PROFILE OF THE LUKEWARM

Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe ‘good Christians’ do, so they go. (Isaiah 29:13)

Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church… as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? (1 Chron 21:24, Luke 21:1-4)

Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. (Luke 6:26, Rev 3:1, Matt 23:5-7)

Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. (John 10:10, Rom 6:1-2)

Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for ‘extreme’ Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call ‘radical’ what Jesus expected of all his followers. (James 1:22, James 4:17, Matt 21:28-31)

Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbours, co-workers or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. (Matt 10:32-33)

Lukewarm people gauge their morality or ‘goodness’ by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. (Luke 18:11-12)

Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives. (Luke 9:57-62)

Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors, missionaries and radicals. (Matt 22:37-38)

Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focussed on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached. (Matt 5:43-47, Luke 14:13-14)

Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go, or how much time, money and energy they are willing to give. (Luke 18:21-25)

Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focussed on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they consider the life to come. Regarding this, C. S. Lewis wrote, ‘If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.’ (Phil 3:18-20, Col 3:2)

Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, ‘Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only the love of money is.’ Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel ‘called’ to minister to the rich; very few feel ‘called’ to minister to the poor. (Matt 25: 34, 40, Isaiah 58:6-7)

Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the base minimum, to be ‘good enough’ without it requiring too much of them. They ask, ‘How far can I go before it’s considered a sin?’ instead of ‘How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?’ They ask,….’ (1 Chron 29:14, Matt 13:44-46)

Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and taking risks for God. (1 Tim 6:17-18, Matt 10:28)

Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens – they have their saving account. They don’t need God to help them – they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live – they have life figured and mapped out. They don’t depend on God on a daily basis – their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. (Luke 12:16-21, Amos 6:1)

Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitised lives with holiness, but that couldn’t be more wrong. (Matt 23:25-28, Matt 7:21)

Scripture Memory:
1 Chronicles 29:11-12 (ESV)
¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.
¹² Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Action Step:
Surrender everything to God, Listen to His voice and follow through!

Random Thoughts:

I am so thankful for what God has done in and through Church at the Grove over the last 3 years but it is time to look forward to what God has in store for Church at the Grove in the future.

Yesterday, we launched ADVANCE 09, a Faith Initiative that will prepare us spiritually and financially for the next phase in the life of Church at the Grove.  It will allow for 5 specific things in the life of Church at the Grove.

1. We will transition our Sunday gatherings in January 2010 to the 450 seat auditorium at the new Walnut Grove High School in the community of Walnut Grove. 
2. We have had a heart and vision for the community of Social Circle since the very beginning of Church at the Grove.  The ADVANCE Faith Initiative will allow Church at the Grove to launch a Sunday gathering in the community of Social Circle set for teh fall of 2010. 
3. The ADVANCE Faith Initiative will allow Church at the Grove to begin setting aside finances specifically for a piece of land in the Walnut Grove area.
4. The ADVANCE Faith Initiative will allow us to consider an additional staff member to facilitate future growth in the life of Church at the Grove.
5. We plan to set aside a portion of our ADVANCE Faith Initiative funds specifically for the mission projects in our local community and for the partnerships we have developed for global missions.

I am asking our church to do three things during this Faith Initiative over the next two months. 

• Surrender
• Pray
• Follow Through

It has been an incredible ride over the past 3 years, but it is time to look forward. 

We have worked together to complete a complete Home Makeover on a home in our Walnut Grove community! 

We have witnessed almost 100 people turn to follow Jesus as a result of God’s work through Church at the Grove! 

We have serve countless meals to Youth Middle School teachers, Walnut Grove High School teachers, Walnut Grove Elementary School teachers, Athletic Teams, Foster kids and families and many more groups. 

We have Loved Loganville!

We have baptized around 75 people!

We have had part in planting over a dozen churches in 3 years! 

We started with about 50 people, Launched with 183 and now average over 300 people in attendance in our Sunday gatherings. 

We will have over 100 adults in Community Groups this fall!

Our students have packed and served lunches in Monroe, loved and ministered to children in backyard Bible Clubs, helped clean up after Katrina in Mississippi, served people in New Orleans and reached out to their friends on Wednesdays at the CLC!

We initiated and facilitated a complete Home Makeover for a family in Walnut Grove that now attends Church at the Grove! 

We have partnered close to 100 children with local heros and helped make their Christmas something to remember!

We soon will take part in sending two families across the globe to help people find their way back to God through Jesus.  We look for partnerships to carry Jesus across the globe!

We have partnered with a local organization “Resurrecting Hope” to help make a difference in the lives of the homeless at the Atlanta Union Mission. 

We have loved and supported local Teachers and Educators in our community.

We have consulted and provided leadership to numerous church planters and leaders locally and nationally. 

We have only just STARTED! 

Don’t miss the next three years!

People still ask why I (we) would start a church when there are plenty of churches in this community and all over the United States.  The overly simplistic answer to this question is “to fulfill the Great Commission here in our community and all over the world.”  What does this mean and how does it play out in planting a local church in a community that has many other churches? 

Ed Stetzer, in his book Planting Missional Churches, shares with us some amazing statistics related to the “church-to-population ratio” in the United States.

• In 1900, there were 28 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
• In 1950, there were 17 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
• In 2000, there were 12 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
• In 2004, the latest year available, there are 11 churches for every 10,000 Americans. 

You can easily begin to see the need for starting new churches simply by looking at the lack of new churches started to keep up with the explosive population growth!  That does not even take into consideration the number of churches that close their doors every week because they have lost the ability to have influence in the lives of people in their community.  Churches are dying every week and their needs to be new churches birthed in communities that can reach people with the gospel of Jesus.

NOW, consider that the existing churches in many communities are doing a good job at assimilating those “already convinced” Christians by providing good children’s, youth, and adult programs that keep everyone busy and happy.  Many existing churches have either never had any influence or they have lost their ability to influence the people in their community who are “unconvinced”, “disconnected” or “unchurched”.  We know that 85% or more of those people in their 20’s and 30’s do not go to church anywhere.  The percentage of people that do not go to church increases with each younger age group and generation. 

Here is the question?  How are we (Jesus Followers) going to reach these younger generations that will not ever step into an existing church that focuses more on the “already convinced”? 

We must start new churches that can be “laser focused” on taking Jesus to these younger “unconvinced” “people groups”!

That is why Church at the Grove exists!  We started Church at the Grove to reach out to “those least likely to go to church”!

That is why we will not accept doing church for:

• People that are currently unhappy at their church.
• People that simply want more contemporary music.
• People that like wearing jeans and leaving their shirts untucked.
• People that want a new environment for their children.
• People that want “cool” teaching with pastors that build brick walls and throw skittles around.
• People that want to come and sit and do nothing to help us reach disconnected and unconvinced people.
• People that want to shop churches until they can find where they can be fed.
• People that have no intention to serve and get involved.

We will be laser focused on the mission that God gave us in the beginning:

We exist to develop people who follow Jesus and Make Disciples.  We want to be intentional in going after those people that are the least likely to go to church.  We will create environments where people can explore faith at their own pace.  We encourage relationships through community groups and we will BE IN OUR COMMUNITY to start discussions that lead to sharing the hope found in Jesus!

Check out this post from a while back and ask God to create a passion and a compassion in your heart for unconvinced people.  Ask God to show you where He wants you to be to maximize your gifts and influence for His Kingdom!

Be thankful for the person, people, and/or the church that influenced YOU toward Jesus and then get out of your “church bubble” and walk across your street, room, neighborhood or community to talk to someone about Jesus!

I just about came unglued!  I felt like Bobby Cox probably feels when he comes out of the dugout after an umpire clearly misses a call on the field.  It was all I could do to keep my composure, but because I am a good pastor and want to stay in the good graces of the people in this community, and largely because I don’t want to go to jail, I kept my composure and have waited until now to fully address the comment.  To that person who doesn’t cross paths with “those people”:

• ‘Those people’ are created in the image of Almighty God.
• ‘Those people’ simply need to hear that their creator loves them and created them for a relationship with HIM.
• ‘Those people’ are who Jesus Christ died for on the cross.
• ‘Those people’ are all potential children of God.
• ‘Those people’ are dependent on YOU to authentically and genuinely show them the true character of Jesus Christ.
• ‘Those people’ are why I, Craig Story, and more than a dozen families left the secure confines of a wonderful, established church home to launch Church at the Grove.
• ‘Those people’ are why we will resist the distractions of becoming a “comfortable” church that exists for those inside the church rather than those outside the church.
• I used to be one of “those people” and if it wasn’t for a brother inviting me to his church and a host of ‘church people’ who opened their arms to this “those people”, I would not be a Christ-follower, much less a church-planting pastor. 
• God loves “those people”.
• We all were one of “those people”. 

Now, to the person who made that statement:  If you are not willing to get off your lazy, affluent-American Christian, “I need another Bible study”, “I don’t give a rip about people dying and going to hell” BEHIND, then politely take the fish off your car and turn in your tithing envelopes! 

Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost.  Check out Luke 19:10.  What was lost was a connection with HIS prized creation on earth: HUMANITY! 

Charles Spurgeon said that if all of the elect had a stripe painted down their back, he would spend his life running up and down the streets pulling up shirt-tails and sharing the gospel. (paraphrased)

If we can’t get that simple truth and apply it to ALL that we do as the CHURCH, we simply need to close up shop and go home.

Whew!  Man I feel better!  Have a nice day!  Oh, and go walk across your office, street, or neighborhood and have a conversation with one of “those people”. 

• Authentic Relationships

Among the characteristics of the Buster (Gen-X) and Bridger (Millennial) generations is the longing desire for meaningful and accepting community.  Church at the Grove desires to be a community of acceptance and belonging for those outside the faith.  Christ places such an emphasis on our relationships with one another that He makes them the litmus test of true spirituality.  It is amazing and challenging.  Clearly, He meant for our relationships to each other, and our willingness to serve each other to be the greatest apologetic of the Christian faith.  Huge Groves of red cedars dot the western coast of the United States.  From a distance they appear tall and sturdy and strong.  But underground, their roots are shallow.  When  one falls, others often follow.  The only thing that holds up these majestic trees is that they lean on each other.  Their branches literally reach out and touch one another.  Their roots intertwine and support one another.  Not one of them can stand alone.  The journey of life is too difficult to make alone!

• Intentional Simplicity

One of the unique characteristics of Church at the Grove is found in our intentional effort to accomplish more by doing less.  This focus on simplicity will empower us to do the few things we do with excellence, and empower individuals and families to pursue missional ministries in their neighborhoods and circles of influence.  We will seek to maximize the time of individuals and families by maintaining a very simple calendar so they can use their time effectively to impact their community. 

• Faithful Stewardship

Stewardship is defined by how Time, Talent, and Treasures are handled.  Church at the Grove will seek to manage God’s resources with integrity and balance.  In addition, we will seek to lead people to faithfully manage their valuable resources in ways that honor God and most effectively fulfill His purpose. 

We launched a church, CATGrove, a year ago.  In light of being into this endeavor for one year, I have been reflecting on our vision, mission, and strategy.  We have six core values (or ministry filters as we like to call them).  These filters are in place to help us focus and say “NO” when necessary.  Everything we do “filters” through these values.  I will post 3 today and 3 in the next day or two.

Biblical Faith

God has revealed himself through the Living Word of Jesus Christ and through the written Word of Scripture.  The first and most important filter is the Bible.  We receive the scriptural mandate to take the gospel to all people from God’s Word.  Matthew 28:18-20  It is the final authority on matters of faith and practice for the ministry of Church at the Grove.  While our methodology may be non-traditional, it will be filtered through the value of Biblical Faith.

Persuasive Compassion

Matthew records Jesus moving through the towns and villages teaching and healing the sick.  He states that upon seeing the crowds, “Jesus was moved with compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36)  Compassion can be defined as being moved deeply to the point of hurting in your stomach for someone’s plight and pain.  Compassion doesn’t stop there but responds with action toward those in need.  Compassion is “simply being broken to the core to the point of action”.  Persuasive Compassion is an intentional response to those in need for the purpose of bringing them to Christ.  The first generations born and raised in a post-Christian culture will need persuasive compassion from a community of Christ-following believers. 

Missional Responsibility

We desire to fulfill the mission God has given the Church. See here; and here and here. In both Old and New Testaments we encounter a God who is on a redemptive mission in the world.  In fact, we are astounded at the lengths to which God will go in pursuit of his mission to redeem the crowning achievement of his creation — people.  In North America, the term “mission” has been associated with either sending called people to other parts of the world or giving financially toward reaching others around the world.  With the United States now being among the largest mission fields in the world, and the fact that there are now multiple generations born and raised in a post-Christian culture, we must address the need for churches to think “missionally” in a local context.  What if each individual believer and household could see their home as a “base” for missional operations to reach the entire neighborhood for Jesus?  This is a core desire for Church at the Grove!

If our MISSION is to develop people who follow Jesus and Make Disciples, HOW will we accomplish our mission?  If the church has taken a simple mission (the Great Commission), and made it overly complex, how can we accomplish the mission and yet keep it simple? 

Here is HOW we will accomplish our MISSION to develop people who follow Jesus and Make Disciples:

• We will Create Environments where people can explore faith. 

Our primary environment is created at our Sunday morning Gatherings at Youth Middle School and includes services at 10am and 11:15am.  We believe it should be Christ-centered and biblically-focused.  It includes dynamic and relevant music and it is a fun and engaging environment.

• We will Encourage Relationships, primarily through Community Groups that will meet in homes and other locations for the purpose of discipling followers of Christ and connecting with unconvinced people.  We believe that spiritual growth happens best in the context of relationships.
• We will Start Discussions in the community that lead to sharing the hope found in Jesus. 

We will intentionally engage our circles of influence as individuals and as a community of faith through acts of kindness and meeting practical needs.

This is it!  This is how we will accomplish the mission God has given us.  No More-No Less!

We want to lead people to Explore Faith, Encounter Community, and Extend the Love of Jesus to their world.

Explore, Encounter, Extend

Got it!  Now go do it!

What is the mission of our church?  First, we must ask, “What is the Church?”  The church is not a building, a piece of property, a club, or an address.  The church is people who follow Christ!  See this POST for further explanation……

There is a cultural expectation that has evolved in America that demands the “unchurched, disconnected, and unconvinced” people to “come to us”.  Credibility is given to a “church” when it has property, building and sign out front and there is an often unstated expectations for people to simply “show up”. 

When many Christians in our culture hear the word “mission” they picture someone “going” somewhere to share the message of Jesus.  Rather than “going” to share Jesus with our friends here in America, we have reduced “mission” to expecting people to come to us on our terms.

The mission of CATGrove is to develop people who follow Jesus and Make Disciples.

We have chosen the main avenue to complete our mission to be initiating conversations with people IN THE COMMUNITY!

I spent much of a summer with a friend preparing to go to central Asia to live in a village where people have never heard about Jesus.  He left his life of comfort to go live in a village where he will develop relationships with the purpose of sharing Jesus of the Bible with the people there.

We should look at our neighborhoods, circles of influence, school districts, sports communities, etc as our “villages” where we GO to build relationships and start discussions that lead to the hope found in Jesus.

Here’s deal:  Everyone who ends up in a church gathering on Sunday has been invited!  To accomplish our mission we must INVEST in friendships and relationships, cultivate TRUST and CREDIBILITY, and then INVITE them to connect with others in our community of faith called Church at the Grove!

Now get out of your chair and walk away from your computer and WALK ACROSS THE STREET to talk with someone!

Satan entered the room!  One child spoke to the other, “You’re mean!”  the other responded, “Why don’t you shut your mouth!”.  I turned to gently speak to them (yeah, right!) and before I could say anything, my wife from the next room spoke, “Before they are able to play with their friends in the neighborhood, they must first treat one another with love and respect!”  You go girl!  That was great advice!

I then got up to began cooking breakfast for our family and the new neighbors next door.  YES, I said ‘I’ began to cook!  While I was cooking I began to think about what my wife said regarding our children’s behavior toward each other.  She stated, “Before you can play with your friends in the neighborhood you must first treat one another with love and respect.”  I could not help but think of what Jesus said to His disciples:

John 13:34-35 (NIV)
³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
³⁵ By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

As this revelation unfolded in my mind, I immediately called my 9 year old son and my 5 year old daughter to my side and I began to explain that God has called us to live a “missional” example to the people in this neighborhood and we must love each other as an example of Jesus’ sacrificial love toward everyone in the neighborhood.  My 5 year old responded, “Are the pancakes ready yet?”  I don’t think she got it.

But I did!  Often the church loses its voice to those outside the church simply because it hasn’t learned to exhibit and demonstrate God’s love within the confines of the CHURCH, much less outside the church.  The people outside the church (the unchurched, dechurched, non-Christian, pre-Christian) simply can’t buy into a message that the messengers themselves do not live by within their own family. 

My wife and I (and hopefully our children) see our 105 home neighborhood as our personal mission field.  We probably won’t be successful in sharing the love of Christ with our neighbors if we are at each other’s throats all the time.  (Hopefully when we have ‘intense fellowship’, we can do so in a manner that it will not be on display for the neighborhood to see.)  DON’T YOU SEE IT?  If we can show an “unusual” love for one another, people will take notice.  As they take notice of our “unusual” love and care for one another, then they will not only take notice, but listen to THAT which has provided for our “unusual” love and care for one another.

That is the way it should work with the BODY OF CHRIST, the Church.  As we show and demonstrate unity and “unusual” care and love for one another it will make our MESSAGE BELIEVABLE.

Take some time and read what Jesus said in the gospel of John chapter 13 and 17! 

May we show and demonstrate an “unusual” love and care for one another in such a way that people will LISTEN to what we have to say about Jesus’ “unusual” love and care for them!