Building the Church v. Making Disciples

There is a subtle yet pervasive pressure among church leaders to grow their congregations or ministries. Sometimes the expectation is obvious as when pastors seem to emphasize numbers more than maturity. Believers tend to revere mega-churches and try to emulate their programs or strategies hoping for similar results. However, it is not our job to "build the church". Jesus said he would do it (cf. Matthew 16:18). Our responsibility is to make disciples.

Joel Osteen preaching at Lakewood Church

Jesus is our model for what true discipleship looks like. He submitted himself to the Father and walked in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught, healed, and delivered people. He commissioned his followers to do the same. True disciples look like their teacher. When the Church does what Jesus did, growth is inevitable. Jesus never had a marketing strategy or even invited people to come to his meetings, yet he always attracted crowds. As we learn to walk in the authority and power of Jesus, obeying his command to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, and cast out demons (cf. Matthew 10:8), there will not be enough room in our churches to handle the masses who come. My prayer is that the Church will focus less on attendance and more on how to be and make good disciples.

"These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also..." Acts 17:6 (KJV)

The Mystery of Marriage

Truth is multifaceted and builds upon itself. If you picture truth as a building, basic level revelation would be the foundation for which higher level truth can rest. In light of our identity, the groundwork of our salvation is that we are sinners saved by grace through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. From this base, God gives us the building blocks of servanthood, friendship, sonship, and ultimately the revelation as the bride of Christ. The Church is called to lead people through these stages so that the Body will become mature, beautiful, and flawless for her groom.


The highest revelation of our identity in Christ is as the bride. The thought of being the bride of Jesus is foreign, confusing, and even offensive to many people. Some Christians reject the Song of Songs from the Bible and cannot grasp how our relationship with Jesus could be viewed as a marriage. If we remember that heaven does not mimic earth but rather earth is a shadow of the reality of heaven than it is understandable how marriage would be the pinnacle of a spiritual relationship. There is no greater intimate relationship than a husband and a wife. Most Christians have not yet attained this level of intimacy with Jesus. This is nothing to be ashamed of because marriage should only come in age-appropriate seasons. Children do not fully understand or seek to get married because they are not mature enough for this type of relationship. Spiritual mothers and fathers are charged with the care of sons and daughters. They demonstrate what a healthy "marriage" relationship with Jesus looks like and help their children grow up to one day experience the same things for themselves. Let us be intentional in our development as Christians and prepare ourselves for the greatest union with Jesus as our groom.

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31-32

The Stages of Our Identity

People are born separated from God because of sin. They are sinners who, by their nature, are prone to sin. Jesus calls them slaves to sin (cf. John 8:34). Paul teaches that because of Christ we have been set free from sin and are now slaves to righteousness (cf. Romans 6:18). This is why we call Jesus "Master" and "Lord". It is the posture of a servant. This is the first level or stage of our redeemed identity.

Although we always maintain a humble heart of service to the Lord, Jesus invites us to a higher level of intimacy. The second stage of our identity is friendship. In John 15:15, Jesus tells his disciples, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." A slave serves out of fear, duty, or sometimes even honor but a friend serves out of love.

The third stage of our identity is the revelation of sonship. At the end of the day, a friend goes home but a son stays with his father. Sons and daughters are flesh and blood. They receive an inheritance and are beloved by their dad. They even look like him. It is usually the dream of a son to grow up to be just like his daddy.

The fourth and final stage of our identity is as the bride of Christ. Sons and daughters eventually grow up and leave their father's house but a spouse remains until the end. There is no greater or more intimate bond than a husband and wife. This is the mystery Paul talks about in Ephesians 5:31-32.

The highest revelation of our identity- Bride

The level or stage of identity we view ourselves will dictate how we experience and relate to God. For instance, if we are in the first stage of slave, we will usually experience God as a master. Our connection will most likely be based on trying to please Him through works or acts of service. It is our destiny to progress through these stages until we have a passionate, undying, and mature love for Jesus. I will address the bridal revelation in the next post but no matter what stage we are at, we can grow in our love and understanding. Let us make every effort to experience God not just as a master or friend but also a Father and lover!

"Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave." Song of Songs 8:6

Saints and Sinners

Many churches teach that Christians are sinners saved by grace. They even recite prayers and sing songs that declare they are worms because of their wretchedness before God. What these groups of believers do not recognize is that these are past realities. We were sinners saved by grace but now we are no longer sinners. The Bible calls us saints. We must embrace the truth that our Father does not view us as unholy, unrighteous, or unworthy. In light of the cross, we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ and judged clean.

We are no longer sinners but a new creation (II Cor. 5:17)

How we view ourselves directly affects our behavior. One pastor says, "If you believe you are a sinner, you will sin by faith". Our true identity is one of regal holiness. We are part of a royal priesthood. We are kings and queens. When we see ourselves as royalty, we will begin to act like it. I will write more about the stages of our identity in the next post but let us repent of false self-perceptions and declare the truth that we are indeed saints!

"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin." Romans 6:6-7

One Thing

A movement is rising that is stirring the hearts of people to turn back to the Lord in pure devotion, fervent prayer, and committed fasting. The International House of Prayer (IHOP) based in Kansas City is at the forefront of this cause, sounding the call for continual worship and intercession as in the days of David's Tabernacle. They host a young adult conference at the end of every year called One Thing but they are also traveling across the country doing regional events. The name is derived from Psalm 27:4 when David prays, "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life". You can check out a brief promo video below.

I just attended the regional conference here in Pasadena and it was awe-inspiring to see hundreds of people, especially youth from all over southern California, cry out for more of the Lord. God is attracted to hunger and He gladly feeds those who draw near to Him with earnest desire. May our hunger for Him far outweigh any other attraction in our lives. Let us return to our first love and make our primary ministry to the Lord.

"My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek." Psalm 27:8

Offending the Mind

Jesus has a remarkable conversation with the crowds who followed him in John 6. After Jesus miraculously fed the 5000, many of the same people who ate the fish and loaves tracked him down in Capernaum. There they talked with Jesus about bread and manna. When Jesus declared he was the bread of life who came down from heaven, the Jews began to grumble because he claimed to come from heaven even though they knew his earthly father and mother. Hearing their struggle over his words, Jesus decided to challenge them further by announcing that the bread was his flesh. This caused a great argument to arise from the crowd as more people were becoming upset. Jesus did not stop there but added that it was necessary to drink his blood in order to have eternal life. Christians can understand his words because we stand on the other side of the cross, but the Jews could not grasp what Jesus was saying. In fact, many of his disciples were so offended that they turned back and no longer followed him.

It is amazing that Jesus did not chase after his disciples and explain what he really meant by those graphic and strange words. He did not seem concerned that people were leaving. In fact, it appears that Jesus was purposely trying to confuse his disciples. He was intentionally offending their minds in order to reveal their hearts! He turned to the Twelve and asked if they wanted to leave as well. Simon Peter responded, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." In one sense Peter was saying, "Jesus, we don't know what you're talking about but we do know that when you speak something inside of us comes alive". Often the things that God says or does can be mysterious, confounding, and downright offensive. It is our responsibility to get past any mental offense and trust Him. We have a choice when confronted with challenging words or actions from the Lord- we can either stay offended or commit to seeking Him more. When we choose the latter, we position ourselves for greater intimacy and encounters.

"The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." John 6:63

Beyond Scripture

It has been said that, "All of the Bible is in God but not all of God is in the Bible". That requires some careful thought because blasphemy warnings are being sounded in some minds. The Bible is the authoritative, inspired, and holy Word of God. Most believers would not question this idea. However, is all of God in the Bible? Does Scripture contain everything there is to know about the eternal, omnipotent, Creator of the universe? According to the opening quote, the answer is no. There are those who would disagree because it seemingly violates their high view of the Bible, or as mentioned in the previous post, the principle of "sola scriptura". However Scripture itself teaches that it does not tell the entire story.

The Holy Spirit illumines the Word

John 21:25 declares that, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." In just three short years of ministry, all the works of Jesus could not be contained in a mere book. There appears to be more that we don't know about Jesus than things that we do. Jesus even tells his disciples near the end of his time on earth, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:12). Jesus wanted to share more with his disciples but they just weren't ready to receive it. He was not worried because the Holy Spirit would guide his followers into all truth. Though the Bible is our standard for salvation, intimacy, and destiny, there is still more we must learn through the person of the Holy Spirit. Let us become friends with the Holy Spirit and familiar with his voice so that we will discover more of the truth!

"The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me." John 16:15

Balancing Scripture

One of the seeming mantras of the reformed church is the Latin phrase "sola scriptura" which means by scripture alone. It is the idea that the Bible is the only authoritative and infallible source of truth. This belief became prominent during the protestant reformation in order to combat the abuses of papal authority and human traditions. Although this is a foundational tenet of reformed theology, many believers have religiously favored the Bible over a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. Bill Johnson from Bethel Church in Redding says it this way:

“It’s hard for us to have the same fruit as the early Church when we value a book they didn’t have more than we value the Holy Spirit, whom they did have. I don’t say that to devalue the Bible. It is the inspired Word of God. It’s just that we must reestablish the correct value for the Holy Spirit, who alone can interpret and empower us in the reading and living of the Scriptures. There is a tension between these two realities that the apostle Paul addressed when he said, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). It’s not either/or. The Spirit makes the Word come alive and enables us to live what we read. [p.91, The Reformer's Pledge]”

Many Christians have valued the principle of "sola scriptura" as a rule of faith while diminishing the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding us into all truth. In today’s society pastors are expected to have a college degree, a graduate seminary degree, and at least a basic understanding of Hebrew and Greek in order to study the Scriptures correctly. Seminaries emphasize exegesis, literary criticism, contextual criticism, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and even German as necessary components to proper theological study. This limits over 99% of the world’s population. The Bible was not intended only for the educated few, it was given for the growth, encouragement, and sustenance of all God’s people.

What about the poor, uneducated, illiterate, persecuted? What about the early church that had no New Testament as we know now? The Bible is the Word of God. It is our rule of faith. But without a relationship with the Holy Spirit, we are in danger of allowing Scripture turn us into legalistic, religious, and ignorant Christians rather than loving, grace-filled, empowered believers. There are many people who commit their lives to studying the Bible, some as professional scholars. But often they don’t truly know God or are known by Him. We are not measured by our knowledge of the Bible, only our knowledge of the Lord. I will continue this thought in the next post, but may we develop a proper view of Scripture as a means to a divine encounter and not just a holy handbook.

"You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." John 5:39

Church Is Fun

My wife and I were invited by a local pastor to minister at a church. After sharing about the goodness of God and how He still heals, I activated and released the people to pray for those with physical ailments. The Holy Spirit moved and many got healed. As this was going on, the pastor's teenage daughter approached me to pray for her knee which had been injured from sports. She had a younger brother next to her so I told him to pray for her sister. He said, "I don't know what to do!" I just encouraged him to command healing in her sister's knee. So he placed his hand on her knee and said a short, simple prayer. I asked the pastor's daughter how she felt and she ran around the church to test it out and exclaimed, "There's no more pain!" I high-fived the brother and said, "You just healed your sister!" As amazing as that experience was, the best part of the story came later. The brother and sister left the meeting early because it was a school night but the brother decided to come back. When the pastor saw his son return to the church, he was so surprised because his son never comes back to church after he leaves. The pastor asked his son why he returned and the son replied, "Because this is fun!"


This is probably one of my favorite testimonies because church is meant to be fun! In fact, it should be the most joyful place on earth. God is pure goodness and in his presence is fullness of joy (cf. Psalm 16:11)! I grew up experiencing the opposite. Church was so boring and my understanding of God was one of fear, confusion, distance, and seriousness. The truth is that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (cf. Romans 14:17, emphasis added). That means if we are not experiencing overwhelming joy in our lives, especially at church, we have not properly grasped the nature of his kingdom. May we encounter his presence and step into the kingdom reality of freedom, peace, grace, love, healing, wholeness, reconciliation, forgiveness, intimacy, and perfect joy! It would be hard not to have fun in a place like that.

"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful." Psalm 68:3

Prayer for Japan

Heavenly Father,

We give you praise for your goodness. You are the best daddy in the whole world. Thank you for your love, grace, and joy. Father, we come before you because our hearts are burdened by what is transpiring throughout the world, especially in Japan. We read the reports and see the images of devastation, death, and despair. Lord, what the enemy has meant for evil we ask that you will bring about for good. We intercede for the countless injured and missing. Send your angels to minister to them. Help the lost to be found. Reunite the separated with their loved ones. We pray healing for those in pain- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Holy Spirit, as the tsunami waters brought waves of destruction may your Spirit bring waves of wholeness and hope. May the land of the rising sun become the land of the rising Son!


We speak peace upon the land and command no more aftershocks. We even ask for warmer weather to help the people during this time of mourning and rebuilding. We declare there will be no nuclear disasters from any of their power plants. May a spirit of compassion and generosity rise up from the world and cause aid, support, encouragement, hope, and love to flow into the nation of Japan. Thank you that individuals, families, and nations are responding. The United States has sent a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and several destroyers to Japan for assistance. Thank you that our armed forces are being used in this way and not for war. We take this as a prophetic act that peace and unity are on the horizon. The military even named their efforts "Operation Tomodachi" (Japanese for friendship). Jesus, our Prince of Peace, stir the hearts of people to seek after you. Create a hunger for your presence to swing open wide the doors to your Kingdom. May revival fall! We need your supernatural touch more than ever. Let the Church rise up in power, authority, and love to bring transformation to the broken. Even in the face of despair, we will press in for victory! We praise you, Jesus! Amen!

If you would like to make a donation to the relief efforts in Japan through Mercy Corps, please click here. Thank you!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

We Have the Keys

One of the most common objections or arguments against Christianity is the issue of human suffering. The question is often asked, "If God is so good and loving, why does he allow suffering?" I believe a key to understanding this query lies in the idea that God is in charge but He is not in control. This may sound blasphemous to some ears but take a moment to ponder this illustration. Suppose a father has a son who turns 16 and gets his driver's license. The father comes to his son with the keys to his car and says, "Happy Birthday, son! I love you and am proud of you. Here are the keys to my car. Go out and have some fun with your friends." The dad is in charge of the car. It is still under his name. But as soon as he hands the keys to his son, the father is no longer in control of it. He must trust that his son will take good care of the vehicle.



God has given us the keys to the kingdom (cf. Matthew 16:19). He has entrusted the Church with the task of releasing the goodness of heaven and undoing the works of the enemy. When we rise up to embrace our authority and power through the Holy Spirit, we will not only do the things Jesus did but even greater acts. Therefore the real issue is not why God allows suffering but rather why the Church allows it. When we learn to walk in the supernatural power and love Jesus demonstrated, suffering will be remedied. Of course we acknowledge the principle of sowing and reaping, where our freedom of choice often produces negative consequences. But the world is waiting, literally groaning, for the sons and daughters of the King to rise up and take their rightful place as rulers of the kingdom so that they can lead people to walk in wisdom, humility, compassion, love, generosity, and righteousness. We have the keys to the kingdom. May we learn how to use them effectively and honorably because the world is hungry for salvation.

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

A Shaking in Christchurch

As you may have heard in the news a 6.3 magnitude earthquake occurred on February 22 in Christchurch, New Zealand. At least 160 people have been confirmed dead while more than 200 others are reported missing and thousands have been injured. May we pray for all the people in this city and give our support in any way possible. If you would like to make a donation to the relief effort please click here for the New Zealand Red Cross. There are also some amazing revivalists ministering in that city actively involved in serving the citizens there. You can also donate through their ministry Kingdom Reality and get video updates of the situation.

Photo of Christchurch, New Zealand taken from the International Space Station

Image credit: NASA

I don't believe God caused this devastating earthquake but I do find there is prophetic significance to this disaster. Christchurch has been shaken and now the world's attention has turned towards it. It is certainly our responsibility to help the people there but perhaps there is a hidden message to the body regarding the season we are entering. A shaking is taking place in the church of Christ and divisions are arising between those who are fully devoted to God and those who are not. The world is beginning to take notice of these radical lovers who carry the love and power of the Holy Spirit wherever they go. These faithful believers are rebuilding His Church to its original intent and glory. It will be interesting to see how things unfold in this city during the coming weeks and months. May we have an increased sensitivity to the Spirit in discerning the signs of the times.

"I've come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I've come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I've come to disrupt and confront!" Luke 12:49-51 (The Message)