Parenthood Part 7

It's Friday and I hope that you have enjoyed the study this week. I have a few more posts of some more verses, especially in the area of Rebellion. This Sunday, we will conclude our series on parenting and we will talk about rebellion. Invite someone to be your guest, especially if they have a prodigal child. This Sunday message will be practical as well as a source of encouragement.

The following short collection of verses is regarding home management. See you on Sunday!

Home Management

Psalms 127:1a

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.”

Proverbs 14:1

“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”

Proverbs 31:27

“She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”

1 Corinthians 14:33

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.”

Parenthood Part 6

Over and over again in Proverbs, we are told to listen to our parents. Check out these verses from the book of wisdom.

Proverbs 1:8-9

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

Proverbs 6:20

My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

Proverbs 19:27

Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

Proverbs 23:22

Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

Proverbs 23:24-25

“The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him. May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!”

Parenthood Part 5

These are verses that you should share with your children. Take time today and read these verses to them.

Verses Written for Children

Exodus 20:12

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Deuteronomy 5:16

“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Ephesians 6:1-3

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

Colossians 3:20

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Parenthood Part 4

Hope you enjoy this study today regarding parent's responsibilities.

Responsibility of Parents

1 Samuel 3:13

For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them.

1 Kings 1:5-6

Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6(His father had never interfered with him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

Malachi 2:15

Has not [the LORD] made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring .

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Galatians 6:7

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Ephesians 6:4

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

1 Timothy 3:4, 5

[An overseer] must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)

1 Timothy 3:12

A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.

Titus 1:6

An elder must be blameless… a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.

Parenthood Part 3

Yesterday, we looked at versed regarding the Biblical view of parenting. Let's looks at some verses about how God discipline us.

God’s Discipline of Us

2 Samuel 7:14

I [God,] will be [Solomon’s] father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Hebrews 12:5-11

And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Revelation 3:19

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Parenthood Part 2

This morning at Lakepointe, we continued in our series in Parenthood about the matter of Discipline. These are some great verses about discipline. They may not be "politically correct" but they are "Biblically correct!"

Child Specific Discipline

Proverbs 15:5

A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

Proverbs 13:24

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Proverbs 19:18

Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.

Proverbs 22:15

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13-14

Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

Proverbs 29:15

The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Proverbs 29:17

Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

General Discipline

Proverbs 12:1

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs 15:10

Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.

Proverbs 20:30 (NLT)

Physical punishment cleanses away evil; such discipline purifies the heart.

Proverbs 28:13

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Ecclesiastes 8:11

When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.

Matthew 18:15a

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.”

2 Corinthians 2:6-8

The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.

Parenthood Part 1

At Lakepointe Church, we are currently in a middle of our series on Parenthood. I truly believe that the front-line of spiritual warfare is taking place in the home. One of our desires at Lakepointe is to help families to be better equipped in this critical area. This week, I will be posting daily a collection of great verses about parenting in the homes. I hope these posts will be helpful.

Clearest Parenting Verses

Deuteronomy 4:9-10

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Deuteronomy 11:18-19

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

Proverbs 13:24

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Proverbs 19:18

Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.

Proverbs 22:6

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:15

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13-14

Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

Proverbs 29:15

The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Proverbs 29:17

Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

Ephesians 6:4

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Colossians 3:21

Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

The Lakepointe Dream

Recently, I read this post by Perry Noble, pastor of New Spring Church in Anderson, SC. What a powerful vision and this is what I desire for Lakepointe Church! Thanks for the great post, Perry!

PerryNoble.com
December 9, 2009

Ephesians 3:20 keep running over and over again in my mind…and I keep dreaming of a church (and churches…)

• That the ministry goes beyond the walls of the building and actually IMPACTS the community in a radical way.
• Where the broken, hurting and lost are received with open arms…and the religious are challenged to repent of their “perfection.”
• Where generosity is embraced.
• Where the staff and volunteers give their best to God in every task that they take on! (I don’t believe the church should look to organization like Disney and Apple for inspiration…I believe they should be looking at the church!!! Yes, they have great thinkers…we have the HOLY SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD! There is no excuse for half hearted, watered down effort in the Kingdom!)
• Where JESUS is exalted…NOT a denomination or a political party.
• Where Scripture, not Robert’s Rules of Order, govern the Body.
• Where people in the church REFUSE to ignore injustice…and EMBRACE that God has called the church to do more about it than simply pray…but rather to DIVE IN and do all we can to help all we can.
• That refuses to accept that the way things are is the way they have to be.
• That champions the next generation instead of teaching them they are insignificant until they can get a job and begin to tithe.
• That excitement and passion surrounds the Sunday services…and also an expectation that God is going to do something huge!
• That throws the desire to compete with other churches out the window…and does all that they can to help the body.
• That embraces the fact that Jesus originally called “unschooled, ordinary men” to change the world…and He’s STILL doing the same thing today. (See Acts 4:13)

The church’s best days are yet to come…and I can’t wait to see what Jesus does next. He loves His church way more than we do!!!

Sunday Aftermath

Today, we held our second monthly service at Lakepointe Church. We had an awesome day with 94 in attendance! Here are the highlights:

• Despite the fact that it's opening day for deer season (firearms), we had still had a great day!
• The weather was awesome today! A nice "warm" November day.
  
• A great sign: there were 25-30 first time guests today!
• We had about 15-20 people that were planning on attending for the first time today, but didn't make it. Some have already contacted us to let us know that they were sick, etc. Very promising for next month!
• I spoke on the 2nd part of the series, Unstoppable Force. The message today was entitled "Dangerous Pursuit." Talked about the tactics that Satan uses to cause us to be "stoppable." He'll do whatever it takes to get us out of the "movement" of God.
  
• We also honored those who served in the military (past and present), as well as loved ones who represent those who have served or are serving. Afterward, I had some tell me that they had never been to a service where the church honored veterans and really thought that was an awesome element to our service.
• Another great sign: our offerings doubled from last month!!
  
• Again, our volunteers were outstanding! The setup this morning went a lot smoother than last month. The greeters, children's workers, hospitality team, worship team, etc. were great! Our volunteer team are pumped up and excited about our new church. So thankful for our team!
• We had the leadership team of a church plant in another part of Detroit visit with us today to learn what we do and how we do our services. They also had a connection with Panera Bread and was able to get us free bagels and pastries for the hospitality table. Plus, we utilized some of their worship team to play with us today. Thank you to our new friends, Mike Gorr and Mercy Road Church!
  
• One of the purposes of the monthly services is to "tweak out the bugs." Our leadership team saw some of those "bugs" today and look forward to addressing those issues so that we can be the best that we can be in the future to come!
  
• Over the weekend, we were given 200 tickets to the Piston basketball game for tonight. We surprised everyone this morning at the end of the service and handed them all out.
• There was a great turnout of people at the game tonight. Many of our Lakepointers invited friends to the game with them and it was a great opportunity for me and our team to meet new people.
• Final thanks to our awesome God who uses us to be a part of His "unstoppable" movement! Amazing!!

Overall, it was a fantastic day and can't wait for the next service on December 20th! If you can, visit with us!

A Funny Perspective of a Pastor's Life

I know, I know - this is somewhat corny but I was laughing when I saw this. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

HOPE Church Planters Coaching

This past Thursday, I was back in McDonough, GA, just south of Atlanta for my monthly coaching with Ritchie Miller, pastor of Avalon Church. This is the 5th months of meeting and Ritchie and his staff have been doing a fantastic job. I also enjoy the fellowship with other pastors and each month, we are bonding more and more. Through the tools of Facebook and Twitter, we are able to keep up with each other on a regular basis. It's just awesome to see how God is working in each of their lives.

I also brought Jared Sabo, one of the newest members of the Lakepointe Team. I know that his mind was challenged. It's always good to leave a conference or a coaching network to have the "wheels" in your head turning.

I want to close with this thought. Some have asked what's the value of having personal coaching. Statistics have shown that church planters that have coaching, their churches have a higher growth rate, as opposed to church planters who doesn't.

Again, thank you, Avalon Church and staff for taking the time each month to engage, mentor, and challenge everyone of us.

The Cost of Your Calling

This is the last segment of the notes from Thr3e in Charlotte, NC at Elevation Church by Pastor Steven Furtick.

• The difference of where you are at and where God wants you to be is the price/pain you are willing to endure.
• There is a level of uncertainty in every certain thing from God.
• Gethsemane - "Olive Press" Before Jesus died, he went through the "olive press."
• Your greatest oil/anointing of your life is AFTER you are presses/broken. The only way for the oil to pour from our lives is to be pressed.

Every church leader/planter will go through 3 types of "press."

Emotional Press

• Revelation brings isolation. When you hear from God, you and only you may hear it. You may be the only one who hear a fresh vision from God.

Physical Press

• Figure out what you need to do to stay healthy and not burnout. The church needs you to be healthy. It needs you in the game!
• Find balance in your day-to-day ministry.
  

Relational Press

• Your destiny is not tied to anyone that needs you.
• Have the gift of "goodbye." Don't be afraid to cut those who are not on board with your vision.
• Some people will walk away from you. TD Jakes says: "Let 'em walk!"

Three Applications:
1. Receive God's Activity - Jesus received the "cup" in the garden.
2. Remember what God has done for you and how He supplied for you.
3. Respond to God's new direction in your life.

Top Tweets of April

These are some of the top tweets from those that I follow in April.

@perrynoble: When we focus on what is wrong with other churches and leaders it is usually so we won't have to deal with what is wrong with our own lives!

@ChurchSolutions: Don't blame yourself for the declines or you may be tempted to take credit for the increases. -Craig Groeschel

@johncmaxwell: Clarity of vision creates clarity of priorities.

@willmancini: Notes from Francis Chan at Exponential 2009 - http://bit.ly/xXaPM - A beautiful message about the Holy Spirit.

@ExponentialConf: You will not be allowed to do it on your own. Because then you'd receive the glory. -Derek Duncan

@jonathanfalwell: God will never do anything great through someone who is partially committed.

@ExponentialConf: Some of you got into ministry because you wanted to see the world made different. Don't you ever give up on that dream. -Derek Duncan

@ExponentialConf: The only numbers we should care about are the numbers of people we have NOT yet reached. - Craig Groeschel

@MaxLucado: San Antonio Spurs star Bruce Bowen helped with our river baptisms. That's keith Kennington with us. http://twitpic.com/3mxzg

@perrynoble: Refusing to address a problem and "praying" it will go away is not leadership!

@ChurchSolutions: Pastor Sits on Toilet for 24 Hours to Fight Cancer: http://tinyurl.com/ctllbn

@timastevens: Everything drifts toward losing the "why" for what we do. If we don't continually talk about Jesus, people will drift.

@ChurchSolutions: Why don't your guests come back? 15 reasons: http://tinyurl.com/cezod4

@perrynoble: People who loved religion and were addicted to their personal preferences were actually the ones who resisted (and killed) Jesus!

@perrynoble: People who say "that can't be done" are usually just looking for an excuse to remain lazy!!!

@MaxLucado: Overheard today in our church hallway. Mom asks three year old what he learned in class. Answer: "Jesus got out of a hole." (So did we.)

@jonathanfalwell: Found a quote in one of my old Bibles from a sermon Jerry Vines preached in 1989, "a defeat that makes you humble is far better than a victory that causes pride."

@willmancini: For vision to be viral it must be compelling enough to make people want to say it again.

@willmancini: For vision to be viral it must be clear enough for a unchurched, junior high kid to understand it.

Thr3e Session 1

I posted last week about our experience in Charlotte, NC with the Elevation Church staff and volunteer team. Each session was led by Pastor Steven Furtick and I want to give some of the highlights from each session (there were only 3).

Session 1
Casting Vision, Creating Culture

Each church plant needs to establish 3 important cultures in the DNA of your church:

The Culture of Audacity

• Audacity is a spirit, not a set of actions.
• You have to have a level of insanity to start something from nothing.
• Where there is no vision people cast off restraint.
• God doesn't step in till you step out.
• An audacious leader - See it, speak it, and stand on it until it happens.
• A leader's job is to cast an audacious vision - to see things first before anyone else - and stay with it till it becomes reality.
• An audacious vision is not "cut out and paste" from other ministries. It comes from within you.
• The thing that make you unique is the thing that makes you powerful.

The Culture of Honor

• Respect must be earned but honor is given from the heart.
• You can only receive people at the level you perceive people.
• If your people don't perceive you as a leader then people won't receive you as a leader.
• If you're support staff you should go home & ask "How can we help take weight off our Pastor?"

The Culture of Generosity

• Don't be afraid to preach on giving!
• Pastor Steven Furtick preach (or make applications) on giving 3 of every 4 sermons preached.
• Pastors must give sacrificially. No one can go where the leader hasn't gone. ... If you want the people to bleed, you must hemorrhage.
• Part of generosity DNA at Elevation Church: They partner with outreach programs, not create them. Elevation Church supports 18 local organizations.

SEVEN22 Series - Dangerous

Tonight, we are starting a brand new series called "Dangerous." I can't wait to share God's word and how he has been speaking to me these past 2-3 weeks. We have been taught that the church should be a "safe" place [which I agree] so that we can teach a "safe" message [which I disagree]. Too many churches don't want to be "offensive", and when churches have this mentality then Hell gets more crowded.

Make it a priority to be here tonight at SEVEN22 and invite someone to be your guest!

This Past Week Reflections

We had a pretty busy week! Here's the highlights:

• Three Easter services on Saturday and Sunday. 2,775 in attendance and between 40-50 decisions for Christ. Glory to God!
  

• Tuesday night, Eric Hovind and I preached our final message in our series "Decisions, Decisions" at SEVEN22. We talked about the value of accountability and getting the right advice from the right kind of people (usually, we get the wrong advice from the wrong people).

• On Wednesday, I kicked off a 7 weeks seminar on "Discovering and Working Your Strength" with the staff at Creation Science Evangelism.

• Thursday morning, I flew to Atlanta to spend a day at Avalon Church with my monthly coaching network with about 12 others pastors. Discuss Easter, developing a team, and small groups mechanics. I was able to fly back home that evening.

• On Friday, I spend my day getting prepared for the message that I'm bringing to my church on Sunday morning. Pastor Godfrey is in a series "Conversations with God" and I'm bringing in the 4th lesson entitled "God and Doubting Thomas Talk." I can't wait to deliver this message.

On Monday, Karen and I will be traveling to Orlando, FL for the Exponential Conference. This is THE conference to attend for church planters. I will be limited in my blogging next week, but will keep you posted through twitter. Click here to follow me. Have a great weekend!

March "Top 10" Quotes from Perry Noble

Recently, I've joined the Twitter movement and is pretty interesting stuff. One of my favorite tweets is Perry Noble, pastor of New Spring Church in Anderson, South Carolina. These are my top 10 favorite tweets from him in March.

10.
Fear of failure is one of the quickest ways to remove God's blessing from a church!

9.
One of the mistakes I've made as a leader is always expecting God to show me the EASY way instead of asking Him for the right way! (People often look for the road to "least resistance.")

8.
Positive change can never take place until a person (or organization) is willing to admit the truth and then do something about it!

7.
If you don't learn to handle insecurity then it will handle you! (Currently learning this lesson!!!)

6.
Church services SHOULD be WAY more exciting than March Madness! If Jesus isn't boring then His people and His house shouldn't be either!

5.
Many people say they desire change...few people actually possess the passion & courage to make it happen...and they are the difference makers!

4.
How long should we invest in something that is not making progress? Wait! Denominations have been doing that for years!!!

3.
Getting obsessed with routine and ritual is one of the quickest way to become irrelevant. (Currently learning this!)

2.
If the Great Commission is taken seriously...a church cannot stop growth. If it isn't then a church defends its "right" to "stay small!"

1.
You can tell what kind of ministry you have by who your church is attracting...and also who your church is ticking off!

Share a comment on your favorite quote from above and why!

Does Your Church Have "It" Going On???

As a church planting team, my wife and I regularly meet with Mark and April Nipper for prayer and fellowship. Tonight, we started a 9 session video entitled It by Craig Groeschel. We have all seen churches who have it and some churches who don't have it. It is our desire that Lakepointe Church will be a church that will always have it and will make huge impact in the lives of many in the north Detroit metro area and around the world because of it! If you don't understand what I'm talking about, then see the following short promo for the series. Hopefully, you'll get the point of it!

What will Lakepointe Church look like?

This past week, I read an awesome blog post by Perry Noble, pastor of New Spring Church in Anderson, SC. He shared how churches are so consumed with terminology and labels that they are missing the point of what they should be!

Read the following post by Perry Noble: Terminology or Transformation?

My desire for Lakepointe Church is to be a New Testament church who is:

• Traditional in teaching God's Word in relevant ways. The message stays the same, but methodology changes.
  

• Seeker-friendly in our approach to reaching people who are far away from God. We want them to visit a church where they don't feel like they are out of place and to receive a message that they can understand.

• Missional in which we are to always be adaptive to the changing culture that we're trying to reach. A church in Detroit is going to look different than a church in Jay, Florida.
  

• Attractional so that people will want to come back to church each week. Everything should be done with excellence! I know "time machines" aren't real, but they are real in many churches because it feels like you're in the 1950's when you walk in!

• Purpose-driven because I believe that a church without a purpose will eventually die or become useless! Our purpose is to see lives transformed. I pray that Lakepointe Church will never become a "country club with a steeple on top that gives our community the middle finger and tells them to go to hell because reaching them would make us uncomfortable!" [Perry Noble]

Coaching Network in McDonough, GA

Recently, I joined a pastor's coaching network at Avalon Church in McDonough, GA, 20 minutes south of Atlanta. On the third Thursday of each month this year, I will be traveling to this church to meet with about a dozen other pastors. The pastor of Avalon Church is Ritchie Miller, and he has led Avalon from its birth for the past 8 years and are averaging around 1500 each weekend. God is using him in a great way, and he has been a great avenue of resource and guidance to me.

For today session, my wife Karen was able to travel with me. She made sure I stayed awake on the trip. Today, we focused on two areas of ministry: building a strong Biblical leadership team (valuable teaching that I needed to hear) in the morning and children's ministry in the afternoon.

As I travel for the next 8 months, there will be some financial needs that I'm praying for, especially after we move to Detroit in June in which I will be traveling by plane. If you are able to help in any way, please contact me. I would greatly appreciate any help that I can get. This coaching network is extremely important to me. Research has shown that church planters in a coaching network are more likely to lead a church to a better launch and a stronger growth as opposed to a planter who is not involved in a coaching network. To me, this coaching is necessary!!

As I close, I want to thank Ritchie Miller and his staff for the time and energy to invest in the pastors of this network. You guys are great!