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What I don’t pray for…

Posted on September 29, 2016 by johnmarkum

It’s an election year… good times, amiright?! No, of course not. We’re all miserable and wondering how this circus is going to end in November. I’ve got countless people in my life who know Christ as I do, that are praying that this is somehow the end of times, and Jesus is going to come back and remove us all from the scene before all Hell literally breaks loose. But I’m not one of them…

You see, as long as I’ve been a Christ-follower, the most spiritual people I’ve known have looked longingly toward the day our salvation inevitably ends being a matter of faith but at long last a matter of sight. Many of you reading this don’t share that belief, and that’s fine. You don’t have to argue that belief, just for the moment understand that I do, and in various theological flavors all “Christians” do.

Over the years, I’ve never actually said publicly anything in that vein of thought – that I hope Jesus comes soon. I’ve been a pastor for the vast majority of my adulthood, and I’ve never once prayed for Jesus to return. I’ve always been this weird kind of outlier to my more theologically fundamentalist counterparts. But that ship sailed awhile ago.

You see, I can’t do it. I can’t bring myself to ask God to usher the rapture of His church, or the beginning of the worst period of time on earth never before seen. I know prophecy beyond the average seminary grad, and I just can’t pray for that.

Don’t misunderstand me… I believe in His return. I even long for the day that I look upon Him. But when that day does come, if my current disposition holds true in that moment, my overwhelming joy will only be comparable to my gut-wrenching agony at the fate of the world I leave behind.

Most Christians say things or quote parts of Scripture to express their longing for His return. Things like, “Even so come quickly Lord Jesus!” or “maybe today [He’ll return]”. Such thoughts break me. As much as I trust Him to judge this world in righteousness, I know beyond doubt that this will result in eternal separation from Him for so many who have rejected Him. I just can’t ask God for that, though I know one day it will come. It must come.

My prayer is two-fold…

“God give us more time… more people know Your Son today than at any other point in history. Please, merciful God of Heaven – stay your return but a little longer while Your servants lift up Jesus across this earth.” and…
“God let Your Spirit fall fresh on us again. Bring revival and new life into your church. Send a second pentecost upon my city, our nation, and this world that Your Son died to redeem. Send a tidal wave of your love and grace in ways no one can deny.”

Dearest Christ-follower who’s praying for the end to come, I fear that you know not what spirit you are of. When He does show up, may He find us living, preaching, loving, and desperately compelling our communities to turn to Jesus. That would be a really great “welcome” present. Instead of praying for that return (which you and I have no influence on anyway), why don’t you pray that He send more laborers into His field? The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few, tired, and lonely. Better yet, why not join in the harvest?

Blessings,
Pastor John

Go on a Missions Trip…

Posted on September 26, 2016 by johnmarkum

I was 17 years old when I went on my first international missions trip to Panama to do medical work in some extremely remote places along the gulf coast of the narrow country. It was this experience, in part, that compelled me not only to ministry, but specifically toward working to reach the least reached. A missions trip literally changed the course of my life. Then God called us to plant a church in the heart of Silicon Valley. Not exactly the same kind of jungle – and yet, every spectrum of ethnic and social diversity from around the planet is found within a small radius of the elementary school our church plant currently meets in. Which brings me to this past summer…

Last month, I had the privilege of taking two other folks with me from LifeCity – Robert Sanders and Liz Reyes – to join our friends at Ocean View Church of San Diego for a missions trip across the border, into Tijuana, Mexico. For years, Ocean View has been taking teams of people into Mexico to work with orphanages, provide food, give to communities and families in ways they seldom get to experience, and most importantly – share the gospel in meaningful, personal ways. They like to call it “Beans, Rice, and Jesus Christ!” And for us, it was the beginning of a vision God began in my heart as a teenager in Panama.

Enoc Rivera, a Mexican-raised pastor on staff at OVC, has been preparing with his church family to move across the border sometime in 2017 with another family from the church, in order to plant a daughter church in the middle of the impoverished colinas (“hills”) outside the city of Tijuana. I personally made it my mission to bug him the entire week we were with him in the country, trying to get a grasp on the calling and challenges they were stepping into – and how we as a church plant that received support from OVC can now return the favor by partnering with their newest mission to spread the gospel into Mexico.

Sometime this next year, we anticipate having Enoc and his wife Betty, up to Santa Clara to join us and share the vision directly with our LifeCity peeps… and yes, we’re planning on going back to Tijuana next summer with them, hopefully with six to a dozen of our folks this time.

When you see the overwhelming need, disadvantages, and living conditions these kids and families accept as everyday life – and then match that with the joy and gratitude they express for being the hands and feet of Christ to them – it’s indescribable. And all of these emotions are just the tip of the iceberg when you realize that because you took the time and energy to go on this trip, God was using you to show His love toward them. It’s a tidal wave of experiences that will move you long after the trip is over.

I’ve shamelessly ripped the mantra that Ocean View uses to express their commitment to sending people to do ministry across borders: “Go on a missions trip – it’ll change your life.”

It changed my life as a teenager 17 years ago this summer. And because of that experience for me, I’m now a pastor getting to lead others into the same kind of life-changing experiences. It is my sincerest prayer that one day, we’ll be sending dozens or hundreds of men and women into ministry here, near, and far away just like God did in my life… just like he’s doing in Enoc’s life.

Go on a missions trip… it will change your life.

Blessings,
Pastor John

Come to the Table Hungry

Posted on June 27, 2016 by johnmarkum

I plan a year in advance for my preaching calendar. Every October, I spend some time praying for the following year, gathering resources, and going through several messages I’ve written but haven’t preached. I also consider the state of our church and community and what God may be wanting to speak through me from His word to them. I take this burden to preach very serious.

I view preaching as application driven by nature. Preaching is intended to be far more than imparting knowledge. It’s suppose to be a catalyst for personal growth, transformation, new perspectives, and changed behaviors.

Along those lines, I’ve been preparing and studying for the next series coming this Sunday to LifeCity Church, and it’s going to be full of great content. Few subjects drive me to study the texts of Scripture more than the doctrine of the “End Times.” This subject, especially when approached from the Bible, is often met with fear and confusion. People are confused, scared or both when it comes to trying to grasp the actual meanings of the Bible when it comes to the things that are still to come.

Add to that several B-movies, and TV series that make the end of the world as we know seem more like a really poorly produced work of fiction, and the seriousness of the Bible often gets lost all together.

But I find that this is a subject that many are hungry to learn. People want answers. They want to understand the truth of what is to come, and how the Bible can help us grasp it.

What I’m trying to tell you, church, is that this is a series I’ve studied since I was old enough to read the Bible, I’ve been preparing this series since last October, it’s going to be very deep, and it begins this Sunday…

So come to the table hungry. Bring your Bible (or the free Bible app) and a notepad, lean in, listen, and write stuff down. This is going to be good – not because I’m teaching it, but because the content is so rich.

I can’t wait to share with you!

Blessings,
Pastor John

https://vimeo.com/172451020