XXX Church Video

Hey this conversation came up in the last post so I thought it would make sense to address the issue of pornography in this new post. If you have never heard of the XXX CHurch before and you are in need of it...stop reading this post and go to www.xxxchurch.com now! There is free downloadable accountability software called (X3 Watch)that you can use to allow others chosen by you to be fully aware of your internet activity! If you need to fill in an email address for an accountability partner feel free to use wayofthepastor@comcast.net Believe me I will be watching! Hope this video and conversation helps someone out there who feels like there is no help!

Way of the Pastor,
Joe Drew

Hey Bullwhip Guy

Hey hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend. So here is the icing on the cake. The Bullwhip Guy! Wow! Makes sense though...think about it! When you do think about it...let me know what you think. For kicks go back and watch all three video posts of Rob Bell's Bullhorn Guy, Todd Friel's Bullhorn Guy response 1&2 and finally Bullwhip Guy! Have fun with this one!

Way of the Pastor,
Joe Drew

New Episode of Way of the Pastor Radio

Hey everyone go over to your left of this blog site, you will see a Talk Shoe Badge with my newest installment of Way of the Pastor Radio. Sit back for 10 minutes and listen as I comment on this blog and what we are currently discussing!

Way of the Pastor,
Joe Drew

Todd Friel's _ Bullhorn Guy Response parts 1 & 2

Bullhorn Guy Response prt. 1


Bullhorn Guy Response prt. 2

New Way of the Pastor Radio Podcast

Enjoy a new feature here at Way of the Pastor Blog Spot. I have posted a new podcast which doubles as "your" weekly challenge and "my" weekly soapbox. Give a post and leave a question or comment about Episode 1 of the WOTP podcast and I will read them on Episode 2.

Way of the Podcast,
Joe Drew

Hey Bullhorn Guy- by Rob Bell

So what do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Rob Bell on this issue? Any scriptures come to mind when you see this video? What comment do you think Jesus would leave for this post? Throw your thoughts up against the wall and we'll see if they stick!

Way of the Pastor,
Joe Drew

Louie Giglio- Does God care about me?

Where is it most difficult to be a Christian?

Listen to John Piper discuss the question "Where is it most difficult to be a Christian?" Click here, and enjoy! Go ahead and post your thoughts and let us know what you think. This link from www.desiringgod.org

Way of the Pastor,
Joe Drew

Pastor Joe's Discover, Develop, Do Challenge #1

It is so easy to consume your mind with what others are thinking of you? This breeds fear and idleness. We end up being a people who are too afriad to do anything, as we might offend or be rejected. So we abandon practices like tough love, disagrement, confrontation, or simply speaking the truth. This effects how we teach, preach, live, talk, converse, and engage with society! In Acts chapter 4 we see Peter and John combat this temptation to pipe down and quit rocking the boat! I wonder what would have happened if they would have taken the advice of those around them and wallowed in the mindset of "well...we tried?" Instead they voiced a prayer like no other in Acts 4:24-30 After this prayer the Bible tells us that the ground shook, the Holy Spirit arrived and Peter and John went out with a fresh sense of boldness. So to you I ask what is keeping you from shaking the ground where you live? What is keeping you from speaking the word of God boldly? What prayer do you need to pray to end the paralysis of fear, doubt, or worry- in order to become the person God created you to be?

Way of the Pastor,
Joe Drew

Six major shifts are taking place in churches

By Chuck Warnock (Original article here)
1. The shift from observation to participation. A 23-year old graphic designer recently said about her generation, “We’re creators.” We are in the age of the prosumer that Alvin Toffler predicted in Future Shock – those who create and participate in their creation. Content on the internet is the prime example. The age of the spectator in worship, learning, and service is over. People want to creat worship and participate in ministry, not just watch someone else.

2. The shift from religious education to spiritual formation. During the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, the education model drove church programs. Church buildings were designed with small classrooms. Churches enlisted “teachers” and planned curriculum. Now the shift is to spiritual formation. Willow Creek has just discovered that church programs, based only on an educational model, don’t make better disciples. Spiritual formation — building in the practices of faith in everyday life — produces “self-feeders” that Bill Hybels now says he wants to produce.

3. The shift from “what does it mean” to “what does it say to me” in Scripture reading. Ancient practices like lectio divina make followers of Christ aware of what Scripture is saying to them, not just what it means in its historical setting. Paul wrote, “All Scripture God-breathed.” The old view interpreted that text as the explanation for how scripture was inspired. The new view interprets that passage as meaning God is present today in the pages of Scripture speaking to us now.

4. The shift from “hereafter” to the “here-and-now.” Following Christ is no longer just about going to heaven when you die. Rick Warren’s PEACE plan for aid to developing countries, and his ministry to those with AIDS has broadened awareness of God’s work now, not just in eternity. Care for creation, service to community, and engagement with culture are examples of good news in this life, too.

5. The shift from the individual to the community. For the past 100+ years, we’ve focused on the individual in personal salvation and spiritual growth. We now realize community is both the incubator and facilitator of our spiritual lives. New expressions of community are helping people find their calling, their passions, and a new relationship with God.

6. The shift from belief to practice. People want to actively express their spiritual life, not just agree to a set of beliefs. More church groups are now focused on “doing” rather than “talking.” In pre-industrial society, the apprentice learned by doing, not just listening or watching. The spiritual director of the ancient abbeys provided guidance in how to live, not just what to believe.

Think About This:
So what shift is your church currently making, recently made, or is in need of? Do you go to church now based on certain shifts? Would you stop going to a church if they were missing one of the shifts? In your opinion, which one of these shifts would be most difficult for you and/or others?

Way of the Pastor,
Joe Drew

Do People Bore You?

May 10, 2008 | By: John Piper

I'm working on a book on the new birth. The final chapter is designed to give encouragements for personal evangelism. I just added a quote by C. S. Lewis that I love. Here’s the whole section to help you move toward people:

Find People Interesting
Be encouraged that simply finding people interesting and caring about them is a beautiful pathway into their heart. Evangelism gets a bad reputation when we are not really interested in people and don’t seem to care about them. People really are interesting. The person you are talking to is an amazing creation of God with a thousand interesting experiences. Remember the words of C. S. Lewis:

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would strongly be tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. (The Weight of Glory, 14-15)

Yet, most of us don’t think this way. The gods bore us and we return to our video games. Very few people are interested in others. If you really find their story interesting, and care about them, they may open up to you and want to hear your story—Christ’s story.

Does Nickleback bring up a good point?

So here is why you hear a Nickleback song on this blog when it pulls up...I was dropping my daughter off at school this morning and I was scanning the radio when I came across this song, "If Everyone Cared" by Nickleback. And then it hit me like a bug on a windshield, If we did our part as Christians, (if we cared) about those who do not know Christ, there would be those who would not die (spiritually!) Then I thought to myself who is dying around me...do I care? Do you care? Does anyone care? Does God care? And if God cares what is he doing about it...and then this verse came to mind as to how we as Christians are to get aligned with what God is wanting to do with us based on those around us:

Romans 10:14-15
"14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Who do you know who isn't saved? Next question...what are you doing about it?

Way of the Pastor,
Joe Drew

Bad Evangelism...don't try this at home!

Guest Speakers this Sunday 10:30a.m. Service

This Sunday is a special Sunday at Poeples Church of God. Not only is it Mother's Day, but it is also going to be special as we spend a morning with our guest speakers Ravshan and Lisa Uraimov who are missionaries with the organization, Athletes in Action. Ravshan and Lisa will be sharing their story as missionaries on the mission field of Kazakshstan. Having already talke with Lisa concerning their testimony...believe me...you will not want to miss out on hearing just how "amazing" God's grace is! You can find out more about Ravshan and Lisa at their website: http://ravshanlisa.ministryhome.org/index.php
We will be taking up a love offering for them at the end of the service to help support their ministry!

Senior Pastor,
Joe Drew

What Are You Made Of?

What a question to ask not only of each other but to ourselves as well. We assume alot about others and what they are made of based on what we see: their words and actions! But did you know that God sees even further than that and he does not have to assume anything about what you and I are made of? Scripture tells us that God can see our thoughts and that He knows the hearts of man! That statement alone should make us stop and examine the things that we think, say, and do! For the last couple of weeks I have preched about our thoughts and our words, leaving this Sunday to talk about our actions!

Doesn't that seem like the missing piece? Our actions! In today's world people think alot of stuff they don't mean and they say a lot of things they will never do! This rings true inside the church and outside the church. So what about the church? What about those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ? Notice I said "claim" those who "profess" Christianity with their words; these are the ones I will spot light on Sunday morning! I believe that some Christians are MIA: Missing In Action. They are missing out on the actions that God desires of us to show the world His kindness which His Word tells us can lead others to repentance.

So think about it! Why do you do what you do? Why don't you do the things you know you should?! Remember, this world is tired of hearing a message of hope that we so blatantly take advantage of by advertising lives of mediocrity and indifference. So this week, make an honest effort to catch your "actions" up with everything you "say" and "think" in Christ!

Sundays coming...

Senior Pastor,
Joe Drew

Why Should I Believe in Hell?

by Hank Hanegraaff

"Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2 NIV).

The horrors of hell are such that they cause us instinctively to recoil in disbelief and doubt; yet, there are compelling reasons that should cause us to erase such doubt from our minds. First, Christ, the Creator of the cosmos, clearly communicated hell's irrevocable reality. In fact, He spent more time talking about hell than He did about heaven. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), He explicitly warned His followers more than a half-dozen times about the dangers that lead to hell. In the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25), He repeatedly told His followers of the judgment to come. In His famous story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16), He graphically portrayed the finality of eternal torment in hell.

Furthermore, the concept of choice demands that we believe in hell. Without hell, there is no choice. Without choice, heaven would not be heaven; heaven would be hell. The righteous would inherit a counterfeit heaven, and the unrighteous would be incarcerated in heaven against their wills, which would be a torture worse than hell. Imagine spending a lifetime voluntarily distanced from God only to find yourself involuntarily dragged into His loving presence for all eternity. The alternative to hell would be worse than hell itself in that humans made in the image of God would be stripped of freedom and forced to worship God against their will.

Finally, common sense regarding justice dictates that there must be a hell. Without hell, the wrongs of Hitler's Holocaust would never be righted. Justice would be impugned if, after slaughtering six million Jews, Hitler merely died in the arms of his mistress with no eternal consequences. The ancients knew better than to think such a thing. David knew that it might seem for a time as though the wicked prosper despite their evil deeds, but, in the end, justice will be served. We may wish to think that no one will go to hell, but common sense regarding justice precludes that possibility.

IS ANNIHILATIONISM BIBLICAL?

If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name. (Rev. 14:9-11 NIV)

Just as universalism (i.e., everyone will be saved) is the rage in liberal Christian circles, so, too, annihilationism (i.e., God will annihilate unbelievers) is gaining momentum in conservative Christian circles. The question, of course, is whether annihilationism is Biblical.

First, common sense tells us that a God of love and justice does not arbitrarily annihilate a portion of the crowning jewels of His creation. He graciously provides everyone the freedom to choose between redemption and rebellion. It would be a horrific evil to think that God would create people with freedom of choice and then annihilate them because of their choices.

Furthermore, common sense also leads us to the conclusion that nonexistence is not better than existence since nonexistence is nothing at all. It is also crucial to recognize that not all existence in hell will be equal. We may safely conclude that Hitler's torment in hell will greatly exceed the torment experienced by a garden-variety pagan. God is perfectly just, and each person who spurns His grace will suffer exactly what he or she deserves (see Luke 12:47-48; cf. Proverbs 24:12; Matthew 16:27; Colossians 3:25; Revelation 20:11-15).

Finally, humans are fashioned in the very image of God (Genesis 1:27); therefore, to eliminate them would do violence to His nature. The alternative to annihilation is quarantine. That is precisely what hell is. - Hank Hanegraaff