Unsolvable Problems

Have you ever found yourself in a place where you had problems that seemed unsolvable? You’ve tried to work things out. You’ve prayed fervently. But there seems to be no answers or solutions. There is a principle in scripture that most of us wish wasn’t true, but it is… the principle is this: Pain precedes growth. In fact, you can’t have growth without pain.

Thru the pain of discipline, perseverance, and self-denial, we have great opportunity to grow in our faith, reliance and relationship with Christ. Just like every workout makes an athlete a little stronger, so every problem or temptation we endure makes us a little stronger. Peter says...(v. 7) These [problems] have come so that your faith...may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Next time you find yourself in this type of situation, remember these truths.

1. God is Faithful: He will not give us problems to match our strength--He gives us strength to match our problems. And He promises that His sstrength sufficient and available when we need it.

2. Every Problem Can Work Out For Our Best: Think of Joseph, sold by his own brothers as a slave, then unjustly accused of misconduct in Potiphar's household, he ended up alone and in prison in a foreign land. But it was these very events that led to his eventually becoming a ruler in Egypt. His life at one point seemed to be an unsolvable tragedy. But in the end, it worked out for the best and became one of the most inspiring stories in the Bible

No matter how bad things look, remember that God takes great pleasure in turning the tide in the course of our lives. And sometimes the way He does so is by allowing us to have problems we cannot solve on our own. But don’t forget His promises...

• Our God turned the curse into a blessing.(Nehemiah 13:2)

• The Lord your God...turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. (Deuteronomy 23:5)

• And we know that God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love Him...(Romans 8:28)

If you’re facing a storm that seems unsolvable, even if you’ve caused it yourself, the most important thing is not the storm but how you react to it. If you are a child of God, the storm is really nothing more than a rain delay--and God's promise is that eventually you will win the game. Yes, you will have problems in life that you can't solve. We all will. But those problems are temporary. And keep in mind that the problems we face are not meant to take the strength out of us, but to put strength into us.

Read More

About Sunday

A few thoughts on an incredible time of worship on Sunday.
1. Yes, the sermons over the past 3 weeks have been challenging, but I believe you are ready to step up to the plate and allow God to take us to the next level!!!
2. I did say that religious questions from church people make me want to puke! When are we going to understand the important things about what God has called us to be.
3. I never get tired of people's lives being changed. I can't tell you the number of folks that have told me this series has challenged and motivated them to serve.
4. Way to go 1st service!!! You continue to grow!!!
5. Next week we begin a new series in Habakkuk! I'm really looking forward to this Life Group study. I believe it will speak to a lot of us.
6. Thanks for your response to the Nicaragua Christmas gift drive. You guys are awesome! I know we're going to overwhelm the children down there with what you'll do over the next month!!!
7. Keep inviting your friends to church!!! Take the role of evangelism seriously... People are dying and going to hell without Jesus. Let's make a difference.
8. I hope after the past three weeks, the vision and mission of MVC is clear to everyone. I seriously believe this is what God has called us to do and be as a family of faith.
9. I love you guys and feel tremendously blessed to be your pastor.

Read More

What's holding you back?

I was catching up on some of the blogs I follow when I ran across something a friend of mine had posted. His name is Perry Noble and he is the pastor of Newspring Church in South Carolina. His story is incredible! It's amazing how God started with 15 people 10 years ago and grew Newspring to be a church of somewhere around 15,000 today! Yes, I said 15,000 and in the booming metropolis of Anderson, SC!!! The blog Perry posted was so relevant to the series we've been going thru that I just had to unashamedly rip it off and post it here!!!

WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK?
I don’t think people fall short of what God has for them because He isn’t revealing Himself…I think many do so because He does reveal Himself, but in Him doing so we are forced to face several things that MUST be overcame if we are going to achieve what He has for us…such as…
#1 Fear
If you don’t say “oh crap” when God reveals what He wants for your life…then you probably didn’t hear from God!
We will never become who God has called us to be and do what He has called us to do if we do not face our fears.
David faced his fear and stepped out to face Goliath.
Moses faced his fear of not being able to speak and went before Pharoah.
Noah faced his fear of not knowing how to build a boat
People that accomplish great things for God MUST fight through their fears because reality is than God has never asked anyone to do anything that was easy (other than receiving Christ!)

#2 People
When you want to do something great for God there will always be LOTS of people who try to tell you why you can’t do what HE said you can do! My advice…never listen to anyone who is not doing anything tell you that you cannot do anything. OR…in other words, NEVER take dance instructions from a person who just stands against the wall and does nothing but criticize those who are trying to stay in rhythm.

#3 The Procrastination Lie
I know so many people who swear than “one day” they are going to do what they “know” God has called them to do…but…”one day” for most people NEVER comes…because in their minds “one day” is when everything is in place and doing what God has called them to do does not require any step of faith at all.

“I will do it one day” is a lie that we tell ourselves in order to justify our disobedience. God doesn’t speak to hear Himself talk…His word is not to be considered but to be obeyed.

#4 Underestimation of Him Working Through You!
If God has called you then He has also equipped you and will sustain you. Of course the task at hand is large and seems “impossible,” that is why Zechariah 4:6 says it is by HIS Spirit and II Corinthians 12:9 says that HIS power is made perfect in our weakness!!! He didn’t call us because we are “able,” we are nothing more than common jars of clay (see II Corinthians 4:7) that He wants to use for HIS glory…and He has a history of taking ordinary people (Acts 4:13) and doing extraordinary things through them!

Read More

Persistence

As I think about the past few weeks and the mission God is laying before us, I pray that we follow His leading and don't give up on the dream. It's easy to have a pep rally and get pumped up about a plan, but when the rubber meets the road, many people lose their enthusiasm. My hope is that we will persevere. That we will be persistent at pursuing God's plan for MVC.
Seth Godin once said, "Persistence isn't using the same tactics over and over. That's just annoying. Persistence is having the same goal over and over."
I believe what Seth is saying is that persistence means that you have an unshakable focus on the goal, not on the strategies we use to get there.
Often times when we're not immediately successful, we want to trash the goal. How many times have you heard someone say, "We can't build a selfless community in our church; we can't have an effective discipleship ministry here; we can't grow as long as we're stuck in this location."
But the goal isn't what needs to be trashed. In fact, the goal probably doesn't need to be re-evaluated. It's the methodology of reaching the goal that needs to be "tweeked".
When God has given us a mission, that's our goal. And when we've nailed down that goal and incorporated it into our identity, we can't let it go. We may need to change our approach, but we must remain persistent to reach the goal. Goals, not methodologies, require persistence.
"I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us up to heaven." (Philippians 3:14)

Read More

About Sunday

What an incredible day of worship this past Sunday! I never cease to be amazed at how God shows up to meet with His people. Some of the things I observed:
1. Yes we did play Danger Zone for the opening of each service. I wish we could have played more than that to keep us reminded of why we exist - we are a Dangerous Church.
2. This Sunday we broke a record for attendance in the first service. In fact, over the month of August, our lowest attendance was 320... That's pretty awesome for summer!
3. We're getting ready to gear up again for LifeGroups! I'm excited about getting together again with our group and I hope you are as well!
4. I can't imagine what would happen if the church of today would become like the church in Acts chapters 4 and 5.
5. No matter what we think, the church is something that Jesus put into motion 2000 years ago. We might not like the idea, but it's the organization and organism that He chose to spread the Good News of His grace and love.
I can hardly wait to see how God is going to reveal His plan for Mountain View from here. It will take all of us! Let's not sit around and wonder what God's going to do next. Let's join together and ask God what He wants to do thru us next!
This coming Sunday, we're going to continue to look at the DNA of a dangerous church - a church that doesn't settle for the status quo, but presses the boundaries to reach the lost and hurting around us.
I love you guys and believe that there are much greater things to come in this city, this county and throughout Western North Carolina!!!

Read More

Bringing out the best

I read a great story this week about George and Barbara Bush. No - I'm not getting political here, just talking about real life! So, George and Barbara were on the campaign trail and stopped to get some gas. The attendant happened to be an old high-school sweetheart of Barbara's. George later told Barbara, "Just think. If you had married him, you'd be the wife of a gas-station attendant."
Barbara very quickly told him, "George, you're confused. If I had married him, he'd be president of the United States."
It's amazing how some people have the ability to bring out the best in others. Maybe Barbara Bush is one of these people, I don't know. But I do know that this is something all leaders, all parents, all husbands and wives must strive to do: Help others become what they can be.
Is it easy? Absolutely not! It's a difficult task to help others develop their potential. Paul compared it to childbirth. He said to the Galatians: "Oh my dear children! I feel as though I am going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives." (Galatians 4:19)
When it comes to building others, what's the difference between inspiring them and nagging them? The tone of voice you use is the first indicator.
The second indicator is the words you choose. Are they accusatory or encouraging? Do they imply doubt or belief in the other person's ability to reach the goal?
The third indicator is your willingness to hang in there with them. If you're constantly threatening to withdraw from the relationship, to wash your hands and walk away, you're not inspiring them -- you're loading them down with guilt.
Paul told the Philippians that he was confident God would finish what he started in them. [Philippians 1:6] Let's show that same confidence to those whom God has given us to lead.

Read More

IMPOSSIBLE? NOT!!!!


Jesus said, "With God, all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)

If we truly believe and trust in Christ, this principle should not be a problem for any of us to accept. In fact, it should be the driving force behind all of our ministry efforts. It's not enough to play it safe, reaching only for goals within our grasp. We should be bold enough and courageous enough to attempt things so huge for God’s glory, that unless he intervenes, we will fall on our faces.

Think about the goals and projects you're currently involved with. Are there any impossible things on the list? Is there anything beyond your reach? If not, maybe it's time to aim a little higher.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that all things are easy. Accomplishing the impossible will mean hard-work, persistence, determination, and faith. When you decide to pursue the impossible, however, you can also expect criticism, doubt, naysayers, and hurt.

I’m also not saying that all things will be immediate. Reaching worthwhile goals requires a long-term investment.

And neither am I saying that all things will be painless. Personal sacrifice is part of the process.

It may not be easy, immediate, or painless, but for those willing to step out in faith, be bold enough to trust God to do the impossible, and be willing to pay the price of perseverance, the reward will always be greater than the investment.

As Paul said..."Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)

So, what are you attempting that's impossible?

Read More

About Sunday

A few thoughts about our time of worship this Sunday.

1. I meant everything I said about God’s desire to see us blanket Black Mountain, Swannanoa Valley, and East Buncombe County with the love of Christ.

2. I want to ask each of you to memorize and put into practice the mission statement of MVC – “We exist to exalt Christ and share His love.”

3. The core values (principles) I spoke about yesterday are the guiding factors that direct our mission. I believe all of them are characteristics of all followers of Christ.

4. Worship is an innate expression of your heart if you have experienced the love, grace, and forgiveness of our Lord. And when we join together in corporate worship, something supernatural happens because God is present. And it’s in that environment that the Holy Spirit ministers to us and thru us and hearts are changed.

5. Nurture is a responsibility of those that have a saving faith in Jesus Christ. We teach and learn from each other the lifestyle of Christ, the promises of believers, the joy of serving the Lord.

6. Evangelism is simply telling others about what Christ has done in your life. Showing them, thru words and deeds, the hope that can be found in our Savior.

7. And the natural expression of a member of the family of God is to serve others. That’s what Jesus came to do – “to serve, not to be served.”

8. If we could somehow make these four principles, values that we live our lives by, this entire part of the state of NC would be turned upside down. And I am just bold enough to believe that can happen – starting right here!!!

9. If you weren’t “fired up” yesterday, you were probably asleep!!!

10. As always, it was good to welcome new people into the family of faith at Mountain View… Remember – you are owners, not just members. Members have rights; owners have responsibilities.

11. As you listened to the dreams I spelled out yesterday, maybe there is some area where you have contacts, passion, or the ability to help in this endeavor. If so, please let me know. It takes all of us.

12. A lot happened this weekend – especially at the Sourwood Festival. Thanks to the hundreds of you that showed up to serve and to help. We exalted the name of Jesus and shared His love with a lot of people!!! And the praise band rocked the stage!!!!!!! You guys truly let the love and passion you have for our Savior shine brightly in and thru you.

I am pumped about this series – I know it’s a short one (only 3 weeks) – but I know that God can do some amazing things here if we will only let Him!!!! Love you all!!!

Read More

Relevant Church

Tony Morgan—author, church strategist, and pastor of ministries at West Ridge Church in Atlanta—recently remembered a conversation he had with a denominational leader about the attributes of a declining church. Morgan remarked, “When I work with churches for the first time, sometimes they’re frustrated with me because I’m not willing to help them fix something specific...churches can become convinced that they know why their church isn’t growing.” Morgan said these five foundational aspects have to come first:

• Lack of mission and vision clarity
• Failure to define a concise strategy to help newcomers become fully devoted followers of Christ
• A complex structure
• Inward-focus with little connection to the community
• Weak leadership, especially in the senior pastor role

Morgan also said he was surprised by the number of churches that “would rather close their doors than make the necessary changes” to avoid decline. He concluded by saying churches unwilling to address these elements will not shift their decline, no matter how hard they try.

I have observed this myself in some of our neighboring churches. I was called one day to meet with the pastor and chairman of deacons of a church in our county that was just barely able to keep the doors open. They had heard about the growth and excitement surrounding MVC and wanted to see if we might be able to help them. After talking to the pastor for a few minutes, I discovered that church attendance on Sunday mornings averaged 12-13 attendees. And no one could remember the last time someone was saved or baptized. I shared with them the experiences we had gone through as a church and offered a few recommendations for change. But after sharing my opinion about how they could grow, reach their neighborhood, and attract new members, they completely refused to change the way they were doing things. Pretty sad, but unfortunately, it's reality for numerous churches around the world.

Folks, I pray that MVC never gets that way and refuses to change in order to reach the lost people around us. In fact, that's the reason we intentionally try to be different. Our focus is outward, not inward. We will do whatever it takes to remain relevant and realistic in our approach to ministry. Like Pastor Craig Groeschel once said, “In order to reach the people no one else is reaching we must be willing to do the things that no one else is doing.” But we can't rest on our laurels and stay where we are right now. If we do, our church can also easily get stuck in our methods, styles, and tactics and become a declining church of tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming series about church. We're going to take a look at the vision, strategies and mission of MVC and discuss how we will remain a relevant and growing church for years to come. I hope you're planning to join us and bring along a friend or two!!!
Love you all... kb

Read More

About Sunday

There's something exciting that happens to me whenever I walk into church and am met with smiling faces and words of encouragement and excitement about the upcoming worship service. Such was the morning this past Sunday!!!! I entered the building with great anticipation as to what God was going to do in our midst!!!
Not to be disappointed, things were truly amazing!!!
1. The time of prayer that the staff spends together each Sunday morning was a beautiful time of simply marinating in the presence of God.
2. When Jennifer and Nathan started leading us in worship, it was like the Holy Spirit swooped down and bore us all up on wings of eagles!!! God was definitely with us...
3. Rarely do I see the congregation moved as they were moved during this week's time of worship in song... That set the stage for a mighty work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
4. I am so looking forward to this coming Sunday when we have a discussion about the vision, mission and direction God is taking us...
5. I was thinking this past week... If each of us would just invite one friend to church, we would effectively double the attendance at MVC and cause a gigantic need to find a new place!!! Preferably one that is more visible and more easily accessible. Do you dare pray such a prayer?
6. God definitely wants to do greater and more glorious things in MVC... The question is: are you willing to join Him and do what it takes?
He has put us here to be more than a religious club that meets on Sunday mornings. We are here to make a difference in our world!!! Are you doing your part???
I look forward every week to worshiping with you. This week, worship Him each and everyday in everything that you do and when we come together Sunday - spill out the overflow of God's blessings in our time of corporate worship!!! I want to blow the top off of our building, don't you? I will become undignified if that's what it takes to be a true worshiper of God!!!!!!!

Read More

Realise and Embrace

Leaders need to realize and embrace these fundamental truths...
#1 – As long as we are listening to God…we will always have a word to speak! STOP worrying about the sermon!
#2 – Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him…and it takes faith to make adjustments that He leads us to make, both personally and in the church. (Hebrews 11:6)
#3 – He saved us, called us and PROMISED to never leave us! HE IS WITH YOU…RIGHT NOW…TODAY (see Jeremiah 46:28!) If He is with us…what do we have to fear.
#4 – We should find our identity in Christ and NOT in our ministry! HE called, equipped and will sustain us!
#5 – NOTHING is too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:27)
#6 – We should STRIVE to be the person that Isaiah 66:2 describes!!!
#7 – We should learn to rest and catch our breath instead of being compulsive and controlling…for in resting in Him our strength is renewed! (See Isaiah 30:15)
#8 – We’ve got to learn to follow the model of Jesus when we are unjustly attacked and criticized. (See I Peter 2:21-24!)
#9 – We’ve GOT to learn to receive the grace we so often tell others about…but secretly have a hard time receiving for ourselves. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
#10 – We’ve got to stop listening to the voices in our heads that are telling us that we suck, are no good and will never amount to anything! (Romans 8:1, II Corinthians 10:5)
#11 – We’ve GOT to keep going back to Joshua 1:9
#12 – We’ve GOT to have people around us who WILL speak TRUTH into our lives…even if it hurts. (Proverbs 27:6) We can’t listen to EVERYBODY…but if we listen to NOBODY then we (and the people we lead) are in trouble!

Read More

Baptism - De-baptism?

In light of the recent flood of baptisms at Mountain View Church (no pun intended), I thought I'd share this with you.... Edwin Kagin, national director of the American Atheists, conducted a mass “de-baptism” during a recent conference using a blow-dryer to symbolically “dry up the offending waters” that were sprinkled on the heads of participants during religious ceremonies as young children. Kagin said baptism and fundamental religious education “teaches children that the world works in other ways than it does” and even aligned it with terrorism and a weakening of the nation. Interestingly, Kagin’s son serves as a fundamentalist minister in Kansas, and Kagin himself cannot deny his son’s claims of a personal revelation in Christ. When asked about his son’s faith, Kagin admits, “I am totally unable to say it’s not true...(my son and I) just understand there are certain things we can’t, at this point, talk about.” Kagin says he sees the conflict between atheists and believers as “America’s religious civil war” and bad manners are a reasonable weapon in it, but he also said it was unlikely that atheists would emerge victorious: “There are far too many [believers].”
Man!! I hope we are part of the problem of leading more believers into the family of God!!! Folks, I believe we so soon forget that the vehicle thru which God spreads His Good News is the Church - The body of believers in Jesus Christ. Let's keep sharing the hope, grace and love that can be found in a personal relationship with Christ!!!!!!!!!!!!

Read More

About Sunday

I realize that I am late posting about Sunday's Worship Service. That isn't because Sunday wasn't an exciting time - in fact, it was very, very exciting.
1. I never get tired of baptizing new believers!!! I loved the way Laura introduced the young folks and shared a part of their lives with us.
2. I am always amazed at how the Holy Spirit shows up when God's people begin to worship Him in song... I guess I shouldn't be amazed though, He promised He'd be with us.
3. The No Fear series has finally come to an end. Many of you have met with me, sent me emails, FB messages, etc. sharing how God has spoken to your heart and you are going to do something in faith for Him!!! I can't wait to see what He is going to do in your life.
4. This week I'm going to share about "The Heart of Worship". Hope to see you there... we're going to get into the music part, the lifestyle part, and everything...!!!
5. The next series we're going to tackle is about the church, and will be followed by a study in Habakkuk!!! I'm looking forward to both of these topics!!!
6. LifeGroups will be cranking back up the first week in September. I believe we took too much time off during the summer. Look for a new structure in the coming year.
7. God is doing some GREAT stuff at MVC!!! I'm truly blessed to be on this "boat" with you all!!!

Read More