MYTH #9-JESUS PREFERS THE MEGA-CHURCHES AND MEGA-MINITRIES

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We live in an age of mega-sizing! Bigger is better! Whatever is mega ought to be better than what is small-especially is this true with respect to ministries. The killer question that is always asked of a church or a ministry is: "How many?" The living myth is that Jesus is pleased with these numbers and the masses, too.

One of the great leaders within the mega-church movement, Bill Hybels, has acknowledged that he has been asking the wrong questions. One of those wrong questions is the "How many?" question. It just hasn't produced the transformational change within the church fellowship and has robbed us from asking the right questions. Now, after having participated as pastor of one of the early mega-churches in the US, as a staff member of one of the largest para-church ministries and as a speaker on the largest corporate seminar platform, I have come to understand the great limitations of working with the masses.

The damage of buying into this myth of mega-sizing is threefold: FIRST-The mega-sizing of the Church hasn't brought about cultural transformation within the US. Rick Warren posed a question that ought to haunt anyone who is concerned about advancing the Jesus movement: "Tim, why is it that, even though we have trained thousands of pastors and now have more mega churches in our country than ever before, we are not making any significant penetration into our culture?" We basically remain at the same numbers within the Church in the US, year after year.

SECOND-The mega-sizing myth of the Western Christian culture serves as a bad example to the followers of Jesus around the world. If we are essentially failing in our country, why export this thinking to the many cultures of the world?

THIRD-The mega-sizing myth has produced thousands upon thousands of spectators who believe they are doing the will of God on planet earth. Spectators-not participators! Ministries then become like the football game-50,000 spectators in the stands, badly in need of exercise and 22 people on the field, badly in need of rest. When you serve as a spectator, it's too easy to substitute attendance for participation-watching and not doing-hearers of the word who delude themselves rather than doers of the word.

I want to make three observations in order to debunk this myth that Jesus prefers the mega-church and mega ministries. FIRST-Jesus spent most of His time and energy with the few and avoiding as much as possible the masses. Now, to be clear, Jesus spoke and fed the masses, but His more common practice was not in that kind of venue. One of my mentors really worked me over on this. I was continually referring to the masses, but he kept correcting me to focus on the individuals. He said, "You don't change the masses; you change individuals one at a time."

SECOND-Jesus spent most of His time with the poor and disenfranchised rather than the powerful. There were powerful people who came to Jesus and were changed, however Jesus tended to seek out the leper, the lame and the blind. When you're into the mega-sizing of your ministry, there will be a tendency to show off the celebrity-the actor, the athlete, the rich and successful as examples. There is nothing wrong with the powerful and influential, but the crowds may not flock in the direction of the poor and disenfranchised. Jesus went there!

THIRD-Jesus was into the power of the few! Instead of going on CNN and seeking to produce mass seminars, mailers and email blasts, Jesus sought out three religious rejects to come and be with Him. And, from this relationship with the three, then the twelve and the seventy-two, the Jesus movement rippled throughout the world and the revolution is still on today!

We are seeing this play out in our ministry. We are focusing on the few and as those few really get it, the message of Jesus spreads like a wildfire. You see, within the context of the few, you are able to really get to know one another and put the principles and teachings into practice. This kind of experience is the taste of reality everyone is longing for. This is the Jesus movement at its best!

Jesus taught: "Where two or three are gathered together in His name, He will show up." This is what we want. This is what we desperately need. We need Jesus to show up among us and lead out with His orders and opportunities. You see, Jesus won't be found within the mega-church or mega-ministry as easily as within the context of the few. There's nothing wrong with the mega-church or mega-ministry, but there is something far better that Jesus had in mind.

Jesus prefers showing up when a few are gathered together in His name. If you knew Jesus was going to show up some place this week, wouldn't you want to be there, too?

MYTH #8-JESUS TAUGHT WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE

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Not only is this myth a popular song; it's a constant and overused anthem of many sermons, articles and conferences. This is so popular that most would attribute it to one of the teachings of Jesus, but it's not. Jesus had something more in mind when it comes to love.

The damage is minimal, yet to embrace this myth is to miss out on the dynamic of what Jesus meant by love. The bottom-line problem is that, love in order to be genuine and powerful must be active.

This one is easy to debunk. FIRST-Love in the teachings of Jesus was a verb-to love. Love as a noun can be discussed; love as a verb must be demonstrated. Love as a noun can generate lots of opinions; love as a verb must be operational-not just talked about, but acted out.

SECOND-Love in the teachings of Jesus was ultimately demonstrated in His act of sacrificial love when He gave Himself up to die on the cross. Jesus came as King of kings to present the new, revolutionary Kingdom. It wasn't a Kingdom of just powerful ideas nor a Kingdom showing off great power; it was a Kingdom of sacrificial love. And, if you are to take up His cross, you must learn to make your life a life of sacrificial love as well.

THIRD-Love in the teachings of Jesus is bi-directional-to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself-and can be practiced by anyone and everyone.

When Jesus was asked to choose the greatest commandment of all, He couldn't just choose one. He offered two, because it's impossible to have one without the other. There are three times this is recorded in the Gospels and each one teaches something a little different.

In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." NOTE that upon these two commandments of love all of the Law and the Prophets rest. Loving God and your neighbor are foundational-the most basic actions you can practice.

In Mark 12:28-34, One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." NOTE Jesus' comment here: YOU ARE NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD, when you practice these two commandments.

Then in Luke 10:25-28, On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." NOTE: DO THIS-THESE 2 COMMANDMENTS-AND YOU WILL LIVE!

Do you want to know what you can do to practice the foundational teachings of Jesus, to come close to the Kingdom of God and to really live? It's just so simple: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. (Now note this: If you don't love yourself, then your neighbor is in a heap of trouble!)

Jesus didn't teach that what the world needs is more love. That's a myth! No, the world doesn't need more love; it needs more lovers!

MYTH #7-JESUS CAME TO TAKE ALL BELIEVERS OUT OF HERE-II

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The myth that Jesus is all about coming to earth to take people out of here is deeply embedded in the Christian psyche. However, when you examine biblical history and the teachings of Jesus, that just isn't the primary direction God is most interested in. He is more interested in the heaven-to-earth connection; He wants it all to happen down here where He dwells among those who love Him.

There are five movements throughout biblical history that illustrate the heaven-to-earth direction of God trying to come down here to be with us. Yesterday I presented the first two. MOVEMENT #1 happened in the Garden where GOD FIRST WANTED TO WALK WITH MAN, BUT MAN WAS BUSY DOING SOMETHING ELSE. After man was kicked out of the Garden, God made His second move toward dwelling among His people here on earth. God commanded Moses to build a tabernacle where He might dwell among His people. Later that portable tabernacle became the Temple in Jerusalem where God dwelt in the Holy of Holies.

There was a third movement where God demonstrated His physical, visible presence to relate to mankind on earth. It's an interesting phenomena throughout the Bible. It's what many call the "shekinah" glory-the visible presence of God on the earth. This visible manifestation of God is the very presence of God. It's the majestic presence of God in which He dwells with His people. The forms of this visible dwelling place-the shekinah-are many. It could be a brightness, brilliance or splendor. In the Old Testament the Shekinah took the form of light, fire, a cloud, a thick darkness or combination of these in some way. In the New Testament there are new forms altogether!

Let's look at a few of these occurrences. 1. Burning Bush-A bush in the desert caught on fire and yet it did not burn up, because God actually dwelt in this burning bush in front of Moses. 2. The Exodus-The children of Israel were led by day by a cloud and led at night by a pillar of fire-both forms of the visible presence of God. 3. Mount Sinai-While Moses was upon on Sinai, the presence of God was demonstrated by thunders, lightnings, a thick cloud and fire. 4. Tabernacle-We saw this yesterday when God orders them to build an altar or tabernacle where God will dwell in the light and the smoke. 5. Then we come to the most demonstrable form of God's visible presence of all-Jesus-the Son of God.

This is best explained in the first few verses of the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only [Son], who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. His name? Jesus!

God will do most anything to get our attention so that you and I will want Him to dwell among us. Well, here He did it. He sent Jesus Who was God in bodily form. All the fullness of God dwells in Jesus. This is why we make so much of watching what Jesus says and does and say and do the same. The ultimate visible, presence of God is in Jesus! All the fullness of God dwells in Him!

The fourth movement of God was when He sent His Spirit to indwell believers as an altar, a tabernacle or Holy of Holies. Jesus departed and the disciples were to be given the Spirit to dwell in them forever! And, ever since Jesus introduced the Spirit to His disciples, we now have the Spirit of God-the presence of God-living in each of us permanently. This is why Paul says in one of the letters written to the Corinthians: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? Therefore honor God with your bodies."

There is not a building today where God dwells-a sanctuary, even though many refer to the church auditorium as a sanctuary. You who are followers of Jesus are now the sanctuary-the dwelling place-of God here on earth.

Now, do you remember the reason why God wanted to dwell in an altar, tabernacle or Temple? It was so that God could dwell among His people. I hope you get this. All you have to do is to meditate on this for about 30 seconds and this truth could change your life and your lifestyle forever! You are now the very dwelling place of God on earth.

Don't you get it? The same God of gods Who walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden, Who was in the burning bush, Who was in the cloud by day and the fire by night, Who was revealed in His fullness in bodily form in Jesus of Nazareth. This same God dwells in you who are followers of Jesus. Do you get it? So that He might bring His presence to earth and dwell among us.

The fifth movement of God to go in the direction from heaven to earth is that He wants to walk with you-to show up among us when two or three gather in the name of Jesus. It's all about being the church! God indwells you-His presence on earth is in you who are followers of Jesus. And, when you come together with other followers of Jesus, you are assembling (or churching) in His name. So every time you gather together in His name you are practicing being the church or dwelling place of Jesus.

There is an ultimate movement of God in the future that many times is confused for heaven. It's when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven to earth. You see, from the beginning of time God has desperately desired to dwell among His people and will someday do that right here once the new heavens and the new earth have been created.

I know what you're thinking. There is a passage that seems to say something different. It is from the words of Jesus in John 14 when He says: "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you."

Jesus is going to prepare dwelling places in His Father's house for His disciples. It doesn't mention heaven; that's our assumption. Note then He says, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." Whatever this dwelling place is, it will be a place where we will be in the presence of Jesus.

Then Jesus says, "You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas quickly says, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

The disciples had missed the point just as we continually do today. There is not a place where Jesus is taking us out of here, therefore no directions are needed. The place or the way Jesus is talking about is summed up in His answer to Thomas: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." It's not a dwelling place somewhere out there that we ought to be excited about; it's a person-Jesus! He is the way, the truth and the life. And, through the Spirit dwelling in us, we are in the presence of King Jesus in the Kingdom right here on earth. The place doesn't matter; the Person does! Where two or three are gathered together, Jesus will show up and dwell among us.

Hey, as much as I'd like to get out of here some days, what Jesus has in mind is for me to follow Him wherever He goes and be with Him forever. Now, that's what heaven is all about and Jesus seems to be doing His best to come back here. Right here. Why then would I want to be anywhere else?

MYTH #7-JESUS CAME TO TAKE ALL BELIEVERS OUT OF HERE

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Maybe one of the most common myths is that Jesus came to take us out of here-to escape from this corrupt world. This may be the most common identifying factor of what Christians believe. Ask anyone on the street corner. Christians have this formula down pat: "If you believe in Jesus, you will go to heaven and if you don't, you will go to hell." Either way Jesus is all about getting us out of here and on to heaven, therefore that is the comfort many hold on to and the challenge to not be LEFT BEHIND. Hear me out on this. It will take two sessions to cover this myth. This myth isn't a question of heaven or hell, but about which direction God is moving and where He invites us to be-with Him.

The damage with this myth is threefold: FIRST-We have so embraced this myth that we have become extremely focused on the sweet by and by rather than living in the nasty now and now. We have so embraced this myth that we tend to live in the tyranny of the urgent and plan our lives accordingly. Jesus was all about Kingdom living being right here right now.

SECOND-We have so embraced this myth that we have wrapped our lives around the 2nd coming of Jesus as if we know when He will return. This seems to be a bit of a problem, since Jesus says that He doesn't even know.

THIRD-We have so embraced this myth that we are missing out on the most powerful proof of the love and the presence of Jesus that bear witness to the world.

There are 5 basic movements throughout the bible where God is going in the direction from heaven to earth and not from earth to heaven. The first movement is illustrated in the Garden of Eden. The essence of God is relational and demonstrates the need for fellowship within the creation. God wants to walk in relationship with man. Check out what happened in the Garden of Eden. The first time we encounter lost people is in the Garden. Apparently, God walked with Adam and Eve daily in the garden, but on this particular day Adam and Eve didn't show up. They were distracted and walked away from God and His will. So, instead of walking with God, they were hiding from God. It's at this point that God asks a most relevant question, even for us today, "Where are you?" Now He knew where they were, but He wanted them to understand that they were not where they were intended to be-walking with Him.

So, this is MOVEMENT #1-GOD FIRST WANTED TO WALK WITH MAN, BUT MAN WAS BUSY DOING SOMETHING ELSE. God has put a lot of effort in getting you to walk with Him. So, WHERE ARE YOU? Are you doing your part to walk with Him daily or are you distracted, walking away or hiding?

MOVEMENT #2-GOD WANTS TO DWELL AMONG HIS PEOPLE. God wants to dwell among His people on planet earth. In a very real sense, this is what will distinguish God and His people from all others. In Exodus 25:8 God says, "Then have them make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell among them."

God commands Moses to oversee the building of a sanctuary in which He will dwell. Israel is promised God's very presence. At the very establishment of the nation of Israel, God's presence becomes a fundamental characteristic of the nation's identity. They will be marked by God's presence. To be God's people was to have God's presence. In Exodus 33, following the incident with the golden calf, God promises to have His presence go with Moses and with the people. Moses says, "Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?" Never before has God dwelt with man in this way.

Man had free fellowship with God in the Garden, but God did not dwell there. God met with Moses on Mt. Sinai in a powerful way, but God did not dwell there. Now God commands Moses to make a tent, a tabernacle, so He could live with them. God wanted to take up residence right in their midst!

Again, this is why God asked Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" And, as His people continued to grow and gather together outside the Garden God was always doing anything He could do to bring His people closer to Himself. But even more than this, He wanted to dwell among His people right here on earth.

And when God shows up among His people, some amazing things happen and people are touched with His loving and healing touch.

This theme of purpose is extended to the very end of the Bible. In the last book of the Bible in Revelation 21:3, it says, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God.'" This isn't to happen in heaven, but right here on earth.

NOTE God's intention and longing is to come down here, not take a group to go up to heaven. Jesus doesn't teach that He came down to earth to take us up to heaven. God desperately wants to make His presence known right on earth among His people. Rob Bell says that God is saying, "I want to get down there!"

Let me ask you something. Have you ever felt the presence of God as you gather with His people? God is willing to do anything He has to do to get close to you and He wants to do this on planet earth. He is not interested in taking you up to heaven, but to dwell with you right here.