DanSardinas.net

How to do a "Gas Buy Down". An effective and practical outreach event for your church.

 

Gospel Transformation: Kingdom Building vs. Castle Building

If we are to truly transform our cities with the Gospel then we have to change our entire strategy.  How many churches are trying to get "bigger and bigger" at the expense of true city wide transformation?  Most churches measure success by butts in the pews...and money in the plate.  Doesn't that sound a tad like a movie theater?  

How many people are watching the show and how many are buying tickets?Is that what God has called us to do?  Is it any wonder that our churces are filled with "spectators" and not doers? Too many churches are into what I call...Castle Building. Churches who are trying to build castles (i'm not talking about a building) are only worried about how big their church grows.  They may even compete with the other churches in town.  They may have clever slogans about how their church is "better" than any other church. Or maybe that church is selling itself as more "relevant", "hipper" or "cooler" than the next.  I remember in one town that I pastored I was scolded by another pastor about how I was in his "territory". Wow... It's no wonder our cities are so lost.  

Jesus has not called us to build castles.  He has called us to be engaged in His ever expanding Kingdom.  Once churches in a city realize that it's not about them...the city will be better.  That city will be better reached with the Gospel.  The Kingdom of God is the rule of God over all creation.  God is up to something huge.  He is up to something that you and I can never compete with or ever dream to outdue.  Jesus was all about this kingdom.  

Wouldn't it be phenomenal if churches joined each other for the sake of the Gospel?  Wouldn't it be great to join other churches in the Missio Dei than the pettiness of doctrinal divide?  Folks...it's time to realize we are all on the same team if we have been redeemed.  Isn't that what he prayed for us in John 17 before he was arrested in the garden?  

Jesus said to seek first His Kingdom.  Why are you building your castle?

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:33 

 (for other posts about the Kingdom of God on dansardinas.net click here.

 

 

Gospel Transformation: Don't Tell Me Show Me

What are you willing to sacrifice so that the Gospel will transform your city?   To really reach our cities with the Gospel it's going to take sacrifice.  It's going to be at times uncomfortable and awkward.  The Gospel cost Jesus and it will cost you & I to share it as well.  That's just the plain truth.  

Very few Chistians share their faith with the world.  The ones that do share their faith, know what to say...but don't know how to express it in their life.  Most know how to tell the ABC's of salavation....but don't know how to translate this "good news" into actions. As the old saying goes....actions speak louder than words.  When is the last time you showed the world Good News?  

My kids are still very young (11, 9 & 6).  They are good kids but they are kids.  When they do get in trouble they always tell me that they will never do it again. They say that they are very sorry...and they plead for forgiveness.  I always forgive them.  But, I always tell them the same thing. "Don't tell me....show me".  I want them to know now that talk is cheap.  You can tell me you are sorry everyday...but if you never show me than I don't believe it.  

You can tell the world that Jesus saves.  You can tell the world everyday that there is Good News in the world...but if you don't show it...does it matter?  The world has heard enough sermons.  They need to start seeing some.  What are some ways we can show "good news" through actions in our city?  After all...how can we talk of the life transforming message of the Gospel if it hasn't changed us?  Do share...what are you doing in your city.  What are ways we can show love and demonstrate "good news".

 

Want to see Gospel transformation in your city? Buy local....

What are you willing to sacrifice so that the Gospel may advance?  That question may be more complex and deeper than you may think.  I'm not talking about how much money you are going to give to your church..or how much time you will spend at the next church event.  

Think outside the box. Would you be willing to buy local and spend a little more money?  Why?  Think of the relationships that can be built with people in your own town! You are also investing into your own community everytime you purchase something from a locally owned business.  For the sake of the Gospel this is so, so important.  I understand that this is not possible with every purchase.  However, the little changes you can make can go a long ways! You can invest in the local transformation of your city financially!  It may cost you extra....but it will be worth it!  You can then open doors of conversation and earn the right to be heard!

My friend and partner in ministry, Tom Richards, practices and lives this reality.  Instead of buying his guitar strings online for much cheaper...he goes and buys them from a local music store.  Tom and I meet weekly for a staff meeting regarding The Way Church.  Tom loves Starbucks coffee.  However, instead of holding our meetings in Starbucks he suggested we meet in a local coffee shop in Cape Coral.  The results have been great!  We are helping that local coffee shop and have built a nice relationship with the owners, Cindy and Lorraine.  I'm looking for other ways to contribute locally!  (Although I will still find myself at Starbucks too) 

What else can you sacrifice for the Gospel?  Buying local is one example....what else can we do?  The Gospel is worth it.

Google+ Evangelism - What can we learn?

Already in just a little over 2 weeks Google+ has nearly amassed 10 million users.  Google+ is the companies newest venture into social networking.  The previous attempt (Google Buzz) is still considered a failure.  However Google+ appears to be a winner because some say it merges the best of FaceBook & Twitter in one platform.  So far I agree.

A lot of the buzz (no pun intended) from Google+ was the only way to get in was for somebody to invite you.  This was, of course, in typical Google fashion.  They normally resort to the invite only approach when releasing a new product.  For days...my Twitter & FaceBook news feeds were littered with people trying to get invites to the new social network.  

One invite opens the door for many, many others to hear about Google+.   Last Friday, while walking around Downtown Disney & waiting for my wife...I noticed that one of my friends on Twitter had some invites.  I quickly replied and was instantly invited to sign up.  In the 4 days since I joined I have invited 7 people to join me on the Google+ journey.  And now those people have also invited many others...who will invite many others.  You know where I'm going with this, right?

This got me thinking....what can we learn from Google+ Evangelism?  Evangelism is simply the "proclamation of Good News".  Google+ is growing by leaps and bounds by the multiplication of invites.  I know we've heard this before but it sounds a lot like the Great Commission is suppose to work, no?  

I tell and invite you about the Good News.  You tell others...who then share it with others...who then share it with others! Here are some of my observations.

1.  People are searching & looking to be invited on a new journey.  I asked a few times and then wound up with an invite.  I've seen several people hungry enough to ask numerous times until they got in.  Some people are tired of FaceBook.  No doubt, there are many who are searching for something better in this world.  God has called many to salvation.  Who are you looking for?  Who are you going after?

2.  People are inviting others to Google+ because they believed it to be powerful.  I believe that many times we cease to evangelize beacause we doubt the goodness and power of the Gospel.  We know the Gospel.  But how often do we practice it?  I've seen many rave about the awesomeness of Google+.  How many Christians are really proclaiming the POWER of the Gospel as Paul says in Romans 1?  Isn't the gospel a much more rewarding journey than a social network? 

What if anything can we learn from Google+ Evangelism?

To have church or not? ...the Super Bowl is the question!

 Today is sort of a national holiday.  The Super Bowl is the biggest hyped event of the year.  I'm sure that millions of dollars are spent on this game around the world.  People all around the world  are hosting parties, to watch the two best NFL teams battle it out for the prized Vince Lombardi trophy.  This year is no different.  The Saints and the Colts are about to battle it out in a few hours.   Churches all across the nation are set to cancel their Sunday Evening services to show the big game.  Among some conservative Christians, though this is always a controversial night.  I've already heard and seen some tweets and comments about tonight from their perspective.   

Some churches have chosen to gather people in the building and host their own party.  Other churches have encouraged their people to go home and host their own parties in the neighborhood.  To some churches this is unacceptable.  They believe that it is absolutely necessary to have a church service.  For them...to cancel church for the Super Bowl is a great sin no matter what the outcome.

Here is my opinion on the whole deal.  If you want to go to church then go to church.  If you want to watch the Super Bowl...then watch the Super Bowl.  If you watch the Super Bowl..have some fun and possibly use it as a time to build relationships with those who aren't "churched".  I can't find fault with those who are choosing to worship tonight.  How can you?  But....that doesn't make their church any holier or more pleasing to God.  Cancelling your normal Sunday Night activities at church  is not wrong.  There is no scriptural command as to how many services one should have on a Sunday.  Sunday Night services are a man made tradition.  Therefore, if you don't have one...it's not wrong.   The early church, in the book of Acts, met for worship and fellowship everyday!  So if we were to follow that logic we are wrong for not having church the other 5 or 6 days.  

As the pastor of Venango Woods Church in Pennsylvania...we hosted a Super Bowl party for our community every year.  The festivities always included about 2,000 chicken wings....lots of snacks, door prizes, and the big game on a gigantic screen.  Our entire church family was there with many people from the community who would never darken the doors of a church.  At halftime we always gave a 5 minute Gospel presentation and always had someone receive Christ.  Through this outreach, we made a difference on many lives, that we would never would never have reached.  

Instead of knocking the Super Bowl......use it as an opportunity!   You can spit in the wind..but it will hit you in the face.   Don't fight the wind....use it as an immense opportunity.  

Redefining Mission

We have all been there before....a church service where the leaders are begging for volunteers. You have probably even read it in the Sunday morning church bulletin. An all hands on deck approach to ministry is very common in modern church life. If you asked most pastors today they would argue that the problem is in the peoples motivation for Christ and his work. I have been there and did that many times. I now wish I would've known then what I now know. The church is a living organism, made up of those who follow Jesus, who through the power of the Spirit live out the ways of the Kingdom of God. And they do this together. Why is it that we are so focused on making the ministry within the church more important than our ministry in the world? Could the very reason most Christians don't share their faith be because we have conditioned them to be so busy with "church work"? The danger is that we have made something to be institutional that was meant to be organic. We have taken the beautiful mystery of community and sold it out for the latest fad. One of my most memorable days at VWC is when we didn't have a service. In August of 07 we cancelled the formal service and met together to serve our community. We repainted a local park and picked up trash off of Oil City streets. It was a great day. However the turnout was not what I expected. I was hoping to have about 50 or so helping that day. We only had about 22 altogether. I was greatly discouraged as this was pumped up for weeks as a huge thing that we were doing. I played the normal "pastor card" and just said that people had issues with God. From that day forward my outlook began to change on ministry. Release your people from the guilt of serving. The more pastors beg...the more guilt sinks in. Some people will cave and serve in a place out of duty alone. And then the inevitable will happen....they will burn out and their absence will create a larger void. It's time to redefine ministry and release people for mission. I am not saying that people shouldn't serve in ministries in the church. But when we are taking people away from being a light in the world that is where I have a problem. If you don't have enough people to do a program then you cancel the program. Lastly are we keeping people busy building our empires? Or are we releasing them to multiply the Kingdom of God? Redefine your ministry into your mission. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Danicure

Tonight we went to our local mall to browse around and kill some time. As I was walking around with Tyler and Brandon...I was approached by a lady who works at a kiosk. She asked me if I had a moment. Before I could say no she proceeded to insist like a typical sales person. Her approach was shocking to say the least. After I said no...she then asked if I believed in magic. Before I could respond she grabbed my hand and took out a file/sponge and started working on my thumbnail. I was in such disbelief all I could do was just stand there and laugh! During her passionate sales pitch she assured me that this 30 seconds would save me tons of money and bring much happiness. When she was done she showed me her so called magic....my thumbnail was very shiny. I felt demasculinated...if that's even a word. Lol.

As I drove home I began to connect this experience with the way some approach evangelism. Some think the most effective way is through a cold sales approach that is forceful and blunt. Although some may have been won to Christ this way...many more have been turned away. Is the good news something to coerce people to accept? What do you think is the most effective way? Please leave a comment with your thoughts. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Christmas Miracles

This past Sunday, I preached a message about unwrapping the Gospel in our lives.  We talked about how the Gospel is not just something that you proclaim with your mouths but it also something you proclaim with your lives.  I talked about how so many Christians focus on the beginning and the end of the life of Jesus to the neglect of the middle.  The Gospel is the good news that God has not given up on the world.  The gospel is the good news that there is hope when it seems like we are surrouned my a world of hopelessness.

I mentioned how strange it was that Jesus sent the disciples and the 70 away to preach the "gospel".  This gospel that they preached could not have been about the death, burial and ressurection of Jesus since that had not happened yet.  We were told that they healed people, casted out demons and just loved on people. 

I asked you to live this truth out in your lives.  I asked you to preach the gospel with your actions to a hurting world.  I am so glad that you were listening.  We presented two specific needs to you about two families that were struggling deeply this Christmas.  After the service scores of you came up with toys, money and food for these families.  Let me share with you what you did through your preaching the gospel.  Both of these families didn't have enough food to make it this week.  Both of these families (10 kids) in total did not have one single present for their children on Christmas morning.  One of these families was facing eviction from their apartment. 

On Christmas Eve, Pastor Brad and I took all of your love to these families.  We both witnessed miracles that night.  We saw the Gospel in a practical way.  We saw the following happen....

1 family will have a place to live and not be evicted this week.
2 familes will have enough to eat for at least a month (50 bags of groceries alltogether)
10 kids were able to wake up to a gift on Christmas morning that would have woken up to nothing.
2 families saw God's love for them in a very practical and tangible way.
2 families saw believers of Jesus truly be like Jesus

Thanks for letting me see the Gospel.  Thanks for letting me partake in a miracle!