Tag: jesus

Church Collection Agency

I had an odd phone call this morning.

I’m doing my morning devotions, reading the Bible, and praying and I get this phone call. On the other end is a very nice lady, very pleasant offering the services of their company for our church. They were a collection agency.

They thought they could add a lot of value to our church by freely collecting any debts that might be owed to us. She mentioned that if we rent out our hall we could get those debts back for free.

The thing that struck me was how off and odd this was. I’ll make a strong statement: Church’s shouldn’t be using collection agencies. Our two enterprises should never connect. The fact that they called assuming this would be a good thing demonstrates how misunderstood the church is.

Jesus frees us from our debts, rather than demanding payment in full. He covers over our transgressions rather than seeking to hunt us down, and find retribution. The whole thing just struck me as so odd that I actually started laughing. The point where the church starts hiring collection agencies will be the moment when we know we’ve missed the point.

I’m not saying that debts don’t deserve to be paid. They do. We should honor our word, pay what is fair, and respect the contracts we enter. All I’m saying is that Jesus’ example and model is a bit higher and deeper than that; because he pays what we deserved to pay.

So I’m sure you can guess already, but I ended the phone conversation by saying, “thanks for the offer but we won’t be needing your services”…

by Andrew Mills

Throw a Party ~ Be Like Jesus…

This Sunday we talked about how God’s Kingdom is like a party.

But not just any party a great party where different people mix, connect, and are invited. God’s Kingdom is like a great banquet where invitations go out to the unlikely, unnonticed, and unwanted. It’s this party where everyone gets great food, where lonely people connect, where people who are down have fun, where boundaries are crossed and life begins. And you’re invited not because of who you know, but Jesus who knows you. This is a picture of what God’s Kigndom is like.

So my challenge to you this week is simple: throw a party.

Throw a good party. Throw an awesome party. Invite friends, neighbors, and people would never get invited. Get great food, great music, and have a great time. Samir Selmanovic  “Christians know how to talk about life, but they don’t know how to love life”. Let’s prove this statement wrong this week. Let’s love life and help others to love it too by our grace, generosity, and inclusion. Throw a great party, and watch as God’s Kingdom surprises you all around.

Following Jesus means throwing parties…so get busy loving life by throwing a party…

by Andrew Mills

Still Stuck on Grace

Here it is Sunday morning and I’m still thinking about last Sunday where we talked about grace. I’m still thinking it all through. Something that has really lasted this week was what we began the sermon with last week – a quote from Mrs. O’Brien in Terrence Malick’s new film “Tree of Life”. She says this:

“There are two ways through life, the way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one to follow. Grace doesn’t try to please itself. It accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Accepts insults and injuries. Nature only wants to please itself, and get others to please it too. It likes to lord it over them. To have its own way. It finds reasons to be unhappy, when all the world is shining around it, when love is smiling through all things. They taught us that no one who loves the way of grace ever comes to a bad end. I will be true to you, whatever comes.”

The more I reflect on this quote the more I think it’s a challenge of the Kingdom. In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus clearly shows that he runs his Kingdom on Grace. The challenge is that he is clear that if we don’t live by grace, we may find ourselves at odds with his Kingdom. As Malick says, making an illusion to Jesus, there are two ways through life, grace and nature and we must choose our path.

I believe that is the question for you and for me that I am still reflecting and grappling with. That, if the Kingdom truly runs by grace, if its rule is grace, its way of life is grace, then the implicit challenge is: are we living by grace?

Would your friends and neighbors say you give grace? Would your family characterize your life as a life of grace? What about the people who meet on the road driving to work? What about the cashier?

There are only two ways through life, one of grace and one of nature. And Malick is right, “No one who loves the way of grace has ever come to a bad end”. Because Grace is the way the Kingdom runs…

by Andrew Mills

There are Two Ways Through Life – the Way of Grace and of Nature

On Sunday we talked about a parable of Jesus found in Matthew 20 – “The parable of the vineyard workers”. You can download the sermon here. In this sermon we also saw and talked about  a clip from the movie the Tree of Life, discussed the danger of earning rewards from relationships, and talked a lot about grace.

Yet after the sermon there were two thoughts that really lingered for me. We discussed how you can actually “use” relationships and people. That if you love what you get from someone – you don’t love them, instead you love what you get. So if you love how God gives you eternal life – you love eternal life, not God. The point was that there is a danger in letting the rewards or results of a relationship becoming the reason for a realtionship.

So as I was driving home on Sunday I asked myself: Is there any part of my relationship with God – where the focus has shifted from loving God to loving what he does for me? Have I at all gotten caught up with the benefits of my relationship with God without appreciating being in a relationship with God?

That was the first thought that I found challenging, and worth reflecting on. The second was how we ended on Sunday, focusing on the fact that there are two ways through life – the way of grace or the way of nature. While there are two ways through life, there is only one way into the Kingdom and that’s through grace. So the question then is am I living in the way of grace or nature?

Neither of these questions are easy: are we using relationships or appreciating them? Are we living according to what is fair, or by grace? Are we giving or focusing on what we get?

Sometimes though the most difficult questions are the most worthwhile…

Discussion Questions:

  • Adult Questions:
  • What excites you about God’s grace?
  • Who in your life needs to be given God’s grace – without expectations – as an example of the Kingdom? How can you give them grace?
  • How can you make “giving grace” a regular part of your life?
  • Questions for Young Families:
  • Share with them what grace is. Use an example from their lives. For example when you let them do something even if they didn’t deserve to because of their behaviour. Ask them in what times might they might need to show grace to others (i.e. when playing and sharing, when someone calls them a name, etc)?
  • Weekly Challenge:  Give grace to someone who doesn’t deserve it…free them and yourself
by Andrew Mills

A Kingdom Hidden in a Friendship

Last Sunday we talked about where you can find the Kingdom of God. We discovered that the Kingdom of God is hidden in plain sight all around us in relationships. You discover the Kingdom in the friendship, relationships, and connections you have. It’s a treasure waiting to be discovered, to be valued, and to be experienced.

So my question for you today is simple. Who in your life holds the Kingdom within them? Who have you experienced God’s Kingdom because of them?

If God’s Kingdom is found in relationships, and in the connections we have with others. If it can be spontaneously found where joy, grace, and laughter are discovered. Then who in your life consistently share Gods’ Kingdom with you?

Why not tell them today. Tell them they are a source of love and joy for you. And maybe through that they might experience the Kingdom as well.

For me I often find God’s Kingdom in this little dude…and when I get home I’m going to tell him too!

Discussion Questions from the Sermon

  • Adult Questions
  • When have you experienced God’s kingdom in a unexpected place or way?
  • How can you keep “your eyes open” to discovering God’s kingdom in the everyday?
  • What does God’s Kingdom look like? How do you know when you’ve discovered it?
  • Where can you look to find God’s Kingdom this week?
  • Questions for Young Families
  • Children can teach us about the Kingdom. Jesus says that in the Gospels. So ask them when do they have the most fun? Where do have the most happiness? My guess is that the Kingdom isn’t far from that place. So do what makes them happy and watch the Kingdom grow.

Weekly Challenge: Watch for the Kingdom and share with one person this week where you found it…


by Andrew Mills

Where in the World is the Kingdom of God?

This Sunday we are exploring another aspect of God’s Kingdom. Last week we talked about how God’s Kingdom grows slowly, but can be spread through us. We can plant the Kingdom, and are called to be patient while it grows.

This Sunday we want to explore a different aspect of the Kingdom. If we can plant sees, and if the Kingdom grows all around us the question is where?

  • Where do you find the Kingdom?
  • If you were to look for it, where could it be found?
  • In what places are you most likely to discover it?

Those are the questions we want to tackle on Sunday.

But what do you think? Where and when have you found God’s Kingdom? Where do you think it might be found? If someone was to ask you, “I find Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom compelling, challenging, and so inviting…but where do I actually find it? How can I discover it?”

What would you say…?

by Andrew Mills

Where I Saw Jesus This Week

This week a friend of mine took me out for breakfast.

This in and of itself may not be a big deal. But it was a big deal for us and our friendship.

Many months ago we started meeting for breakfast. And things in his life weren’t great to say the least. He was stuck in a cycle of addiction, unhealthy relationships, debt, difficulty, and not wanting to go on.

But I believe people can change. Jesus believes people can change. Jesus believes that what defines us is not our past, but the future he has for us.

So around coffee, eggs, and polish sausage I found Jesus. Because my friend has taken the incredibly hard steps to change. He’s overcoming addiction, finishing off school, stopped unhealthy relationships, and took me out for breakfast. He’s living change. And that reminded me of Jesus.

So this week don’t stop believing that people can change. It might seem like a long time coming, but when it does, why not celebrate and go out for breakfast…

by Andrew Mills

Generosity Should Hurt

I like to think of myself as a generous person. Really who doesn’t like to think of themselves as a generous person. But it’s easy to think you’re generous, sometimes practicing it is hard.

Last week a friend contacted me with a need. It was real, it mattered, and I could really help him. It would just cost me some money. But here’s the thing giving when it costs is hard…

Inwardly I had a little struggle. I knew I should give but was reluctant. Not reluctant because the need wasn’t real or worthy, but because it would be hard and might hurt a bit. Krista and I just came through Christmas, Hudson’s birthday, and didn’t have a lot of disposable funds lying around.

And that’s when I learned something about generosity. Generosity shouldn’t just come out of our surplus. Giving out of our extra is good, but giving when it’s hard isn’t just better it’s godly.

Jesus gives up everything to give to us (Phi. 2:7). He doesn’t give out of his extra, but out of his very self. His extra doesn’t determine how much he gives us. He gives till it hurts, and is hard.

So generosity should hurt a bit. That’s hard to learn, and even harder to live out. But the more I look at Jesus the easier I find it. And here’s the funny thing. After I gave to my friend, I found Jesus right there as he shook my hand and said thank you.

So all in all…it hurt a bit…but was so worth it…

And Jesus knew that all along…

by Andrew Mills

Dangerous, and Wild Growth

This last week we talked about how God’s Kingdom is like a plant that can grow and spread. You can download the sermon here. We began looking in Matthew 13 how in quick succession Jesus tells three parables of the Kingdom, based on plants growing.  I shared how Jesus was teaching and talking to farmers who would know a thing or two about growing thing. If the Kingdom is something that can grow ~ farmers would know that it would take hard work. They didn’t have the luxury of the equipment we had. It would take hard work. It would also take time. Growing and harvesting doesn’t happen in a day. And lastly it would take God’s timing, and provision. God was the one who sent the rain, and caused the growth. So seeing this Kingdom grow will take time, hard work, and God’s involvement but it grow.

But what I didn’t tackle or bring up is how God’s Kingdom also grows in a dangerous way.

Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed in Matthew 13:31. Mustard seeds were in ancient times dangerous and also explosive. They took over, they spread, and couldn’t be controlled. An ancient author Pliny the Elder wrote that mustard “grows wild…and once it has been sown it is scarcely possible to get the place free of it”

I love that picture of the Kingdom. That once it’s sown its scarcely possible to get the place free of it. That it starts to take over, growing, spreading, almost uncontrollable. That if we are spreading this Kingdom of grace and love it spreads, takes root, grows wild, and can’t be contained.

But that also is a bit dangerous. Why? Because this Kingdom of God can’t be controlled by us. It grows, it’s wild, and it is not meant to be contained but to spread. When you start spreading God’s Kingdom you are spreading life, grace, and love that once released can’t be contained.

For me that is a beautiful picture of God’s Kingdom. A Kingdom that grows from small seeds, takes time, hard work, and God’s involement but once it takes root spreads, shakes things up, and is almost impossible to get rid of.

So this week why not spread the seeds of God’s Kingdom? Because wouldn’t a beautiful testimony to you, the church, and Christians be that our communities are so full of God’s kingdom that “it’s scarcely possible to get the place free of it”…

Discussion Questions from This Sunday

  • Adult Questions
  • How do you “spread the seeds” of the Kingdom?
  • Where should you be “scattering the seeds” of God’s Kingdom?
  • Who should you be praying for consistently and watching to see if the Kingdom is growing in their life?
  • Who in your life is ready and open to growing closer to God? How can you help them?
  • Questions for Young Families
  • Your kids grow slow just like God’s kingdom. So sit down around the dinner table and ask them how they think they have changed over the past few years, or months. Listen to their ideas. Then take time to bless them – literally. Share how you’ve seen them change, affirm the good things in them, and affirm where they are growing too. Because that’s God’s kingdom.

Weekly Challenge: Spread the seeds of the Kingdom in someone’s life and pray for them daily…

by Andrew Mills

God’s Kingdom is Like…What?

This week we are starting a new series at church focusing on the Kingdom of God. If you notice Jesus talks a lot about God’s Kingdom but not much about the church. So the Kingdom is something we had better explore, understand, and even more importantly experience. But at times the Kingdom can seem mysterious. Jesus’ parables about it reveal and also conceal at the same time.

So over the next few weeks I’m going to blog about some of my thoughts about God’s Kingdom. I’m going to post some thoughts on my favorite parables, points, and pictures of God’s Kingdom. But I’d love to also start a discussion with you. To tackle some of the thoughts, questions, and wonderings you might have about God’s Kingdom.

So my question for you is this: what questions about the Kingdom do you have? What parables do you love? What parables do you not get and would love some discussion on?

Let me know and I’ll blog about it for the next few weeks.

by Andrew Mills