How Money Shapes Our Heart and Impacts Our Home

In Luke 12, Jesus tells a parable about how a rich man was reaping an abundance of crops. In his greed and self-interests, he decides to tear down his barns to build new and bigger ones. This is his ticket to an easier life of ongoing success and luxury. In response to his selfishness, God says "Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" (Luke 12:20 ESV).

Why does God respond this way? What does it mean to be a fool? 
In context, Jesus is warning those listening to his parable about the dangers and destructive nature of idolatry. When anyone places there faith, hope, love, and gratitude in something other than God, they are committing idolatry and thus sinning by breaking the first commandment (Exodus 20). Regardless of what our culture believes, God is for the betterment of people. When someone pursues a created thing instead of the Creator, that person has made a detrimental decision. God calls this man "a fool", because that's what he was. A fool is someone who rejects God's definition of reality and is therefore ultimately left empty.

Four Factors Shape Our Heart:

   1. Faith - approval and trust to provide

   2. Hope - desire for fulfilled expectation

   3. Love - a feeling of strong affection

   4. Gratitude - showing appreciation

If our hearts are shaped by God and His Word, then we have an eternal perspective that's secure. However, when our dreams and identity is centered on materialism and money, then we have a temporary perspective that may seem secure today, but will fade away. Charles Spurgeon said, “One way you know that Jesus Christ is precious to you is that nothing else is.” What's really precious to you?

“When awe of material things rules your heart, then you will live for material things, and when you live for material things, you will do just about anything to gain them, maintain them, keep them, and enjoy them... Such a materialistic attitude is not only morally dangerous but is also a violation of the reason for which you and I were created. It is wrong for material cravings to dominate our hearts and lifestyles.” - Paul David Tripp

Every Home Needs a Plan

   1. Christians must place their relationship with God as top priority.

   2. A unified plan for the home is crucial.

   3. Create a written Financial Plan that aligns with your convictions.

   4. Work the Plan every day of the year.

This Financial Plan is best when saturated in prayer, has received counsel from people who understand financial disciplines based in Scripture, and developed with percentages (when possible). Here is an example created by a friend of mine who helps people get their finances in order. This pie chart reveals a possible percentage breakdown of an American home. Your home's financial chart may look different. However, the real question is: "do you know the percentage allocation of your finances?"

Let's go back to the "heart". Under the category of Charitable Giving, there are several probing questions and comments that have been rattling around my brain.

    1. Christians should be generous toward Kingdom work. The Kingdom of God is different from every other investment, because of eternal factors. The Word of God and the souls of people are both eternal. We should also give generously out of gratitude as children of God who are already citizens of His Kingdom (Philippians 3).

    2. "What is your heart motivation for your career? Is it to get rich, to have guaranteed financial security, or are you doing what you are doing because you want to build up treasure in heaven and advance the kingdom of God." - Austin Stone Church 

    3. Could a lost person look at the way you are stewarding your money and your stuff and know that God is the master of your money? 

    4. “The reality of God’s generosity to us will never hit the world until they see our generosity to everybody else.” - Timothy Keller

    5. "Those of us who live in prosperous regions of the globe and have never known food scarcity perhaps don’t feel much awe in it. That is a sad thing: a lack of awe. It’s the dark side of abundance. We sinners tend to grow blind to glory when there’s a lot of it. God is kind not to give us heaven yet. We would not appreciate more than a fraction of it." - Jon Bloom (Desiring God)

    

What Every Christian Home Needs...

Every Christian home needs "Gospel Community".

The Bible is exceedingly clear about our need for significant relationships. In fact, the first thing that Genesis records after creation that is not good is Adam being alone (Genesis 2:18). Therefore, God made him a companion to enjoy life, to grow in fellowship with each other, and to thrive in relationship with Himself.

Unfortunately, sin entered the world and quickly eroded these relationships. What was designed to be easy, became much more difficult. Within our core, we long for significant relationships that are transparent and free from shame. We desire to be with people who know us, love us, and accept us in spite of our sin, failures, and shortcomings. This is the definition of true friendship. Yet, in an attempt to protect ourselves, we put up walls and barriers to keep people from knowing who we really are. Thus, people become friends with the "projected image" of ourselves, not the "real us".

Scripture declares Christians will all grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), and the gospel work which He began in us will come to completion (Philippians 1:6). This process of growth and transformation does not happen on our own. It happens in community. It happens in a community rooted in the Gospel where grace and truth are overflowing (see these characteristics of Jesus in John 1:14).

As a Christian, my identity is not rooted in me - my efforts, my accomplishments, my ambitions, my job, my family, my bank account, my stuff, my education, or anything else. Thank God, my identity isn't defined by my sin or failures either. Every Christian is free from all that! Instead, it is solely rooted in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-28). We have a new identity that rests in the grace and work of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). This new identity when coupled with other Christians creates a beautiful and awesome thing: Gospel Community.

Qualities of Gospel Community
There are amazing qualities of this Gospel Community described in Ephesians 4:1-6. The Apostle Paul calls the church to be humble (esteem others better than yourself while being concerned for their welfare), gentle (even tempered and self-controlled particularly in regards to the revelation of another believer's sin), patient (endure through pain and unhappiness for the benefit of others), and to bear with one another in love (a willing and intentional forfeiture of rights or privileges for the sake of someone else). The goal of these qualities within Gospel Community is to maintain unity. These should be the mark of the Church. These describe God's design for us.

Can you imagine?
Can you imagine what it would be like if these were the qualities of every church? Too often though, this is not the reality of the church. Therefore, we keep the people we need most (other Christians) at arms length in order to protect our pride and ego. The dangers of this self-induced isolation is that we begin to believe things that aren't true by hardening our hearts to sin's deceit (Jeremiah 17:9, Hebrews 3:12-13). I believe this isolation from Gospel Community is exactly what the Enemy wants for us. He wants believers to live in isolation, fear, and busyness in order to protect our pride and agendas. In this, the Enemy accomplished his purpose of of destruction within our homes (John 10:10a).

Can you imagine the opportunities for those who embrace Gospel Community? Unbelievable freedom and joy can come from being fully known and fully loved! This is the glory of the Good News of Jesus Christ: He already fully knows us and has already responded in love (John 3:16-17). As Christians, we are to represent Him to others - in grace and truth.

Further Resources:
Verge Network: Gospel Communities
Gospel Coalition: Gospel Community

Every Home Needs to Prioritize: Rest

We live in a society where busyness is a badge of honor, a mark of importance, and often a fact of life. If we aren't busy, people may think we're lazy. We find ourselves being slaves to the schedule of our home: up early for work, out the door in a rush to get our kids to school, off to extracurricular activities after work/school, a frenzied dinner, then homework/projects/TV/social media, and whatever else we can cram into our day. We then find ourselves prepping with whatever energy we have left to do it all over again. Exhaustion, weariness, and constant fatigue plague our modern homes! Is this really the best of what God has in mind for us? Clearly, the answer is "no".

Principle: 
          Physical Rest is inescapably linked to Spiritual Renewal.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gently and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" Matthew 11:28-30

Maybe the reason we don't effectively rest is connected to one or more the following reasons:

 1. It's counter-cultural (busyness = importance)

 2. We don't think it's important

 3. Pride - We lack trust in God to provide

 4. Maybe we're not that grateful

 5. We're scared to look in the mirror of our soul 

If you are interested in learning the importance of rest from a biblical perspective, check out this video:

Prioritizing the Things that Matter Most (Part 2) 

Other Resources:

Blog: Austin Stone Worship - Practical Applications for Establishing Sabbath Rest

Blog: For the Church - 7 Principles for Sabbath Rest

Blog: Gospel Coalition - How to Guard Sabbath for Your Children

Blog: The Power of Deep Rest (Dr. Timothy Keller)

Every Home Needs to Prioritize: Time

As a Christian, my response to the grace of God matters - a lot! This post is the third of a series of posts about the home. The big question of this series: How are we honoring God in our homes? We are exploring what the Bible says along with practical application. 

A Christian home has a plan, submits to clear authority, 

and runs a disciplined race with an eternal focus.

For the above statement to be a reality, we have to realize the obstacles that stand in our way. As an affluent culture, we pack many things into our schedule. We work hard raising families, providing for our needs and wants through our careers, and do what we can to make a difference when we can. But, we are also prone to waste time on things that don't really matter.

I've learned (and am still learning) the importance of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesian church where he encourages them to make "the best use of time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). Even Christians who are in love with Jesus and His Church waste time. We often lack discipline and fall prey to the wants of our bodies.

Our body longs for the temporary, but God wants to 

use our body as an instrument for the eternal.

What would it look like if we prioritized our time based on eternal goals instead of temporary ones?

As a Christian, my day would be far more purposeful if I constantly:
   1. Committed every day to the Lord.
   2. Intentionally invested in a person's soul.
   3. Prayed without ceasing while following the lead of the Holy Spirit.
   4. Knew that wasting time would always be a temptation.

Furthermore, what would happen if I consistently prioritized:
   1. Loving God (Matthew 22:38)
         a. Praying - admitting my need for full dependance on Christ with ongoing gratitude
         b. Reading the Bible - studying the depth of grace and truth as revealed from God
         c. Growing in trust and obedience knowing that faith is marked by these two attributes
   2. Loving Others (John 13:34-35)
         a. Serving others in such a way that shows selflessness and sacrifice
         b. Encouraging others by speaking the truth in love and building the church community
         c. Teaching others about God, His Word, and His redemptive plan
   * The time leftover can be used to enjoy all the blessings God has given me (1 Timothy 6:17).

The secret is found in understanding, "Today is the day the Lord has made..." (Psalm 118:24). Since He created this day, it's His - for His purposes. His plan involves us. Think of the possibilities!

Additional Resources:
   Biblical Counseling Keys on Time Management 
   Hooked App - designed to track phone/tablet addiction
   Edwards: A God-centered view of Time Management
   

Every Home Needs Clear Authority

Last Sunday, I preached one of the most counter-cultural sermons of my life. The premise was based on the principle that without clear authority in our homes, chaos is inevitable.

We have been "SHAPED" by our background, experiences, and surroundings in such a way that living biblically in the home is a counter-cultural idea. God has outlined clear authority in the Bible that can breathe life into our homes. Yet, many professing Christian homes settle for chaos.  

Here's a brief overview of what I mean by "SHAPED":
   Our Society opposes God's design
   Our Heart selfishly longs for glory
   Our Autonomy wants everything our way 
   Our Pride refuses to submit 
   Our Emotions makes us fearful
          Decline is the natural result of sin

The Bible teaches clear authority in verses like these (there are many more):
   1. GOD (Ex. 20:2-7, Luke 4:8, Eph. 1:22, and many more!)

   2. Men submit to Christ (1 Cor. 11:3)

   3. Wives submit to husbands (1 Peter 3:1, Eph. 5:22)

   4. Children submit to parents (Col 3:20, Eph. 6:2)

   5. Single Adults submit to God. (Is. 54:5, Pr. 23:22)

   6. Employees submit to employers (Col. 3:22-23)

   7. Everyone must submit to government UNLESS it violates God’s Word (1 Peter 2:13)

Here are some helpful resources I believe will re-shape our homes for God's glory:

Every Home Needs Clear Authority

Why Should Husbands and Wives Agree on Life Decisions?

Article: What Should be the Husband's 'Role' in Marriage?

Article: What Should be the Wife's 'Role' in Marriage?

Every Home Needs a Plan

This verse hangs in our house as a reminder of our purpose as a family. It is a reminder of our faith and heritage as well as a call to action to every member of our home. We are Christians who long to serve the Lord and obey His Word. Does this mean we're going to be perfect? Absolutely not! We are saved and sustained by His grace - this is a great gift from God. We are sinners who have a lot to learn and apply to our lives. Therefore, we humbly acknowledge that we need Him to accomplish in us what only He can do - shape us into the likeness of Jesus (Philippians 1:6, 2 Corinthians 3:18).

The Bible speaks clearly about the home:

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Psalm 127:1

The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand. Proverbs 12:7

The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. Proverbs 14:11

Jesus spoke clearly regarding to obedience:

Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49

Christians Respond, That's What We Do!

To call Jesus "Lord" means that there is a response to the Gospel. This response is worship and faith in action out of gratitude for who God is and what He has done (Romans 12:1-2, James 2:14). This response in no way has anything to do with "earning" salvation, because that's impossible (Ephesians 2:8-10)! Jesus already did that (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Your Plan: Create Biblical Alignment & Cultivate Obedience

A Plan shapes our VALUES

A Plan defines our PRIORITIES

A Plan guides our DECISION-MAKING

A Plan helps in making FAITH a verb

A Plan HONORS the Lord

Do you have a PLAN for how you (and your family) are going to serve the Lord?

Here's some ideas of how to get started:

Vision for 2016

Advance Community Church

Our Mission: Make Disciples of Jesus Christ
Our Vision: Plant Church-planting Churches

Link to the Video

What to Expect in 2016:

1. Corporate Worship (Sunday Nights)

      - Environment where our focus is clearly on Jesus

      - Environment where everyone is invited and included

      - Environment where there’s freedom in worship

      - Environment where demographic diversity is celebrated 

      - Environment where the Bible is boldly preached

2. A Clear Focus on the Home

      - We must all mature in the Gospel (Identity in Christ)

      - We must all mature in Obedience (Response to the Gospel)

      - We must all mature in Gratitude (Stewardship of Time & Treasure)

      - We all play a role in the discipleship of Teens & Children

      - Marriages must mature (4 Great Dates & Mentorships)

3. A Culture of Growth & Equipping

      - Community Groups - Grow Relationally & Spiritually

      - “IF” - Regional Opportunity for Women to Grow in Christ

      - Bible Studies - Growth in Expositional Knowledge & Response

      - Advance Community Institute - Equipping Future Leaders

      - Advance Residency Program - Focused Ministry Training

4. Emphasis on Missional Engagement

      - Scattered Worship - Organic Evangelism (twice a year)

      - Community Outreach - Opportunities to Bless Our Region

      - International Missions - D.R., Pastor Training, Church Planting

Accomplishing this Vision Requires:

     1. The Church abiding in the Holy Spirit

     2. The Church committed to Prayer

     3. The Church embracing Sacrificial Giving

     4. The Church joyfully Serving

     5. The Church humbly United in Christ

Our Pursuits:   

   GOSPEL SATURATED

      - Our identity is secure in Jesus

   BIBLICAL FAITHFULNESS

      - Our lives are shaped by the Bible

   COMMUNITY FOCUSED

      - We are here for each other

   MISSIONALLY ENGAGED

      - We herald the Gospel (locally & Globally)

Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us in 2016?