The Way Matt Sees It

There are so many different ways of doing church.   Mark Batterson challenges Christians to find ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet.   That’s an awesome thought.   I want to be part of this new movement of church, instead of sitting around in what’s comfortable.   I recently attended Hillsong Church in NYC and seriously loved it.   Here’s why:             1. They are in sync with today’s culture             2. Worship and Word are central to the service             3. Their theology drives their philosophy 1. THEY ARE IN SYNC WITH TODAY’S CULTURE From worship to the media and even the fashion, Hillsong NYC is completely in touch with today’s culture.   All of their media is current and looks professional.   They take complete advantage of today’...

Two years ago I wrote a blog post called, “The Hard Fun of Being Challenged.”   It was when I began my internship at Searchlight Church.   My workload increased, and it was a challenge, but I realized it was awesome and what God was calling me to. Now that I’ve graduated college, I feel like I’m experiencing the same exact thing.   Working as youth pastor of Searchlight living an hour and a half away, leading Epicenter Young Adults ministry, and working at Starbucks is all becoming a lot for me.   But I feel like God has really been making it clear that He’s in all of it. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE HARD PART It’s a lot of work!   I need to invest more time in preparing for college group, as well as more time in planning and participating in Searchlight Youth activities and being active in the lives of the students.   It’s easy to just focus on how overwhelming ...

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL? While Jesus is very clear that Christians must spread the gospel message (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15), there isn’t a particular Bible verse that gives an explicit definition.   The Gospel literally means, “The Good News.”   But good news about what?   Doesn’t that entail bad news?   The Gospel can be understood in these terms: G – God O – Our S – Sins P – Paying E – Everyone L – Life G – GOD ( Colossians 1:16) God is at the start of it all.   He is the Author of Life, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe.   God is the one who created us to know Him and to be known by Him.    Humanity lived in perfect paradise living in perfect harmony with God, until we used the same breath He graciously gave us to curse Him. O – OUR (Romans 3:10-12) Our sins separate us from God.   We have all participated in the mutiny.   There isn’t a religion in the world that doesn’t agree there’s something ...

Jesus Washes Peter's Feet Successful leaders are “servant leaders;” they serve others instead of serving themselves.  The perfect example of servant leadership is Jesus Himself; the perfect picture was when He chose to wash The Disciple’s feet, a job reserved for a servant, not a leader (John 13:1-17).  Instead of leaders being known for selfishness and faithlessness, they should be known for being FAT.  FAT meaning:             F - faithful             A - available             T - teachable A boy named Samuel was a great example of this.   He worked in the temple, and was faithful in his work (1 Samuel 3:1); he made himself available when God called out to him (1 Samuel 3:4, 6, 8, 10), and was teachable to the authority figure over him (1 Samuel 3:15-18). Faithful | (Matthew ...

WE (CAN’T?) WORK OUR WAY TO HEAVEN One of Christianity’s major defining points from other religions is its emphasis on faith over good deeds.   While other religions require adherents to do enough good works or obey a certain lifestyle, Christianity says that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves.   We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone. Then why would the Bible say, “faith without works is dead,” (James 2:17)? The Bible teaches that our good deeds don’t save us; it’s through faith in Christ alone (Romans 3:28; 5:1; 11:6; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 3:9).   Then what aren’t we getting about this James passage? James wasn’t trying to write a systematic theology book.   While we definitely get important Christian doctrine from this book of the Bible, we must think about his primary purpose.   James wasn’t teaching “faith or works,” but instead was emphasizing the importance of applying God’s Word in our lives. INF...

UKRAINE IN CRISIS If you aren’t aware, there is some massive tension going on in Ukraine right now.   Pro-Russian separatist rebels have captured many eastern cities, while the interim government is trying as hard as possible to avoid an all-out civil war.   The West blames Russia, who has roughly 40,000 troops stationed at the Ukraine border, for backing the rebels and stirring up the violence.   Russia denies this, yet also claims that they will protect their interests if they are threatened. Chaos is everywhere.   Violence is rampant.   Blood has been spilled. And what answer does Christianity offer?   What would Jesus have to say? PEACE IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS When His Disciples were experiencing a storm they feared could take their lives, Jesus calmed the storm and asked why they didn't trust in Him (Mark 4:35-41).  Jesus doesn’t promise us a pain-free or problem-free life; in fact, He  guarantees  that we will have ha...

“Do you actually take the Bible literally? ” is a common question posed to Christians.   What is the answer?   Is taking the Bible literally backwards thinking?   Is not taking it literally sinful? Thomas Jefferson's Edited Bible For example, Jesus says that He is a door (John 10:9).   Are we supposed to take this literally?   Does Jesus have a doorknob, hinges and is made of wood?   Then how can He walk?   How could He even communicate that He was a door? Clearly we have a problem. DEFINE THE TERMS When Christians claim that they take the Bible “literally,” I think they are really trying to assert that they believe the whole Bible to be true.   However, I think our understanding of the term “literally” is where we can get mixed up.   I’m going to use these terms: “ Literally” – meaning that we take the Bible as a collection of literary works, but we believe it to be wholly true in what it teaches. “Literalisticall...