August Already???

Hard to believe that we are already in August. This year has absolutely flown by. We finished our series in Matthew this summer and I’ve been excited about the response to our Strategic Plan Series the past few weeks. 

I’d encourage you to not let this just be another sermon series though, find ways to apply the points we have been making. This will become all the more important as we move into our study of Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. Ephesians is looking to be a great study, right now much shorter than Matthew only 19-20 weeks with a break in December for a great Christmas sermon series we are working on. 

But more exciting than the length or anything like that we as elders are excited about the spiritual growth that we anticipate as we build week to week through the fall. 

Our central theme finishing out 2023 and into 2024 is “A Church Built on Christ”.  

The world around us may be in chaos but we have a firm foundation in Christ. Will you join us over the next few months as we seek to be the church that God desires for us to be? 

Side note: I’ll be making a supply run to Cuba probably in September and right now have a full trip planned for February of 2024. If you would like to join me on either trip, please let me know asap, I’d love to have you join me! 

Blessings

Pastor Jonathan 

Kingdom Focused Prayer

 Greetings Palm View Family!

I am going to be using the next several months to begin introducing some strategies that I have found very effective in the past. I believe that we are far enough removed from the hysteria surrounding Covid that we can make some strong forward movement instead of the little jumps and treading water. There are a total of 7 strategies I want to lay out and then in July, we will spend some intentional time preaching and teaching on them. 

The first strategy that I want to introduce to you is one that I have taught on in the past on Wednesday nights in the past, but we are going to really set an emphasis on this in 2023 and that is Kingdom Focused Prayer. Let me start off by giving a base definition for what I mean. Kingdom-Focused Prayer is prayer focused on God’s presence and kingdom. These are always Bold and Specific prayers which are Persistent, Prevailing, and Corporate prayers. These prayers are focused less on self and more on the kingdom needs.

 Oswald Chambers: “Prayer does not equip us for greater works; prayer IS the greater work.” 

There are many different methods and forms of prayer some better than others, but I believe that the most God-honoring prayer will always rely on a Kingdom-Focused approach. Why? Because this is the model you see taught in Scripture. In Matthew 6:9-13 when the Disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, He teaches them using a Kingdom-Focused approach. The prayers of the Old Testament prophets and leaders also echo a Kingdom Focused approach.  

Clearly, the Lord’s Prayer teaches us that it is appropriate to pray for personal needs. Jesus asks God to supply “our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11), which is another way of asking our Father to supply all of our needs.

Jesus also shows the appropriateness of praying for personal needs in giving us petitions that lead us to call upon God to forgive us our individual sins and be with us in temptation (vv. 12–13).

Selfless prayer however is not incompatible with prayer for individual needs, so we should never think that it is wrong to ask the Lord to grant personal requests, knowing that He will do so when they are in line with His sovereign will.

Still, Jesus does not make personal needs the focus of the Lord’s Prayer but rather the kingdom of God.

This is where He starts the prayer, linking the petition for the kingdom to come with a request that God’s name be hallowed (vv. 9–10).

Jesus is using the kingdom of God here to refer specifically to that realm where people do His will freely and joyfully. Because God’s will is done freely and joyfully in this kingdom, His name is hallowed or regarded as holy by the kingdom’s citizens.

Our Father, of course, is King of creation, but this reign is not yet universally acknowledged. To pray that people would regard the name of the Creator as holy is to pray for them to submit to His rule and for His kingdom to come. To pray for His kingdom to come is to pray for His name to be hallowed.

John Calvin comments, “The substance of this prayer is, that God would enlighten the world by the light of his Word — would form the hearts of men, by the influences of his Spirit, to obey his justice, and would restore to order, by the gracious exercise of his power, all the disorder that exists in the world.”

God’s kingdom is the focus of the Lord’s prayer, so we pray rightly only when we ask for His kingdom to come.

Bottom line is this, prayer is not a tool to change the heart or mind of God. The immutability of God (His quality of not changing) is clearly taught throughout Scripture. For example, in Malachi 3:6 God affirms, "I the Lord do not change." (See also Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Isaiah 46:9-11; and Ezekiel 24:14.)

James 1:17 also teaches the immutability of God: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.” The “shadow of turning” refers to our perspective on the sun: it is eclipsed it moves and it casts its shadow. The sun rises and sets, appears, and disappears every day; it comes out of one tropic and enters into another at certain seasons of the year.

But with God, who, spiritually speaking, is light itself, there is no darkness at all; there is no change with Him, nor anything like it.

God is unchangeable in His nature, perfections, purposes, promises, and gifts. He, being holy, cannot turn to that which is evil; nor can He, who is the fountain of light, be the cause of darkness. Since every good and perfect gift comes from Him, evil cannot proceed from Him, nor can He tempt any to it (James 1:13).

The Bible is clear that God does not change His mind, His will, or His nature.

So, if God doesn’t change His mind or plan when we pray what is the point? 

When we pray, we are not asking God to change His mind rather that He would change ours and us to conform to Him. 

Friends,  this is where it gets hard. We MUST stop seeking our will rather the Father’s will be done. When we gather together to pray our primary focus should not be on fixing the things of the world around us rather on the kingdom of God fixing our own hearts to be aligned with His.

God is the high priority in the model prayer given by our Lord.

The best Greek manuscripts omit the closing sentence: “ ‘For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen’ ” (Matt. 6:13). However, there is abundant evidence that these words were used almost universally in the worship of the early church. Some believe congregations recited these words in unison after each petition. If they did, then focus on the kingdom of God is underscored.

 

So, to sum this all up, what is kingdom-focused prayer?

 It is not mere instinctive prayer, but it is Spirit-enabled...

 It is not man-centered, but God-centered...

 It is not self-serving or sentimental, but Scriptural—in both principle and content...

 It is not timid, but bold!!!

 It is not passive resignation, but proactive cooperation...

 It is both solo and concerted...

Kingdom Focused Prayer is the Spirit-enabled cry of God’s adopted children seeking their Father’s glory by persistently asking Him for the nations, their promised inheritance.

 The Reformers prayed big prayers. The Protestant Reformation was initiated, achieved, and maintained by big prayers.

 Martin Luther believed in praying big prayers. He taught, “The Lord is great and high, and therefore He wants great things to be sought from Him and is willing to bestow them so that His almighty power might be shown forth.” Thus, Luther prayed: “Dear Lord, I know that You have still more, You have much more than You can ever bestow; in You I shall never want, for if there were need, the heavens would rain guilders [dollars]. Be my treasury, my cellar, my storehouse; in You have I all riches; if I have You, I have enough.”

God indicates there is nothing too hard for Him (see Jer. 32:27), and so He challenges us to pray big prayers: “ ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know’ ” (Jer. 33:3).

Will you join me this year in Kingdom-Focused Prayer for our churches and our community? Will you pray a big, bold, persistent, prayer that God would change your heart to be in harmony with His no matter what it might be that you have to give up? Would you pray that your life and your breath would be honoring to Him? That the gospel would go forth and lives would be changed through your obedience? Will you pray that with me this year?

Now for the How...

Here is an outline you can follow:

Kingdom-Focused Model Prayer:

 PRAISE:

• Psalm 42
  
  
• Thanksgiving

CONFESSION:

• We cannot confess other people’s sin, but we should stand blameless before God when we make requests.

KINGDOM REQUESTS:

• pray for your church elders/deacons by name

• pray for one aspect of our church’s ministry — whichever is on your heart 

• pray for a lost person to be saved 

• pray for a missionary you know, for a mission country on your heart

GOD’S WILL: 

• for yourself/someone you know

REQUESTS:

• others on your heart 

• your own special requests

FORGIVENESS:

• ask for your own 

• ask God to show you anyone you haven’t forgiven

PROTECTION:

• ask God to protect your marriage/family/kids/ someone traveling/ guard our church from Satan’s schemes.

SUBMISSION: 

• for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

Serving the Community

Part 5 of our Strategic Plan series takes a different focus. As we looked at the other three Key Strategies and the Enabling Strategy of Kingdom Prayer there was quite a bit of inward focus. Looking at how we respond to what God is doing in our lives. In a way this final Key Strategy is the ultimate response but rather than being inward, it is community focused. 

I am going to offer more questions than answers this month, but I think that is a good thing. 

First off, I want to start with the question, how do we at Palm View serve our community? 

Yes, we have our food pantry which through its amazing volunteers cares for the underserved and struggling in our community by providing a small bag of groceries each week. But more than that what are we doing to intentionally share the gospel with those folks? We are feeding them physically but are we doing anything to feed them spiritually? 

Another question in this area would be whether is there anything more that we could do even if it requires more volunteers or resources than we currently have? James and Paul both place emphasis on the importance of caring for the widows and orphans. What are we doing to fulfill God’s Word in regard to those areas? 

A third question is what kind of name does Palm View have in the community? Do people hear our name and ask where is? Do they hear our name and have a bad taste in their mouth? Or do they associate our name with the love and mercy which we have received being shown freely? Maybe take a few minutes and ask your neighbors or coworkers? 

Finally, how are we praying for our community? Are we going about our day, just getting by, living Sunday to Sunday with a week going by without us spending more than a few fleeting seconds in communion with God in prayer? 

As I said more questions than answers, but all these questions are important, and the answers well... those are going to be interesting. 

Three Modes to Evangelism

Greetings Palm View Family! 

 

April is already off to a great start with our 65th Anniversary this past weekend and Easter this weekend we have an excellent opportunity to share our faith with those who might not normally attend church. 

 

I want to keep to our theme working through the 2024 Strategic Plan that we have been developing. So far this year we have looked at the topics of Kingdom focused prayer, glorifying God in meaningful worship, and making mature disciples.

 

 

This month we are focused on Evangelism. So, to start us off I want to ask the question what is evangelism? 

In its most basic form evangelism is the telling of the good news of Jesus. The word evangelize comes from the Latin evangelizare, "to spread or preach the Gospel," with the Greek root euangelizesthai, or "bring good news." Now this is not something that most believers would think twice on. It makes sense the message of the good news of Christ has been proclaimed for centuries, right? 

The better question would be who is called to evangelize? Who should be spreading the good news of the gospel? Over the last 200 years this has changed. Shifting responsibility to the pastor/shepherd rather than on the saint/sheep. However, scriptures are clear that the role of a pastor/shepherd is to equip believers to do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12).

 

This doesn’t remove the burden of evangelism from the preaching ministry of the church, but it does shift the daily work of evangelism back where it belongs, on the shoulders of the church, the body of Christ.

 

So how does that work? To determine the answer to that question we must first define what the mode of evangelism. There are three base modes for evangelism. Natural Mode, Life Mode, Ministry Mode. Let me explain, Natural mode is relationally connecting to people God has put in your life. For you that may be co-workers, neighbors, or other parents on the same soccer team. Life mode is when you invite someone into Christian community, and they experience the body of Christ. They have the "There is something different about these people" thought as they meet others. This is done by inviting people to Church, or a Bible Study group. Finally, Ministry mode is what you think of when you think of classic evangelism styles. Having a spiritual conversation with someone you do not know. You can do this by taking a co-worker or friend to lunch and asking them about their faith.

 

The data shows that for someone to come to know Christ, a person needs to experience all three modes of evangelism. It's not likely that just one will work. If our evangelism strategy as a church is invite them to church so the pastor can preach Jesus into them, we have a serious problem. The great commission was not given solely to pastors rather it is for all believers that we are to “Go therefore and teach all nations.” That “go” is an active verb, meaning as we go out teaching, as we go out preaching, as we go out living our lives, we are to carry the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ with us. 

Are you evangelizing as you go? Are you wearing your Christianity so prominently on your person that the world looks and knows there is something different about you? 

If not, why not? 

Why not start today?

Pastor Jonathan 

Making Mature Disciples

For the last couple of months, we have been walking through a strategic plan which we hope to roll out soon. We talked about Kingdom-Focused Prayer in January and Glorifying God in Meaningful Worship last month. For March we are going to discuss what it means to Make Mature Disciples as it relates to Palm Views' direction over the next few years. 

So, that leads to the question what is a “Mature Disciple?”

The concept of a mature disciple refers to a believer who has grown in their faith and is living a life that is consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ. 

There are eight key characteristics we see in scripture: 

1. Committed to Jesus Christ: A mature disciple is fully committed to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and seeks to live according to His teachings. They have a personal relationship with Jesus and are dedicated to following His example.

2. Deep knowledge of the Bible: A mature disciple has a deep understanding of the Bible and its teachings. They regularly study and apply its principles to their lives.

3. Prayerful: A mature disciple has a strong prayer life and regularly communicates with God.

4. Active in sharing the Gospel: A mature disciple is actively involved in sharing the Gospel with others and making disciples of all nations.

5. Fruitful: A mature disciple produces good fruit in their life, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

6. Humble and teachable: A mature disciple is humble and teachable, recognizing their need for continued growth and learning.

7. Faithful in service: A mature disciple is faithful in serving God and others. They use their gifts and talents to build up the church and make a difference in the world. This is not serving out of obligation rather that you love your church family and serve with a smile in your hearts. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

8. Filled with the Holy Spirit: A mature disciple is filled with the Holy Spirit and seeks to walk in obedience to His leading and guidance.

So, to sum it up, a mature disciple is deeply committed to Jesus Christ, has a deep understanding of the Bible, is prayerful, active in sharing the Gospel, fruitful, humble, teachable, faithful in service, and filled with the Holy Spirit.

With that definition in mind, how do we go about setting and accomplishing goals to make mature disciples? 

It begins with the disciplined teaching of the Bible in Sunday School, Bible Study, and small groups. Sound exegetical teaching is critical as this is the foundation for our understanding of God’s Word.

Sound teaching also leads to loving and effective church and personal spiritual disciplines. 

It also creates within us a love for one another and a love for the church that is centered on Christ. This empowers members to develop intentional relationships focused on sharing the gospel and the mentoring and maturing of new believers. 

Doctrinally sound teaching leads to people connecting in powerful new ways within the life of the church, engaging in worship, and serving. 

So how does this apply to you? 

Well, the first thing you need to ask yourself is, are you actively participating in weekly Bible Study? Not just listening to Bible studies online but actively participating. 

What I mean by that is you are going to get out of the study what you put into the study of God’s word. Luke 6:38 (ESV) “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Contextually this text is speaking of our relationships with others, and the process of becoming a mature disciple. 

I love how James puts it in the opening lines of his letter, “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:2-5 (ESV)

Maturity comes from the testing of our faith; our faith is not tested in a vacuum. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” 

Are you allowing yourself to be sharpened thus sharpening those around you? 

Another thought along this same line is that when you fail to join in worship and Bible study you are not the only one who is hindered. Both the church and the individual suffer when an individual withdraws for an extended period of time. You have to have something to sharpen against! 

Join with us this year as we seek to develop mature believers here at Palm View.

Believers who pour into the lives of others just as they themselves are poured into. 

Stay tuned for next month as we talk about how we apply our growth as disciples through evangelism and serving our community. 

Glorifying God in Meaningful Worship

In January I introduced you to Kingdom-Focused Prayer, this month I want to introduce you to the first of our four key strategies.  Glorifying God in Meaningful Worship

As I ponder this key strategy to our plan I wonder how much people actually understand the terms used just in the title. So let me give you the formal definitions to start off. 

Glorify = means to honor with praise, admiration, or worship; extol. to make glorious; invest with glory. to praise the glory of (God), especially as an act of worship. 

God = the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the author and power of our salvation. 

Meaningful = having meaning, having a deep, serious, important, or intentional purpose.

Worship = in its proper sense is to have or show a strong feeling of respect and admiration for God. The NIV Study Bible has a great explanation of this.  https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/worship-definition/

So with those definitions in mind, let's form our understanding of this strategy. 

To Glorify God in Meaningful Worship is to: approach worship intentionally and humbly, offering praise and adoration to God the author and power of our salvation for all that He has done for us. 

Today worship has come to mean what type of songs we sing or how long the pastor preaches. It is so often about what makes us comfortable, what is familiar. 

No one likes to think of themselves as self-centered but it is unavoidably part of human nature and we all suffer from it to some extent especially when it comes to how we respond in worship. 

The Pastors here at Palm View approach worship with a high view of God's sovereignty and scripture.  This involves a decrease in man-centeredness. 

We also believe in faith exegetical, expository preaching and teaching of God's Word. 

God is also glorified in meaningful worship by our faithful observance of the Christian ordinances of believers' baptism and the Lord's supper; through the worshipful singing of hymns and contemporary praise songs, and cheerful obedience in giving. 

So how do we apply this? Well, I am glad you asked! Here are some of the initial goals that we have thought about in regard to how this strategy would be implemented over the next couple of years. 

1. Goal: Expand service offerings to enable those working on Sunday to participate 
• Initiate one additional service – date/time TBD 
• Language-based ministry? Haitian and Hispanic demographics are the 2nd largest demographics in the region. 
  
  
2. Goal: Enhance routines to welcome 1st-time visitors and follow up with them
• Encourage completion of the visitor’s info card and follow up with an email and/or a phone call
  
  
3. Goal: Provide improved opportunities for new attendees to get to know the church & leaders
• Routinely hold a “newcomers” gathering to provide an opportunity for new attendees to get to know the pastor(s) and key aspects of the church’s beliefs
  
  
4. Goal: Enhance the “Lord Supper” time
• Lengthen the opportunity for reflection and confession
  
  
5. Goal: Enhance communication & transparency with the congregation
• Routinely communicate church financial status, capital needs, giving status, and progress against goals.  
• Provide better insight into church activities and opportunities to get involved
  
  
6. Goal: Develop ongoing communication with seasonal members/attendees
• Improve monthly newsletter and weekly emails
• Church Center App

Stay Tuned for Next Month: Making Mature Disciples