(Adapted by me to reflect the behaviors of those who thrive in the Church)
In the last 12 months I have been to two college orientations for freshman. Last year my oldest son Zachary graduated from high school and is now a Recording Industry major at
Now I think the people who give the “How to be Successful in College” talk must all get together and share notes because their points were just about the same... Or maybe that’s not the case; maybe they independently came up with these points because they are universal principals that they have observed over the years. These principals have led students to be successful in college; now that got me thinking.
You see I think the principals they have observed in successful college students are universal principals that help us get the most out of any group, job, or dare I say church we might want to be a part of. So I want to share the principals these college deans shared with us and challenge you to apply them to your life; specifically with the church you attend and just see what happens. Let’s think of it as a grand experiment.
Go to class
This should be a no brainer right. If you want to succeed in school half the battle is simply showing up.
You go to class.
I think it is amazing to the dean’s how few students understand this simple principal; if a student will simply go to class their chances of being successful in college skyrockets.
Now I know this might seem crazy and it might offend some of your sensibilities, but the same is true in our lives as Christians. You will grow in your Christian faith if you will begin by simply showing up to worship consistently. I have been on the pastoral staff of several different churches since 1989 I can say with some degree of authority that the people who attend church on a very consistent basis, I mean rarely if ever miss, on average, are those who exhibit the highest qualities of Christian maturity and character.
You know this is true even for me at my level of leadership. The Vineyard hosts different events where we as pastors gather together for worship, prayer, training, and encouragement. I rarely miss any of those events. Because of my participation at that level I have developed some of my best friendships with peers, I’ve found mentors. I feel connected to The Vineyard as a movement. I’ve experienced God powerfully in those settings. Those events have blessed my kids. Now having overseen Church planting in our region for 5 years, and being on that team for 9 years, I know that the pastors who do not attend these events consistently are at risk to not only drop out of the Vineyard as a movement, but for their churches to fail as well. The reason is that they feel all alone out there, like know one cares or notices, and they feel disconnected to the leadership and vision of the movement. Honestly, this is their own fault in large part because they are not seizing the opportunity for relationship and encouragement that is consistently in front of them.
The exact same principal is true for you with Sunday Worship
The Bible teaches us that
When we come together to worship corporately there is encouragement. We are taught from the Bible which helps us refocus our minds on what is central and important. We lift praise up to God corporately declaring his worth, and when we do that shoulder to shoulder as a group of people who are living for God together then it is encouraging.
Not only that but we know what is going on in the church so we feel more connected to the community. We begin to get to know people (if we will make the effort to talk to people) so we begin to develop friendships, The sermons make more sense, because most pastors preach in series and they do build on one another.
When we fail to make weekly worship a priority in our lives, as many people have got into the habit of doing, the other people in your church are let down as well. Your presence means something. It means something to everyone that attends. When you show up it encourages others.
You know when push comes to shove worship isn’t even about us. Worship is something we give to God. Those of us who have truly given our lives over to Jesus can worship with any style any where. I can worship with high liturgy, singing only hymns in a card board box and be encouraged if there are other brothers and sisters risking it all with me. You see that is spiritual maturity.
Now do I prefer a little rock and roll, some good coffee and a donut, in a contemporary setting? Yes, I prefer it, but worship is not about me, it’s something I give to God, and I’m not going to miss an opportunity to worship Jesus with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Being consistent in the spiritual discipline of worship transforms me.
Study
Going to class is a great start but if you really want to be successful in college you have to study. According to the college Deans a student should expect that they have to put three hours of study in outside of class for every hour they are in class if they want to do well at the college level.
Can I tell you a secret? If you want to truly grow in your relationship with Jesus it is going to require an investment of your time. You are going to have to spend some time grappling with the Bible. We call this studying the Bible.
I remember right after I decided to become a follower of Jesus I read the entire Bible cover to cover like I would a novel. There were lots of parts I didn’t understand at all but it was the beginning of a life long journey for me that has given me more hope, peace, and security than anything I could possibly communicate.
Within this book God is revealed. He can be found in the Bible. You can get to know God’s heart, and you can get to know Jesus, you can gain an understanding for how God works in the world, and when you understand God’s Story and how your story is caught up in it, then the Bible provides an anchor to your life that can hold you firm during the storms of life.
I have been studying the Bible in depth for over 25 years, and I’m more convinced of it’s truth, it’s relevance, and it’s power to reveal the God who transforms our lives than ever.
Studying the Bible, getting to know it inside and out, can transform your life as well.
Live on Campus
The first thing the deans told us was that kids who lived on Campus did much \better than kids who lived off campus. The reason for this was that the students who lived on campus were surrounded by opportunities to make friends and felt more connected and involved with the University itself.
The Universal principal that these deans are describing is that those who connect with the community life of whatever institution or organization they are apart of are more likely to stay and be successful. In the church I call this the principal of doing life together. For you to truly grow in the church you have to establish relationships and connections that go beyond the Sunday Morning services. You have to get involved relationally with people.
The best way to begin to do life together with the people of the church is to become involved in some form of smaller community. This can be a Sunday School Class, a small group, or a ministry team.
You see most of us don’t understand how the church truly works. We are so used to having everything happen instantly that we are a microwave society. We think everything should happen in the same time frame it takes us to pull up a web page. But let me tell you a secret. Christian character is not formed that way.
I love to Bar-b-q so let me use a cooking analogy. Say I got an amazing piece of brisket. I can choose to cook it two ways. I can stick it in the microwave and nuke it for twenty minutes. If I do that it will come out chewy, rare, and impossible to eat.
But if instead I put that same piece of meat in the smoker. And I cook it low and slow at about 170 degrees for 14 hours. When that piece of meat comes out it will be fall apart tender, infused with the smoky flavor of the wood that cooked it, and like heaven on earth.
You see an amazing thing has happened as I’ve done life with people in this church over the last 12 years. People we’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with, people we’ve ministered with, studied the Bible with, raised our kids with, prayed with, walked through triumph and defeat with, been there through the laughter and the tears with. My family has been shaped by their love and faith and they have been shaped by ours. This is something that has happened slowly over time, and it is a beautiful thing.
So many people miss the beauty and power of the church because they never commit to it long enough and intensely enough to experience its power. Look if your hopping from church to church bailing every time relationships get tough or you get disappointed then you never will get to experience the beauty and power of the church. If you sit on the sidelines every Sunday morning, showing up to simply listen to a sermon you are not a follower of Jesus but a fan; and a fair weather one at that. You will never experience the beauty and the power of the church sitting in the bleacher, but if you will commit to doing life with a group of people. Invest over the long haul. Get to know folks and let them know you, serve the mission of Christ by serving the church then you will experience the power of the church Jesus established and leads.
Get know your Prof.
You know the older I get and the longer I’ve been in ministry the more I lean into my mentors.
This last week I got to spend some time with Dave and Anita Workman. The Workman’s have been serving the Cincinnati Vineyard for 28 years; 28 years at the same church! These folks love God and they love their city! They are such a wealth of wisdom and knowledge; I’m blessed anytime I get to be around them. Their faithfulness raises the bar for me. It lets me understand what true faithfulness is.
There are so many of these people in my life. These are my heroes:
Godfrey & Laurie Hubert - 30 years at the same church
Steve & Cindy Nicholson - 35 years at the same church
Thor & Bonnie Colberg - 30 + years in ministry; 6 years left one of the largest Vineyards in the southeast to risk it all and plant again.
Tim & Karen Holt - 30+ years in ministry
Rick & Ellen Coffin – 30+ years in the ministry. 10 years ago risked it all and moved to
These are awesome men and women of God. I see their faithfulness and it spurs me on to want to be better. These mentors and leaders gives me perspective that helps me stay the course.
The Bible says:
HEB
13:7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Every church has got some awesome mentors within it. People who you should get to know. These folks can teach you how to be better people, better parents, have better marriages, and handle your finances more responsibly. They can show you what it means to live with Jesus as the center of your life through life’s different seasons and stages. You need these folks. You are foolish if you do not cultivate these types of relationships.
Now I’m taking something for granted here that maybe I shouldn’t. These things only make sense if you want to follow Jesus. Now some of you might have never decided whether you want to have Jesus as your king. I personally made that decision when I was 18 years old when I was drunk and lost in the back of a subdivision. When I did that I discovered forgiveness for all the sins I had committed, and thankfully all the one I would commit. I also discovered that through Jesus God’s presence was with me. I was no longer alone. This God that I had always thought was so distant was close as a drunken kid’s prayer.
Jesus has transformed my life and he can transform yours as well. What I’ve been talking about is how he chooses to use his church to do just that in our lives.
If you want what I’ve been writing about ask God that he would help you order your life in such a way to make these things priorities. If Jesus isn’t your King, settle that now. Simply pray and ask Jesus to be your King, ask him to forgive your sins, ask him to begin to guide and direct your life. It is the best decision I ever made. I know it will be your best decision too.
Take the initiative
The choice really is yours.
