8 Hours in Gospel, Community, Mission

We have developed this IDENTITY series at The Bridge that shows our identities as a faith community.  There are lots of ID's of every faith community, but for us, they all center around Gospel, Community, & Mission. And, those three all point to the person and work of Jesus.  All of our material is online at The Bridge Church Website.

Yesterday, we witnessed these three function in an extraordinary way.  Our Imperial Missional Cell (Community) has begun to serve the community on MISSION at a local pregnancy center.  A young lady came in to pick up some maternity clothes as she has found herself pregnant with her fourth child.  The first three children are 12, 8, and 4.  She also got assigned to be counseled, and our cell member and the counselor had the great joy of presenting her the GOSPEL.  They talked extensively about the sinless life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus for the redemption and restoration of sinners.  This young mom was cut to the heart.  She repented and believed the Gospel and received Christ.

In all of the tears and laughter of this extraordinary turn of events, it became evident that she has no COMMUNITY.  So, she received an invitation to the Imperial cell last night.  She showed up with three children in tow and they ate "with glad and sincere hearts."  And, we studied the "Apostle's teaching, we prayed, we hung out and talked, we found common ground." (Acts 2).  This community scattered, this missional cell family, will be life for her in her pursuit of Christ as she works on Sundays and so her ability to join the large group community gathered will be rare.  However, she will be able to go on MISSION with us in her new life of a 'disciple who makes disciples.'

Within 8 hours, we saw the Gospel take root from the Community going on Mission.  But, if this young lady had met Christ and not had a place to connect, where would she have gone? Instead, we saw the Community re-introduce the Gospel as the means by which the Holy Spirit will raise up a disciple as she was invited to join a family.  This is truly one of the most astonishing things I have seen since planting a church, and I have seen a glorious God do extraordinary things - things that Him famous - Glory to God.  Gospel, Community, Mission - all pointing to Jesus - Wow!

Persistence with Gentleness & Respect

There are models of how to love well as you evangelize.  Let me tell you about one, and this is like Jesus - it would a take a library to tell stories like these if we recorded all the ones out there. Through the entirety of my college coaching career at Mineral Area College, Murphy Thomas was the scorekeeper at the basketball games.  I am a little embarrassed about that now as this serious man of God had to think, "What is he doing?" as I would rant and rave at officials and players, using some language that I can't even think of now, but I am sure flowed out.  I do want everyone to know that I was calling those officials to repent; I was just unsure of how to go about it.  I guess commenting on their mother's status was a bad evangelism method.  Murphy was so patient and so sweet; he was excited when I did show up to church, even if I spent the majority of the time drawing basketball plays on the offering envelopes rather than experiencing the majesty of Christ.

He did go out of his way on occasion.  If he did not see me in church for a while, he would ride his bike to my house which was as death-defying as planting a church in Somalia or Iraq because if you have ever ridden a bike down Hillsboro Rd - which people think is I-25 - it meant that he really cared.  He would ride up and just pretend to talk about basketball or the weather, but church and the Gospel were on the back of his tongue.  I so appreciate it now, but in those dead in my trespasses days, on occasion, I would hide in the closet and pretend not to be home. It is a good thing that God is merciful.

He was just so winsome (I really don't care about the Bridge-Arnold folks who don't like that word), so persistence with gentleness and respect.  (By the way, for you B-A clowns that word means to win over with a child-like charisma, like a 1 year old wanting her daddy to pick her up, good word). But, Murphy just stayed the course. I hope it felt good to him when I was regenerated in 1996 and answered the call to shepherd God's people in the Gospel, and then later to become a church planter.  He has been there every step of the way, from cleaning up half eaten fried chicken and whiskey bottles (not mine) as we set up for church in the banquet center to welding the caps on the beams some 40 feet off of the floor in a small elevated bucket - he is in his late 70's - when we did all of our own construction work on the new Bridge building.  He now sits on the second row enjoying the glowing song presentation and Scripture proclamation of his precious Jesus with most all of his wonderful family around him.

I have never met anyone with such a heart for lost people.  I have seen him invite waitresses at Ryan's to put on a ballcap and go to a men's conference with us to  hear about Jesus.  Just this week as he was having a rather serious heart attack in the hospital, he turned his pain-ridden face to the side and winsomely asked the nurse, "Do you have a good church? Do you know God?" Same as he was being prepped for his quad-by-pass surgery - wearing the doctors and nurses out with talk of church and a glorious Gospel. He loves Jesus, he loves his bride, Mary, really well, and he loves Jesus' bride - the church.  I am glad he is going to be with us for a while.  He, more than any other human, probably had more to do with my redemption than anyone; he is like a dad to me; he is my friend; he is my partner in the Gospel. I hope he feels much better very soon because I love him very much.

Sin is Crouching at the Door

OK!  There are no super Christians.  There are only jacked-up sinners full of wickedness and selfishness, some of whom have been changed and redeemed by a glorious Jesus.  Anything good comes from God, and sin is our natural way.  I say that because pressing into that glorious Jesus is the solution to going to war with this sin that 'so easily entangles us.'  And, a slide can be subtle.

If I had been scheduled to preach last Sunday, I would have needed to decline because I was in midst of the equivelent of a small self-absorbed child that has just been denied Twizzlers in the check out aisle at Wal-Mart.  Spiritually, I was on the floor throwing a fit of self-absorption -- NOT pressing into the Gospel, NOT realizing the grace and Spirit that had been gifted me made this thing called not about me.  Sin can be defined as me forgetting that I am dead.  Well, like most of us, our worst sin happens in private in our minds, and so I did not blow anybody up or act a fool except in my own mind and somewhat with Kelley.  Basically, I spent three days alone and while I was not alone (thank goodness that Christ never leaves me or forsakes me regardless of what an idiot I am), and I should have taken advantage and just spent time with the sufficient Christ. Instead, Satan got a little foothold on a pity party and my remnant selfish heart chimed right in.  The result was a depressed state of funk.  There was no porn fest (have no temptation with that stuff). no inappropriate interaction with the opposite sex, no drunkenness. But, I ended up not being worth anything to the Kingdom until I confessed all this sin, repaired damage with Kelley, and pressed into the Gospel on which I stand and live.  Grace is a great thing, but sin crouches at the door for all of us, so let's press in close to that which we know.

Life Lessons #3

What stirs your affections for Christ?

What robs your affections for Christ?

I have never really had a lot of hobbies.  I dabbled with the old cars a little bit just to have something to with my dad when he was alive.  I have thought about doing that again with Justin, but there is just no desire there except to spend some time with him.  I played a little golf, but never like everyday.  My idolatry extended to my career success and my personal glory, but hobbies were never a big deal.  Competition can be an idol because I DEPLORE LOSING - in the past, did most anything, short of serious cheating, to avoid losing.

The only hobby I fool with at all anymore is fantasy baseball.  I know. I know.  Sounds stupid, but I have always loved baseball statistics.  When I was five years old, I knew the batting averages of all of the Cardinals, and honestly a lot of all of baseball.  So, when the world of fantasy baseball started where all of the competition is based on player stats, I really enjoyed it - really fun. Yeah, I know, NERD!  But, this is one of those morally neutral items that does not appear to have any inherent sin traits.  I mean if I go out on the street and buy heroin and shoot up, that is clearly not morally neutral.  If I cheat on my wife, that is not morally neutral.

I had never competed and won a fantasy baseball league where the players were really serious.  But last summer, I found myself with a good team and a chance to win.  Suddenly, I found myself not just enjoying the hobby, but obsessing over balls and strikes of games that did not even involve the Cardinals.  This was now not morally neutral.  Robbed affection for Jesus.  I wasn't getting high or lusting, but I was lusting, wanted to WIN.  And, I won the league.  I don't know if that was good or bad.  God did not care if I won or lost, so He obviously did not supernaturally move some pitches around so I could have success.  But, he did care how if it got between me and Him, and how I reacted to the win.

Hobbies can actually stir your affections for Christ.  They can rob also.

Life Lessons #2

As I contemplated the meaning of Independence Day yesterday, I thought of one of the great honors of my life.  My dad, Lester Gray, was a WW2 hero.  He sat in tail of a B-17 taking flak for 37 missions.  I don't mean the kind of flak a pastor takes if he preaches too long and the Baptists beat us to the buffet.  I mean rip you to shreds kind.  He saw a lot of tail gunners, not carried out of the plane, but flushed out of the plane by a giant waterhose upon their return.  One of them was his commanding officer who bumped Dad off a mission. I guess I am a little lucky to be here.

So, in 2004, our entire family, plus the famous Cole Allison, traveled to Washington DC with Lester for the dedication of the lifetime-awaited WW2 Memorial.  Dad actually fought a little with senator Bob Dole to get 20-some tickets when each person was only supposed to have 2.  Man, that dude could negotiate the price on a car and get things done - Ferris Buehler way before time.  At the ceremony, there were lots of wheelchairs and walkers, but thousands of WW2 vets made it in for what was a beautiful day and a magnificent celebration.  I don't think I have ever been such a proud American.

I have always been a proud American -- never flinching at saying that I would fight and die to fight tyranny in any form.  Isn't that really what the patriots did in the 1770's to bring about the signing of that great Declaration?  I even cry when some weed-head like Michael Phelps has the Star Spangled Banner playing over his gold medal ceremony.  I get excited when the US even scores a goal in World Cup soccer even though I have never seen a soccer match in person. I want kids to know the Pledge of Allegiance, and I don't want the flag touching the ground, let alone burned.  I love this nation!

That being said, I am a citizen of two Kingdoms.  America is a neat thing, but that citizenship will never take precedence over being in the Kingdom of Light.  Let me put that in perspective for you. I was asked the other day why we did not have an American flag on stage at The Bridge. Let me answer that this way -- I am very proud that the church we planted in on American soil.  This affords us great opportunity.  But, if we were to put up flags inside the church, they would be from every nation on earth because God does not see an American superior in any way and so in Kingdom work, we cannot either.  We must be just as vigilant about bringing all nations, races, and peoples to the throne of the most High God as we go about Kingdom of Light business.  The Gospel does not cry at medal ceremonies. It penetrates hearts and never sees the color of skin on its way in.

Last thought -- I hear people say that they feel so lucky as Americans to be free to worship.  I have news - the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ cannot be suppressed, even by tyrannical nations such as North Korea or China.  Lovers of God will express their love for God no matter if it is under a light bulb in secret in the state of Orissa in India where persecution is at an all-time high. Can't stop the worship of God, and after worshiping with them, I think they appreciate God more than the average American church-goer.  Much more than freedom to worship, what we Christians have been given by these great patriots of the past are the freedom AND the resources to go on mission and carry out the GREAT COMMISSION.  This is the great American blind-spot.  When General Washington gave orders to cross the Delaware into Trenton on that frosty winter day, they did not have many resources, but they had courage, perseverance, and belief in their cause. Christians should set down their I-Pads and contemplate the orders of the glorious Lord Jesus, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)
For the American, there has been a lot of blood spilled to make this possible, both Holy and honorable blood.

Life Lessons #1

I am going to write a series of blogs chronicling my life experiences of the last 50 years.  Although I did not repent and believe the Gospel until I was 36 years old, I see God keeping His promise in Joel 2:25 "I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,...."  Kelley & I notice all the time that God used life lessons to help me understand God, to contextualize the Gospel to sinners, to relate to narcissistic people, to love lost and hurting people, etc.  Some stories will be fun, some tragic, some awful, some funny, some downright scary, some without clarity, some not redeemable about a man lost in sin without Jesus, but all part of who I am when looked at through the lens of redemption.

In 1979, I was a nineteen year old kid, and my dad lost his mind and sent me to New York City into Manhattan to help supervise a crew that was doing the cost estimation on building the entire cable television system into the entire NY metro area (all the boroughs) - about a $1 billion project.  This was my summer job between my freshman and sophomore years in college.  He sent me with a whiskey drinking partner and his own car, stating that if I returned the car without dents after driving there for a month, there would be a bonus in it for me.

The stress was unbelievable.  I did not drink in high school at all as I was a really serious basketball, but when I did not play much at the beginning of my freshman year (too thin and couldn't guard a kitchen chair), I figured, "what the hell, might as well fit in with alcohol and weed, not getting to live out my sports idolatry anyway." My morals were not as a result of God transforming me; they were circumstantial. Desire to be a great athlete - all about me - no drugs or alcohol.  Really kinda homely and too skinny - no sex.  So, back to the story, as we drove off the island everyday into Queens, the Bronx, or Brooklyn and back, taking almost two hours to go ten miles and then seeing the insane things we saw trying to do the job (another blog later), when my partner suggested a lot of bourbon as we ate dinner in bars to calm each day, I was in.  Even though I thought I was a Christian AND had led my church youth group, it was easy to fit into a Greenwich Village lifestyle of relying on anything but Christ to handle getting the job done and the speed of the city -- the stress.  The speed of the city was just a 'little' different than House Springs and even St. Louis, where I had grown up. Same nation, different world.

Those were some blatant negatives.  Some apparent positives were that my self confidence soared, I realized that I was very capable and talented, and that I could handle a lot of responsibility.  I remember jumping on the subway to find a street basketball game in the Bronx. I handled the city AND the game (the brothers had never seen a white dude dunk quite like that), and my opinion of myself soared. I found that while the job was difficult that I had enough natural talent to get it done. My opinion of myself soared as a I never gave a second thought to God. One day right before we were to return to Missouri for a couple of days and while on Coney Island in Brooklyn, we saw boats come in full of lobsters.  We found coolers and negotiated with owners of boats bigger than Leadington for a cooler full of lobster to take home to family and friends (who does that?). And, we worked in neighborhoods that more resembled war-torn Beirut at the height of war there than an American city. We never prayed over that - we just became street savvy and capable, once again presenting the facade that I did not need the power of God. The world loved me, cheered for me, paid me well. This only heightened my idolatry of self and drove me farther from the Gospel.

There are funny stories about accidentally straying into gay bars, not noticing that there were all men in the place until we had talked to at least 3 or 4 dudes, and into 'Devil's Kitchen' after dark that reveal the providential protection of God's sovereignty. I should be dead. Not from the gay bar - that was actually just very interesting, but from some violent places. I "escaped from New York" with a great sense that I was pretty awesome, and no sense of any need for God in my life because of my awesomeness.

God has used a lot of the life experiences here now though as He has redeemed the time. The Gospel makes us fearless, and by His grace, I am given some opportunities to occasionally preach the Gospel to Muslims and Hindus on THEIR turf.  If I have a moment of fear about that or boarding an in-country plane in India (not real confident in their maintenance programs), God has fun reminding me that he took care of me the day that when I was playing on a court that no sane person would have been on.  He says, "I was taking care of you when you were paying no attention to me. Be bold -- The Gospel eliminates fear - I got you."

10 Places God's Money Goes From The Bridge

We give because Jesus gives. Jesus is the ultimate giver, so if we going to be like Him, we must give also. Jesus gave His very life upon a cross to give glory to the Father by giving a way of redemption. We give not to impress God or attain any righteousness -- Jesus gift handled all that -- but, we give in response to what has already been given. I believe that a believer is way on his way to the Gospel working out a new heart in him, when this open handed generosity with our financial means becomes a 'get to' instead of a 'have to.' So, why do we give? What do we give to? Why do more people need to give? Why do we need to become more sacrificial, generous, and cheerful? I noticed that Mars Hill this week kinda gave some general ideas of how our financial giving assists God in the Gospel "growing and bearing fruit all over the world." Colossians 1:6 So, here are our ten in no particular order. Here is where the money that is worshipfully given and collected at The Bridge goes:  

1. New Christians
One reason that we plant new campuses and help churches plant churches that plant churches is that more people come to know Christ in new efforts. Money creates MANY venues where people can hear the Gospel proclaimed from missional communities (cell families), air war Sunday celebrations at church plants, Bridge Kids events, and missionary trips and church planting all over the world. We must preach Christ crucified, the Gospel, the resurrection as the only hope to a dying world. Churches that we support have baptized new believers on 3 different continents, the Caribbean, and Central America. It takes money to get churches planted and the Gospel to people who have not heard it.  

2. Our Families
We have a real passion for young families with young children. We budget and staff as much as we can to provide the Gospel in Bridge Kids and training for parents to do the real work of teaching their children the Gospel, then discipling their children in the Gospel. We deeply desire young regeneration, not just moral behavior. This happens by presenting Jesus Christ as the change agent to a beautiful life and eternal life for our children.  

3. People Just Across the Street
We invest heavily in staff and training for our cell families (missional communities). People come to Jesus where the Gospel is proclaimed in homes. People are best discipled to make more disciples when they are LEARNERS of the Word, SERVANTS of each other and people in need, FAMILY with a smaller body of Christ, and MISSIONARIES to their missional target. It takes money to send high schoolers or college students on mission even down the street because they don't have any.

 4. People Across the Globe
We support the taking of the Gospel 'to the ends of the earth.' Acts 1:8 We invest heavily in India where there are many people groups that have never heard the Gospel. We fully fund two pastors there of church plants in states where it is illegal to proclaim the name of Jesus. They eat and have a place to sleep only because we send money in the name of that same glorious Jesus. We help plant churches and support an orphanage in Haiti (James 1:27). We help bring the Gospel to Project Chacoente in Nicaragua. And, we have big efforts in the African countries of Liberia and Cameroon. The big news is that we are working at planting campuses of The Bridge in Bangkok, Thailand in 2013. "For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:13-15 ESV)  

5. People Just up the Road  
'And, in Judea & Samaria.' Acts 1:8. We will continue to plant churches all over our region. Some of these will be campuses of The Bridge. Some will be like our assistance in helping to plant Journey Church in Herculaneum. But, we are going to plant churches that plant churches. This takes money. We will have partners on the endeavors, and the churches will eventually self sustain and start to plant churches themselves, but it takes faithful giving from established churches to get these started.  

6. The Music to Our Worshiping Ears
We have music that rivals the largest churches in American. The excellence (why would we do it any other way?) comes at a cost. We want to not only present excellent music that brings people into the presence of God, but we want to write and produce music that brings the listener - both the regenerated believer and the first time visitor that God has not redeemed - into that same presence.  

7. Technology That Takes Us to the World
Because we broadcast our celebrations live and then share them via social media, by the end of the year, thousands of folks have seen our broadcasts of the Gospel. We have accomplished this on a shoestring budget, but even though we have not overspent here, we have spent and will continue to spend. We will do just about anything short of sin to get the Gospel and the Glory of our Great God in front of people.

8. Teaching Church that Helps Other Churches
God has blessed us with excellent training in the Bible, so I think we teach it well. It was a joy to go and show pastors in India how the entire Bible is about Jesus and the entire Bible is God's story that He invites us into. Also, we are willing to do just about anything to help folks help folks meet Jesus. We can help guide a church plant. We can help a fledgling church in music and technology. We can help show what Gospel-centered and missional means. We can train about how cell families (missional communities) make disciples that make disciples. We have never charged any church for any training. We have a Kingdom view and so we joyfully give so that Jesus may be glorified in other churches. We want other churches to grow.  

9. Future Leaders Trained
The Bible is clear that God must have qualified leaders, and it is God's desire that all good churches have quality leadership. We are very intentional as we have invited men into elder track, women into discipleship training, cell family leaders into training, and folks from other churches into training in CA, missional community leader training, elder training, and church planting training that we are serious about doing this. We are very serious about planting churches, so we are using partnerships and many training venues to train up future church planters. Some churches try and make money off of these efforts. We give away all of training, so our generous giving makes this possible.  

10. Meeting Places and Spaces
We own some of our facility in Leadington (the bank owns the rest), and we rent facilities in Arnold so that the Gospel may be presented to as many people as possible. We are good stewards as all of our facilities are not showy, but are useful and simple.