How the Gospel Can Transform This Community Pt. 3 - The Gospel and Hopelessness

 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Romans 15:13.

       Let's consider now another one of the root problems in our community that the Gospel can conquer and by doing so, transform our community: Hopelessness. Hopelessness contributes to a slew of evils and problems in any community. If a person cannot imagine a rewarding future, if there is nothing for them to look forward to, then there seems to be very little reason to deny oneself any and every immediate pleasure right now. Drug addiction, drunkenness, overeating, gambling, sexual promiscuity, lying, stealing, cheating - Why wouldn't a person engage in these activities if there is no hope. Like it's said in I Cor. 15:32 "If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.'" It makes sense.

       If there is no hope, why would I bother myself with efforts to help the poor, heal the sick, restore relationships, or anything that might put me out? Why would I care about anyone? I have only of few short years on this planet to live it up as much as I can and enjoy whatever I can experience and then I just die and return to the dust to be forgotten. John Piper puts it this way: "Hopelessness destroys moral conviction by making it look ludicrous. And therefore it destroys almost everything that is beautiful and precious."

       And without the Gospel, there is no hope for the future. "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" (I Cor. 15:17). Without there being some sort of hope beyond the grave, the kind of self denial and sacrifice it takes to lift a community out of darkness and poverty and sin becomes extremely difficult. The energy it takes and the sacrifices made may seem heroic for awhile, but the little and momentary praise that may come with your efforts will soon be overtaken by the meaninglessness of it all if you really feel like once death comes, that's it.

       We can start programs to help lift people out of poverty, help their fellow-man, end drug addictions, etc., but without hope, those doing the good deeds will tire and fade and those "benefiting" will see little reason to expend the effort to make those changes. So what has the power to awaken hope and transform the heart so that the sacrifice required to take the steps to kill the influence of drugs and alcohol, lift people from poverty, end racial strife, and cure the ills of society all the while pleasing God and exalting Jesus as Lord? The only answer is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It brings with it the promise and hope of eternal life. And it comes with the powerful assurance that God is for and not against us. And if our God is for, then who can ever stop us? Who can stand against us? Who defeat us? (Rom. 8:31). For we are "more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Rom. 8:37). Living in the power and hope the gospel "is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (I Tim. 4:8).

       Just imagine what would happen to our community if Hopelessness we're not an issue. If, in fact, people held onto the only true and unwavering hope of the Gospel? Perhaps more men and women would step up to the plate and say with Paul "I will gladly spend and be spent for your souls" (II Cor. 12:15). Perhaps our communities would be transformed for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.

In Christ,
Ryan Fillinger
Fusion Church
Fountain, CO

The Importance of Faith at Home

"Kids will likely abandon a faith found at church if they don't inherit a faith found at home."

       Recently on Facebook I posted the above quote I had written for an upcoming sermon and one of the comments I got said " I'd love to see your research on that. At first glance, I'm not sure if that's entirely true." Well, I'm definite don't ever want to be someone who throws out provocative statements like that without backing them up, so here's my response:

       Entirely true... I'd agree, no, thanks to the powerful grace of God anyone can find faith despite any failures in their upbringing. But like so many things in today's culture, the biggest problem is that our kids' spiritual formation tends to be outsourced to "the professionals" in the church, which I believe by itself is ineffective and not God's design.

       In a recent survey I took of the teens in my youth ministry, 73% of them said that spiritual matters were not a regular topic of discussion in their home, even though 50% of them have families that are faithfully apart of a church. Most of my research concerning kids who've grown up in church, but then abandoned their faith have names and I know their stories personally. I've seen it more than I'd like to admit. Kids dropped off at church that seem to be catching on to the truth of God, but aren't hearing that same message at home and when they "graduate" out of my ministry they fade away. Or on the other hand, kids who we're faithfully brought to church every Sunday and Wednesday by their parents, who we're Christians, but when they reach college and adulthood, they drop out and they're parents are left wondering what went wrong. They went to the best churches with the most exciting kids ministries, dynamic youth pastors, winter retreats, professional sounding worship bands, you name it, they had it. But in the end, they abandoned church and ultimately their faith.

       But by way of numbers, an American Research Group survey conducted in 2009 found that 95 percent of twenty- to twenty-nine-year-old evangelicals attended church regularly during their elementary and middle school years, but by the the time they reached college, only 11 percent we're still attending church.

       Part of the reason I attribute some of this decline to the matter of faith at home is based on what I've seen and experienced of these numbers showing themselves to be true in the lives of people I've known. It's also based on what Reggie Joiner calls the 3000/40 Principle that highlights the fact that on average a church only has 40 hours in a given year to influence a child's life, while the average parent has 3000 hours a year to influence their child's life. That's taking in calculations for holidays, sick days, custody issues, vacations, and other factors. So the same fourth grader that might spend 400 hours a year playing video games and studying math, will only spend 40 hours a year in our kid's church environment. It's sobering to youth pastors like me, but my reach and influence into a child's life is very limited compared to parents.

       It's also based on what I've noticed of the lack of God's design for discipling children set out in Deuteronomy 6 and 11 being put into practice. Here, Moses was introducing the law and commandments of God to the Israelites before they took possession of the Promised Land. He lists the ten commandments, the greatest commandment, and more. Then, he says "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

       So, Moses the leader of God's people at that time stood up said "bring your kids to the temple every week so the priests can instill God's truths in you children." No, wait. That wasn't quite how it went. Instead, he put the responsibility on squarely on the parents to talk about their faith to their children "diligently", "when you sit at your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Moses seemed to have a handle on the 3000/40 Prinicple that we mentioned earlier and realized that if their faith that had been sheltered in the wilderness was to stay alive in the next generation as they entered into the "real world" of the Promised Land, it was the parents who were going to have to take an active role in passing it down.

       Deut. 11 gives almost the exact instructions word for word, but also mentions something important that comes to bear on this issue. He says to the parents "Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God... But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done" (vs. 2,7). What Moses is saying is that those children's best chance to catch the faith and make it their own was to learn it from parents who had experienced God for themselves and could testify to His majesty. But weren't the temple activities going to continue? Yes, and by God's command, even if they didn't talk about their faith at home, they would have to come the temple regularly to offer sacrifices. But if they wanted their children to inherit their faith, it was going to come most effectively by following God's instructions to parents than by witnessing the temple activities.

       I believe the same is true today in the church. Although, our commission is to "make disciples of all nations", including children, God's design is still for parents to be the primary spiritual leader in their kids life. Not the youth pastor. Not the Sunday School teacher. Or the children's pastor. Although their roles are still important.

      So, to summarize why I believe that "kids will likely abandon a faith found at church if they don't inherit a faith found at home", here's the driving ideas behind it:

• The fact that more and more we see church-going children and teens abandon their faith when they reach adulthood.
• The fact that by many more factors than just the time element in the 3000/40 principle, no one has more potential to influence a child's relationship with God than parents.
• Also, that no one has more potential to monitor a child's relationship with God than parents.
• God's design in Deut. 6 and 11 (and many other places in the Bible) for children to be primary discipled by their parent's rather than "the professionals" at church.
• The reality that kids will learn more and internalize more from a lesson given by a parent that backs up their faith by the way they daily live alongside their children, than they'll learn from an hour lesson on Sunday from someone they may not ever see during the week and may never really get to know.

I hope this sheds some light on why I made that statement. My passion is to see the next generation discover and embrace a growing relationship with God and I believe parents are the key to making it happen most effectively. Sorry this is so long, I am a pastor so I tend to get long-winded, especially when it's something I'm passionate about.

In Christ,
Ryan Fillinger
Fusion Church
Fountain, CO

How the Gospel Can Transform This Community Pt. 2 - The Gospel and Satan

THE GOSPEL AND SATAN

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work." I John 3:8

      I started this conversation on the power of the Gospel to transform communities a little over a week ago by saying that my goal was to show "that the pure, unadulterated Gospel - the truth that God sent his Son to die for our sins, graciously forgive us and give us power through His Holy Spirit to live as new creations - can conquer every root problem in our community". Today we'll start with what I consider to be the biggest root problem in our community: Satan and his work.

      Let's be clear up front that the Bible teaches that Satan is a real supernatural being who the Bible calls the "god of this world". He is in absolute opposition to God and his mission is to steal, kill and destroy (Jn. 10:10). There is little doubt that where there is hopelessness, confusion, sinful and destructive behaviors and attitudes, the Devil is deeply at work. The Bible is clear about Satan's work in our world: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers" (II Cor. 4:4), "He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44), "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (I Pet. 5:8).

      What power does a city council vote, a petition, a community moral initiative, or a message of personal responsibility or structural change have against this supernatural power? None. Absolutely none. It's like taking a squirt gun to fight a forest fire. So how is anyone to stand against such a deceitful, murderous power as Satan? There's only one weapon: the name of Jesus Christ. Why? "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work" (I Jn 3:8). How did he do that? By bearing our sin and dying on the cross so that "through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14) and by doing so he "disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him" (Col. 2:15). There's nothing else in this world that has that power. John Piper writes "The Devil is stronger than all humans, all armies, all politics, and all human morality put together. We have no chance against him except by one means, the power of Jesus Christ operating through us because he dwells within us." "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (I Jn 4:4).

      The gospel conquers our hearts, bring us to repentance and faith in Christ, and frees us from the rule of Satan. Satan is then made helpless by the God who dwells in us and has "all authority in heaven and on earth" (Mt. 28:18), who "commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him" (Mk 1:27). And this power moves in the world through those that have believed in Jesus and have his Holy Spirit living inside them.

      If the root problem of Satan and his work is to give way in it's influence on domestic violence, depression, paralyzing fears, hopelessness, corruption, and blatant sinfulness, it will be through the power of Jesus Christ or not at all. What would our community look like if thousands of people came to faith in Jesus and began resisting Satan in the name of Jesus and watched him flee from their homes, neighborhoods, and community?

     YOUR NEXT STEP - "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only" James 1:22.
- Write down the name of two or three people in your circle of influence that don't know Jesus and begin praying for an opportunity to share the Gospel with them. In this way you'll begin disarming the power of Satan in your community one life at a time.
- If you are a Christ-follower, begin praying against the power of Satan in your community in the name of Jesus. Perhaps pick a certain community issue close to your heart, or a particular person in your local government to pray against the influence of Satan in their life.

In Christ,
Ryan Fillinger
Fusion Church
Fountain, CO

How the Gospel Can Transform This Community

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16

I've decided to make it apart of my week to put up a blog post each week with whatever it is that's on my mind presently. Most currently I've been reading a book by John Piper called "Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian". In it there was a small chapter that really got me thinking about how truly powerful the Gospel is to transform lives, to transform families, to transform mindsets, ways of life, and, what is most presently consuming my thoughts, entire communities.

I've entitled this series of posts "How the Gospel Can Transform This Community" because 1). it's my hope to show one by one that the pure, unadulterated Gospel - the truth that God sent his Son to die for our sins, graciously forgive us and give us power through His Holy Spirit to live as new creations - can conquer every root problem in our community; and 2). I say "this community" because as I write this my thoughts are centered on the Fountain Valley area, the community I've come to know, love, and care for over the past 5 years. However, the transforming power of the Gospel is pervasive throughout every community in the world, so what I'll be sharing truly applies to whatever community you live in and have a heart to see revolutionized by the power of the Gospel.

There are a lot of ideas and debate about what is needed and what is effective for producing positive change in a community, whether it's through educating people for personal accountability creating positive change that's starts with individuals and their families or it's through structural intervention with new programs and community initiatives. These definitely have their place and it will take much more informed and intelligent people than me to figure out those issues. My concern isn't that these social ideas (from both right and left) are not true or helpful. My concern is that they are at their best still just human effort and are not filled with the supernatural power of God, they're spiritually hollow and impotent.

John Piper writes that "the gospel of Jesus does not enter controversy as another ideology or philosophy or methodology for social improvement. It enters like dynamite. It enters as the power of the Creator to reconcile people to himself and supernaturally make them new." That most succinctly states my staunch belief in the power of the Gospel to transform communities over anything else. It's my goal over the next few days or weeks (however long it takes me to think this through and find ways to express it) to explain this claim and consider how explosively the Gospel can enter a community and conquer the destructive forces that Satan employs to tear them down.

YOUR NEXT STEP: James 1:22 says "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only" So, at the end of each of these posts I'll give you a suggestion or two of ways that you can take a step toward putting into action what's been talked about.
- Consider starting your day with a moment of prayer for your community. Find out the names of some of your government officials, the police chief, school superintendent, etc. and lift them up in prayer that God would soften their hearts to the Gospel. Pray that God would use you in some way to be a God-centered, Bible-saturated catalyst for change in your community.

In Christ,
Ryan Fillinger
Fusion Church
Fountain, CO

Black and White... and Gray

So it's been about 2 years since I've attempted to blog anything. But, my therapist thinks it would be a good idea for me get some of my thoughts out. Okay, so I don't have a therapist. I've just watched too much TV and so that sounded like the right thing to say. No, really I'm just blogging to get some of my random thoughts out of my head.

Anyways, I've been thinking about the concept of things being black and white, right and wrong, good and bad, etc. I've recently been listening to some of Mark Driscoll's sermons and if you've ever heard him speak you know that he's very...direct and to the point. You might say that wishy-washy is one way you could never describe him. One of his most recent rants...er sermons I listened to was one about what kids read these days Twilight and Harry Potter and the like. And let me be clear here because I like to poke fun at Mark Driscoll, but most of the time I agree with him although I'm not always a fan of how he presents what he says. Back to what I was saying though, no I don't want to open a debate about whether Harry Potter and Twilight and good or bad, I only mention this because it's what got me thinking about this question of "Is there a gray area?".

As I was listening to Mark speak on this topic I surprised myself by thinking "Can you really make a judgement on that? Isn't that just kind of a 'maybe it's good, maybe it's bad' situation? Yeah, in real life sorcery and such are bad, but this is only fiction for fun, so can't be that harmful. It's just kind of gray area." That's when I stopped myself and thought. "Did I just think 'gray area'?" The reason I stopped in my tracks like this is because when I look at Jesus and the what he taught and how he lived, he never gave any indication that there could be room for a gray area. He was very...direct and to the point. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to Father but through me." Jesus always spoke with clear black and white. So is there room for a gray area?

I think that there is no gray area, there is only laziness. What I mean is that I believe that the tendency to put things in the category of Gray results from us not taking to time to deeply evaluate the decision. When it comes down to deciding if a decision or action is right or wrong, if we would just take the time to evaluate it holistically and Biblically and consider the implications, consequences, attitudes, motives, etc. involved, ultimately I think we CAN decide wrong or right, black or white.

Gray areas simply arise from our inability or refusal to evaluate every aspect from God's point of view and take into account all the principles of the Bible as well as all the implications, consequences, and attitudes involved.

Some things are simply stated in the Bible as black and white. Many things can be determined black or white by applying Biblical principles. But some things require an evaluation taking into account several principles, the attitudes and motives involved, the spiritual and the physical aspects, etc. to truly come to decision that will honor God and stay true to his Word. Most of the time though we're either too lazy to take that time to figure it out, or we're afraid of what the outcome might be, so we just label it as "gray".

That's my take, at least. What are your thoughts?

In Christ,
Ryan Fillinger
Fusion Church
Fountain, CO

Serious - God's Mental Power

So, this past Sunday we had a “My Dad is Stronger than Your Dad” discussion of sorts where we compared God’s Power to our own power. There wasn’t much time to really cover the vastness of God’s power, but there’s one area I REALLY wanted to mention but we didn’t have time. So, I’d like to take a moment here to cover it. I want to explain the extreme Mental Power that God has. We may at times get to thinking that we are very intelligent because we have discovered and explained so much through science and philosophy. But God has us immensely beat when it comes to Mental Power.
Job 37:16 says that God is the one “who is perfect in knowledge” and I John 3:20 goes so far to say that God “knows everything”. To fully see the Seriously Ridiculousness of this lets unpack this statement that “God Knows Everything”. A good definition to describe God’s mental power is: God fully knows himself and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act. So what does that fully entail?
To say that God knows all things actual means that He knows all things that exist and all things that happen. He knows the past, He knows the future, and He knows every single detail of all our lives and all the lives of those dead and not yet born.
He also knows all things possible. If God fully knows Himself, he knows everything he is able to do, which includes all things that are possible. God has made an incredibly complex and varied universe. But there are thousands upon thousands of other variations or kinds of things that God could have created but did not. God’s infinite knowledge includes detailed knowledge of what each of those possible creations would have been like and what would have happened in each of them!
Our definition of God’s metal power also speaks of God knowing everything in one “simple act”. This means that God is always fully aware of everything. If He should wish to tell us the number of grains of sand on the seashore, he would have to count them all quickly like some kind of giant computer, nor would he have to call the number to mind because it was something He had not thought about for a long time. Rather, he knows all things at once. All of these facts and possibilities and details and other things He knows are always fully present in His consciousness. He does not have to reason or ponder carefully before He answers, because He knows all from beginning to end, and he never learns and never forgets anything.
I could go on, but I think you’re probably beginning to get the picture. God’s Mental Power is Seriously Ridiculous.

In Christ,
Ryan Fillinger
Fusion Church
Fountain, CO

Ridiculous - Amazing Feats of Power

Here's some Seriously Ridiculous feats of power caught on video for your amusement and amazement.

Ridiculous Power of Water:



Ridiculous Power of Bombs:



Ridiculous Power of Wind: