church – Page 11 – John Markum

So Close…

Posted on August 13, 2011 by johnmarkum

“Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions, ‘Don’t go to the Gentiles, or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel – God’s lost sheep.'” Matthew 10:5,6

I live and do ministry in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa – an area that sits right on the Mississippi River with a population of approximately 325,000. The QC is a pretty typical Mid-West area. There is massive farming communities immediately outside (and somewhat inside) the cities, We are home to several major manufacturers, and nearly everyone has a church background.

I’m amazed at how I often I run into people and how seldom any of them claim no church affiliation. Here in the Mid-West, church is something that nearly everyone grew up with. And regardless of whether or not you actually go to church has nothing to do with “belonging” to a particular flavor of of religion that your parents or grandparents said you belong to.

When Jesus sends His disciples out for the first time on their first attempt at doing ministry outside of his direct supervision, He instructs them not to go to the Gentiles (Non-Jews) or the Samaritans (Half-Jews), but to the people of Israel, “God’s lost sheep.”

Really? The Jews? God’s “lost” sheep?!? Didn’t Jesus understand how well these Jews knew God? How well they obeyed the Old Testament? Their superior understanding of the laws of Moses? Didn’t He see the synagogues filled each Sabbath day with Jews eager to obey God?

Out here, nearly everyone knows about Jesus, believes in God, and owns a Bible. Almost all QC residents would claim some building as “the church I grew in.” Many of them even make the occasional appearance for Christmas or Easter. Most were married in a church. But with all of this religion and church experience there is an enormous oversight…

You see, the Jews would not have considered themselves “God’s lost sheep.” They would have considered themselves to be God’s favorites. But the truth is, they were off. They had a “form of godliness” but not the true “power thereof.” Being in church doesn’t make you close to God any more than me being in a shop makes me a mechanic.

Be careful that you’re not so close to “God” that you miss Him completely. Understand that your connection to Him is as close as you want it to be – He’s never been the one to leave.

A lot of people know about God, but don’t actually have a relationship with Him. There’s a word for a person who knows a lot about someone without having a relationship with them: “stalker!” Too many people are stalking God, but have not accepted the invitation to know him through Jesus Christ.

What about you? Do you know God, or are you creepin‘?

If you haven’t been to church in awhile, I hope you read this.

Posted on August 5, 2011 by johnmarkum

In ministry, we constantly see people come and go. On one hand, we have to focus on the people who will come, who will listen, who we can reach. But on the other hand, we love the people who haven’t been around. We long to see everyone growing in Christ, finding healing, and getting connected to others on the same spiritual journey. They are important to us, because we believe in the potential God has placed in them. And when we are being the church, God’s love is suppose to be flowing into us, overflowing, and pouring out on to others.

If you, or someone you know, has gotten out of the habit of being in church there are a variety of reasons you may have for not being there. Without a doubt most of them are good reasons and sound perfectly logical. So I’m not going to argue whether you have good reasons to miss or not. Instead let me give you a few reasons to come back. And not just show up again, but really get connected and belong. And if you do not have a church, or have been looking for a place to worship, I hope you’ll consider LifeCity Church, here in Santa Clara, CA…

It feels right – You know you would have a clearer conscious. If you truly belong to Christ, then there is a Holy Conscience inside of you telling you that you need to come back and be connected.
Worship – I missed church a week ago because I had family in town. The week I returned, I realized how much I missed our worship on Saturdays. Not just the songs. I could listen to most of them at home on my own. But I missed singing with my church and worshiping together with them. It’s something powerful!
The Word – By the teaching and preaching of the Bible, God challenges us. Yes, you can/should read the Bible on your own. No, that is not enough.
Relationships – You need people. People need you. You are a part of a whole. When you’re gone, the whole suffers. And so do you. We grow closer to God when we grow closer to each other. (John 17)
Purpose – You get to use your time and talents to be a part of helping other people reach their full potential in Christ. Every ministry plays a significant part, and you get the opportunity to unite your potential with that of others.

Come to church… I know you probably have a legitimate reason for being gone. But you’re missing out! God is alive and doing powerful things in His church. I know here at LifeCity, this Fall season is going to be epic! And the rest of this summer is building up for it.

Instead of finding a reason not to be there, challenge yourself to make a way to come back. In fact, just get back in church this weekend. Be ready to have a front-row seat to see what God is going to do! You’ll be blessed for making it!

Blessings,
Pastor John

The Questions You Asked… Part 1

Posted on August 3, 2011 by johnmarkum

Question: “Why doesn’t the church spend all or nearly all of it’s money on missions (local and foreign), providing for those who cannot provide for themselves, etc.?” Answer: We do spend all of our money on missions. That’s all we do. The church is not a country club that occasionally does benevolence. We are not even a church with a mission. We are a mission with a church. Our primary command is to make disciples. So whether it’s paying full time staff to do the work of ministry, sending a missionary overseas, or building an orphanage in the Ukraine (all of which we’ve done recently) everything about how we spend God’s money is part of making a missional impact. It’s just not all for social justice causes.
Question: “Is it ok to have sex before marriage?” Answer: No. But that isn’t a good enough answer. The real question you’re probably wondering is “Why does God not want us to have sex before marriage?” The best, shortest answer I can give is because of the safety and security that marriage provides. Sex is too good and beautiful not to be protected. Because of that, God already knew that sex outside of marriage ruins good relationships, or prolongs bad ones.
Questions: “Why does God cause so many hard roads in life?” Answer: First of all, I’m not sure that God deserves all of the credit for the hard roads in your life. But at the least He’s allowed you to go through the difficult circumstances you’ve endured. We need to remember that God never gives us a test to try to fail us, but to promote us to something better. I don’t know your story, but I know that God uses everything He puts into our lives. God doesn’t even waste pain. Circle yourself with people who will encourage you through these difficulties. We’re the church. We’re in this together.
Question: “If Bigfoot exists, then what is he, like the aftermath of a failed gorilla?!?” Answer: “IF” being the operating word here. And by “failed gorilla” I simply have to say no. That implies that either God failed at something He made, or that science has attempted to create life, with some resemblance of success. IF he exists, God created it, and there could be dozens of exciting explanations. None of which, regrettably, I’ll entertain at this time.
Question: “Is it possible to become apostate?” Answer: Most people who use this language of “apostate” or “reprobate” in a theological sense are referring to Romans 1 where it gives a laundry list of immorality and says that God “gave them up” to an unclean mind. But if you read less than 10 verses into chapter 2 you realize that God was not talking about specific individuals, but all of us. There will one day be a collective falling away from truth and morality on a global scale. But individually, God never forsakes those who are of His family. Period.
Question: “Is gay pride a sin? Or just being gay a sin?” Answer: According to Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, and Romans, homosexuality is sin. I reject the the idea that homosexuality is genetic for a variety of reasons: 1) There’s been no scientific proof. 2) Too many heterosexuals have turned homosexual. 3) Too many homosexuals have turned heterosexual. 4) I have had good friendships with many, many homosexual people. Without exception, they have all had other blatantly obvious relational issues that easily explain their orientation. Truthfully, I hurt for these people. Not because of the lack of acceptance they get, but because of how our culture has told them they are normal to feel the way they do, causing them to repress the real reasons for their orientation. Most of them have counseling issues starting with their childhood. God loves homosexuals and wants to see them come to a relationship with him through Jesus Christ. Yes, it is sin. Yes, God loves them anyway. Just like He loves me.
Question: “Balaam blessed the nation of Israel 3 times when his king commanded him to curse them. So why is he seen as a bad guy in the New Testament?” Answer: If you read Numbers 22, you get the idea that Balaam continues to ask God for permission to curse Israel, which frustrates God though He told him through a variety of means (not the least of which was his donkey) not to go curse the Israelites. Many believed that Balaam intended to curse Israel, but when he opened his mouth to do so, God caused him to only say blessings.