This is an excellent video. It is really impressive, but I found myself worshiping Jesus throughout. May your Advent Season be a purposeful one!
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Archive for Jesus
By michaelcriner · Comments (0)
Friday,
November
30th,
2012
By michaelcriner · Comments (0)
Friday,
August
24th,
2012
The other day, I asked John Barnard for contact info for all our staff. This is what he sent me:
He felt guilty later deleting the contact “Jesus” – as he should, as he should.
By michaelcriner · Comments (0)
Tuesday,
August
14th,
2012
I’ve been thinking about crowds lately. With football season approaching, there will be many stadiums full of college students each Saturday and fans on a Sunday anticipating and cheering on their team. Crowds are exciting, and even can kick-start movements, and even enticing. I love going to live events as they add to the overall moment of the game.
People like to see full stadiums and full arenas – it increases revenue, keeps people engaged, and even makes the games more entertaining causing the Owner, General Manager, and players to feel good about themselves. But let me get personal here – Pastors, along with church leaders, really like to see full sanctuaries. Sadly, for some of the same reasons – it increases tithing, can keep people engaged, and can even affirm the decisions the leaders are making in growing the church.
The inherent danger of course, is that much of this is focused upon the praise of man, rather the praise of God. The danger is also in that aiming for big crowds is part of the flaw of consumerism, which leads to the desire for more and is never satisfied. It’s a terrible trap.
As I’ve thought about crowds, I thought about how Jesus viewed them. Jesus seemed to do much around crowds (like, you know, feed them) – but He always seemed to retreat from them as well. Jesus knew crowds could be fickle, quickly. They couldn’t be trusted at face value. Jesus would often retreat from a crowd in order to pray alone and in a quiet place. He would go to the hills or up in the mountains. He would pour out his heart to the Father and He would listen to the Father, obeying all that was asked of Him.
In fact, in Luke 5, after a crowd gathered to be healed by Jesus, we read this: “But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” The Greek construct of this sentence indicates that this was a continual practice for Jesus. He did this on a regular basis. This should indicate the grave importance for us to consider, and follow.
Why? Didn’t Jesus love people? Sure he did. But Jesus understood that the real way change was going to happen was when his communion with the Father was established – not when the crowds cheered or chanted his name (see Matthew 21:1-17). Jesus knew a better way.
As I think about becoming a Pastor of a church… which seems more real every day, I want to be careful not to become allured to just having a crowd – rather, a room full of people who are being transformed by the gospel of grace into better images of Jesus than the day before.
In sum, I want my time in prayer with Jesus to shape and sharpen my communication of the message of Jesus. When this happens, I believe a healthy church will be established and will grow – not primarily in number, but in depth… which is as it should be.
Below are some of my reflections from our first college hour this Sunday. Let me just say… it was so great. I have big hopes for this year!!!
-If you missed the 9AM worship service, it was one of Pastor Toby’s best sermons ever! But that is for another day… On to College Hour.
-We started by singing ‘Chainbreaker’ – there were two words that stood out to me in that song “heart Savior”; I didn’t want to move too quickly from those two words because it runs to our deepest need & our deepest hope we have for students.
-There’s just something powerful and excited seeing new students along with old faces – it was like a big reunion – good times.
-BY FAR one of the BEST first Sunday’s we’ve ever had.
-Greg’s leadership along with the band was POWERFUL!
-We love the gospel. At the same time, we want to be people who are loving the gospel well…
-We ran out of donuts. (10 dozen folks… T-E-N)
-Since Satan is the father of lies, we’ve got to know his lies – BUT MORE important is to know BIBLICAL TRUTH so that you might dispel such lies.
-Satan can attack us but he can never ultimately destroy true Christian faith, because we are preserved by God’s grace.
-Satan ultimately seeks to destroy our enjoyment of the grace of God.
-God seeks to restore our enjoyment of Him.
-Paul tells us to put up the shield of faith to fend off the “fiery arrows” of the enemy – you know what that means? Put up the shield!
-I quoted John Owen today but didn’t give him credit… so here is me giving him credit: “there is a difference between the knowledge of the truth and the knowledge of the POWER of the truth.”
-We do not base God’s love for us on our circumstances; rather His PROVISION.
-The only way you can really feel the security of God’s love is by beginning to understand the inner meaning of the death of Jesus on the cross.
-Our God!! AWESOME song, right!?
-Absolutely LOVE hearing students sing “we are Yours!”
-LIE: God is not for you. – TRUTH: If God is for us, who can be against us!?
-How can you know that God is for me?
-Rom. 5:6-8 – “For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
-Rom. 6:7-8 – “For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”
-Rom. 7:24-25 – “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
-Rom. 8:31-32 – “What then shall we say of these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
-Thank You Jesus for the cross!
-We prayed that we’d have a fire code violation because of how many students were at church… we came close!! We had more students come to College Hour today than ever before (every student matters, but shouting the number to the world is a little pretentious, IMO).
As a final note, a BIG thanks to all of our volunteers. We had a lot of people jump in and just help without being asked. SO – THANK YOU!! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!! Also, thanks to all those who prayed for us and have been praying for us… we can feel it!!
It was a great day, and I’m ecstatic as to what God has in store for us this semester! If you weren’t able to join us, check out www.fwcm.org to check out what took place. God has been very kind to us today… we plead that it would continue!
By michaelcriner · Comments (1)
Wednesday,
August
18th,
2010
In our evangelical circles, we put a lot of weight behind and put a lot of emphasis on having a ‘personal relationship with Jesus’. In fact, we’ve been taught that this personal relationship is what differentiates us (Evangelicals) from religion (fill in any other faith-practice apart from Evangelicalism). I get it, and to the extend that it is implied, I agree with it.
But…
after some thought, I’ve come to this conclusion: everybody has a relationship with Jesus.
Think about it. In some way, shape, or form, we’re in relation to Jesus. I mean, even the devil has a relationship with Jesus… only his relationship is one that is at odds with Jesus. All of us are in relation to Jesus, but not all of us are united to Jesus. This to me is simply a matter of distinction and probably another way I’m becoming hung up on words, but it’s an important distinction. Why is it important? Well, if you aren’t united with Christ, then you’re against Christ.
So how does someone become united to Jesus? (thanks for asking)
Faith. Faith in Jesus. Faith that what he has done on the cross satisfies the wrath that was to be poured out on you. Faith that the cross is the extreme and extravagant love of God onto people. Faith that Jesus was who he said he was, and did what he set out to do. This is how we may become united to Jesus and not simply related to Jesus.
So, having a personal relationship with Jesus does not save us unless it’s a saving relationship… do you have faith in Him – faith that He was who He said He was? Faith that He is and will do what He set out to do? May His grace continue to draw you in if you struggle like I do at times with my faith. And may you live your life in awe and worship of Him.
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