Ministry – Page 14 – John Markum

“I don’t believe in church”

Posted on March 27, 2011 by johnmarkum

I’ve heard lots of people – some of which claim to be Christ followers – excuse themselves from being connected to a church. Given, many churches are off the mark, and every church is full of people who are full of problems, and you going there only makes one more. But it is not right to claim to follow God, but be divorced from His bride. Saying “I believe in God, I just don’t believe in going to church,” makes about as much sense as saying “I believe in eating, I just don’t believe in food.” Believing in an idea, but not in the tangible expression of it is vain and empty. Besides, for all the faults of so many churches, the church still belongs to Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I cringe when I hear people berate another church.

I’m pretty thick-skinned. You will be hard pressed to get a rise out of me by calling me names, criticizing me, making fun, or otherwise putting me down. But you say one thing about my family, and… let’s just not go there. You got something to say about my wife and I’m likely to end up running a prison ministry… from the inside! If you’re married, I’m sure you can relate. The Bible refers to the church as “the bride of Christ.” Jesus died for the church. Jesus loves the church. Before you make a cut-down against a church, remember whose bride you’re picking on! I wouldn’t want to answer for throwing mud on His bride. Instead, live within that community. Make it better. Add your gifts and talents to the work of God within the church, and allow the gifts and talents of others to make you a better follower of Christ as well.

Blessings,

John

I Know Nothing

Posted on March 4, 2011 by johnmarkum

That might be a little exaggeration, but not by much! God constantly blows my mind on what He can do. Today was one of those days. I’ve come to realize that the more I learn about God, the more obvious it is that I know nothing. I’m not saying that I’m stupid or ignorant, or uneducated. I’m just saying that I do NOT have God figured out like I think that I do sometimes.

God is so much bigger than my small imagination.

He cannot be quarantined to a formula.

He cannot be measured on any scientific instrument.

He cannot be predicted by any calculations.

He’s revealed Himself to us through His Word, and through a person (Jesus) and yet our ability to know all that we can about Him is limited by our own nature. It’s like trying to describe a rainbow to a blind man, or a symphony to the deaf. We simply lack the senses to fully understand how great God is.

But occasionally there are moments where we get an inkling – a faint brush with the Infinite One – where it dons on us how much we don’t completely get about him. Like the deaf man hearing just a single note, or the blind man catching a glimpse of a sun ray. These are moments that take our breath away, fill us with amazement, and a delightful hunger for more.

Such are true encounters with God that make us say, “What was THAT?!?” and, “Let’s do it again!”

Don’t be discouraged in the pursuit of God. Live for the moments that God shows up in a big way and overwhelms our limited senses with what could be, and what should be. Once you have “tasted and seen that the Lord is good” you will long for more of His presence in your life. And don’t underestimate the significance of the small things God does. Allow everyday moments to take your breath away and realize, “That was God.” Not only will you start to see Him everywhere, you’ll also begin to see the potential of all that He wants to do.

If you thought that beam of sunlight was cool, wait until you see the rainbow!

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord. Thoughts of good and not evil. Thoughts of hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

“Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not understand.” Jeremiah 33:3

“Who having not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him, and are filled with unspeakable joy, full of glory.“ 1 Peter 1:8

Blessings,

John

Challenge #5: Serve

Posted on February 28, 2011 by johnmarkum

Edgewood Challenge #5: Give time to serve in one ministry.

There’s this statistic that floats around many churches that says, “20% of the people do 80% of the service.” This stat gets called the 80/20 Stat most of the time and simply points out that only a fraction of most Christians ever give of their time and talent to be part of what the church is doing to impact their city for Christ.

It’s a shame, really. We would claim to believe in a God who saves souls, changes lives, and does the impossible – who is eager to capture us up into His mission to redeem the world to Himself – and we would pass. Because of this, one church leader, Ed Stetzer, began referring to this ratio of people who don’t volunteer themselves to the work of the church as the 80/20 Sin. When you and I make excuses for why we do not get connected in serving, we are trying to say that we believe in Jesus enough to save us, but not enough to give ourselves back to Him.

But what if we really lived it…? What would be the potential of our church – of the Quad Cities – if we lived as though our life was not our own, but we were bought with a price? What if the 80/20 statistic was flopped, and 80 % of the people each took a piece of the ownership in serving? The thought of what that would look like is absolutely breath-taking!

The Bible describes the church as the “body” of Christ. But when 80% of the body is not doing it’s function, the body is paralyzed… or dying. The whole body suffers when even a small part of it is out of order. But a body that is 100% operational is alive, healthy, and powerful. Let’s be that church!

Edgewood is such an amazing place because every week we get to see new people coming through our doors, and the potential to turn our world upside-down for the Gospel has never been greater, or more needed. And because our church has 3 weekend adult services, and a youth service, there are plenty of opportunities to use your time and talents to serve in one ministry. Let’s change our world by the way we serve one another!

Blessings,

John