I know that some of you are not all on board with the spiritual gifts series and push.  I get it!  I am hoping you will see that understanding your spiritual gifts and actually using them are going to be the driving force between seeing MABC actually grow and thrive and not just exist.

You see, the early church didn’t care much about attendance.  They were concerned with ENGAGEMENT!  Engagement is emotional involvement or commitment to something.  People get passionate about things they are involved in such as a hobby or a sports team.  Football fans are passionate about their team.  Fans will show up in sub-freezing weather, tailgate for hours and then sit for three hours or more in the cold to cheer on their team.  They will spend hundreds of dollars on tickets and merchandise because they are passionate and engaged. They are not just spectators but they cheer when their team scores or makes a great play.  They moan in agony when things aren’t going their way.  They don’t just go and sit for an hour and then leave.  They are invested and engaged.

We are not ever going to be an attractional church where people will come because we have a flashy band or the latest and greatest video boards and cool graphics.  We aren’t going to have camels and a petting zoo at Christmas. I know of a megachurch in Wichita that actually built “camel doors” into their church design just for Christmas!  We aren’t going to have advertising on TV.  Our livestream right now is not a multi-camera production that people are going to be “wow, you gotta watch this church’s service!’  Those are just the cold hard facts.

We are a church that will need to make an impact in our neighborhood by engaging community and the people in our community.  We need to focus on using our gifts in a few ways.  One way is to benefit those already here by helping them grow in the Lord and become engaged followers. We also use our gifts to create an environment that is welcoming and comfortable to those who happen to visit. Another way is to use them to reach those who aren’t here now or don’t know Jesus. We are planning some events to serve community and engage our neighbors.  Our centennial celebration will not just be a celebration for us but an opportunity to engage our neighbors. Hopefully you will plan on sticking around on March 23 to visit with our teams about where you can engage.

This is not just about enlarging our attendance but to engage people so that they may see the goodness of God – his compassion, mercy and love (1 Peter 2:9). People who use their gifts and are passionate about their church are “attractional” in and of themselves.  We don’t just want people to attend – that includes you – but we want them to be engaged by becoming followers of Jesus. Culture is shifting and looking for community.  Younger people are especially interested in being a part of something that is impactful in community. In the early church, the people were engaged…daily…not just for an hour on Sunday. You are the body of Christ and are important in helping the body grow.  If a child was not growing, we would be concerned and do everything we can – passionately – about helping the child grow.  Let’s be that passionate about helping the body of Christ grow and trusting that the Lord will help us to grow in return if we are obedient to the Great Commission. That’s how we ensure another hundred years of MABC.

Let’s be an engaged people passionate about showing the goodness of Jesus to those that need to know about him.  Let’s be passionate and engaged about finding those that need to know about Jesus and his desire for them to his followers!

Have a great week!  If you haven’t done your inventory, please take the time to do so. I believe that gifting evolves with time and spiritual maturity.  I also believe God pulls some of your lesser gifts to the forefront depending on your place in the body at any given time.

Pastor Rick 

But you man of God, flee from all of this and pursue righteousness, 

It’s going to be a beautiful week!  Get out if you can and enjoy the warmer temps and sunny skies! Hopefully you won’t spend all of your time outside but you will  find the time to complete your Spiritual Gifts Inventory this week.

I came across this in my reading and thought it would give you a great example of why everyone’s gifts are needed to effectively minister.  This example is about how the various gifts might be employed in a neighborhood setting, something that we have been emphasizing for the last six weeks or so.  Follow along:

Let’s say a neighbor finds themselves ill and bedridden for a month. If that person’s neighbors have varying gifts, how might they use them in ministering to that person?

• Prophesy (under edifying)– Remember not predicting! Someone who desires to see God’s will be done.  This person may pray for the ill one both at their bedside and in private, praying for strength and endurance according to God’s will.
• Servant – will take over meals, run errands, do housework, mow the yard.
• Teacher– may struggle to relate a little but will bring over some good books that might scripturally strengthen the ill one for the journey.
• Encourager – if you are gifted in this area you are probably there right away at bedside sharing uplifting bible verses for improving their spirits.
• Giving – will bring food and other gifts but probably more important in this situation giving of time talking and listening.
• Leadership– will find out the person’s needs and go around organizing the other neighbors to meet  those needs.  Set up a meal train or a schedule of rides to doctors appointments for example.
• Kindness/Compassion– this person will ask how the ill neighbor feels, empathize, give hugs, maybe even cry with the neighbor and will often sit by the bedside for hours.

It will take all of us to meet the neighbor’s needs.  The Leader is good at organizing but not be as much of an encourager.  His or her time is better spent scheduling and securing volunteers.  That doesn’t mean they can’t share some encouraging words but not like the Encourager can.  The Giver may not be good at organizing the neighbors to help but has time to give and will ask for help if need be.

It will be good to gather together next Sunday to find out “Whadjuget?”  (Hint: the title of next week’s message!

P.R.

Good Monday Morning!

I think today will be a good day…comparatively speaking!  Tomorrow sounds like it is going to be not so good!  Be safe and stay warm.

I don’t know about all of you but God just continues to amaze me.  He has really been hitting the “love your neighbor” idea and also this idea about “fruit.”  The last two weeks we have touched on the idea of “going and producing lasting fruit” (John 15:16-17) and “your lives will produce every kind of good fruit” (Col. 1:10).  You’re probably tired of seeing or hearing them!  Well, this morning I open up my daily devotion and it is chapter 21 of the Book of Matthew.  What is it you say?  The parable of the fig tree!  It is about producing fruit and how Jesus feels when appropriate fruit isn’t being produced

         In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He  went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.   Matt. 21:18-19 NLT

Jesus sees a fig tree looking the part.  It has leaves and he anticipated it having some figs on it.  He gets there only to find out that the fig tree looks good from a distance but up close…nothing! Nada! Zip! Zilch!  No fruit at all.   Jesus curses it and it withers.

The expectation was that if the tree was filled with leaves it would produce fruit.  It is the same with us.  If we look the part…we are sitting in the pew on Sunday, we are carrying our bibles, we tell people we are followers of Jesus…write a tithe check but we aren’t producing fruit…how do you think Jesus feels about us?  The John 15 passage says Jesus “chose you!”  He “appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit!”  That is the expectation.   Nothing less!  The Pharisees looked and played the part but Jesus had very few positive words towards them.   They certainly were very “religious” but weren’t producing any real fruit.

In Matthew 7, Jesus tells the people that you can identify a tree by their fruit.  A good tree produces good fruit and bad tree produces bad fruit.  Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.    Then, a few verses later he says that “not everyone who calls out to me “Lord, Lord!” will enter the Kingdome of Heaven.  Again, what is the expectation?  If you are a follower of Jesus…love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…then you WILL PRODUCE FRUIT!   And this isn’t just about us as individuals.  This idea of bearing fruit is for the institution of the church as well!  I read a very scary statistic the other day that says only 3-5% of growing churches are growing by “conversions.”  In other words, growing by reaching the lost.  Otherwise, church growth is just “sheep swapping.”  It is estimated that there are 3 churches closing for every church being planted.

What kind of fruit are you producing?  Are you producing fruit?  Or are you just a tree that looks the part?  As a church, is MABC producing fruit…good fruit?  Lasting fruit? I know those are harsh words but we are living in trying times where the church needs to up its game and start producing more fruit.   Let’s be the oasis of fruit production here in “the neighborhood!”

 P.R.

Rick Neubauer

Welcome to the Monday Morning Rewind on Tuesday morning!  Sherry and I could use some prayers.  I spent the rest of Sunday in bed even missing our small group Super Bowl party.  Sounds like I didn’t miss much!  Monday was pretty much the same.  Now I think Sherry has whatever I have after caring for me.

In Sunday’s teaching I shared some thoughts by author Jim Ramos on being a witness in your neighborhood, how that is the most likely place to start.  He said your witness is made or dismayed in your front yard.  On Friday and Saturday I had a few things pop up on my news feeds or social media about people observing our lives.  Here is one:

A man and his family – wife and three children – were having breakfast at a café.  The man had been playing a dot game with his kids while they waited for breakfast.  When he asked for the check, the waitress gave him the receipt for a meal already paid for – $85.  On the back was a handwritten note that said “Thank you for being the dad they need you to be regardless of who’s watching

People are watching even if you don’t notice it.  

Here is another:

A man was driving through his neighborhood when he noticed a cedar privacy fence down.  He decided to stop and ask about it.  The home was owned by a single mom with one son. The mom’s mom answered the door and shared the story. The young mom had lost her husband 3 years ago.  A couple of months ago she had been in a serious car wreck totaling her car and suffering some injuries. The older mom said her daughter had been trying to get it fixed but all the estimates came in at $6000 or more.  The man was back at the house the next day rebuilding her fence at his expense, a cost of about $2000. The man said “he has always been passionate about making a difference in his community.”

He also said little acts of kindness start a ripple effect.

You don’t have to spend $85 or $2000 but what little thing can you do in your neighborhood to start a ripple effect?  As you learn about your neighbors, think about one little thing that might mean a lot to them.  Can you bake? Bake them their favorite cookie, take it over and tell them you were thinking about them and is there anything you can pray about for them?  Can you mow?  Or it might be something as simple as picking up some fallen tree limbs in somebody’s yard or taking their grass clippings or leaves to the yard waste sight.  Can you write?  Send them a handwritten note letting them know that you noticed them doing something good for someone else.  They may not have done it expecting any recognition but they will still enjoy your kind words.  It will require you be intentional…don’t you hate it when I use that word!

How is your life living out in your front yard?

Rick Neubauer

But you man of God, flee from all of this and pursue righteousness, godliness,  faith, love, endurance and gentleness.  I Timothy 6:11

Good Monday morning!

It is going to be a beautiful day “in the neighborhood.”  Enjoy it because tomorrow it’s back to 39 degrees. That’s a lot like life isn’t it?  Good followed by some bad?

I am continuing to dig in and look at how we can become better known within this neighborhood.  I am meeting this afternoon with the young man who wondered in to our church yesterday and then asked for prayers during our prayer time.  He said he was in a dark place.  I am going to go out on a limb and say that a good portion of what is going on is that he lacks real connection to someone or something that is meaningful.  I will let you know.

If loneliness is the issue, he is not alone.  According to a Harvard Graduate School of Education report, there is what is being called an epidemic of loneliness in our country:

• People between 30-44 years of age were the loneliest group — 29% of people in this age range said they were “frequently” or “always” lonely
• Among 18–29 year-olds the rate was 24%
• For 45–64 year-olds, the rate was 20%
• Adults aged 65 and older reported the lowest rate: 10% felt lonely

Those are astounding numbers given the amount of “social technology” that is being used.  The problem is, there are a lot of acquaintances being made, a lot of influencers being followed but there are very few relationships being made.  I mean, real “ginosko” kinds of relationships.  Ginosko means “to know”.  It can also mean “to learn to know” or “come to know.”  This is an experiential knowledge gained through doing life together.  Kind of like learning about your neighbor.  It is knowing their hopes and dreams, what motivates them, what is hurting them and what life is like for them.

Carey Nieuwhof is a pastor, an author and speaker who focuses on helping churches make a greater impact in their communities.   Here are a few quotes I have picked up in my reading lately from Carey that should help us to see that “being a loving neighbor” is a good thing.

When the church becomes a club or already-convinced insiders, then the church has lost its mission.  (Club could also be construed as holy-huddle! P.R.)

This isn’t ‘church growth for the sake of church growth.’  If that’s all it is, it will fail. Churches that just want to grow to prop up the institution, pad their numbers or simply want “a story to tell” miss the point. (We shouldn’t be interested in building an MABC kingdom but helping to build “the Kingdom.” P.R.)

And finally…If God’s love truly compels us to reach out to the world, if we genuinely care about our neighbors who are not like us, and if we truly decide to love our enemies, the world might come running.  But right now, the church is spectacularly easy to ignore or dismiss. (Ouch! P.R)

Please be in prayer about how we might reach “our neighbors,” neighbors like the young man who was wandering the street yesterday and saw that worship began at 10:30 am.  It was 10:15 am and he thought…might as well go in.  Thank you to those who took the time to speak to him.

It made him feel valued. ( L.O.Valued E..)  

Pastor Rick

I have been rehashing yesterday’s message in my mind thinking about the disciples’ ministry in their “neighborhood.  Acts chapter 2 says they shared with those in need, worshipped together, shared their meals and enjoyed the good will of all the people.   And each day it says that the Lord added to their number.  In Acts 5 we find them all together again and the people held them in high regard.  They were reluctant to join the disciples as followers but…yet more and more people believed and joined the “crowd” so to speak.

What is it that the neighborhood around MABC needs?  What needs do we as a church need to meet in order that our neighbors know that we love them?  It would be interesting to see how many of you who attend MABC actually live in the neighborhood boundaries.  The Delano District’s boundaries are Meridian Ave on the west, the river to the north and the east and then Kellogg to the south.  How many of us in the Sunday morning crowd live within that 1.6 square miles?   I don’t ask that to be mean.  My point is that we have to work that much harder to be a “neighborhood” church when we aren’t in the neighborhood!   We really have to be intentional in what we want to see take place.

I have been looking at demographics this morning trying to get a picture of the neighborhood.  In terms of age, the greatest population group looks to be 20-30 year olds followed by a smaller group of 35-45 year olds.  The population appears to be 60% male to 40% female.  Therein lies a little bit of a struggle for us as MABC.  The neighborhood has an extremely small population of people from 65 on up whereas we are heavy in that age group.  Again, not a bad thing but not representative of the neighborhood makeup.  And, we are probably 60% female and 40% male.  Again, not saying that is a bad thing but we do not look like our neighborhood.

We need to do some soul searching and pray for wisdom and guidance as to where we focus our energies in the future.  I have always been a “let’s get the kids and mom and dad will follow” kind of guy.  However, when we look at our neighborhood, only a quarter of the residents are married couple families.  And out of those couples, only half of them have children.  The average household size in the District is 2.5 people.  That tells me there isn’t a lot of children in our neighborhood.  Does that mean we don’t do children and youth?  No, it means that we shouldn’t expect high numbers at this time.  We take care of the kids we have been given.  On Monday night, our Awana numbers will consist mainly of grandkids of members and those grandkids don’t live in our neighborhood.  Grandma is bringing them.  I love them to death and I try to bring my grands when they don’t have anything else to do.  There just aren’t many in our neighborhood.

Would you please be in serious prayer about what God is asking us to do? He has placed us here in the Delano District and there has to be a reason for us to still be doing ministry after nearly 100 years.  I recently read that there is 3 church closures in the US for every church plant.  We aren’t in that statistic and I don’t believe we will be if we are earnestly seeking God’s will for MABC here in this neighborhood. Not our will but his.

Have a great week!  Be blessed but by all means, be a blessing to a neighbor in some way.

P.R.