Having a great 1st day of the fast. In preparing for the Ash Wednesday service I ran across a prayer card we made up about this time last year.

It says:

        “Summer/Fall 2008: Potential New Life Locations
        Please join us in prayer as we seek to cooperate with God
        and further His Kingdom in Chicago and beyond.
        5 Neighborhoods listed on map:
        Humboldt Park, Portage Park, Tri-Taylor, Brighton Park, Berwyn

I want to make a new prayer card listing Pilsen, Summit, East Chicago, & Englewood.

Don’t ever doubt that God can open doors and persistent prayer makes a difference! (Luke 11:5-13)

One cool thing I learned on my last fast...
Water is the fast-ers best friend!

I noticed a huge difference when I was drinking enough water.  Even with juice and vegetable fasts, drink alot of water.

As I was getting headaches today I drank a half liter of water and a half hour later I felt better.

I know the first three days can be challenging.  Don't quit.  If you forgot or messed up, start over and don't beat yourself up.  If you are doing a juice fast, after about 3 days of hunger your body switches into a different mode and the physical hunger pains go away.  But because your stomach has shifted gears, you have to be real careful in how you break the fast.

But as you begin to fast... The best tip that I can give you is to DRINK alot of water.  The link below is on how much water you should drink on a normal day.  When fasting, you should probably even drink more.

http://www.wikihow.com/Drink-More-Water-Every-Day

Grace and Peace to you as you intensify your pursuit of God Almighty!

Pastor Decrease Dwayne

I remember several years ago when two of my very closest friends were making some major wrong turns in their spiritual walk.  Both were my assistants for my home group for youth and it was breaking my heart.  I made a decision to fast until both were back on track or until 40 days came.  I felt a sense of urgency in my heart and saw it as an opportunity to wage spiritual warfare. I had prayed and didn't see any rays of hope and felt like desperate times called for desperate measures.

Within in the first week, one of my friends repented and stopped compromising.  My other friend however was pushing me to my limits.  My friend had a powerful testimony of how God rescued him from a gang lifestyle but had went back to drinking and other crazy stuff.  I hated how the enemy was like a lion shredding him to pieces.  But finally, after about 3 weeks intense prayer, he got back on track in seeking the Lord.

I know that God can answer our prayer yes, no, or wait and the same is true when we fast and pray.  There is nothing we could ever do to force God's hand behind his back and make him do what we want.  Ultimately our heart should desire to be led by Spirit in our prayers so that we are praying for things that our in alignment with the heart of God.

However, sometimes there is war in the spiritual realms that we probably could never understand.    And when we withhold from our physical bodies foods and we intensify our prayer focus and time with the Lord and His Word, we become more alert to this cosmic battle between good and evil.

A great example of this in the Bible is found in Daniel chapter 10.  In verses 2 and 3 Daniel says,  “At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.” Daniel 10:2-3   Fasting is a great way to humble ourselves before the Lord when we are broken and "mourning."   Daniel went without choice foods, meat and wine for three weeks.  At the end of the three weeks an angel appears to him and says that he had been sent from the first day he had started to pray but that a 21 day battle in the heavenly realms between a top demon (demonic prince of Persia) and Michael (on of the chief princes).

Sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures.  Perhaps some of us need to fast for our children, businesses, unsaved friends and family, our neighborhoods, ministries, and more.  What often happens in the process is ultimately God deals with us first.  In the process he points out areas that we need to work on and often he moves and works in unexpected ways in our areas of need.  But I would challenge you to begin to pray and prepare your heart for what God would have you do.  If he leads you to do an extended fast it is always wise to read resources on fasting to get prepare you spiritually as well as physically.  While I don't agree with everything Jentezen Franklin says, he has been a great mobilizer in leading people in fasting and has some great words of encouragement that I would recommend to everyone.  You can watch some short 2 minute video clips and get some frequently asked questions answered at http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/fasting/ .

While my two friends have had some ups and downs over the last decade, I was real encouraged to hear about one of them who is currently living in Texas and has a family and helps serve in the children's ministry in his local church.  Sometimes the seeds planted take a while to grow to their full potential.  Don't get discouraged and keep planting seeds and raise the intensity up a few notches in your prayer life by adding a fast.  Greater breakthroughs can happen when you mix prayer and fasting.

      Just got back from our 7th grade daughter’s basketball game. Her team has had a great year and they finished the season by entering a difficult tournament in Wheaton. The schools in this tournament are mostly larger and wealthier. Even our coaches admitted that we were underdogs. However, after a 28 point win on Friday night over Batavia we held on for a 1-point victory against East Dundee on Saturday to make it to the championship game against a tough Mount Prospect team. Our team was smaller in size and in number (only 7 girls on our side). In the first minute one of our starters went down with a sprained ankle. Our team played tough and was down by 1 point early in the 4th quarter but the other side made great shots and pulled away for a 12 point victory. Our team ended the year with a tremendous 29-3 record. But this game made me real upset. Second place stinks!

      I know I shouldn’t care too much about who wins, it’s only a game, it’s more important for the girls to have good attitudes, there is no money or scholarships for the winners, etc. but for some reason I am very competitive and absolutely want to see us win. If this desire is unchecked it can lead to pride, anger, and idolatry. I’m convinced that some sports fans need to repent of wrong worship. But I think there’s something deeper, something good, natural, and from God, that makes me (and the other parents) crave victory.

      The Lord has made us to be winners. In scripture we hear Jesus say “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), and read about being “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom 8:37), “the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor 15:57), “the victory that has overcome the world” (1John 5:4), and on and on. Life is a competition!

      Paul used a sports illustration in 1Cor 9:24 when he said, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners, run but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” He doesn’t say, ‘just have a good attitude’, ‘try hard’, or ‘be a nice person’. He says WIN! But notice who we are competing against. “No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1Cor 9:27)

      The enemy is me! I am competing against myself. No one else can make me sin, cause me to turn to the world, or disqualify me. The Devil and the World can only appeal to my sinful nature for entry. The battle in my life is Mike (Holy Spirit side) versus Mike (Sinful side). The results of this competition will make a difference forever. Victory will bless my family, lead others to Christ, glorify God, and enable me to enter eternity with confidence and no shame (1John 2:28). Defeat will rob me of all kinds of blessings and bring curses down upon me.

      Fill in the blanks with your own name. The competition is between __________ (Holy Spirit side) and _________ (Flesh side). Jesus told his disciples that “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) Who will win in your life? Remember that SECOND PLACE STINKS!

This week starts a new season for Small Groups.  I get excited around this time because it’s a new opportunity for the church to come together in community and continue to challenge ourselves to grow spiritually.   I’ll be leading a Share Your Faith Workshop over the next 8 weeks.  It’s the second time that I am leading the group and my experience with the first group last session was amazing.  The material comes from Evangelism Explosion and it’s geared towards teaching people in attendance relational evangelism.  I’ve learned that everyone has a story and we can use our testimonies as opportunities to witness to people.  Changed lives through the power of Christ can challenge others.  Our before Christ and after Christ stories can show what the power of God does to bring about change.  When we share our testimonies and talk about how things are now that Christ is in our life it can plant spiritual seeds and challenge the person hearing who only has a before Christ story to want Christ in their life too. 

The material used in the class is unique in that it is all DVD based and teaches people engaging stories that explain Faith, God, Christ, Man, Sin and Grace.  After telling the story the material teaches how to explain what the story meant by using Bible verses and explaining how it relates.  I like how this equips us to be ready for any opportunity that may come our way to share our faith.  I’ve seen that as I’ve shared my faith with friends it’s often through answering questions that they may have.  As I answer questions this material fits very well into a normal conversation and I will sometimes share a story relating to one of the topics and use the material to help answer the question in a more impactful way.  If you’re interested in learning how to share your faith in a new way or want to grow in your confidence and ability to share your faith you can e-mail me at mikeh@newlifechicago.org.  I’d love to have you join us as we start this next Small Group session this week.  I can guarantee you that 8 weeks focusing on this evangelism material can equip you to be prepared to share your faith for the rest of your life.

I’m making a list of some of my favorite stories of Christians who are heroes to me. I hope some of these stories are encouraging to you. More importantly, I hope you have examples that connect with you and raise your vision higher for what the Lord can do in and through your life.

Favorite Story # 13: Keith Phillips [1944 - ]

1944       Born

1965       As a UCLA student began outreach in Watts Housing Project in Los Angeles

1971       World Impact Founded in Los Angeles

1972       San Diego & Wichita branches of World Impact begun

1975       Wrote They Dare to Love the Ghetto

1976       St. Louis & Newark branches opened

1977       Fresno branch started

1981       Wrote The Making of a Disciple

1982       Los Angeles Christian School opened; Morning Star Ranch acquired and used for discipleship

1984       Inner City Enterprises started for job training

1990       World Impact focuses on Church Planting

2000       School for Urban Cross Cultural Church Planting begins

2004       A total of 20 churches planted in 8 World Impact Cities

Highlights

• Love & Commitment to Poor Urban America. Their live up to their mission statement “Ministering God’s Love in America’s Inner Cities”.
• Racial Reconciliation. Philips has led World Impact to have a strong emphasis on breaking down walls of prejudice & discrimination.
• Holistic Ministry. Most churches are designed to minister to middle class people. Many people need a different type of church. World Impact has pioneered a successful way of making disciples in areas like Public Housing Projects. They have not only brought the gospel and Bible teaching but have enabled people to escape destructive patterns.
• Endurance. Inner City ministry can be discouraging and overwhelming at times. Keith Phillips has been working in high crime, high poverty, chaotic areas for over 40 years.

 

Favorite Story # 14: Franklin Graham [1952 -  ]

1952       Born in North Carolina (4th child of Billy & Ruth Graham)

1974       Born-again while in Jerusalem; married wife Jane

1975       Influenced deeply by 6-week trip to Asia with World Vision President Bob Pierce

1979       Became President of Samaritans’ Purse ministry after death of Bob Pierce

1989       Began preaching at Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) events

1993       Samaritan’s Purse took over “Operation Christmas Child”

2002       Became President of BGEA

2008       Visited, met with Government Leaders, and Preached in North Korea

Highlights

• A Prodigal Son who came home. Despite being raised by one of the most famous evangelists in history Franklin chose to live apart from God for many years. His autobiography Rebel With A Cause (1997) documents his life story.
• Compassion. Since his early 20’s Franklin has had a heart for the poorest and most oppressed people in the world. Samaritan’s Purse has strong, established ministry in areas like Sudan, Mongolia, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Kosovo, & Iraq.
• Mobilization & Administration. Operation Christmas Child delivers millions of shoebox gifts around the world each year. Over 63 million shoeboxes have been delivered to a total of 135 countries since 1993.
• Bold Witness. Despite leading a compassion based ministry and having regular contact with Government Leaders around the world he has not compromised his clear message of the gospel. He has repeatedly experienced criticism for explaining that Jesus is the only way for salvation, including controversy after his remarks against Islam after the 9/11 attacks.

Visit www.samaritanspurse.org to learn more about the ministry

                                               

Favorite Story # 15: David Wilkerson [1931 -  ]

1931       Born in Hammond, IN

1952       Married wife Gwen

1958       Moved to New York City & started Teen Challenge

1963       Publication of The Cross & The Switchblade

1971       Moved to Texas and started World Challenge Ministry

1986       Felt Called by God to come back to New York City

1987       Began Times Square Church in New York City

Highlights

• Urban Ministry. He has been serving and seeing great results in the hardcore inner city of New York for years. He is not just reaching ‘transfer believers’ from the church down the street.
• Rehab Ministry. Anyone familiar with Teen Challenge knows the great work they do. We have sent many people to the Chicago branch of Teen Challenge. They are the real deal. Wilkerson doesn’t oversee it anymore but he started it and gave it the initial direction.
• Perseverance. Here’s a guy who has been on fire for the Lord for over 50 years. He hasn’t given up or taken the easy road. I love the fact that he went back to New York to plant a church at age 56! He is still going strong now at age 77.
• Family. He has been married for over 50 years and all 4 kids are serving in the Lord and involved with ministries.
• Holiness. He has not changed his basic message about holiness throughout the years. At times Wilkerson has been criticized for being too strict but he has reached many people without watering down the gospel.

Check out www.tsnyc.org and www.worldchallenge.org to get an update on Times Square Church and World Challenge.

Things are changing fast.  I looked at my family as we spent lots of time together during the holiday’s and I saw lots of change. My wife is changing. She is in a new season of life now. She no longer is needed as a mom like she once was. It’s a big change for her. My oldest son Aaron, is changing, He is finished with college now and is planning his big move out of my nest and starting his own. My other son Gabe has been out of the house for a couple of years but is seeing the importance of career, marriage, fathering, and future planning. My Daughter is quickly changing. She is now in college and growing up fast. She has moved from a book bag to a purse. It might not be a big deal to some but for me I saw it as a big step into adulthood. My perspective of her from child to young adult is important. I remember sitting on my couch looking at my family and feeling a small sense of sadness thinking that our Christmas’s are different now. We have to make new traditions, new adjustments to our plans because of new faces being added to the family. But then it quickly changed as  saw how wonderful  it was seeing how much fun they are as young adults.   You know the more I think about it, I think I am the one really changing. It is not only a new year but a new season of life. More adjustments need to be made to accommodate the change.  Growth involves change and that is very good. I once heard a preacher say, “ whatever doe’s not grow dies”.  So I better  make I keep on growing so I don’t die out.