Critics.... What do you do with them?

How do you handle your critics?

In my capacity as pastor of MVC, I get criticized all the time – from church members, community members, and even other pastors. Sometimes it isn’t worth giving a second thought. But a good leader has a teachable spirit. He learns from criticism while not letting it deter his ministry.

Godly leaders don’t pretend to know it all. They accept constructive criticism, and try to learn from it. The Bible teaches in James 1:19, “My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry.” (CEV) When criticism comes, take James’ advice and listen. When you do, you’ll hold your temper and remain teachable.

How do you relate to a constructive suggestion? Do you get uptight or defensive?

Don’t consider the source; consider the suggestion.

Leaders don’t need to have all the answers. But many times, we should be concerned about leaders with all the answers. They are dangerous. The truth is, your biggest critics often help you out the most—unintentionally. They may mean to hurt you, but God can use that criticism to teach you and make you the kind of person He wants you to be.

Does that mean that you blindly accept all criticism? Of course not. Sometimes people are just mean. Ask God, “Is there something I can learn from this criticism?” But at the same time...

Never let a critic set your agenda. That’s God’s job. Never let a critic keep you from doing what God has called you to do.

Also, ask people you trust to help you evaluate your ministry. Put people around you who can give you their unvarnished perspective. People you can trust for honest input in your ministry are absolutely invaluable.

The Bible says in Proverbs 13:18: “If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored.” (NLT) Criticism isn’t always negative. It can often prevent great failures. I once read a sign that said: “I'd rather change my mind and succeed than have my own way and fail.”

That sounds about right to me.

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In One Accord

I took my car to the shop the other day for a new exhaust. The shop is only about 5 miles from my house. As I drove, I must have passed twenty churches. Baptist churches, Methodist churches, Presbyterian churches, Assembly of God churches, Lutheran churches, no name churches, you name it. Some of them were side by side. One thing I believe this points to is the fact that the Body of Christ is fragmented and not in one accord. Imagine what could happen if we were to get on one accord. We could reach the whole world. Unfortunately, at the moment, we’re not walking in unity.

We don’t agree on salvation. We don’t agree on the "infilling" of the Holy Spirit. We don’t agree on water baptism. We don’t agree on worship, etc. There are all kinds of misinformation and false teaching in so many churches today. And it’s keeping the “Church” divided while people are dying without hope and going to hell.

Ephesians 4:11 says, 11 and he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of god, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
So the Word says that it’s possible for us to come to the unity of the faith. We can get in one accord. That’s God’s will. The problem is, however, that too many of us Christians are not lining our will up with the will of God. We have our own agendas. And, so we fuss and we fight and argue and have foolish dissensions. The Word of God is not something by which we live our lives. We adhere more closely to traditions and personal preferences. We want a “feel good religion”. That’s one reason so many in the Body of Christ are running to healing conferences and prosperity conferences any number of other conferences. Why? Because they don’t have the Word within them to be their source of life and truth.
They keep looking for something or someone to give them a “feel good” jolt. And as a result, they’re tossed to and fro with every little different thing we hear. They think, "whatever's hot right now in the Body of Christ. That's where I'm at." And all the while, the body of Christ is fragmenting and breaking apart.
But as Bob Dylan once sang, “The Times They Are a Changing”. I see a new awakening with this generation today. They don’t have any hang-ups. They don't care about color or what you look like. They are turning away from denominational dogma and simply seeking to know Jesus and make Him known. They are seeking a fresh awareness of the Holy Spirit and taking God at His Word. I believe reaching the unity of the faith and experiencing healing and wholeness is going to start with these young people. They’re not hung up on tradition, they just want to get you saved.

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About Sunday

First of all I want to apologize for not updating my blog as frequently as I would like. I have been experiencing difficulties logging in to my account and posting over the past several weeks. Hopefully we'll be able to work things out for the future.

Sunday! What a day! I still believe that this series gets "gooder and gooder" every week. Wonderful things are happening in the LifeGroups and I encourage you to share your stories with me. You can send them to kevin@mvc.cc.

1. We had 11 more folks cross the line and become followers of Jesus!!! That pumps me up!!! That's 37 in the month of April!!! God is working mightily in this place.

2. Never underestimate the power of a kind word. Last week I ran into a young man at the VA Hospital who was experiencing a terrible time. He was angry, bitter, fighting addiction, confused, and having alot of family problems. I spoke with him and told him I would be praying for him. I also invited him to church. Well, he attended the 11:00 am service this weekend, and accepted Christ as his Savior!!! What a joy to see God at work!!!

3. Yes, I did say that I prayed for texters, talkers, yawners, and etc. in the church to be stricken with uncontrollable gas!!! Beats the alternative - dont you think? (You have to hear the message to know the alternative.)

4. It was great to see a good number of the new believers come forward at the end of the service and receive discipleship materials. I believe this step is going to greatly enhance the spiritual growth of those that are newly saved.

5. I never cease to be amazed at the college students that attend our church. Can you believe that we have 12 students that drive all the way from Mars Hill College to join us? That's totally awesome!!!

6. As always, the college band rocked the house!!! I believe we have the most incredible worship teams in the world! You guys rock!!!

7. I hope you are all in a LifeGroup and studying Life's Healing Choices. If you're not, you're missing something incredible. Get involved! See Foster Massey about how to sign up.

Hope all of you have a wonderfully blessed week!!!

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About Sunday

What a wonderful day of worship at MVC this weekend! I never get tired of gathering with all of you to fellowship, praise, worship, and learn from our Lord. A few things I noticed about yesterday:

1. We had people cross the line again this weekend and make the decision to follow Jesus! I never get tired of that. That makes 28 so far this month! Praise the Lord!!!!

2. I was refreshed by this second step in Life's Healing Choices - The Hope Choice. It is true that we are loved by the God who knows everything about us, yet He still loves us unconditionally!!!

3. I'm amazed at how the children's ministry continues to grow!!! The children's theater is packed every Sunday, and the nursery is overflowing.

4. Because of number 3 above, we have a dire need for volunteers to help out with our nursery. Right now, we have some folks that are serving in that ministry at least every other Sunday. I know there are more parents out there who NEED TO VOLUNTEER to help. In fact, I believe that if you have a child in this ministry, you SHOULD be on the rotation to help or your kids ought to be in church with you. Sorry if you disagree, but that's the way I see it - period.

5. We have a HUGE baptism service coming up soon! If you haven't got your name on the list yet, call Foster and let him know.

6. Great attendance this weekend as well. It's always good to see the building packed out!!! Keep inviting your friends!!!

7. I want you to be in prayer about something with me: I truly believe that as long as we are following Christ and His plan and purpose for MVC, we're not going to be able to contain all the folks who will come. In fact, we often have "drive-offs" on Sunday morning now - people come but can't find parking so they drive off. I want us to start praying that God will provide a place that will be large enough to sustain the growth that's getting ready to happen.

8. Keep participating in your LifeGroups. As I said this Sunday, we have approximately 350+ adults and children currently involved!!! That's amazing!!!

Hope you all have a blessed week. I am so tremendously blessed to serve you. Keep looking up - Jesus is coming soon!!!

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Assembling together

As a believer, you were designed to do incredible things for God and to change the world, but you have to be connected with other people who want to do the same thing. In Hebrews 10:25, the Bible gives us specific instructions: "Don't you dare quit going to church! Don't you dare stop getting together with people who have a like mind and a like faith.

This is an important point for all of us today. A lot of people say, "I can't really make it to church. My job--my sports, my hobby, my whatever--interferes with my church and youth group." But, you have to surround yourself with people who love God and are going after God in the same direction. The Bible calls it fellowship.

A lot of pastors, especially youth pastors, are really discouraged today. They work their heart out, yet the people don't seem very committed. We plan a retreat or some other activity. We announced it Sunday after Sunday, but when it comes time for the activity, no one comes. The teenagers were more committed to a school activity or sport than they were to their youth group--people with whom they are going to heaven and spending eternity.

As a follower of Christ, we need to turn that reputation around. You need to be the kind of person who says, "I know God has plugged me in here. God has a plan and a reason for my being here. I'll not commit to just Sundays. But every time that there is an opportunity for me to grow, I'm going to be here."

Does that mean you have to be there every time the doors are open to church? No. But at the very least, be committed to the regular services and special events that your pastor and youth pastor have going so that they know who you are.

Don't be an airhead floating around saying, "I have my Bible and my study manual, and I'll do my own thing." If you are committed to the Lord, then there ought to be other people around you who know about your commitment to the Lord and who can help you grow.

Maybe you have done some things that show a lack of commitment to your pastor or youth pastor. I want you to take a moment and think about anything you may have done to show that lack of commitment. Take some time this week to ask your youth pastor and pastor to forgive you for anything you have done to make their jobs more difficult.

Think of some things that you can do that will show your commitment to meet with other Christians. How can you show that you have determined that you will not allow yourself to get out of the habit of meeting for worship? Don't be a flighty, air-headed, haphazard Christian who floats in now and then.

Scripture Of The Day: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV)

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Turf-Toe

When I played football in college, we had an astro-turf field – the old kind, not the new kind. One ailment that players would often have was what is called “Turf-Toe”. And it usually happened to the big toe or the little toe. It felt as if your toe was broken and it threw your whole body off balance. Most of us wouldn’t think that, but I’ve experienced it first hand. Our toes may be some of the smallest parts of our body and we may take them for granted, but they really do help us keep our lateral balance.

That sort of reminds me of some members of the church who feel like they have no part, or feel like they’re useless. But according to the Bible, every Christian has been called to so something in the Body of Christ.

In the eyes of God, there are no “big” and “little” Christians. You may feel like a toe and that you aren’t really needed. But just like “Turf-Toe” throws off your balance … a broken or missing part of the Body of Christ throws off our spiritual balance.
Don’t take it for granted what God has placed inside of you to do. And don’t be jealous of what someone else may be doing … you too have an important role and responsibility!
If God has called you to be a greeter ... don’t blow it off. Somebody needs that hug that you will provide. You could very well be the vessel that God uses to change someone’s heart. If you’ve been called to serve in the coffee shop... Don’t think that’s an unimportant role. You may encourage someone who is discouraged or depressed. They thought no one cared, and you reached out to them.
If you’ve been called to work in the nursery, don’t take that for granted. Don’t be selfish either about sitting every in every service while your kids are in the nursery or children’s church. You could be the difference in someone’s child being a future leader instead of dropping out of school and living a life of drugs and alcohol.
We have ALL been called to play a part … what’s yours? If you don’t know... Seek God about it and then walk in it. If you do know, don’t sit around waiting for someone else to do it.

"For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another." - Romans 12:4-5 NKJV

(Inspired by Tanya James)

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The Top Ten Signs Of A Dying Church

10. There’s plenty of parking near the building for weekend services.

9. You can always get your favorite seat, or simply ask who is sitting in it to move.

8. The music is always familiar, and never too loud.

7. The pastor has been in everyone’s home, and knows everybody’s name.

6. You are never asked for money.

5. Phrases like, “We’ve never done it that way before,” “I’m not being faithless, just realistic,” “Why pray? God’s gonna do what God’s gonna do,” “If God wants His church to grow it will grow – we don’t have to do anything,” and “They really should do something about that” are common refrains.

4. You can be confident that whatever change there is will be incremental, insignificant, and will only happen with your direct input and approval.

3. There aren’t any of those left-leaning, evolution-believing, gay-marriage supporting, Harry Potter reading pagans daring to attend; just the pro-family, Christian-radio listening, fish-sticker wearing, big-Bible carrying types. (In other words, we're not reaching anybody but the comfortable Christians)

2. The Bible is seldom taught in ways that are uncomfortable or challenging.

1. It is always about you – getting fed, getting ministered to, with services evaluated by what you get out of it.

Serious Times

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7 Reasons to Tithe - Part 7 of 7

Sorry for such a long time since my last post. For some reason, my blog site has been down all week. Fortunately, however, it's back up this evening. First of all, I want to wish each of you a very blessed Easter! Because Christ has risen, we can have eternal life!

And now, for the last installment regarding tithing... part 7 of 7... Proving and Strengthening Our Faith

Finally, in our giving we should press toward the tithe and beyond because it will prove and strengthen our faith in God promises.

There is an absolute correlation between faith in the promises of God and peace of mind in giving away what we may think we need but don't. Hebrews 13:5 puts it like this: Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; [why? because of a promise] for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you."

Every time you doubt that you can live on 90% of your income, let the glorious promise of God strengthen your faith: "My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

What tithing boils down to is a faith issue. Do we trust God's promises? I appeal to you, trust God. He will never fail or forsake you. He will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory. You can trust Him my friend.

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