Digging Deeper

“…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

For many people, the longer we are Christ-followers the less dangerous we become.  Why?  Because we start hanging out with other Christians and spend less and less time with “sinners”.  It may feel comfortable to us – but that isn’t what God calls us to do.

We are to shine our light into the darkness of this world.  We are to keep putting our focus on “out there” instead of “in here”.  “In here” is easy and comfortable and safe…and invisible.

The Kingdom of God cannot be furthered through an army of invisible soldiers.  We must become light in our workplaces and in our schools and everywhere we go.   And the more people shining the light…the brighter the light becomes…and God gets the glory.

Here at the Ridge God has placed us in a special place in a unique time to shine our light for Him.  We must not allow this divine moment to pass.

Pastor & author Erwin McManus writes in his book “Chasing Daylight” -

“Women and men who seize divine moments embrace the inherent dangers that come with them.  We can only touch those within our reach and can change only the world in which we live, but we can do that often.  It requires us to move from the isolation of our invisibility to the dangers of visibility.  That’s the amazing thing about seizing divine moments.  We choose to no longer be invisible, to take the risk of letting others see us, and so when we become visible, the invisible presence of God become visible.”

Go now…and become visible for Christ…shine your light before men so men will praise your Father in heaven.

“Father, we pray that You take away our fear and our complacency so that we can shine Your light in all the dark places in the world.”

-Pastor Darrel

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”- Jesus in Matthew 22:39

As the Ridge heads into the second decade of ministry there is a danger of our church turning inward. What I mean by that is that we begin to become satisfied with our state of affairs. “We have 30 acres. We have a nice building. We have plenty of people coming each week. It’s nice and comfortable. So let’s just take care of what we have.” In other words, we turn inward.  That is the beginning of the death of a church.  The Great Commission tells us to “go and make disciples”…not to stop and wait and sit still. A big part of thinking “out there” in our church is to consider what it feels like to come into a church for the very first time.  It can be intimidating for many people.  They might not know what to wear, where to sit, or when to stand.  They are probably asking the question, “is there anybody like me at this church?”

If you’re wondering what you can do to make our guests more comfortable, here are a few suggestions.

• Smile and be friendly
• Ask someone you don’t know “how long have you been coming to the Ridge?”
• Look for people who might be alone and ask them if you can help them with anything.
• Park at the far ends of the parking lot to allow our guests best possible parking spots
• Greet people when they first come in, greet them during our meet & greet time, and greet them again as they leave
• Constantly be thinking about how you can make someone’s visit to the Ridge a better experience
• Become a part of our First Impressions Team

How do we reach people for Christ?  We think “out there” instead of “in here” and we love others as much as we love ourselves.

“Dear God help us to not focus “in here” on us…but instead focus on “out there” for those who don’t know You.  Help us to love others as we love ourselves.”

- Darrel Schick

“…you will be my witnesses…” - Jesus in Acts 1:8

In our message this past weekend called “Ridge 2.0” we talked about how Jesus told His disciples that we would be the ones telling the Good News of the Gospel to people in our neighborhoods, communities, and around the globe. As someone once said, we are God’s Plan A…and there is no Plan B.

What does fulfilling Plan A look like at the Ridge in Brookville, Ohio? I think the key is trusting God enough to allow Him to use us in all of our circumstances. We don’t have to beat people over the head with the Bible or impress them with our knowledge of God. What we simply need to do is tell people how God has impacted our life in the context of natural relationships. So if you’re at work or at school or on the basketball court or the football field or at the bank or grocery store or having a cookout in the back yard…at some point you will most likely find the conversation turning toward spiritual things. At that moment, just tell the person you are with how Jesus has impacted your life.

Being a witness is just giving a testimony about something that has happened in your life. People may not agree with your religious views or they may not believe in the Bible – but they cannot discredit your story and how Jesus has changed your life. So, get out there, don’t be afraid. Tell your story to someone this week…and you might just help change someone’s eternal destiny.  Remember, you are Plan A!

“Father God, help us to see our lives as a launching pad to be used to tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ. Take away our fear and help us to be your witnesses this week where we live. Amen.”

by Pastor Darrel

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Daniel 3:17-18

King Nebuchadnezzar constructed a ninety foot tall idol made of gold and commanded that everyone bow down and worship it.  Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to do so and were threatened by death if they did not comply.  The three young men were determined to be different from the culture around them…no matter what.

As we finish up this week talking about vision…that’s the question you need to ask yourself:  “Am I willing to be different from the culture around me…no matter what?”

We call the Ridge a “different kind of church” and that means a lot of things.  Casual dress.  Practical messages.  Upbeat music.  But one of the biggest things that makes us different is that we not only expect to grow (reach more people for Christ) but we make plans to make that happen. In 2009 our plans to grow include hiring a full-time Teaching/Discipleship Pastor, more Acts of Kindness, re-vamping our Life Groups, a renewed emphasis on prayer, and re-focused Missions activity. But our greatest potential as a church in the Kingdom of God cannot be realized unless the entire body of Christ works together.  You have an enormous amount of potential inside of you.  The key is deciding to be different.  Most people in our world live for themselves.  We need to live for others. I can’t think of a more significant thing to do with your life than to assist in building the Kingdom of God.  Every minute of your life that you invest is making a difference in eternity.

Are you willing to be different…no matter what…for the sake of the Kingdom of God?

“Dear God please give me the courage to be different.  Help me to die to myself and instead live for You and for others.  Show me how I can help the Ridge fulfill it’s greatest potential.  Thank you Father for the great things You’re going to do in my life and at the Ridge in 2009.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

“For without vision the people perish.”  Proverbs 29:18a

The toughest thing for many church families is getting a good look at the future.  In many cases we are blinded by the past, our own personal agenda, or by simple day-to-day distractions. We are mandated by God to “go and make disciples”.  What we are to do, that much is clear.  What can be more difficult to decipher sometimes is how we accomplish that. I believe that one of the best ways to make a difference in our communities and to touch people with the love of Christ is to do “acts of kindness”.  AoKs have been a major engagement point between our church and the community since we first started the Ridge.  However, in the last few years we have done fewer and fewer AoKs.  We are making a concerted effort to change that in 2009. Look and listen for multiple opportunities in the coming months to help with simple acts of kindness.  We will do free car washes, give away free pop & cold water, rake leaves, shovel snow and so on.  The idea behind these AoKs is to warm people’s hearts toward God.  To show the love of Christ in a simple, yet powerful way.  To qualify for doing AoKs you need two things – a willing heart and love for others.

“Simple acts done with great kindness can change the world.”  – Mother Teresa

Can you see it?

“Heavenly Father speak to us about how we can show Your love to others.  May we see the vision of sharing the love of Christ in simple ways.  We ask that these acts of kindness will warm people’s hearts toward You and have an eternal impact on their lives.  Amen.”

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matthew 4:18-19 (NIV)

We’re talking about vision in this week’s “Digging Deeper”  blog.  In many ways vision is simply seeing beyond the surface.  It’s not unusual for busy people today to just take a quick peek at something and not take the time to look a bit deeper.  And when we do that we miss out on a whole bunch of possibilities.

I’m thankful that Jesus is not like that.  When Jesus went looking for disciples He could have easily targeted the well-known, influential, and educated of the day.  Jesus could have gone for the knowledgeable religious leaders.  But instead He recruited the kind of men most people would not have targeted.  Like the rough and tumble fishermen brothers, Peter and Andrew.

Thankfully Jesus has the vision to see beyond.  Beyond the imperfection.  Beyond the sin.  Beyond the surface.  The Savior is calling you as well.  You may not think you are very talented or gifted.  You may believe that you’re not smart enough or clever enough to do anything for God’s Kingdom.  But Jesus sees beyond what you see.  He sees you as a forgiven, gifted, loved creation packed with potential.  The only limit on the godly potential inside each of us is our lack of faith.  Allow yourself a few minutes today to step back and look beyond yourself so you can see yourself through the eyes of Jesus.

“Dear God help me to have the vision You have for my life.  Help me to slow down long enough to discover that You have a plan and a purpose for my life.  Father, help me to see beyond the surface and to be obedient in building Your Kingdom here on earth.  Amen.”

“…So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone…”  1 Samuel 17:50

In the story of David & Goliath, Saul tried to get David to put on his tunic, his armor, his helmet, and take his sword into battle.  But David did not give in to the temptation to be someone other than who God called him to be.  Instead David used what was in his hand – a sling and a stone – to bring about victory in the name of God.

Too often we find ourselves wishing that we were more talented, more gifted, taller, thinner or whatever.  The truth is that God created us to be unique individuals.  When you look in the mirror in the morning, the person looking back at you is like no one else.  As you look into the eyes of the one in the mirror remember that God created that person (You!) for greatness.  The key for us is to be obedient to God’s calling.  Like David, we need to learn to use what is in our hands.  In other words, embrace the you that God created and use the gifts, talents, abilities, experiences, and personality that were woven into your DNA to help change the world.

I believe that our church has enormous potential and that God wants us to do great things in 2009 that point people to Him…but in order for that to happen all of us must use what is in our hands in order to allow the body of Christ to accomplish the tasks set before us.

“Heavenly Father, speak to each of us and show us what You want us to do in service to You.  May we be willing to step out in faith, trust that You are in control, and be obedient.  Amen.”

I am happy to announce that the devotional blog “digging deeper” will be back in action beginning Monday May 12th.  The devotionals will be tied to our series called “The Proverbs 31 Woman”.  This series of devotionals is being written by long-time Ridge member Dianna Brisco.  Dianna and her husband Todd began attending the Ridge the very first week of its existence and they have been very active in the church since then.  Dianna and Todd have three children:  Anitra, Leigha, and Marcus.