horizonphilly

[horizonphilly]

Cancel Church for Christmas?

Lots of pastors are weighing in about whether or not churches should have services on Christmas Day. Just for context we are having online only services on Christmas and New Year’s Day at my church.

I think in America, we worship our church services. We love our gatherings because they give us affirmation, money and elevate us as pastors onto a stage to be listened to and praised. I think it is genuinely hard to separate our egos from decisions like this. Sometimes, it is good to remind people that Christianity is more than services, stages and numbers.

And being a small churchplant means that nothing is easy or automatic for us. Setting up and tearing down is hard physically exhausting work. Volunteers get tired. I get tired. Sometimes the most pastoral thing I can do is say, “let’s rest!”

If the primary obstacles to becoming like Jesus in our modern world are busyness, noise and distraction, perhaps the most helpful thing we can do to help people spiritually mature is to create space for people to slow down. To exemplify resting from the work that gives us so much identity and purpose.

The goal is to become like Jesus — to live and love like he did, and Sunday gatherings can be a part of that, but we have overemphasized Sundays and ignored the daily practices of Christianity in the real world. Sometimes, we need to downplay Sunday in favor of teaching people what it looks like to follow Jesus Monday through Friday.

Ultimately, each pastor in each context will know what is best for their people. It is foolish to claim to understand what some other pastor in some other place is facing and demand they make the same scheduling decisions you do. Let’s show each other some grace. We’re on the same team.

[horizonphilly]

Holy Spirit

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans‬ ‭15:13‬

I’ve been thinking lately about how essential the Holy Spirit is, and how taken for granted the Holy Spirit is. God fills our lives with peace and joy when we believe in the hope He offers — but all this is empowered by the Holy Spirit. God at work in us so that we might become obedient to His son.

Sometimes, I go searching for a human solution to a Spirit problem. I try to find the human capacity to accomplish supernatural things that will require the Holy Spirit. In John 16:7 Jesus said, “it’s better to have the Holy Spirit in you than it is for me to be physically beside you.”

The fact that that sounds so wrong to me, reveals that I undervalue the gift of the Spirit in my life. When we lack hope, it is because we are trying to create a future without a dependence on the Spirit of God. Joy and peace are signs that we are resting and relying on the power of the Holy Spirit rather than our own strength!

[horizonphilly]

A step of faith always leads to an escalating step of faith. We don’t take a step of faith and then spiritually retire. We move a mole hill and then God has us move a sand dune and then God has us move the Poconos and then God has us move the Rockies!  Steps of faith lead to more dramatic steps of faith that do more good for more people and bring more glory to God!

Your step of faith today is building your capacity for a greater step of faith tomorrow. Steps of faith escalate, so that through you God can impact more people and transform greater parts of your life and the world.

[horizonphilly]

I didn't start a church to gather religious people and teach them how to be more religious. I started a church to develop relationships with people, and help people develop a relationship with Jesus. Before there were planets or people, there was a relationship: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit lived in perfect harmony. Long after this planet is gone, it is our relationships which will last forever! I hope you'll join us this summer every Tuesday at 7PM as we share a meal and deepen our relationships with each other!

[horizonphilly]

You might have good memories of the Bible as a parent or grand parent read you stories or you might have bad memories of the Bible as someone yelled passages at you because of your behavior. Regardless of your past experience with the Bible, I'd love for you to have a fresh start with this book as we work through our series on what the Bible is, how should we use it and why does it matter? Let's all come to the Bible with fresh eyes and ears, ignoring what we've been told and explore it for ourselves. You might think the Bible is powerless or outdated, or you might think there isn't even a God. But I hope you'll join me in reading through the book of John while praying this simple prayer, "Jesus if you are real, will you reveal yourself through this book to me." I've made it my habit for many years to pray that simple prayer as I read the Bible, and over and over again I am convinced that this book is supernatural and essential to experiencing the presence of God. I hope you'll take this challenge, and I pray that like me, you will experience Jesus through an encounter with the Bible.

[horizonphilly]

I remember the first time someone gave me a Bible. Like ordinary books, I started at the beginning and tried reading straight through. I quickly was confused. None of the books were in chronological order. The entire thing was written in old english and used words I had never heard of. Some books repeated information that was covered before. It was if the book was designed to be obtuse. Even when I went to Bible college, I couldn't tell you the major theme of the Bible or how the Old Testament should be approached differently than the New Testament. Everyone was telling me to read this book, but it made no sense. Most people seemed to be pulling out verses and slapping them unto coffee mugs or posting them on facebook with little to no understanding about where they came from or what they were trying to convey. It doesn't take long to see people using and misusing the Bible in our country. People on both sides of an issue both quote the Bible to defend their positions. Politicians on both sides of the aisle misquote and reference the Bible to defend their policies. The Bible historically has been the driving force behind crusades that killed thousands and the construction of hospitals that have saved thousands. Understanding what this book is, is essential to understanding and using it correctly. Whether you've been following Jesus for years, or aren't sure if there is a God or if the Bible is anything more than the ramblings of some ancient people, I hope you will join us as I share over the next few weeks about what the Bible is, how to use it correctly, and why it matters at all! Alex

[horizonphilly]

Sometimes, when I think about some of the things I have done, or said, or thought, or looked at, I think, "How could Jesus ever love me?" But the Bible reminds me of an important truth. Jesus doesn't love us because we were good; He loves us because He is good. As we wrap up our series next Sunday on sexuality and spirituality, we must remember that the message of the Bible is not "try harder and do better". The message is not "be ashamed". Jesus holds His arms open wide and His message is simple, "Come follow me, and I will change your life, and through you I will change the world." We often look at our past or current behavior as roadblocks to following Jesus, but I find that as we follow Jesus He begins to crumble obstacles as we follow, not before we do. If you're feeling too dirty to come to Jesus, know this: we're all too dirty to come to God. That's why Jesus came to us! Lean into Jesus, and I promise you He'll pull you close and surround you with His love!

[horizonphilly]

Sunday's message was heavy stuff to process. below, I've listed the things we can do to help prevent, respond to and heal people effected by human trafficking. Over the next few weeks, we're going to be sharing some needs that a rescue shelter right here in Philly has. We'll be collecting these items, and then some of the women in our church will take these items to the shelter. 

5 Ways You Can Help Sex Trafficking Victims

Pray for an opportunity to act

Don’t hide from reality. Read stories, listen to testimonies, local law enforcement, contact government agencies, politicians and organizations.

Watch for signs and get endangered people relief numbers. Give this number to someone you expect may be trafficked: text HELP to BEFREE (233733)

Donate to rescue organizations like enditmovement.com

Donate household items and toiletries to shelters for rescued women like Dawn’s Place / ahomefordawn.org

[horizonphilly]

A lot of times the church thinks guilt and shame are going to produce spiritual transformation, but they never do. Guilt can produce short term external change, but it never lasts. Most of us have probably sat through messages about sexuality that make us feel ashamed or full of regret, but that never transform our lives. I want our Not Safe for Church series to be the vision of a better future. I want us to be inspired by the way that God loves us. I think love transforms, and shame frustrates. If you worry about coming to a church to talk about sex, rest assured we're all in the same boat. There is no righteous person standing on stage telling you how you've failed and they haven't. I've failed just like you have, and I've found the love of Jesus washes away all shame. I hope you'll join us as we continue our discussion this Sunday on sexuality and spirituality and what the church and culture get wrong about sex. AH

[horizonphilly]

If we are going to follow the ways of Jesus, we need to be people that forgive. But we also need to be a people who choose to not be so easily angered by everything. We live in a culture that is easily triggered by the most innocent remarks or statements and this way of overreacting has even infiltrated the church. In some ways the church may be more guilty of this than the culture! As followers of Jesus, we need to let some little things go. We're never going to build trust with people who think differently than us and look differently than us if we never let them say anything that we disagree with. In the age of social media, we assume everyone needs to know our opinion and they need to know we're fired up. We have become a culture of exclamation marks where nothing is heard unless it is shouted. The best way to be heard is to listen well. I find the more I am practicing forgiveness, the more freely I dismiss a statement or action that might have offended me. The more easily I become offended, the more I realize that I am probably holding on to some unforgiveness. When we're offended we get defensive and respond out of our hurt rather than our head. The more I forgive in the past, the more I am positioned to have a life giving conversation in the future. AH

[horizonphilly]

Humans make resolutions because they realize, deep down they are not as good as they could be. It seems paradoxical, but the more I become like Jesus, the more I become my best self. So my resolutions revolve around this concept. What practices did Jesus have that I can model? After all, Jesus told us to become students of the way that He lived and loved and to invite other people to do the same. Here are six defining principles of Jesus' life that I am working to implement in my 2019: 1. Silence and solitude I hardly ever sit in silence. I have a podcast talking at me or music blaring or the TV squawking, but Jesus often slipped away to a quiet place to rest. 2. Prayer Jesus often had concentrated times of prayers, praying early in the morning or all night long. My prayer life tends to be short, so I can get busy doing, but prayer reminds us that we need to spend time being with God, so our work for God is right. 3. Simple sacrificial living More and more I'm convinced we have too much stuff. Jesus only had a few possessions at His death, but He had many friendships. In 2019. I want to double down on generosity and clean out some material things. 4. Serving others Jesus preached good news to people's souls, but He also did good deeds in their towns. I want to serve more, and in new places in the community in 2019. 5. Studying and meditating on the Bible Jesus taught from the Bible, quoted it and discussed it constantly. I think the Bible is a supernatural book. The more I read it, the more I realize the overarching story of love found in the pages and the more God corrects wrong ideas I have about Him. 6. Showing good to those who don't deserve it Everything good in your life is from God. Don't believe in Him? He believes in you! Jesus constantly showered people with good things: good news and good deeds. I want to live the same life, giving people good things even when they mess up or behave badly. How do you hope to model Jesus in 2019? AH

[horizonphilly]

Traditionally, churches celebrate Advent at this time of year. The word advent means the arrival of someone of special importance. At advent we celebrate the arrival of Jesus, God taking on human form. Jesus said that he came to "announce freedom to the captives and to give sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and declare God's favor to the earth" (Luke 4:18). Because Jesus came, we know that God hasn't abandoned us. He isn't a far off distant God that ignores our problems and our cries for help. He collects every tear, he remembers every heartache (Psalm 56:8). Jesus reveals that we have a God that is uniquely willing to enter into our grief and pain with us. This is why we celebrate Advent. We didn't get the god we deserved, we got the God we needed: Jesus. A kind and loving God that joins us in our sorrows and comforts us in our pain. A God that was willing to wrestle death and the devil to set us free. AH

[horizonphilly]

Matthew 1:23 "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). Jesus is God with us! He became like us, so that we might become like Him! On days when it feels like no one is with me, or even worse -- everyone is against me, I remember this: the existence of Jesus means that God is with me, and for me! When I face insurmountable obstacles that tower over me, and threaten to choke out my joy. I turn to the God of the universe and introduce my problem to Him! "He's with me!" I shout out to my problems. The God who created everything is with me and for me! The existence of Jesus, means God isn't waiting for you to screw up. He's waiting for you to look up! I hope you join us this Sunday as we start our new holiday series and talk about how the Christmas story changes everything about our stories! 

[horizonphilly]

Ephesians 3:20 “He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or even imagine." Our guest speaker on Sunday reminded us that too often our ask is too small. Too often we ask for big things in our story, instead of big things in God's story. The big thing for me, might be a small matter in the story of God's kingdom. We have to train our spiritual eyes to see beyond what we're feeling today, to what God is doing over generations. Too often, we settle for the small instead of seeking what God actually wants to do. He's a big God who moves in big ways, but He waits to be asked. He waits to be wanted. C.S Lewis discussed our small asks like this:

 “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

This week I pray that we are not easily pleased with the things we want, but instead am only pleased when God gets what He wants in our world and in our lives! AH

[horizonphilly]

Luke 11:9: 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Jesus shares a story about a man who beats on his neighbor's door in the middle of the night asking to borrow some bread for a visitor who arrived late. Jesus says the man will want to stay in bed, but to get the neighbor to go away and not wake his kids, he will rush down to give the bread quickly. He contrasts the man's motivations with God's motivation in answering our prayers. God is never annoyed that we come to him and ask. He's eager to answer quickly, not to get rid of us, but to satisfy us! Too often, we never receive because we never ask! Many times we think our request is too big or too small and it simply goes un-prayed and as a result un-answered. God isn't an annoyed neighbor, He's a loving Father, and He is waiting to hear you knock and ask!

[horizonphilly]

On Sunday, we were reminded that going without physical food allows us to focus on feeding our spiritual hunger! When we FAST from food we FEAST on the presence of God!

#pray #fast #prayer #radnor #haverford #lowermerion #delawarecounty #delco #montgomerycounty #churchplant #philly

[horizonphilly]

I love to golf. I grew up playing with my grandfather’s, brothers and my dad. I was never really good, but always hoped to be better.

I used to subscribe to Golf Digest and every month I would read article after article on how to be a better golfer. But whenever I would make it out to the course I would make the same old mistakes and hit around the same score.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” - James 1:22 NIV

I think many of us do what I did with golf with faith. We have every intention of getting better and we immerse ourselves in knowledgeable “Christian” things, but never get out to the driving range or the course to practice.

“A lot of people subscribe to scripture reading like a magazine, and then get frustrated when they don’t feel spiritually better. If you want to grow in faith, then you have to come to a point where knowledge becomes action.”  #BearsAndLions

I want to encourage you today to put your actions where your faith is and start practicing things that you know will make you better. You might not see any change at first, but the practice today will create the habits that will bring the change tomorrow.

Blessings,

Kyle Vatt

This was originally posted at https://spark.adobe.com/page/237lV7XQ8IXRZ/ 

and was re-blogged with permission. Kyle is a student at Liberty University and has previously spoken at Horizon in August 2018.