O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that He might destroy the worlds of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life; Grant that, having this hope, I may purify myself as He is pure; that, when He comes again with power and great glory, I may be made like Him in His eternal and glorious kingdom; where He live and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, You are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve; Pour upon Your church, the abundance of Your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, and ever. Amen.

O God, You declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant me the fullness of your grace, that I, running to obtain Your promises, may become a partaker of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, on God, forever and ever. Amen.

Grant that I, Lord, may not be anxious about earthly things, but love things heavenly; and even now, while I am placed among things that are passing away, hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule my heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. 

Joiner makes the point that “when you elevate community, you do something that nothing in culture can match,” (p. 196). He starts out be saying how when he was at North Point Church that they, even as they grew, and were able to spend more money on environments and productions, that the church could never compete (nor were they trying to) with the rock concert that came to town at the nearby major venue. The promoters of the rock concert could spend millions compared to their thousands. Joiner writes, “You will never out produce Hollywood or Disney. You will never create a production or have a band that will compare with what the world can do” (196).

He’s right, and I love what he has to say next:

“But here’s the good news: Culture can never outdo church with respect to creating community. No matter how much the culture tries to mimic community by creating false environments and shallow relationships, the culture can never be a consistent, personal presence in the lives of parents and children. Creating community is something every church can do regardless of size or budget simply by placing another consistent adult in the life of every child and student in your ministry. When this happens, children and students know they have a place where they can have a safe and meaningful spiritual discussion with an adult who cares. When that happens, nothing can compete.

…. When we focus on creating community, kids subconsciously recognize that value and move into adulthood knowing that community is something they need and want. If you believe in community, everything you do should move children and teens into the context of a small group where they can experience life change” (197).

I have heard church leaders say that the church needs to be in competition with the culture, and that if the church is going to reach unchurched people, we need to match or outdo Disney, Nickelodeon, and the rock concert that can spend millions to put on their show. I respect these leaders desire to reach unchurched people, and I commend them for it. I just have a hard time following their logic. When I read about Jesus, I read about how he was counter-cultural – not in competition with the culture, trying to outdo it. Jesus did not instruct the disciples to go out into the world and outdo the major cultural entertainment attractions of the day. No, he told them to go out into to world and make disciples. And in what context do we disciple? In community, of course.

So what is the main mission of the church when it comes to reaching the unchurched, and ministering to families? It is build and maintain a sense of community where children, students, college students, and adults can have a place where safe and meaningful spiritual discussions to take place. I would much rather put my time, energy, and resources into that more so than trying to outdo the culture.

I committed my life to Christ in the Assemblies of God and was initially nurtured in the faith in my hometown church in Massachusetts, which is an A/G church. I spent a year and a half at Central Bible College, the flagship undergraduate Bible college in the A/G. While I don’t agree fully anymore with the Assemblies of God view on the baptism of the Holy Spirit (i.e. initial evidence of speaking in tongues), I still have an affinity for the people and the denomination. I’ve made some good friends (of which Chris is one), and have some great life experiences, to draw on from my time in the A/G. It was truly great to worship with A/G folk again, so I a grateful for the opportunity to serve this past weekend!

Now, the main reason I am writing this post has to do with the guest speaker they had this weekend as well (lucky them.. a guest worship leader and speaker on the same Sunday!). His name is Rev. James Rowten and he’s 79 years old. He’s been in ministry with his wife for over 50 years (approx.)!

The thing that struck me about Rev. Rowten is his passion for God. After serving in ministry and going through all the ups and downs that comes along with it, he is still passionate about ministry and preaching God’s Word. I mean think about it… 50+ years in ministry! And he is still as passionate about it as he was in his first year, possibly more. Blew my mind. I’m not pessimistic about ministry. I am quite optimistic about it as a matter of fact. But, if it was just that he made it through 50 years of ministry, it would be impressive in and of itself. The fact that his passion for it is still burning strong, is a step above. It was very encouraging.

It was a pleasure to meet him, and I pray that God continues to bless him in life and ministry, and continues to fuel his passion.

I can only hope and pray that with God’s help I can maintain a high level of passion for ministry throughout my lifetime as well. Lord, help me!