Matt's Blog

All I can say is I am “blown-away” by all that God has done and is doing through our AMAZING VOLUNTEERS at SouthPoint.  This past week was so very humbling and great at the same time.  Here are some of the highlights

• This past Sunday 32 people were baptized!
• Over 200 people were there to celebrate!
• That means for this year at SouthPoint 43 people have been baptized – a new record!
• Our average weekly attendance in September also set a new record for highest weekly attendance!

I could understand how some may think this is bragging or that we care about numbers.  You would be right.  I’m so THANKFUL for all that GOD is doing – and bragging on HIM is what we are made to do!  God in His goodness and generosity has given SouthPoint some of the BEST volunteers in the world!  And, yes we care about numbers and not for numbers sake but because they represent REAL PEOPLE with real lives!  I’m so PUMPED that forty-three eternities are forever changed because they’re followers of Jesus!

You see as part of the baptism process we meet individually with each person being baptized.  It was truly moving to hear how God passionately loves and pursues each person in such a unique manner.  What was humbling was hearing how the generosity and service of our VOLUNTEERS impacted people who come to church.  In each of my meetings it was obvious that the SACRIFICE our volunteers made – whether it was greeting, working in the cafe or with kids impacted them in a significant way.

So on behalf of Jesus and the lives that have been changed…I want to THANK all those who serve and volunteer. It is a privilege and a honor to serve with such a GREAT team!

Don’t forget, OUR best days are in front of us not behind us – we trust in the AWESOMENESS of the God we serve!

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A couple of closing thoughts on the message series “blockbuster ENDINGS”.  I’m so PUMPED about the messages for the next two weeks.  If you have friends, family, or coworkers I think next Sundays message on 8/1 could make a huge impact especially if they are not Christ-followers.

Here’s a couple thoughts from the overall message series:

• Our view of WHY God gave us the Bible will directly impact how we respond to it.  Did God give us the Bible just so we could be informed? Or did He give it to us so that we would live changed lives because we know and love Him?
• Is Revelation a PUZZLE to be solved or is it a PICTURE that inspires us to love Him and serve Him with endurance?
• Would you find it surprising that the general writing genre of Revelation’s is symbolism – have your read trying to literally?
• I’m amazed at how “SPECUTLATION” (which is basically guessing) gets thrown around as if it’s true.  Also, I discovered that building “presupposition” upon “presupposition” can be dicey at best.
• Christians REALLY, REALLY have a hard-time saying, “I don’t know”.  Everyone loves answers.
• In researching Revelation I’ve found that through the centuries genuine followers of Jesus have had different opinions on the book of Revelation.
• It was interesting to discover that through out Church history those who’ve attempted to interpret Revelation have often done so through the LENS of their culture and time.  Views changed as civilization and culture changes.
• Please – I’m NOT trying to say there is no truth you and I can hold onto in Revelation.  There are some core TRUTHS in Revelation that will NEVER change no matter how we view it . Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and is the only and true way to salvation.  He’s coming back to conquer evil and Death.  Each and every person will give account and be responsible for the lives we lived.  Those who put their HOPE in Jesus Christ will get to be with God forever! Those truths NEVER change!
• Knowing “how” the End will turn out (Christ wins!) should motivate us to live such lives that Jesus is made famous to those around us.

May we as followers of Jesus NEVER be so obsessed with the future that we get sidetracked into neglecting the PRESENT mission God has given us TODAY!

My hope and prayer is that no matter what your view on Revelation is…that our love for God, Christ, and others will be reflected in our DAILY actions and deeds.

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This is the third post covering several issues (the Tribulation, the Rapture, the Millennium) that I couldn’t address in my current message series called “blockbuster ENDINGS”.  Today, I will be discussing one of the most debated and questioned parts of Revelation – the Millennium.  The Millennium is a term used to describe a 1,000 year period in which Christ and the saints rule over the Earth.  However, “Are those thousand years literal or symbolic?” is a question in which centuries of debate has as yet to answer conclusively.

The only place in all the Bible we can find the 1,000 year reign is in chapter 20 of Revelation.  “Most Christians have believed that this chapter refers to the same period as that depicted in many Old Testament passages describing the golden age of the Messiah.” (Revelation Four Views-by Steve Gregg)

There are THREE basic views about the Christian Millennium.

1. Premillennialism – Is a belief that the 2nd Coming of Christ will happen BEFORE His Millennial reign.  Jesus and the saints will rule the Earth for a thousand years.  At the end of that time the Devil will be loosed for a brief time and then the final judgment and the new Earth and new Heavens will come.
2. Postmillennialism – Is a belief that the 2nd Coming of Jesus will happen AFTER the Millennial reign.  This position holds to the ideal that church and Gospel of Christ will be so successful in evangelism that it will bring about this 1,000 years of relative peace on the Earth. (note: not everyone will be a Christian, but society as a whole will be Christian)
3. Amillennialism – Is the belief that the 1,000 years in Revelation 20 is a SYMBOL for an “indefinitely long period of time”.   This “indefinitely long period of time” covers the time from the first coming of Christ until His second coming.  Those in this camp “find most of Revelation 20 (like most aspects of Revelation) to be symbolic not literal.” (Revelation Four Views-by Steve Gregg)

My observations: I’m going to be honest here and it might offend some people so beware.  I can’t believe Christians spend so much time and energy arguing or trying to prove their view point is right.  With all the hurting people and needs of the world I think we could spend our energy more wisely.  Don’t get me wrong, I like learning and discussing theology.  I believe that followers of Christ should love God with their minds as well as their hearts.  However, all three views hold to the same basic tenants:  Jesus is coming back; Christ will rule;  The saints will be with Christ; and the devil is defeated and God wins!

Which leads me back to my overall premise for the series blockbuster ENDINGS, “Are we asking the right question?”  Do we get so caught up in the specifics that we get distracted from the main reason God gave us the book of Revelation (so we could be prepared & hold on).  My humble opinion is that Revelation is primarily about about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  God loves us and pursues us.  Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and He’s coming back.  All wrong will be made right and humanity will be accountable for how they used their gift of life.  Death and evil are defeated and God and His people will be together forever.

Again, no matter what position you hold to my hope and prayer is that it causes you to love God and love others.

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Today’s post is a second in a three part series addressing the three issues (Tribulation, Rapture, and Millennium) I did not have time to cover in our message series called “blockbuster ENDINGS”.  You may want to read yesterday’s post first which will provide some background for this post as we look at the Rapture.

For those with none to little church background, the rapture is an event where followers of Jesus who are still alive on Earth are “caught up” in the air to meet Christ.  Depending on your overall view of when the 2nd Coming of Christ is will influence what you think about the rapture.

“The term rapture comes from the Latin word for the Greek term translated ‘caught up’. ” (Theology You Can Count On – Dr. Tony Evans)  In my research (by far not exhaustive) I believe the actual word “rapture” is not in the New Testament.  The belief for the rapture comes primarily from several passages: 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 24:39-41, and John 14:2-3.  1st Thessalonians 4:17 is the primary verse:  “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

OK, here’s where it get’s tricky.  Most all branches of the Christian faith believe that at some point those still alive on the planet when Jesus returns will meet Him.  The part that is in question and is debated is “when” it will happen and “where” Christ-followers will go?

Both the “when” and “where” question will be determined by what you believe about the 2nd Coming of Christ and His 1,000 year reign called The Millennium (will discuss this tomorrow).  Do you believe Christ returns before His Millennium reign?  If so, you as a group of people have 3 different views of when & where.

1. First view: Pre-tribulation – Christ will gather His followers to Himself and take us to Heaven where we will avoid the whole tribulation period.
2. Second view: Mid-tribulation – Christ will gather His followers to Himself and take us to Heaven and we will avoid the 2nd half of the  tribulation.
3. Third view: Post-tribulation – Christ will gather His followers to Himself and bring us to Earth after the tribulation has ended.

If you believe that Jesus’ 1,000 year reign is before His 2nd coming then your view typically would be:  That Christ followers will meet Jesus in route to His return and come back to Earth.

If you believe that Christ Millennial reign is symbolic for the time from His death on the cross until His return your view typically would be:  That Christ followers will meet Jesus in route to His return and come back to Earth.

My thoughts and observations:  My goal in this blog is not to sway you to believe what I do but to help you understand the different positions that Godly men and women have had over the centuries.  I used to hold to a very “American” and 19th century evangelical view of the rapture, but my view has changed over the years.  Like any other person I’m not fond of pain and would love to avoid “the tribulation” in any form.  However, in my journey with Jesus I’ve discovered that knowing “what’s” going to happen and “when” isn’t the most important thing.  While talking about “end-times” can be interesting and intellectually stimulating it can distract me from the real purpose of knowing I’m going to meet Jesus whenever He returns.  That purpose of knowing we will meet Christ when He returns is two-fold.  One, will you/I be prepared?  And two, in the middle of the harsh realities of life Christ promises to return and that you/I will get to be with him should inspires us and help us endure.

So no matter what you believe about the rapture, the real question is, “Does His promise of being together help you/I to follow Him better and to love Him more?”

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Hi…a couple of quick things.  First, WOW!  Do we have some amazing volunteers at SouthPoint Church!!!  Thank you for all you do to help make Sundays happen.  Second, sorry it’s been so long since my last post.  Life got busy, and I had to prioritize.

At SouthPoint we have been in a sermon series called “blockbuster ENDINGS” (click on title if you’ve missed and you can listen via podcast) which is about the book of Revelation .  This past Sunday I said, “I would discuss three areas about Revelation in my blog that due to time I couldn’t cover in the message.”   For churched people, three things that get a lot of interest and debate are the Tribulation, the Rapture, and the Millennium.

Before starting I would like to gently remind us all that there are people who are highly educated (much more so than me) and who love Jesus that see these three issues differently.  This is not a “Salvation” issue; this is a “how” issue.  A great book that I’ve been reading and using is called “Revelation – Four Views” by Steve Gregg which I highly recommend.  My goal is just to set out the basic information and not sway you to believe what I think.  One verse to keep in mind when studying an issue like this is Psalm 131:1-3.

What we come to believe about the Tribulation, Rapture, and Millennium will usually decide by how we view the whole book of Revelation.  Here are the four basic views (thanks Steve Gregg).  Each has their strengths and weaknesses.

• Historic – Revelation covers the time from the Apostles through current and till the end
• Preterist – Most of Revelation was fulfilled in past (fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD) Basically chapters 1-18 fulfilled, chapters 19-22 not yet
• Futurist – Most of Revelation hasn’t happened yet and is to come.  Basically chapter 1-4 fulfilled, chapters 5-22 will in future
• Spiritual/Idealist – Revelation is about “transcendent principles and recurring themes” for all ages.

The Tribulation: Often when talking about the book of Revelation many theologians and preachers include what Jesus had to say on the subject.  This is often called the Mount Olive discourse which can be found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17:20-37 & 21:5-36.  Please REMEMBER when reading that the disciple ask 3 specific questions: “When will destruction of temple take place?”  “What will the sign of your coming be?” (note the disciples probably believed that when temple was destroyed Jesus would come back at same time) “What will sign of end of age be?”  Note that Jesus doesn’t identify which question or the order in which He’s answering.

The foundation for the view of the Tribulation for most protestant evangelical Christians comes from the Gospels and Daniel more than from Revelation.  Matthew 24:21-22 ^“21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. ²²If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” The secondary source is Daniel references to the 70 weeks (click on 70wks for quick overview).

Here are the 3 basic idea’s about the TRIBULATION:

1. The “Tribulation” HAS already happened.  The siege, destruction, and desecration of the temple by the Roman armies in 70AD
2. The “Tribulation” IS happening.  Christ-followers will experience suffering and persecution in every age.  The time from the Ascension of Jesus till His return is the Tribulation.
3. The “Tribulation” WILL happen.  The Tribulation is a specific 7 year period just before return of Jesus where the Anti-Christ rules and there is unprecedented persecution for Christians and the world comes under supernatural judgment.

My thoughts:

Are we asking the right question?  Does God and Jesus give us information so we can know it or so we can do something with it?  For me personally knowing the details would be great, however I don’t believe that’s the point.  I believe the point is Jesus tells you and I the TRUTH – if we follow Him there will be trouble.  But, there’s good news!  Revelation tells us the Christ overcomes and that every tear will be wiped away.

I personally agree with parts from all three of the ideas about the Tribulation.  I believe that the Book of Revelation was written to a specific audience (the Early Church) for a specific purpose.  So, yes I think that the destruction of Jerusalem was a “tribulation” for the church.   I also accept as true that through ages the Church has experienced persecution and that the sin of Mankind has brought about brokenness in the world.   Lastly, before Christ returns I assume that there world will have a season where humanity experiences the consequences of it choices and it will not be pretty.

In closing; no matter what your view is on the Tribulation my hope is not that we got it right but that we’re prepared when we meet Jesus!

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The the word EXAMINE usually brings a negative image to our mind.  We’re reminded of school exams we had to pull all nighters for.  Or we remember physicals where some stranger under the label of exam poked and prodded us. And who can forget the visit to the dentist where someone is way too close to your face and stretches your mouth out to examine your teeth.  However,  I’ve recently realized that you and I EXAMINE a lot everyday that is NOT negative but positive.  Think about it…

We EXAMINE our:

• Ourselves in the mirror before we leave our home
• Bank account to make sure we have $$ to spend
• Our email so we don’t miss out on communication
• Our cellphones do we don’t miss out texts or call
• Our social networks like facebook to see what others are saying
• Media such as the TV, web, or newspapers to not miss out on whatever we think is important
• Our financial investments if you have them

The truth is we spend a significant amount of time examining things.  We’ll spend time examining reviews of restaurants,  products we want to buy, and which  vacation spot is the best bargain.

However, I wonder if we miss examining the MOST important thing you and I can look at…how we lived TODAY.

The truth is each DAY get’s our BIGGEST investment of one of our most limited resources TIME…and yet how we spent that investment rarely if ever gets examined.

I’m guilty as the next person, so I’ve decide to practice a habit that will help me examine each day.  I’ve created a SHORT list of questions that I’ll put in my journal and at the end of each day I will try to answer.

• Did I listen for urgings from God and did I obey when I sense He spoke to me?
• What did I do to practically love my wife and children today?
• Did my attitude and behaviors give proof that I’m being led by the Holy Spirit?
• Did my spending of money match the teachings of Jesus?
• Do I need to forgive another person or myself
• What am I thankful to God for about today?

These are my questions…what would your questions be? I wonder is there any truth to the quote, “An unexamined life is not worth living”

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Let’s be honest…have you ever been out at a restaurant or Wal-Mart and seen someone you didn’t really want to talk to?  The person isn’t bad;  either they talk too much or you’re just tired.  So what do we do?  Well, (being honest) I pretend like I don’t SEE them and I just keep on going hoping they don’t SEE me.  That’s where the phrase  “turning a blind eye”  comes from.  That statement means you can SEE but we CHOOSE not to and act like we don’t SEE.

I was reading in my 1yr Bible this morning, and I was struck by the fact that God sees! In Genesis 29:31 it says, “When The Lord SAW that Leah was not loved…” God did something.  In Matthew 9:36 it says, “When He (Jesus) SAW the crowds He had compassion on them…” God did something.  In Psalm 11:4 it says, “He observes the sons of Men: His eyes examine them.” God does something.

Now, you might be thinking, “Duh” of course God SEES and then responds.  It’s not the fact that God SEES that struck me.  It’s the fact that 5x’s in the first 10 chapters of Genesis God reminds US that WE are made in HIS image.  And here’s the question I asked myself this morning…

Do I see and then respond, because God created me in His image or do I pretend I can’t see so I won’t be inconvenienced? I wonder how many people you and I come across everyday hope to be seen but for whatever reason we “turn a blind eye”?

On the front page of the News today is a TRAGEDY of a massive earthquake that ripped through Haiti and leveled parts of that country! I wonder how those who follow Jesus will respond? I know the economy is tight, and that we can’t do EVERYTHING, but we can do SOMETHING!

I think partnering with a great organization like “Bright Hope” (please visit their web-site) is SOMETHING all of us can do – to SEE other human beings who are also made in the image of our Creator.

May both you and I SEE well today and all of our tomorrows….

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I was at a leadership training event at Granger Community Church in Indiana when the Sr. Pastor Mark Beeson made a comment I’ll never forget.  He said, “Everybody’s 12, and adults are not different.  They want to know, ‘Who else is going?’  Or, ‘Do you like me?’  And most of all everyone wants to hear an, ‘Atta boy’ or ‘Atta girl’.”

Too be honest my first thought was cynical, but as I reflected upon my own interactions with people I realized how TRUE that statement really is!

This truth was on display yesterday.  Now before I share the very quick story you need to realize I’m a 40yr old grown man who has been married for 15yrs with a couple of kids in 4th and 5th grades and have been in full-time ministry working with people for the last 12-15yrs.

Last night my oldest daughter Leah and I had our Taekwondo class that we take together. There happened to only be a couple of people in the class, 3 to be exact including myself.  So towards the end of the class as we were practicing our kicks the instructor was being very animated and exuberant with his praise and compliments.  In almost 6 months of classes he has rarely complimented me (that might say something about my skills) but for some reason last night he include me in.  Now I know and understand why he does that for the young kids, but for adults like me?

Here’s what’s funny, I noticed myself trying harder the more he complimented me.  Not only did I try harder I realized that I really enjoyed the class more.

Now as an adult I know I’m paying the guy to give me compliments, but did that matter – NO! Then it hit me…if a grown man like me enjoys and is motivated by praise and compliments by a guy I’m paying – it just shows the POWER that genuine compliments can have on a person.

I might be wrong about this, but I do believe, “Everybody’s 12″.  I believe that ALL of us are THIRSTY for compliments.  I don’t know if it’s our culture or the time we live in but it seems to be rare that we run into people who will water our souls with kind words.   All I know is if a grown man like me is motivated by the praises of someone I’m paying, what would it look like if we FREELY and REGULARLY gave our spouses, our children, our friends, and our coworkers who are around everyday encouragement and praise.  I wonder if anyone is in need of this kind of generosity?

So maybe today or sometime this week we can all be gracious and find something TRUE about another human being who is made in the image of their creator and give them a compliment.

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I recently saw a commercial for Domino’s Pizza.  The basic point was that Domino’s realized their Pizza’s weren’t as good as they should be and they needed to make a change. But why make a change, because they know unless the customer has a BETTER experience they’ll be out of business.

This got me thinking…how many of us would like a BETTER experience out of our daily lives?  I wonder how many of us look back at past days and ask, “could they have been BETTER?”

I’m at the start again of my 1 year Bible (I highly recommend – at SouthPoint we give them away for FREE!) and I noticed something while reading the creation account in Genesis 1.

Genesis describes a DAY as:  “…there was evening, and there was morning – the first day”

I’ve always thought about a DAY starting in the morning and then ending with the evening.  A typical “American” day is up at O:dark thirty-scarf down a cup of coffee for breakfast-commute to work-work late-commute some more- if you have kids chauffeur them to wherever they need to go-eat dinner on the run-collapse on the couch-watch TV to decompress-go to bed later than you should.  Then we repeat the process over and over again, and we wonder why our EXPERIENCE of daily life isn’t better than it is?

What if we were meant to life “daily” life differently?  What if our DAY began in the evening, which sets up how we will experience the following morning? I mean what would it look like if we STARTED our day in the evening:

• What if we COMMITTED to ending our work day at a reasonable hour – so that when we show up the next day we can be at our best
• What if we took time to CONNECT with our family, friends, and loved ones even for a 1/2 to an 1hour in the evening?
• What if we (and I know this might seem radical) LIMITED the amount of evening activities for the sake of the WHOLE family.
• What if at a reasonable hour we started to PRACTICE something that clears our mind and will allows us to get a good nights sleep?
• Practices: journal about your day, read with our kid, converse with your spouse, review you schedule, make a list of things you want to accomplish 2morrow, make a gratitude list…
• What if we decided there was NO t.v. show worth being a zombie the next day? (btw-there’s a thing called a DVR now)
• What if we went to bed at an hour that would give us the NECESSARY hours our bodies need to recuperate?

What if A BETTER EXPERIENCE of daily life is simple as beginning our day in the evening?

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The other day I was headed to the library, but I went the wrong way.  What happened was I had a million things on my mind and I unconsciously made the turn I normally take almost everyday – it just was NOT in the right direction.  Have you ever done something like that?

The truth is life is a lot like that.  We have the urgency of the “daily grind” in our face and sometimes when we stop and look up in our lives we ask, “How did I get here?”  The great news is God knew we would struggle with this and He gives us some excellent instruction in Psalm 90:12

I recently read a fantastic book that I highly recommend called “The Principle Of The Path” by Andy Stanley.  A couple of statements from the book I wrote down in my journal.

• “Are there DISCREPANCIES between what I DESIRE and what I’m DOING?”
• “It’s NOT intention but direction”
• “Each ACTION is a step that leads SOMEWHERE!”
• “In light of my past experiences and future hopes what’s the WISE thing to do?”

So here are a few questions that might be worth asking yourself before the New Year

1. Where do I think God would want me to be RELATIONALLY with others next year?
2. Where do I think God would want me to be PHYSICALLY next year?
3. Where do I think God would want me to be EMOTIONALLY next year?
4. Where do I think God would want me to be INTELLECTUALLY next year?
5. Where do I think God would want me to be SPIRITUALLY next year?

Lastly…to end up where we hope to be we must answer this SIMPLE question: What SMALL steps in the direction I want to go do I NEED to take?  May you end up where God wants you to be at the end of 2010.

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