Abortion is also another issue in and of itself. With the wealth of scientific information available, I am amazed that it is not already outlawed. It is unfathomable to me that we are killing babies and throwing them away at such an alarming rate. Women, and men, have been lied to and have had the wool pulled over their eyes. I pray that, sooner rather than later, we would soon look back at abortion like we do slavery (the type of slavery the Civil War was fought over, not the type mentioned above). Most young people today wonder how such a heinous thing actually happened. I hope the generations ahead of us look back and wonder the same thing about abortion.

If you have spent any time following recent events in the Christian world you would know that modern day slavery has become a big deal. Passion 2012 centered around it. Twitter is full of hashtags and tweets about it, and I just posted an article today about slavery and the Super Bowl. I began to think about this and realized that we must be careful about rallying around such things. Don’t get me wrong, I think the church should do so, but not to the neglect of other things. Let me explain…

It’s easy to get hyped up about abolishing slavery and ending abortion. Who wouldn’t want to be part of such a wonderful cause? I sure would, and for the most part, I think the outside world would look favorably upon the church if it were to rise up in protest of slavery (but not abortion, we know that already). It is easy because it comes with great reward and very little cost to your personal comfort. The gospel, on the other hand, is hard because it comes with little earthly reward and will cost you your life. So before you get hyped up on a social agenda for abolishing slavery and ending abortion, check your heart and ask yourself if your involvement is because you want an easier, more rewarding mission.

The mission of the church, to make disciples of all nations, is still paramount to abolishing slavery and ending abortion. Should Christians be involved in such social issues? Of course. But may it never be an excuse to abort the mission given by Christ himself. In the end, I can’t help but to think that if the church was busier being the hands and feet of Christ it would do far more to end abortion and slavery than it ever imagined by way of being servants, not activists.

Love Wins is nothing more than a series of straw man fallacies that Bell cleverly sets up and knocks down.  To the semi-regular church attender I think this book will appeal to them.  I think it will help them buy into what they wish was true about God.  I think they may even jump in head first and rejoice over the book. Others will “take the good with the bad” and not think too much about it beyond that.  For others it will lead them farther away from the truth.  In the end, the book is a load of hogwash.  It scores a perfect 10 on the mat of hermeneutical gymnastics.  Sure, that’s harsh, but come on, does Rob Bell really think this is worth the pages it’s written on?  For one who seems so concerned about “good art”, does Love Wins even pass as art?  Does it hold up under any scrutiny, historically or linguistically?  The answer is a resounding, NO!

Ok, I’m done. I have nothing further to say about Love Wins, other than the fact that love in the end does win.  God’s love.  The love that was poured out on the cross for sinners.  The love that accepted the wrath of God on our behalf and made a propitiation for sin. In the end, love wins. Justice wins. God wins.

Fore a more in depth review please see  Justin Taylor’s review at:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/03/14/rob-bell-love-wins-review/

Mistake #1: Being a “know-it-all”

I have B.A. in Biblical Studies with a minor in the History of Ideas from the College at Southeastern Seminary.  I consider myself very well educated in the field of theology.  Southeastern was an exceptional school and a “cut above” the rest when it comes to theological education for an undergraduate degree.  I had many mixed classes with seminary students, learned Greek from a UNC graduate who was fluent in 16 languages, and had the privilege of listening to many men preach the Gospel in chapel from churches all over the country.  Southeastern was very rigorous and demanding, and I am very thankful for my time there and what I learned.  Unfortunately what you don’t always learn in seminary is how “to do” church.  I left Southeastern thinking I could go to any church and pump teenagers full of right theological teachings and have everyone on board and ready to live for Jesus in no time.  Any pastor who has been at it for a while knows that to be an “EPIC” misunderstanding.  Reality is that not everyone is to the point of wanting a deep understanding of the scriptures.  I have learned to try to avoid two pitfalls that come from this understanding.  The first one is to never allow so much shallow teaching that you never provide people with the meat of God’s Word.  The second is to carefully guide people to a deeper understanding, realizing that most will have to crawl before they walk.

Mistake #2: Bigger is not (always) better

In the world of youth ministry your success is almost always judged by how many youth are in the youth group.  It is easy to get caught up in the numbers game and feel good about yourself if you had “x” amount of kids at youth group.  Numbers are important insofar as you make sure you shepherd the ones you have and you are constantly striving to reach out to those who are not saved.  Lots of youth groups grow as a result of teenagers hopping from one church to the next in search of the best band, programs, and friends while very few youth groups grow as a result of fulfilling the Great Commission.  I have known many small youth groups that have done great things for the Kingdom of God while many large youth groups have done very little (and that’s not to say there aren’t any large youth groups who haven’t done great things…just an observation).  I have learned that what matters in ministry is faithfulness to do what God has called you to do and to do it in such a way that leads others to Christ.  Growth then becomes the natural result of fulfilling The Task rather than creating a better program than the church down the street.

Mistake #3: My preaching/teaching will be what really drives youth closer to the Lord

I never want to, nor will I, downplay the role of God’s Word being taught in a large group setting, but I am beginning to realize more and more the importance of discipleship.  I have learned that the more time I invest in people one-on-one or in small groups the more fruit I see from their lives.  I believe Jesus modeled a good example of discipleship for us.

Mistake #4: An “event driven” ministry doesn’t work…

…people investing in people does.  All too often we have events geared at bringing in large groups of people in hopes of reaching the masses.  Unfortunately these large events that are often flashy do nothing more than bring out consumers who are looking for a good time.  I’m not the least little bit opposed to fall festivals, movie nights at the park, or block parties because relationships are often formed out of them.  However, many depend on these events to drive church growth or gather a list of contacts that is often ignored.  They are results oriented and are critiqued on how many “decisions” were made at this or that event.  I’ve heard churches advertise on local radio stations that they will be giving away a new car to a visitor if they come to church and fill out a visitor’s card.  Last year I went to a church festival that had a very large Easter egg hunt with plastic eggs full of various amounts of money that added up to $1000.  It was advertised as “come find $1000 at our egg hunt” (or something like that anyway).  The church knew good and well that no one person was going to find every single egg that had money in it and win $1000, come on folks!  I often wonder why we have become more like  used car salesmen than people on a mission to win converts, baptize, and teach.  Jesus did some pretty cool miracles that attracted a lot of people, so did Paul, and so did the others (mainly for the sake of validating the ministry), but their ministry was not “event driven”.  If it was I’m pretty sure Jesus would have come with all the bells and whistles behind him and had a stage with lights and all sorts of cool stuff, like an iPad (hey, Jesus knew about the iPad before Steve Jobs did, just sayin’).  Jesus and his followers had next to nothing and invested what they did have (the love of God) into the lives of people around them.  As Christians (and youth pastors) we must learn that events are good, but events should not be the driving force of our ministry.  I have to constantly remind myself of this.  People are our ministry, and we don’t always need an event to meet people and build relationships…we just need to be willing to “go”.

1. Toys were everywhere (kids are here)
2. Porches, beer, and socialization (relationships are important here)
3. There’s a wide demographic of people who live here (many needs to be met)

All three of these things provide a unique setting to do ministry in.  Two weeks ago we started our ministry “CALVARY @ Borden Park” and it has been a huge success so far.  I am excited about the families we have met and will continue to meet.  Calvary at Borden Park is nothing more than a way to forge gospel centered relationships in our community.  I am still uncertain as to how our church landed in the middle of these 900 homes, but it is, which means it is our mission field.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”.  Reality is that Jesus entered into our world, into our lives, and came to redeem for Himself a people that would worship Him in Spirit and truth.  He set an example and left us with a commission to do the same in the lives of others.  That is what CALVARY @ Borden Park is all about – stepping into the lives of others for the sake of continuing Jesus’ work on earth.

Please pray that God would continue to work through us and in the hearts of those we are ministering to.