“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” -Matthew 24v6-13
I was asked to preach on this section of Scripture the next two weeks at LifePointe Christian Church in Charlotte. Honestly I hadn’t given these verses much thought until I was given this opportunity.
I have spent the last 3 weeks wrestling with this passage. What is Jesus trying to say? Why is he saying it? What is the context? What does it mean for us who follow him? Is he talking about the distant future or the then and there?
What does it say to us today? Those are just a few questions that have been floating around in my head.
This passage has taken me to some dark places…places of suffering and pain.
Why you may ask…
As I have reflected on Jesus’ words I have come to the conclusion that Jesus wasn’t talking about a date far off in the future…he was talking about the life that the disciples faced right then and the life that we face right now.
He points out an ugly reality…sin, pain, suffering, trouble, war, division…they will exist. And it’s not a sign of the end…this ugly reality is actually the beginning of the birth pains. Continue reading →
Read Psalms 22v1-21
Let’s start with what’s easy to see in this world…
We don’t have to look to far in front of us to realize that our world aches within itself. Most of us don’t have to look much further than our own lives and hearts to find the ache.
There’s pain, sickness, death, disconnect, brokenness, hurt, murder, divorce, abuse, gossip, back stabbing, sin, tears, broken promises, cheating…
As I sit and talk with college students I see pain, heart ache, division, stress, anxiety and so much more. I sit and listen to story after story of a family member that left wounds on them, abused them, forgot them, looked over them, didn’t believe in them. My heart literally breaks as I watch people hurt, cry, live in confusion and struggle forward with questions that cannot be answered. I watch this generation struggle to have relationships because most of them have never seen a healthy relationship.
Their stories are layered with brokenness and disappointment. And all of this shapes a view of God that is out of whack and completely skewed. Continue reading →
Earlier this fall I went on a church
visit…
…mostly as a spectator.
I was excited to visit this church. The trip had been on my list of things to do for a couple years but I never made it happen. The opportunity finally came and I was stoked.
I arrived 15 minutes early (I know right…)
With bells on…
Smiling…
Open to any and every interaction that might arise…
I walked to the front entrance…
Approached the doors…
Walked in…
Scanned the room…
Found my seats…
Sat down…
Sat for 7 minutes and had to pee…
Got up and went to the bathroom and returned to my seats…
Sat through the service…Great worship, sound, stories of the Kingdom coming to the surrounding city, a good message on Nehemiah 3.
Took communion…
Service was over…I helped pick up chairs…
And then walked out the same doors I entered through…
Did you notice anything strange about my experience? Continue reading →
Sometimes when I look at my to-do list I get a little overwhelmed.
Sometimes when I think about money I get a little overwhelmed.
Sometimes when I think about the future I get a little overwhelmed.
Anyone else?
When things get busy, crazy, fast paced…
or…
When things start to go south, the bottom of things fall out or suffering comes…
People ask me how I’m doing and my response is…“I’m feeling overwhelmed.”
Where does that come from? Why do I feel weighed down? Why do I feel like I might not make it another day?
and…
Where does it lead me? Continue reading →
I have a confession to make. I WANT A NEW TV. I don’t want 
a cheap TV. I want a 47″ Vizio LCD HDTV – 120Hz – 1080p. I have been spending the last two days trying to find a great deal on this TV. I have been sucked into the Black Friday frenzy.
While I’m at it I’ll make another confession. My wife and I share one computer and that annoys me. So, I’ve decided that for Christmas I’m going to buy her a new netbook.
My roommate has a nice TV that we share. My wife and I can share a computer. But, if I’m honest I want my own TV. My own computer. That’s just my nature.
Well today I started reading through the Gospels again. And this is what I read today :: Continue reading →
It’s been about a year since I started hearing about “church online”. I’ve been skeptical but tried not to be judgmental. I’ve tried to listen to both sides. I’ve read blogs by pastors of the online churches. I’ve done everything to be informed and understandable.
To be honest a couple months ago I started to see the light when I read one pastor who said that he didn’t believe that the online church experience should ever 
replace the face to face interactions that a live church experience can offer. He talked about how the online church experience can be a great front door for those who don’t know Jesus and might be scared to give church a try.
After I heard that explanation I thought to myself, “Well anything to connect people with Jesus sounds like a good idea to me I guess.”
But in the back of mind I remained skeptical…I’m never really sure if you can trust the words that come out of some of these guys mouths. In the back of my mind I thought…It’s only a matter of time before they try to convince people that it’s ok and healthy to only be involved with an online church. Continue reading →
Here are 10 things I’ve learned in my 10 years of ministry. I’m doing this mostly so I don’t forget what I’ve learned. Hope you enjoy, maybe relate and maybe even hear a small nugget of wisdom. They are in no particular order.
1. Intimacy with God before Ministry Continue reading →
At Impact we depend on individuals, churches and alumni for financial support. This is our most recent support letter that we are sending to churches. I thought I would share it. Maybe it will help you develop a support letter. Maybe you will want to become a financial partner of Impact. Maybe you can stop for a few minutes and pray for our community. Or maybe you want to forward it to your churches leadership and missions committee. Please let me know if you have any questions. Continue reading →
I try to experience life like I experience the seasons. There are different seasons. Each season brings something new. Each season passes. Each season teaches us something different. Each season has it’s different experiences.
For the past 4 years at Impact our staff has grown, expanded, changed, multiplied and advanced. But…there’s always been three constants. Justin, Nathan & Allen were consistent. No matter what each new year, new season, new experience brought the members of the Impact community could always know that the three of us would be there.
But life moves, and the seasons change. God does different things in our lives. God moves us to different places. God moves us in and out of seasons of life. Continue reading →
What does it say to us today? Those are just a few questions that have been floating around in my head.
![Warrenton-Baptist-Church-1-[Credit---Peyton-Knight]-728499](http://jstnwallace.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/warrenton-baptist-church-1-credit-peyton-knight-728499.jpg?w=142&h=189 "Warrenton-Baptist-Church-1-[Credit---Peyton-Knight]-728499")
Does the Bible differentiate between a local church, para church, the church, campus ministry, etc?
