We Don't Know Him . . .

I have come upon a disturbing realization. We have been misinformed. We have been duped. We have been given tainted information . . . by ourselves.

We don't know Him. Not really. Not at all like we know each other. We think we know Him, and that is a big mistake. We know things about Him; things He has specifically given us to have a proper relationship with Him. That is entirely different than knowing Him. Even a relationship with Him is different than our earthly relationships. Much more trust is involved on our part, simply because we are far too limited to grasp who He is, and what He is capable of.

I cringe when I hear preachers unequivocably promise His intervention in our tragedy, in our pain and suffering, in our circumstance. I am troubled by the "prosperity" gospel I am hearing. We don't know Him well enough to promise things on His behalf. What if He chooses not to intervene? He has and He will. More often than not, tragedy continues. Pain and suffering are alleviated occasionally, when He wills it. We live in a fallen world. Sooner or later our perceptions meet the reality of WHAT WE DON'T KNOW. We don't know Him well enough to predict deliverance at this or that point of time. His ways are not our ways. His plans are not our plans. Our picture is totally different than His picture . . . it's not even comparable.

The problem is, we think we do know Him. That's where we dupe ourselves. That's where the "Sunday School Syndrome" comes into play. Remember all of the great stories we heard as kids in Sunday School? Those are great examples of God's power and might, displayed in Scripture. We enjoy these as children, smile at them as teenagers, then cling to them as adults.

We cling to them selfishly. When we can't pay our bills, when we can't feed our family, when we can't get what we wanted or expected, we point at Him. We ask why. We wonder where He is. Where is this God who takes care of everyone else? Is there something wrong with me? Why is He allowing this to happen?

This sounds harsh, but we need to get over ourselves. It's not about us. It's not about our ill-bred perceptions. It's about Him and His glory.

The only sure thing we have to cling to is the Gospel. His Word has become flesh and lived among us. We have seen the revealed Christ, our Messiah. We cling to that. We know that. We can stand on that. The rest is Him being who He IS. He doesn't fit in our box; not even in our book.


We know He loves us. That is unquestionable, and the resulting salvation is the foundation for our worship. He sent His son to die. He offers freedom from ourselves and sin. He is our Creator. These things we know from his Word. But we don't know Him like we think we do.

He's not the pious, soft, starchy God we so often think He is. No, He's wild. Untameable. Unpredictable. More than we can imagine. Just because He loves us so much, doesn't mean He is in any way "lesser" . . . even though we are. That's the great mystery of Grace. It is in no way safe, yet provides us the ultimate safety . . . from His wrath.

C.S. Lewis says, "'Safe?'...'Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. but he's good.'"

He's good.

Take a weekend off and away. Look upward on a clear night. Stand face to face with a wild elk. Better yet, walk on the moon, as some have. It won't take long to see that we don't know Him like we think we do. He's bigger, and it is in this fact that I find my comfort. We don't know Him. We can't, really. He's bigger than our thought process. We are so small that we can't even be compared to Him, yet he compared Himself to us, even so far as to allow Himself to taste death . . . for us.

The Relevant loves the irrelevant. The Triune loves the trivial. The Creator loves the created.

We don't know Him . . . but He knows us, and loves us regardless. And this truth eliminates all fear.

That's enough for me to say "Thy will be done".

© Copyright Derek Hickman 2008

Teen Fire

Those of you who know me well know that some of my greatest joys in life are found in music and youth ministry. I have recently, as of September 1st, taken over a youth program at the Winchester First United Methodist Church. I'm usually the kind of guy who hits the ground running, so that's exactly what I did.

In the last month, we have added our own version of small groups to Sundays, calling it the "Sunday Night Breakaway". It is there that we practice team building and our Word Up moment (a short devotional focusing on our relationship with God), followed by small groups that split the girls and guys up by grade level. Here is the banner I just had made to hang on the outside of the church:









Our main campus (the First UMC church building) has developed a satellite church at our local theater across town on Sundays at 9 a.m. Our Teen Fire logo is based on their logo:








We have also "taken over" the local coffee house on main street from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday nights. The owner is a lady I know from singing there occasionally. She was so kind to let us come in and be loud and boisterous. I call it "The Tuesday Night Special" and it is an informal 2 hours of table games, music videos, great food, great coffee, wii on the big screen, loud music, and a Word Out moment (a short delivery of the Gospel, focusing on our relationship with each other). Rob Bell's NOOMA videos are great, as a side note. We've had numerous kids coming in off of the street to check us out. Last week Brent Vernon, a good friend of mine, was kind enough to come and minister to us. Once per month I have what is called Band of the Month (or artist). Three of us local crazies have formed a band (right now we are calling ourselves The No Names) and we started everything off by performing on 9/23. Brent came on 9/30 and REALLY got us started. His friend Sam was a little rusty but was a smash hit! :)

I've heard that the devil is in the details. Not true. God is in the details. I'm dumbfounded by the incredible amount of work that goes into a successful presentation of Christian fun and outreach. I love the results! Our motto is "Upword Focus, Outward Friendship". I wholly believe that we are all ministers of the Gospel, and that the most effective way we promote the Good News and bring others to Christ is through personal relationship. The whole purpose of the Great Commission lies in Christ's words, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples . . ." (John 13:34-35)

Our motto is based on His words again, when he quotes Leviticus 19:18, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and will all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself". Upword Focus . . . Outward Friendship.

In the wings, I am also working on a skateboard ministry to local skaters. We have about 200 roaming the streets in our little town. Our High School has about 1800 students. I'm working with the powers that be to create a place where these kids can come to skate; a place that's sanctioned and safe. I'm calling it "Project 360 X Ministries" and will focus on the X-game generation.

All this and two days per week to do it in. I'm busy. Saturdays will come for the X Ministries. That's three days. On paper it looks exhausting. When I'm doing it, it is my joy. When each event is over, I crawl home to rest, then plan for the next one.

Just in what I am now doing, there are three demographics of young people I have to reach out to. I've got:

1. My existing kids, who are churched

2. Those kids who are un-churched, coming in off of the streets on Tuesday nights.

3. The X crowd - the bmx and skater kids.

God is good. I thank Him for the opportunity!

Peace.

Derek

The Holistic God

The more I read, study, listen, and discuss, the less I seem to know. While that can be frustrating (if that's all I focused on), my mind has been continually renewed regarding the incredible nature and nurture of God.

We all know that transformation of the mind is often, and necessarily, painful. That is a transforming concept in and of itself! Once we realize that God is continuously redeeming the chaos of fallen nature, man's strife, our violence, the Enemy's chaos, life's tragedies, sickness . . . . basic pain in general . . . Once we realize He redeems it for our ultimate good, we see through different eyes. We understand. We bear our cross more willingly. We endure because we see the purpose for the pain, which is our ultimate pleasure in God.

I have long studied the body, soul, and spirit. I have come to realize that when one area suffers, every area suffers. I have seen this in my own life, and to be honest with you, I have felt like a 5-year-old trying to juggle steaknives. Disaster!

I recently led worship for a Healing conference with Tommy Hays (Messiah Ministries). Tommy has an excellent insight with Scripture and many of the things he talked about went right along with what I have been studying. I give him credit for opening my eyes to see our "holistic nature". I had some thoughts while I was at the conference and wanted to blog them for discussion.

The term "Holistic" means "emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts". Interdependence means "Mutually dependent on one another for survival". The importance of the whole summed up by the interdependent parts. This easily represents our different areas of our "person", the whole summed up by our different parts. A scripture comes to mind.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ". In my studies of each of these areas of our "person", I can think of numerous commands, principles, and expectations found in Scripture. For example: Jesus gives us three commands/expectations of a Christian.

1. When you pray . . . do so in secret.

2. When you give . . . do not let your right hand know what your left is doing.

3. When you fast . . . do so privately

Why these commands? Why these expectations? Why are we to do these secretly? Why in private? So that what we give the Father in secret may be rewarded in public. So that He can be honored by our wholeness.

1. Praying sets apart/sanctifies our Spirit (allows the Spirit of God to manifest)

2. Giving sets apart/sanctifies our soul (allows our SELF(mind, emotions, etc.) to surrender)

3. Fasting sets apart/sanctifies our body (allows our flesh to be crucified)

What we are commanded to do is to consecrate all three areas of our life to God . . . all the time. To be honest, many of us control our own politics, finances, health, relationships, desires, religion, and keep our Church life separate. I have been guilty of that. We try so hard to "control" ourselves, to be "good stewards" of our lives. We fail miserably unless we first consecrate ourselves, setting apart each area to God, giving Him full control. Only then can we be effective and happy . . . and joyful . . . and at peace. Period.

I have come to realize that we are made in the image of God to the greater detail than we can even imagine. A Triune God has created us in His image, with our own "triune nature" if you will, stressing and "emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts".

You who are sick, you who are shallow, you who are enslaved by sin, you who are hopeless, you who are wounded . . . let the God who wants you to be WHOLE and AT PEACE sanctify you through and through, healing your entire Spirit, Soul, and Body. This is where true Healing is found . . . at the end of our control.

See, God doesn't want your control. It's like my 18-month-old when he wants to open his sippy cup and fill it with more juice. He can't do it. He tries and tries. Sometimes he cries. It won't happen. I wait until he gives it to me. I fill his cup. God knows you can't do it all. He is waiting to fill our cup.

Our responsibility is NEVER to control our lives. It is ONLY to give Him everything, and He will wait until we do. We must let him sanctify this "triune nature" created in us, so He can make us blameless. We must live up only to these expectations: We must pray. We must give. We must fast.

Let us repent of our pride. Let us repent of our fear. Let us repent of our gluttony. Let us be found blameless. Our God, The Holistic God, yearns to give us Himself . . . entirely, so we can be entirely whole.

Peace.


© Copyright Derek Hickman 2008

S.T.A.N.D. (The Importance Of Pain)

Lately, I've been examining CHANGE in my life. Earlier this year (2008), I told my wife that I felt that God was preparing my heart for something to happen. I told her, "This will be a year of change for us". We felt hopeful and encouraged that maybe God was starting to move in our lives in a new powerful way. We had been praying for His will expectantly, but up to that point nothing had happened (that we could see).

We're still waiting . . . and to be honest, life has been a tad difficult since we felt that initial encouragement. I have learned, however, that God gives us inspiration in spite of our circumstance and that true, effective CHANGE can only come out of CONFLICT. What we are always struggles with what we need to become. This is how life is designed to work in a fallen world. This is how God salvages Creation, using "all things" for His purpose. In fact, the Fall of Man and the resulting gift of Reconciliation is the supreme fulfillment of this principle.

Pain finds its purpose in Pleasure. Failure finds its purpose in Success. Conflict finds its purpose in Change. In this, our Enemy wounds himself. What he means for evil, God gives it a new purpose - to mold us to His image.

God gave me this acronym over a year ago. I'm just now finding where to place it in my life.

S - stop living in Fear of pain or failure
T - take massive action to implement right principles
A - accept each moment as an opportunity to learn and move forward
N - never give up
D - demand ongoing excellence


See, most people know what is right. In fact, the overwhelming frustration I hear when talking about this subject is the fact that we all know what to do - we all know the principles for success - but, for some inexplicable reason, can't force ourselves to do it! I have found that I fear the pain. I fear the failure. I fear the conflict. I never really get to the principle.

God is using this year to CHANGE me, and as usual, it is in an unexpected way.


S.T.A.N.D.


Derek

© Copyright Derek Hickman 2008

There Is A God

I love it when God moves in and through us. It is our deepest fulfillment to have that happen. In my experience, God uses us for two purposes. He uses us to minister to each other as the body of Christ (whether to exhort, admonish, or teach), and He also uses us to show the world who He IS (either by His Story, His Gospel, or our Example).

My fulfillment for several years has been in the area of exhortation. God has used me to encourage other brothers and sisters in Christ towards praise and thankfulness, introspection, and true worship. I love what I do, and for quite some time have longed to do it full-time. God will someday open that door, for sure. Until then, however, He is constantly stretching me, opening my eyes to new avenues of ministry.

Another aspect, less known, has been my ministry to our town's youth. I grew up as a violent, oppressed young man, enslaved by sin and vice. When God changed me, I was drawn toward youth ministry that reached the hardened hearts of the "problem" kids. I remember one of the biggest questions I had was whether or not there even was a God . . . and I was a preacher's kid! Today I frequent the streets of Winchester picking up whoever wants to come to our church. I try to develop those all-important relationships that are necessary for us to impact their hearts and minds.

Some of you know that I've been leading worship at First Fire at Movies 9 on Sunday mornings (for two weeks). That is going well. My prayer is that someone will find God this coming week. I think I'll sing this on Sunday.

There Is A God

(Verse One)
A thousand lonely beacons, a thousand points of light
A thousand burning hearts are reaching for the sky
A million different reasons for us to question why
As the whole world searches for a sign

What if we find Him, what if He's really listening?
What if our sin is what's keeping us apart?
What if the answers are found in Jesus?
What if He's here to heal our hearts?
I know . . . you know . . .

(Chorus)
There is a God, and He cares for you
No matter where you're coming from or what you're going through
There is a God, and He knows our name
He can take this shattered, broken life and make us whole again
When you need someone to love you through it all
There is a God

(Verse Two)
A million different people, a million points of view
A million different reasons, so many things to do
A thousand different roads are here for us to choose
And the whole world searches for the truth

What if we find it, what if we really see Him?
What we start to know this Holy God above?
What if Salvation is only found in Jesus?
What if belief is up to us?
I know . . . you know . . .

(Chorus)

(Bridge)
No matter your failures, no matter your fortune
No matter your strength or the weakness you live in
No matter the walls that you've built to resist Him
No matter the choices you've made

(Chorus)

© Copyright Derek Hickman 2008

What Would Happen If . . . ?

What would happen if we believed, really believed that God uses us? What would happen if we actually fed the hungry? What would happen if we clothed the poor? What would happen if we left church on Sunday and lived by the Spirit’s leading? What would happen if we came to church consistently? What would happen if we gave up our jobs to become exactly what God made us to be?

What would happen if we stopped tearing down people with our words, and instead tore down those strongholds in our minds and hearts; those strongholds that keep us from moving forward . . . that keep us living *life*, instead of living LIFE abundant. What would happen if we prayed for each other’s healing, both in body and spirit? What would happen if we started making right choices with our time and money?

What would happen if we set a precedent of behavior for our family that honored God above all else? What would happen if we said that no matter what, our house will serve God? What would happen if we led our children to the throne on a daily basis? What would happen if we used our incredibly powerful gift of will to dictate how we will live in the world, but not of it? What would happen if we tested God by actually giving tithes and abundant offerings? What would happen if God became our very breath, our very life, instead of a priority that is reserved for Sunday mornings? What would happen if we prayed? What would happen if we lived a spiritual life in a physical world?

What would happen if we started a children’s bus route in the poor section of town? What would happen if we stopped sinning? What would happen if we thought more about clean hearts and minds instead of a clean church? What would happen if we prayed? What would happen if we gave up all of our independence to live in total dependence on God through the Spirit of Christ? What would happen if we would stop being so hard on ourselves?

What would happen if we decided to actually fight in this Spiritual War that we are in? What would happen if we lived on PURPOSE in a PRECARIOUS society? What would happen if we confessed one to another? What would happen if we stopped moving God between a box and a book, and actually allowed the reality of His Kingdom to permeate our mind, body, and soul? What would happen if we really did surrender all?

What would happen if we acted on Truth? What would happen if we actually ran from temptation? What would happen if we took a stand, not as a Condemning church but as a Conduit to Calvary in a world that needs the good news of the Gospel? What would happen if we actually spread that Gospel? What would happen if we developed deep relationships with our neighbors before we asked them to come to church?

What would happen if we stopped watching television programs that promote sin and vice? What would happen if we taught our girls to be modest? What would happen if we taught our boys to be respectful? What would happen if we beat our inner child, you know, the one that screams and cries to have what we want, and when we want it, regardless how stupid it is . . .? What would happen if we became disciplined?

What would happen if we got rid of the need for control found in the hierarchy of Church denomination and instead lived in unity as brothers and sisters in Christ? What would happen if we really got saved and lived a transformed life? What would happen if we used our spiritual gifts? What would happen if we actually had a relationship instead of a ritual, both with God and each other? What would happen if we believed, really believed, that God wants to use us to change our world? What would happen if we changed our mind?!!

What would happen if we put works with faith? What would happen if we put action with belief? What would happen if we perfected faith through works? What would happen if we practiced pure religion and visited orphans and widows in distress? What would happen if we kept ourselves unstained by the world? What would happen if we repented? What would happen if we had a different view about what a church should become? What would happen if we looked past our differences to real, true change? What would happen if we stopped offering mud pies of complacency and started giving God our best?

I saw a T-shirt that showed a sign on a church door. It said, “Church closed. Gone fishing for men. Will return when boat is full”. What would happen if we went fishing?

I heard someone say, "I want to live what I believe!" We already do. Our actions come from our thoughts that come from our beliefs. Take a close look . . . are you happy with the way you live? What would happen if we looked for, chose, and lived the right beliefs?

“Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Bob, why are you resisting me?” I said, “I’m not resisting you!” He said, “You gonna follow me?” I said, “I’ve never thought of that before!” He said, “When you’re not following me, you’re resisting me.””
– Bob Dylan

“God is a verb.” – Buckminster Fuller

Be transformed . . .

© Copyright Derek Hickman 2008

The Real Revolution

The word "Revolution" is one of the most interesting words I have studied. It is a noun, but its very essence is based on action, movement . . . verbage. There are several different meanings, depending on the context of this word. The root seems to be "revolve", which means to spin in a fixed pattern - usually focused on a central object which it "revolves" around, e.g. the earth's revolutions around the sun. In this context, the word "Revolution" takes on great significance, a very important action that sustains life, that gives opportunity for growth. Since I have become a believer in Christ, I am constantly aware of how the natural order we see is really a supernatural design that tells us so much about who God is and what He wants for us.

But enough of that. For now, I want to dwell on another meaning of this word.

Once again, "Revolution" is a noun that, in its essence, embodies action. However, in this context, it means "The attempt to overthrow one government, and replace it with another". I want to examine this with a spiritual light.

There is an overwhelming majority that still believes we live in a world dominated by the Prince of Darkness. I hear or read on a frequent basis about this church or that youth group hosting a Revolution party or conference with its focus on overthrowing this dominant sin culture we breathe in on a daily basis. Honestly, I don't see any harm with doing that. In fact, if these events help us to retain our focus on our King, then more power to them. However, there is a constant trend in these types of movements that bothers me to some degree. Here's why . . .

I see myself, my family, my brothers and sisters in Christ as being part of a Kingdom. Specifically, a conquering Kingdom where our loyalties lie with Christ our King and High Priest. I know of the "great debate" regarding the Holy Trinity, but let's just simply say that we do our best to glorify our Father by allowing the Spirit of Christ to dwell within us and lead us daily. In essence, we have already won the war and are now being entrusted as stewards of the spoil.

However, I strongly believe we are not living the reality of what we believe and are a part of. I do not think we fully grasp our place and significance in this Kingdom. I know . . . it IS hard to see what must be taken by faith. However, our anointing, our empowerment can only come by a proper belief system about who we are. Let me explain further . . .

Not too long ago, I was part of a meeting with some of the best salesmen in our company. We spent a better part of two hours discussing and debating how we can provide the best possible experience for our customers while getting our goals met. Anyone who knows great sales ethics knows that our goal is not the all-important dollar or selling a product just to sell a product. We believe that giving the customer an excellent experience builds loyalty, and loyalty is what brings money in.

After listening and discussing for quite some time, I got up and walked to the marker board, grabbed a marker and wrote a phrase for all to see. It went something like this, "I believe that each customer who I talk to today wants efficiency from me and excellent direction." I then said, "ladies and gentlement, we can have the best products, the best call flow, the best language to use . . . but if we don't have the right belief system in place then true excellence has once again eluded us." People buy what you believe in.

It all comes from our foundational belief system. Tony Robbins calls this "The Birth of Excellence" in his book Unlimited Power. Scripture calls it the Brain Revolution!

Romans chapters 12 and 13 tell us where this revolution takes place. It starts in our mind, develops into a belief system, affects our actions, and then changes the world. My favorite scripture verse is Romans 12:2 - "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." The next two chapters then go on to describe how a Christian should live in this world, but not of it!

The most powerful force on earth is our belief system. Transform your mind, transform the world. The writer of this passage knew what he was talking about. Changed from a torturer and murderer to a believer who traveled the world, he was bitten by poisonous snakes, was stoned to death and raised again, flogged, brought a dead teenager back to life . . . that is transformation! Paul knew the power of revolutionary belief. This is why I do not cringe or bristle when I hear of Teen Challenge or FireStarters or any other crusade center its theme around revolution. I think that, for the most part, these themes are centered around the revolution of belief. I support that. However, I do question what beliefs are being taught.

I would like to see more "revolution" centered on who a Christian actually is. What movement or force does he or she actually belong to. This brings me back to my point on us being part of The Kingdom of Heaven. Remember, we can have the best language, the best format, the best visual effects, the best life style, the best witness . . . but have we talked about who we are? Unless we know who we are in Christ, a facade can form and eventually crumble. This is why we hear of those "saints" who are caught in sin, sometimes sins that have been committed for decades! The facade is not the real. They are unbelievers. They do not see their place in the Kingdom of Heaven because they have bought into the Kingdom of Self.

We can be transformed by the renewing of our beliefs. In a spiritual sense, the only real revolutionary is Satan. I mentioned at the beginning that many of us believe in his Kingdom. Many of us believe and count on a belief that he is the prince of this world, that he has all power, and that angels are constantly battling to rest God's children from Satan's grip. This is not true. Yes, it was true, to a point, before Christ came. However, there are at least two scriptural references pointing to a shift in that power upon Christ's death. I am talking about Rev. 1:18 where Christ tells John, "I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades."

Also, Matthew 28:18 says, "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth"". This happened after the crucifixion. Yes, Satan is still powerful and is still the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2), but the Bible specifically dictates where and to whom Satan has dominion over . . . . sinners; those who disobey and disbelieve. There it is again. That word "believe" is powerful, even when it's being dissed! If there is any real attempt to overthrow a spiritual government, it is actually our enemy who is the revolutionary. We have already won! We are rulers, conquerors, ministers of the Gospel showing every nation a Heavenly Kingdom here on earth, preparing for a greater Kingdom to come. Wickedness is trying to overthrow us! We are the ones in power, not vice versa! Why else would we be tempted? Why else are we attacked? Why else do we have an enemy.

The Bible is pretty clear about this. In fact, we easily buy into our enemy's fall. His disgrace. We see him tempt Christ and fail. We see him defeated time and again through heroic stories of Biblical proportions. We see him lose and lose and lose, and we even hold an annual holiday celebrating our Lord's resurrection, our enemy's ultimate beat down . . . then read a few verses in Scripture regarding his earthly power (yes, he is powerful in an earthly sense) and beat a hasty retreat, giving him the mile when he's desparately fighting for an inch.

We would do well to take our mind off our enemy's temporal kingdom and focus more on the permanent Kingdom of Heaven to which we belong. Let us transform our minds to the incredible truth of being leaders in the Kingdom to come. Let us teach our children and young people. Let us start new believers on the correct path, showing them what they were and now are in Christ. We are loyal subjects to the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the One who brings us our victory!

Let's "man up" and stop living defeated lives. We are more than conquerors.

For God and King!

© Copyright Derek Hickman 2008

The Importance of Real Gratitude

Several months ago, I saw a story about an 11-year-old boy who was caught in a crevasse in California. He had been playing on the beach with his friends, running and climbing on the coastal rocks, when he slipped and fell into a crack in one of the large rocks he was playing on. The harder he struggled, the deeper he slid down until he was wedged so tight that no one could pull him out. It had gotten so bad, that with every breath he took, he inched lower and tighter. He was literally dying from lack of oxygen when the rescuers got there. The rock was smothering him.

At first, his helpers did not seem to understand the situation, but soon realized that his breathing was so shallow, he was in and out of conciousness. Their efforts quickly became more animated when they realized the life and death struggle they were in. They worked for over an hour trying to pull him out, to no avail. Then, a firefighter had the idea to pour motor oil all over him, to try to lubricate the rock enough to allow them to pull him free. It worked.

What happened next will stay with me for the rest of my life. When the men pulled him up to the top, he kept reaching out and saying "Thank You, Thank You" over and over again. I have never seen gratitude like that in a person's eyes before. I was looking into the eyes of a soul who was on the brink of death, who was dying right in front of us, when suddenly he was pulled free to live, to breathe freely.

And right there, it hit me. That boy is all of us. That is exactly where where we are as unbelievers. I remember that suffocating feeling of being trapped. My hatred of others, my desire to break all the rules led me to the edge, and I fell in. We are all trapped by what we think is on that rock of temptation - esteem, all that money can buy, the self-worth that the taboo promises- only to find out afterward that we are slowly dying, we have failed to stay away from the edge. We slide down into the crevasse. We become more and more uncomfortable until we are barely alive. Death is near . . .

No one truly knows what gratitude is like the person who has been snatched from the grip of Death. Those of us who have been saved from Hell should always have that sense gratitude. The deeper you are, the more thankful you become when you think about what you have been saved from. I want to say "Thank You, Thank You" to my Savior. I am saved! Those of us who believe: We are saved!! We can breathe again. Thank You Jesus!

© Copyright Derek Hickman 2008

The Importance of Proper Questioning

Asking God "Why?" may be one of the most pointless and asinine things we can do in this lifetime. If we cannot, with our own God-given logic and intelligence, find the answer in a proper amount of time, then the "Why" may not be at all what God wants us to obtain from the present circumstance. "Why?" focuses on what has already happened, not on what the next step should be.

And while He is perfectly able to answer us as to why something has happened, the chances of us understanding the answer are so incredibly small anyway that it is really just pointless to even start the whole exhausting process by asking the question in the first place. Asking God "Why?" is like a crowd of would-be art lovers who, in their enthusiastic love of the abstract, marvel and celebrate the latest masterpiece, only to find out later it was just the easel.

Our understanding is not His understanding. Our view of the picture is not at all His view of the picture. In fact, most of the time we are focusing on the Easel of Circumstance instead of looking for what it holds - The Masterpiece of Grace.

The most essential question we ask of God should be "What?". The Who, Where, and When come later. "What" grabs hold of the point. It defines for us the Message. It allows us to be part of God's work of art.

I also strongly believe that this question of "What?" should always be followed by an offer of personal involvement. "What do you want me to do?" "What can I learn from this opportunity?" "What can I do to react in a more Christ-like manner?" By asking this question we are showing God that we are following two of the most important principles of spiritual progress. When God answers (and believe me He will!) we must have the Ability to Listen and the Willingness to Lead.


Scripture is full of these types of interactions. A good example is found in the story of I Samuel 3:1-10. God called Samuel's name three times in the dusk of the afternoon, while he and his mentor priest Eli napped. Twice Samuel ran to Eli to see why he had called. The third time, Eli realized that God was speaking to Samuel and advised him to ask a "what" type of question of God. "Speak Lord, for thy servant listens". I am listening God. What do you want me to do? God wanted him to Lead, and the rest is history.

I believe that, by asking the proper questions, we obtain the best answers. Yes, in our deductive process we sometimes need to find out why something has happened. God gives us that intelligence and reasoning capability. However, "why" something has happened can only be profitable in guiding us to "what" our next steps should be, and is often not a necessary part of the process. In fact, "Why?" is more often than not a tool used by our Enemy to stall us, to humiliate us, to yank our focus from what God is trying to mold us into to a place where all we can see is the tragedy or uncomfortable circumstance that has just happened. Yes, I know that in our humanity asking "Why?" is sometimes inevitable, but when we cannot find an answer to "Why", we must move on to "What" God wants for us. "What?" is the question that allows us to Listen and Lead for the Kingdom.

© Copyright Derek Hickman 2008

Coming Up To Breathe

I have never really thought myself especially worthy to hear God speak. Moses I am not. However, there have been a few times when God has spoken to me in the most clear voice. It is actually hard to put it into words. To try to describe it, I would say it is sort of like being in a dimly lit room. A person can see shapes and even discern, with a small degree of guesswork, who people are. When God speaks it is like that room instantly becomes lit, with every detail brilliantly shown.

Do not mistake what I am saying to mean I am not led by the Spirit. That happens to me far more often, as it should be. Those of you who know can attest to this. Being led by the Spirit gives the believer a degree of certainty, regardless of whatever circumstance plagues us at the time. It is really a Supernatural certainty, no matter what the course of action is. Being a minister of music, I have felt that many times when choosing the path of worship in church. Other times, I have felt that when witnessing to a person, or going out of my way to do something. That certainty is special. It is that incredible indwelling relationship that a redeemed person has . . . the Spirit of Christ in us.

While being led by the Spirit gives us certainty, hearing God speak is enlightenment. And upon retrospection, I have found that He more often than not speaks to me in times of question and crisis. When God speaks, you lose that sense of "what if" and "why".

God spoke to me last Friday. I was driving home, in a stand-still traffic jam on 75 South. On these long drives home (2+ hours), I usually find in my thoughts an undercurrent of what really is affecting me and my life. To be honest, underneath my "professional smile", regardless of my positive attitude or do-it-myself philosophy, I am really just a struggling seeker who is just as screwed up as anyone else out there. I used to think that Christians have it all together. Truth is, we don't. The only thing different between a believer and a non-believer is who we serve and what we believe. Thus, the terms believer and non-believer. Nothing else changes. Stupid choices always bring painful consequences. I am almost thirty-four and often wonder if I'll ever get that one figured out.

God spoke to me, right in the middle of my turmoil. He said, audibly from my own mouth, using my own thoughts, " . . . I have to stop focusing on who I want to be, and start focusing on who You are".

I had lost my way, and God was kind enough to let me know why. Integrity, Purpose, Character, Wisdom, Knowledge . . . all of that comes secondary, and is so much more difficult without the peace that God gives. Focusing on who God is like being drawn to a magnet. Once we turn our focus towards Him, He draws us in.

However, we must never place God as our top priority. That doesn't work at all. Priorities can be changed, as you can see from the above example of my own crisis. God must be our LIFE. Like the air we breathe. We can only go without air for so long. Once we lose our way, or breath, we flounder. We lose our vision. Everything becomes blurry. All quickly seems lost, and we even fight what tries to save us, as a drowning person so often does. There have been humans who have went up to seven minutes without air. Most of us can barely squeeze out one minute before we start to panic.

In the middle of this fight, God spoke to me. It's simple really. Too many distractions of life. We don't make time to focus on Him and His will, and we start to lose our breath. We stop breathing the breath that our Creator breathed into us. Quite literally, he is our breath . . . our life. We lose our focus on Him. We flail. We struggle when He tries to intervene.

God spoke to me, and I thank Him for it. My Integrity and Character will continue to be shaped as God walks with me. I have started to breathe again, and nothing feels so good to someone.

© Copyright Derek Hickman 2007

The Importance of Hell

Several years ago, I was given a white cassette tape by my pastor Greg Makcen. It was called "Hell's Best Kept Secret" by a guy named Ray Comfort. I remember sitting with him in his little grey van and listening to it for the first time. I have since then listened to it at least a dozen more times.

Some of you may know the name Ray Comfort. He is currently in ministry with Kirk Cameron. Their ministry is called The Way of the Master, and you can see their program on TBN, and locate the website at www.wayofthemaster.com

Through this tape, we are questioned as to the Importance of Hell in each of our lives. To be more specific: Is there a place in our belief system that places any importance on Hell whatsoever? Do we even think about Hell? Do we think about our Enemy? Do we think about Heaven vs. Hell? Do we think about the possibility of going to either place, and what it would be like? Do we believe there is a Hell? or Heaven?

In his message, Ray Comfort asks the question, "Why do we become born-again?" What is the motivation behind our choice to accept the Gift of Salvation? Years later, with his video cameras rolling, I have heard Ray ask this question to people on the street (this is a huge part of his ministry). He asks this question to both believers and non-believers. I was surprised at some of the answers. Several of the Christians gave this answer, in one form or another: "God will make your life so much better, and totally free you from the pain of sin. Life is awesome when you choose Jesus!"

Wow. Let's examine the essence of this answer:

1. "God will make your life so much better" This is NOT true. No, God is not mean or spitefully looking to make your life worse when you become a believer. It's just that logically this couldn't be true at all. When you make the choice to follow Christ, you are enlisting in the greatest war of all wars - The war for our souls. God's priority is not this life, but His Kingdom to come. Therefore, He wisely makes no promise to make your life better, but instead promises pain, heartache, persecution, battles, and strife. Just like a good General tells his troops before shipping out to war, "Men, I promise you nothing but blood, sweat, and the likelihood of death. We have an Enemy. Let's give 'em Hell!" There's no promise of anything but pain. If good happens, thank God for His providence, then dig another foxhole.

2." . . . and totally free you from the pain of sin" Hogwash. I am still suffering from past sins. Sin makes you pay, and pay, and pay. The chinks in my "armor" are caused by my past sins. What salvation does is free you from the power of sin! No longer do we have that diseased, Satan-created part of us that is enslaved to sins call. Our hearts are healed and we can stand, as warriors, and say "NO" to temptation and tear down those strongholds with God's help.

3. "Life is awesome when you choose Jesus!" The only thing "awesome" is the Hope we have as followers of Christ. Our eyes have been opened to the Kingdom to come. Paul calls it "that blessed Hope". Hope is what makes war possible. No one goes to war hoping to lose. We fight to win. Every ounce of strength and integrity is given to this battle. We must WIN. We must stay faithful! A soldier has hope above all else. The power of Hope. That is what is awesome.

So, getting back to Ray's question. What is the motivation behind a choice to follow Christ? We have already determined that it surely isn't to make our life better! Actually, the answer lies at the end of a process.

1. We must see ourselves for what we are. We are sinners. The way to find that out is to look at the Law of God. The Ten Commandments are a good measurement. Have we sinned against God when we review these? You bet. Paul says the law is a mirror to show us our place in God's eyes. We are guilty of treason.

2. We must know that there is a Heaven and a Hell. Heaven is what God has created for those who trust and obey Him, fighting the war to win, for the cause of Hope. Hell is created for those who reject God's authority, believing there are other ways to obtain salvation or prominence. We must realize that by our sin, we deserve death and Hell.

3. We must believe that God loves us so much, He sent His son Jesus to die for us. This is the ultimate, one-time-only sacrifice necessary to free us from sins power. All we have to do is believe and follow Him.

Through this process, we start to understand that the answer, our foundational motivation for following Christ, is that we understand the Importance of Hell. Our hope is based on the fact that our salvation from Hell is Christ and His sacrifice.

No, we do not become believers so that our lives here will be better. Instead, picture yourself as a drowning man. You are all too familiar with what drowning entails. You feel the pain. You are dying. You can't breathe. Then you see a hand . . . reaching for you. With a sudden realization, you know that this hand is your only hope. You cling to it, ignoring the waves, the sounds, even your pain. You cling to your only Hope. This is what Salvation is. Your only Hope.

Ray Comfort gives a now famous illustration:

Two men are on an airplane. They both order coffee and are about to settle down when a stewardess comes to the first man and asks him to put on a parachute. She tells him that this parachute will make his flight a much more pleasurable experience, and give him freedom to enjoy himself to the fullest. He gladly puts it on, based on her promising words, and settles back to take in this new sensation.

The stewardess then goes down the aisle to the second man and hands him his parachute telling him to put it on quickly, that at any moment the plane could go down, and this parachute will save his life. He thankfully puts the parachute on and settles down to await his moment of escape.

The first man starts to feel rather uncomfortable. He can't sit back fully because the parachute is on his back, making him awkwardly hunched over for the trip. Soon he begins to notice other passengers pointing at him and laughing at his situation. Finally, after what seems like forever, he painfully stands up and throws his parachute off, cursing himself for believing the stewardess in the first place. He emphatically states that he will never again put on a parachute. It is all a hoax, he believes.

The second man feels uncomfortable, but doesn't mind. He isn't even bothered by the jeers and laughter of the other passengers. In fact, he tries to get the stewardess' attention so he can get parachutes for them also. He is focused on the danger and the possibility of tragedy. He turns to tell the others what could happen. He painfully stands up to show them how to put the parachute on properly, explaining what could happen at any moment. He believes that parachutes will save them all from death.

This is Salvation. A reaction to the threat. This is The Importance of Hell to a Christian. We see the danger. We see Hell for what it is. Death. Eternal Death. Salvation is offered (our parachute). We must tell others.

Unfortunately, those who answered with the "awesome" Jesus experience are partakers of a Prosperity Gospel that is sweeping our nation. Pastors across our country are touting God-given principles of living as their message of Salvation. Do this and you will be favored by God. Live this way and you will have a "windfall" of grace. God given principles work in the natural order of things whether we are saved or unsaved. If we manage our money wisely, we will prosper. If we make wise decisions, we will have optimum results. These are natural, God-given principles given to mankind to live by. These are not the make-up of true repentance and Salvation!

We have gotten away from The Importance of Hell. This must be our motivation for the parachute we put on. Unless we realize our sin, and its hellish consequence, we cannot properly know the true reason for our salvation. That is why these "prosperity" converts throw God off when hard times come. They say that they will never take Him back. They curse those pastors for convincing them that life would be better. They become disillusioned and Hopeless. They have not seen The Importance of Hell. Therefore, they never truly see the Hope of Salvation.



© Copyright Derek Hickman 2007

Does Jesus Care?

“Does Jesus care when my heart is pained too deeply for mirth and song?” The words to this song ask a very relevant question in the lives of many people today. Does God really care when we are facing times of hardship and suffering? We cry out to Him to deliver us from the painful tunnel we are crawling through. We have no idea how to get out of this situation, and the heavens are like brass. God is silent. Does He know? Does He even care?

Yes, He does. However, we may be surprised at what He really cares about. Here is a poem:

God does not care about our circumstance, whatever it may be.
He cares for His creation, especially you and me.
Circumstance is just a tool He uses to make new
the way we understand His love. He works to change our view!
So when you feel you’re all alone without a hope or prayer,
when you’ve reached your darkest place
God’s already there.
Patiently He waits for us to praise Him in this night.
With great care He walks with us until we see the light.
-Anonymous

The weapon of Circumstance is used by both sides in this war for humanity. The same circumstance elicits an incredibly different response by one party versus the other party. This is simply because of the differences in each party’s belief system. This alone should awaken us to the extreme importance of having the right beliefs and values. They literally affect everything we do, from the top to the bottom.

Our Enemy uses circumstance to destroy us because he hates God. His ultimate goal, in using circumstance as a weapon, is to force our attention away from TRUST and RELATIONSHIP to the OBSTACLE in front of us. The interesting part of this is that he doesn’t care whether this is a hardship or blessing. He simply wants to use it to destroy us, thus taking away part of God’s creation. He would love to “bless” us with wealth and prestige, if it meant our damnation. Many times we think only our hardship is his tool. Not so. Our times of abundance and content are often even more effective. Hardship will many times force us to God. Our Enemy would much rather lull us to sleep, taking our focus away from God.

Lucifer, once the Worship Leader of Heaven, lives enraged at our importance in God’s eyes. Even though he loves chaos and mayhem, he will still use the most effective method in damning our souls, because he hates God even more than chaos. When examined, the Church today is being lulled asleep . . . quietly . . . with great abundance and content. Many times, the chaos we see in our church is actually God trying to wake us up, to change us from that Comfortable congregation to a Changed church!

God uses our circumstance in an entirely different way. His ultimate goal, in using circumstance as a shaping tool, is to force our attention away from the OBSTACLE, whatever it may be, to TRUST and RELATIONSHIP! Interestingly enough, it doesn’t really matter to Him whether this circumstance is hardship or blessing. He simply wants to use it to draw us closer to Him, and to teach us to give Him glory at all times. This is the measurement of a “tiny Christ”, a Christian, giving glory to God at all times. Yes, many times God does use hardship to shape us. Pain is often the most effective way to learn something. However, we are mistaken to think this is all He uses. God blesses us enormously, but He does this only to enhance his Kingdom and increase our ministry opportunities. Our hardship, our abundance; both have a two-fold purpose: To build our FAITH, and to enhance the Kingdom. That’s it. Consider this passage from Luke 8:23-25a:

"But as they were sailing along He (Jesus) fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, "Whew! That was close! Did you see that last wave? We could have capsized out here! What is my Father thinking! It's a good thing I took matters in my own hands! We could have drowned! I have to get alone for a bit to talk with Him and see if this was an oversight on His part!"

Interested that I took such liberty with Jesus' response? If He had cared about the circumstance, He would have reacted like that in His humanity, scared out of his wits, focusing on the storm. However, being filled with the Spirit, He actually asked the freaked out disciples one question, with four powerful words that let us know exactly what He cared about. He said, "Where is your faith?" Another passage, in Mark, phrases the question as, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

The storm was just a tool, a test of their faith. Where is our faith? What are we concerned with? Is it the storm around us, or are we secure in the knowledge that this storm is under the control of an Almighty God?

Does Jesus care? Yes, He does! God cares about you and me. He cares that we become molded to His image. This is for our own ultimate good. What we need to learn is that God does everything for the ultimate good. Nothing is done for immediate gratification, especially when that gratification will eventually harm us. He uses our circumstance to shape us into warriors for the Kingdom. He cares that we learn how to fight against Spiritual wickedness. He knows that WE HAVE AN ENEMY WHO WANTS TO DESTROY US. He uses those attacks to make us stronger. However, circumstance is just that . . . circumstantial. All around us, we see the circumstantial evidence of a war for our very souls.

If our eyes could be opened, we would surely be surprised. Not so much by the hosts of Heaven, for we might expect them after reading and hearing Bible stories. That would certainly be awe-inspiring, for sure. No, we would be surprised at what we see when we look behind us on the path that we have been walking. Littered on this path, and around us where we stand, are misshapen lumps, some small, some large. At first, we wouldn’t recognize them for what they are, due to their condition. Then we would start to realize the features of past problems; a sickness here, a financial hardship over there, a failure at that juncture of our journey. These are our circumstances, ultimately used by our Father for our good. They are misshapen because God has taken what has been meant for evil and has formed them to mold us in the image of Christ.

Does Jesus care about us? Absolutely, in the truest sense of the word. Absolute. Unchanging. Ever-constant. Immovable. Total. Complete. Unconditional. Unlimited. Supreme. Fixed. Unmodified. Unadulterated. Pure. Perfect. Unquestionable. Utter. Conclusive. Resolved. Firm. Definite. Final. These are not words on a page. Christ DIED for all. This proves the point.

His love is our Solution, our Answer, our Resolution, our Truth, and is given freely to all who believe.


Does Jesus care about our circumstances? I think not. He can use anything to form us in His image. Even dirt (Genesis 2:7).

© Copyright Derek Hickman 2007

The Process Of A Changed Church

Every church has what I call the “usual suspects” when it comes to personality conflicts. There are actually stereotypes of personality that each church has to a degree, different windows we all look out of, our belief system of how a church should work. These are conflicts that every church must deal with, and the most successful churches are churches that have stated some ground rules for their members to follow in regards to these very conflicts. We will discuss these later.

Church conflicts do not usually occur until there is some measured degree of success either already happening or on the horizon. If you look at a church where there is no growth, no outreach, and no real life, then for the most part you find a contented, warm, familial, wonderfully maladjusted and dangerous church. This is the type of church that is content and happy to minister to each other’s needs, and actually is quite uncomfortable at the thought of “strangers” coming into their sanctuary to disturb their comfort. In fact, sometimes they view their group and building(s) as an actual sanctuary from the outside world. This is why we will call them Comfortable Churches. Interestingly enough, these Comfortable Churches can be big or little. It is the mindset of a congregation and their leadership that details what type of church we attend, not necessarily the size.

Comfortable Churches are relatively conflict-free until that dreaded individual we all have heard about, and hoped was just a myth, comes to work for us – the Naïve Pastor who actually believes in the Great Commission! Shudder the thought.

Success, either imagined or real, has a wonderful way of screwing up a Comfortable Church, and it is always amazing to see how it happens. Usually that Naïve Pastor, poor sod that he is, will follow God’s leading and call for us to reform our thinking, to change our views of what community means, and to start a local outreach program. Some uninformed person actually believes what he preaches and, without the consent of the rest of our congregation, actually goes into the highways and byways and invites people to come. People actually do come (sinners are always searching for Truth), and the vicious cycle starts. This is where conflict begins. The idiot member(s) that actually started this mess is/are automatically shoved to the outside, along with any of the “strange” people that have started coming. The dirty, the sinful, the unclean; these are all a huge “cause” of the “effect”, which is conflict. How do we handle these loud, unchurched kids we have been busing in? What about the dirty looking family that stops by and asks for money? Help? Why in the world would we help them? And then the blame game starts. Accusations fly and unkind comments are made. The Comfortable Church has been awakened and it’s not a pretty sight!

Of course, our Enemy loves Comfortable Churches . . . but he loves the Conflicted Church even more. This is where he can do the most damage if he plays his cards right. Sure, in a Comfortable Church, he has lulled us to sleep, but with a little gambling (and he is, above all, a gambler at heart) he can actually destroy a Conflicted Church. He can smash its hope, create disillusioned non-believers, destroy marriages, ruin friendships, and hopefully kill the ministry of our leadership. By this gamble, our Enemy hopes to shoot the moon, and take everyone down.

Once a Comfortable Church becomes a Conflicted Church, it is hard to go back. The damage is done and once we are awake, we need to deal with the issues at hand. Now, this is not to say that we won’t try to go back to the way things were. In fact, a Comfortable Church’s first reaction is to frantically smooth over any blips or bumps in its “security blanket”. I have worked in several churches, and the surest way to do this is by using the ultimate weapon every Comfortable Church seems to have – Short Term Missions! Let’s sweep that sense of community under the rug by going 2-4 weeks per year to a foreign country and help the locals! We then come back and cry, telling the whole church how our lives are forever changed, and that we will go every year from now on to help the poor people in (insert-any-country-far-away-from-here).

This is the greatest weapon of a Comfortable Church, not because a short-term mission trip is a bad concept, but because we do not fulfill the purpose of what a short-term mission trip is designed for. What we must realize is that the short-term mission trip was originally designed to promote two things in the hearts of the people who go:
1. To create a foundation for a call, with God’s leading, to a mission field.
2. To create a passion for the lost in our own community.

As a Comfortable Church, we have actually used the Short-term mission trip to quiet the call to local evangelism. We use it to appease any guilt for not being active in our own community. Our Enemy loves this weapon, and does everything he can to help us use it. It is very effective in destroying the original purpose of Short-term missions.

Of course, now that we are a Conflicted Church, it is harder to use this weapon that has worked for us in the past. Now, instead of being content with the testimonials and tears of mission workers, there are those in our congregation who are calling for us to do the same in our community. Incredibly, this is where the conflict gets most intense. This battle is not specific to any denomination. It is fought in any church. Some of those same people who are so “changed” by their experience in (insert-any-country-far-away-from-here) are the same ones who cast an eye of disdain at the poor and needy who have started coming into our Sanctuary, eating our food, using our facilities, and messing up our Sunday school rooms. The Conflicted Church now grinds to a halt as those involved start to take sides.

Taking sides. Ah, there’s a concept. Whenever a side is taken, and there are two or more sides, there is war. So, the question arises, “What side do we take and what are the results?” There are some that choose to leave the church instead of taking sides. They do this to protect themselves and their family from pain and heartache. They go to another Comfortable Church, where life is good. Whatever church you are in at this time, remember that the side you take determines your outcome, and we must want what God wants for our church.

Knowing what we now know about the Comfortable and Conflicted Churches, let us now look at what can happen. There are two ultimate paths from this point. We see the conflict, and can estimate what will happen if something is not done to intervene. To win this battle, we must be aware that this is not at all a war of flesh and blood, no matter how ugly things get. Those who are destroyed will lose sight of this fact, and fight in the flesh. That is our undoing. This leads to the path of destruction, our first path we will discuss.

To walk this path, we must lose sight of what God wants for this Conflicted Church. We must promote the unbending, unwavering viewpoint that we are right and they are wrong. We must believe that this is their entire fault, and that we are fighting a certain group of people. We must NOT see the spiritual war that is actually taking place for the rights to our church. We must NOT pray or seek discernment on how to proceed. We must accuse others of wrongdoing. We must play dirty so that WE can WIN. We must NOT pray for the other side.

That path’s destination is pretty easy to see: Total failure. What then of the other path? This path is a path that God wants us to take. This path leads to repentance. This path leads to the Church of the Changed Mind.

The word repent, in the dictionary, means “to change one’s mind”, and this is really what God wants for us as a Changed Church. The really great part of the process of going from a Comfortable Church to a Conflicted Church, and hopefully to a Changed Church is that God is part of this. Many times we get disheartened as we fight, losing sight of His role in this battle. Sometimes we need to be reminded to fight the battle God leads us to, and let Him win the war. We must remember that a well-trained soldier does what he is trained to do best – he or she uses the weapons given us. These weapons are what we will discuss now. By using our weapons, and knowing that God is in control, we can be heartened and fight harder.

When examining a Changed Church, I have found several universal weapons that have been used, parts of a strong foundation that keeps a Changed Church going forward. These weapons are what can transform a Conflicted Church to a Changed Church. Here they are:

1. A Changed Church has a unity of purpose. Everything this Church does is done with the underlying intent to bring our community to Christ. Every program is developed and utilized with the intent to support the mission of the Church. Every member is well aware of the mission and the overwhelming majority supports what that mission is. Therefore, the key step is to develop a simple, effective mission purpose, and then to overhaul each dept. or program in the Church to align them with this statement.

2. A Changed Church is only transformed by massive amounts of prayer! This is what stalls and sometimes defeats the efforts of the saints. No prayer = no change. I would suggest setting up two areas of prayer. 1. Ask for people each week to pray and fast for our Church needs and services. 2. Develop a prayer team who will pray during the weekly service on Sunday morning. Some key points to pray for are lost souls to come and be changed, the anointing on our leadership and congregation, and for changed hearts and minds.

3. A Changed Church hears the Word being preached in love. Truth sets us free, and is a vital starting point to the renewing of our minds. We cannot be a Changed Church without an anointed Pastor who administers the Word to us each week. A Pastor needs prayer and physical support from the other leadership in the church.

4. A Changed Church is a church whose people are changed. Each successfully Changed Church requires a foundation of a personal relationship with Christ and each other. Knowing God and loving each other is key to the Conflicted Church being transformed to a Changed Church. Some suggested methods are to have small groups within the church, and to promote relationships between the groups. All of this is implemented as part of the recognized Mission of the church. Part of this process can also be a public renewal of our commitment to Christ, or a weekly time of testimonials geared to inform each other of what God is doing in our lives.

5. Quarterly Evaluation. We must be intelligent enough to evaluate our progress in a physical sense. Every Quarter, meet with your department and program heads and evaluate what has been done, deciding if it is in unity with the Church’s mission, and what needs to be tweaked to make it more successful. Once again, this is done on the recognizance of our Mission.

6. Be prepared to constantly change. The Changed Church is a church that understands that the only constant is change. We must be prepared to constantly move forward, to never become a Comfortable Church again. “No apathy allowed” is our motto! Progressiveness in our Bible study, Outreach, and Prayer is an absolute necessity. Progressiveness in our Relationship with God is a must.

7. Finally, we must remember we fight Spiritual Battles. Satan’s greatest weapon today is usually Circumstance. He uses it in all of our lives very effectively. It is always interesting to see his reaction to a Changing Church. First he attacks the leadership, doing his best to throw us off track with our own circumstances and daily grinds of life. If he can do that, he doesn’t need to worry about the rest of the congregation. Shepherd-less sheep are easy to pick off. Secondly, he tries to turn the congregation against each other, doing his best to get us back to being a Conflicted Church. It is always funny to see how two or three people’s spite can make you feel like everyone’s against you. Statistically, this is simply not true. Do not give into the temptation to fight back against these small skirmishes and darts. Go back to Principle #1. We fight Spiritual Battles. Like the saying goes, “Get on your knees and fight like a man!” Pray, pray, pray. Talking to the Commander in Chief allows us to see the true tactics of a truly desperate Enemy.

Since we know that we fight a Spiritual battle, we learn to look at this through God’s eyes, and join the side of Change. Keep the faith! No matter what stage of church you are in . . . Comfortable, Conflicted, or Changed . . . remember that God is walking with you, and that His hand is actually behind this whole process. Sure, it’s painful. Change usually is. I point you to Romans 12:1-2.

© Copyright Derek Hickman 2007