Charlie Wear’s Notes

Recovering Pharisees, by Charlie Wear and Scott Bane from Charles Wear on Vimeo.

This is a message that I gave with Scott Bane, Next-Wave editor in March of 2010.

A bootleg copy of the opening Alan Hirsch video at the Verge Conference: Jesus is Lord…via David Park

I interviewed Church 3.0 author Neil Cole at Verge Conference in the lounge expo area.

 

 Neil Cole - Church 3.0: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It is probably inevitable that leaders who are following Jesus and encouraging others to do the same would eventually start thinking and talking about becoming missional. I mean, after all, Jesus is/was the ultimate master of the missional.

At the beginning of the classic movie, The Blues Brothers, Belushi and Ackroyd have an epiphany in a church where they receive a “mission from God.” Music ensues, cartwheels abound, and the brothers are off on a “Mission from God.” It would be easier for those of us who are following Jesus in today’s culture if we could have a similar experience. There’s nothing like an angelic visitation or perpetually combusting shrubbery to cause one to become focused on what God wants us to do.

The “m” word now has pretty successfully replaced the “e” word. Instead of talking about evangelism and discipleship being the two wings on the airplane of church, if they are not in balance then the journey cannot be successfully completed, the analogy for 2010 is the bicycle. One wheel is missional and the other is incarnational. We must “be” and “do,” without colonial impulse, but with the right “posture.”

Years ago I was involved in a kind of ad hoc ministry to skateboarders. The few of us were ministering to the needs of the many skateboarders. I wish now that I knew then what I “know” now. I fantasize that we could have altered our methods to have more lasting fruit. But we didn’t have time to think about such things.

In February I am attending Verge, a missional conference, in Austin, Texas from February 4-7, 2010. I hope to be inspired. I hope to be encouraged, I hope to meet some great new “co-missional” friends. I hope to see some of you there!

This is just too good…

My friend, Larry Kapchinsky, runs a great relief organization, KidCare International. From his most recent newsletter: “For many families, celebrating the holidays this year will be an extraordinary challenge…Locally, (in San Bernardino and Riverside County, California) many poor children depend on KidCare International’s educational enrichment. food, shelter, and clothing, but there are thousands of children in South Africa, Tanzania, Russia, and Sri Lanka that would have little or no hope without the help of humanitarian agencies like KidCare International. Thousands of children die each year in these countries from a lack of the most basic human needs—food, shelter, clean water and sanitation.”

Verge is a “Missional Community Conference” in Austin, Texas, Feb 4-6, 2010. “Hard to resist because church planting guru George Patterson is one of the speakers. And Austin rocks!” according to Andrew Jones.

I confess, I am a refugee from “normal” church. I haven’t attended regular church services for some time. I’m not against regular services, you understand, I just haven’t been able to connect for a number of years now. One of the main reasons for this is that I am easily bored. 

I’m not enamored of what I will call “packaged” preaching. You know, “Three Steps for a Better You,” “Finding your Ministry Purpose,” or “Getting Debt-Free through Stewardship.” I’m not saying that these sermons aren’t helpful to many. They just don’t do it for me.

In the early 80s I faithfully attended services at a church where the second the pastor began to preach I was overcome by incipient narcolepsy, at least that’s what I think it was. My wife was constantly poking me to wake me up, stop my snoring, and to wipe the drool off my chin. In the mid-90s I was an accidental pastor and saw the results of my own preaching! I could put ‘em to sleep with the best!

I don’t believe that preaching is dead, I just believe that “good” preaching is hard to find. This is why Monday was such a good day for me. Next-Wave editor, Scott Bane, is a church planting pastor in Indiana. He is not preaching on a regular basis yet, but over the last couple of weeks he was in South Africa preaching at a “camp” meeting. He sent me the links to his talks on Monday. And I listened to all of them in one day, as I traveled from here to there.

Wow! Now that is what I have been missing, powerful Biblical preaching that proclaims the truth about God. I think I may have been born again, again! Of course, what do I expect? When the Holy Spirit is communicating the heart of God through a person that is yielded to be a conduit to His voice, the preaching has the power to change lives. That’s the kind of preaching we need more of, that’s for sure.

Check out Ed Stetzer’s interview with Alan Hirsch, author of ReJesus.