believe – Page 6 – John Markum

Safe Is NOT Safe

Posted on July 3, 2011 by johnmarkum

“Better safe than sorry!” That was a line I heard alot growing up. And it certainly is true in many of the circumstances we face.

“Was that paper due tomorrow or next Thursday?” Better safe than sorry…
“Do I have enough money in my account to buy that?” Better safe than sorry…
“Would my spouse be ok with me doing this?” DEFINITELY better safe than sorry!

There are times when it is wisdom that tells you to play it safe. But the wisdom of God is different from the wisdom of this world. And God consistently leads His people to make choices that are anything but playing it safe:

Get in the face of the most powerful human on earth and demand my people’s freedom.
Leave the safety and security of your hometown and go somewhere you’ve never been.
Go attack a 9′ 6″ tall warrior with a rock.
Break the law by preach in my name.

Jesus said throughout the gospels, “If anyone will save their life, they shall lose it. But if you lose your life for my sake, you shall find it.” Matthew 10:39

When God calls us to do something risky -share our faith, trust Him with our finances, relocate yourself and family, change jobs, end a relationship, follow Him into the unfamiliar- we cannot afford to play it safe. In an attempt to stay comfortable, many would-be Christ followers have tried to be safe rather than sorry, and only ended up “safe” and sorry.

I know that all conventional wisdom is telling you not to leave your safe place. That if you do, it could all go bad. And it could. That’s the adventure! We are trusting in the Unseen to lead us over circumstances that are bigger than ourselves. And the payoff of experiencing God’s provision and protection is nothing short of a game-changer.

I know people in my life and ministry who are going through some tough circumstances. Some of them feel like they are cornered in a place where all they have left is trusting God. In some ways, I wish everyone in my church could experience that… to have the anxiety of realizing you can’t do it on your own, only to be outmatched by the exhilaration of watching God work mightily on your behalf.

One missionary once told me, “It’s safer to be 4,000 miles from home and in the will of God, than at home but out of the will of God.” He was right. I would rather be “not safe” from the world’s perspective and “not sorry” from mine, than to be “safe” in the world’s perspective and “sorry” in my own.

Step out on faith. Trust God. Be dangerous. You’ll never go back to playing it safe again! And you won’t be sorry that you trusted Him either.

Blessings,

John

The Awakening turns 2!

Posted on May 31, 2011 by johnmarkum

This week, two years ago, Edgewood launched it’s first ever Saturday night worship service, “The Awakening.” We had a ton of ideas and dreams, and the opportunity to add a new worship experience to one of the most exciting churches in the Quad Cities. The leadership of Edgewood stood beside us and gave us the chance to begin something that few other churches are willing to take the risk on.

As a result, we have seen God move in incredible ways. We’ve experienced growth in numbers of people coming to Christ, getting baptized, families joining us, and we’re just getting started. The vision to see people far from God awakened with life in Christ beats strong in our hearts and we commit ourselves again to reaching people in the Quad Cities with the Gospel.

Two years have been amazing! Year three… you’ll just have to stick around and see what God does (although I suspect there are some soon-to-be-released posts that will give some hints)!

Join us at Edgewood this Saturday night, 6 pm, for our two year celebration.

To find out more about our Saturday night service, visit our website at www.qcawakening.com

Blessings,

John

Don’t be spiritually delusional

Posted on May 29, 2011 by johnmarkum

James 1:22, “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourself.”

I love when the Bible just comes out and tells it like it is. James is one of the most dense books in the Bible because nearly every single verse is so packed with powerful thoughts, encouragement, doctrine, etc. But one of the dangers that James warns against in the very first chapter of his letter is with the subject of what real discipleship is.

He warns that being a true follower of Jesus is not about how much you know. Don’t misunderstand me: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” But true faith – saving faith, changing faith – does not end there, and James goes on to deal with that in more detail.

But James specifically warns against misunderstanding discipleship for knowledge. Knowledge can lead to discipleship, but it is not discipleship in and of itself. Because discipleship is not knowledge; discipleship is obedience to what God says. And at the point that you and I begin doing what God says, we’re becoming more like Jesus. We’re not like Jesus just because we can quote the Bible. Or because we know theology and doctrine. Or because we’ve sat through hundreds of sermons.

And James tells us that if we think we are disciples because we have heard the Word but not obeyed the Word, we are “deceiving ourselves.” In other words, a person who knows God’s Word, without doing God’s Word, and thinks God is ok with it, is spiritually delusional.

If I’m honest, I’m guilty. I’ve been there. More than I’m comfortable admitting. And the excuses I make are the same as yours. And I’m a pastor. So I know this is something that we all struggle with on some level. Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. Listen to God, and do what He says. Don’t be a Christian who marks his Bible but his Bible never marks him. Don’t be settle for being a Bible scholar over being a follower of Jesus. Don’t fool yourself. Don’t be delusional!

What are the areas that you struggle with being completely obedient to God? In what ways have you paid lip service to God, but your actions dictate otherwise? How will you correct that behavior and submit it to Christ? Have a great week!

Blessings,

John