Congo Missions Trip

Dear Friends and Family,

I pray that you are all doing well. Two years ago my church started on a journey towards partnering with the Evangelical Free Church of Congo. We sent a team to do a vision trip. After hearing what the team came back with, I was excited to see if there was a way I could help partner with the Congo Free Church. After praying about it with Tomina I felt like God was giving me the green light to go. Now all I needed was a reason to go. Well, I talked with the leaders of the Congo trip this coming April. There is an opportunity for me and one other youth pastor to meet and partner with the director over youth ministry in the Congolese Free Church. We would be going over there to learn the culture, assess the ministry that they are doing there, and then work with the director to think of ways to do ministry more effectively in the Congo. We are not going over there to tell them how to do ministry. We are going to partner with them as fresh eyes to look and come up with a plan together. This is exciting to me. The trip is from April 25th – May 10th 2009.

There are two big hurdles at this point. The first of which in God’s economy is not that big. The cost of the trip is going to be about $5,000. This will include everything I would need, but it is an amount that is bigger than my family has. Please prayerfully consider partnering with me as I partner with the Congolese Free Church. If you want to give to this ministry opportunity you can send a tax deductible check to Elim Evangelical Free Church, 9421 128th St E, Puyallup WA 98373. The second hurdle is, this is a big scary trip for me. I am away from my wife and my two little girls. I know that God has opened the door for me to go. I just need a team to support me in prayer. If you are willing to be a prayer partner please email me at bsharpe@elimefc.org. I would love to be able to update you so that you know exactly how to pray. Thank you for your time. I look forward to partnering with you as we partner with the Congolese Free Church. I thank God that he has placed so many people in my life all over the country that are such an encouragement to me.

In Him,

Brian Sharpe

On the wrong team

I generally have an opinion about everything, even girly stuff. I think though if I was Peter and Jesus told me something I would shut my mouth and take it to heart. In Matthew 26 Jesus tells Peter he is going to betray Jesus and Peter says “no I will not.” Ok you have Jesus who heals the sick. He raises people from the dead. He casts out demons. He walks on water. He turns water into wine. And he is always talking about the future. Or you have a fisherman that is a hot head. Hmmm who would you listen to? I would think by that time Peter would have learned to shut his mouth and take to heart what Jesus was saying. How often do I shut my mouth and listen to Jesus instead of trying to have all the answers. This is something to consider.

Then later on I had the thought. This chapter introduces Judas as the guy that is going to betray Jesus. Think about this. Jesus knew before the foundation of the earth that Judas was going to betray him. Knowing this he still befriended him and let him be on his team. Man when I do not like someone because I don’t trust them I do not let them in. Yet Jesus let Judas in. Who do I write off? I am not the Messiah, so I do not have to worry about knowing how things are going to end. But who do I not befriend because I don’t like them. Who do I not give a chance? What an unbelievable act of grace Jesus gives to someone that was going to betray him. I understand that, that was the plan from the beginning, but it is still a picture of God’s grace and love. He loved you and me so much that he would befriend his betrayer. That is crazy.

Waiting for God or Living for him?

Ok so I picked up in Matthew where I left off. I think this is good for me to read. Besides the fact that it is the words of Jesus, it is something I think everyone who is in ministry needs to think about. Matthew 24 and 25 are all about Jesus second coming. They are critiqued and looked at for there eschatology. There is way more there for us to see. It is all about how are we living today. Jesus is saying I am coming back, but don’t just wait for me, live for me.

I grew up in the church. I grew up as a P.K. I am not sure I can remember a time when I was not involved in the church (place you attend). I have been in full or part time ministry now for about 10 years. I think sometimes I get so involved with the everyday of “church” that I forget about the church. It is about the people. Not paint or carpet colors. It is about the people who know Jesus and the people who do not know Jesus. The ones who do not know Jesus are not apart of the church, but maybe they would be if I was not so focused on the color of things or how they were arranged. We need to recognize who the least of these is. Who are they among us and how are we serving them.

Wow, everything always gets back to us serving. Not being served. It always comes back to how we are living for Jesus. How we are serving in his name.

He bought our freedom

My wife and I are planning a special thanksgiving service. It is going to be a time of celebrating who we are in Christ. Because of this I took a hiatus on Matthew and am in Ephesians.

Wow chapter one is an amazing read about who we are in Christ and what he has done for us. Jesus purchased our freedom with his blood. Jesus left heaven and came to earth to purchase my freedom. Not only did he purchase my freedom. I am adopted into his family. How amazing. I am not adopted I grew up with my biological parents. They were great parents. When you get adopted you are chosen by people and then place into their family. God chose to place me into his family. Then God gives me the Holy Spirit as a down payment that I will get an inheritance. One I am not a natural born son of God. I am adopted in. I am thankful for that. Not only do I get to be a part of Gods family, I get an inheritance. I love when I get stuff I do not deserve. I get freedom. I get a new family and an inheritance. Wow, GOD IS SO GOOD TO ME!!!!

Religious Leaders = Hypocrites

While putting my oldest daughter to bed tonight, I gave her a long hug. I felt this rush of happy emotions run through my body. I thought to myself this is how God feels when we take the time to hug him, when we take the time to sit in his presence. Then I went and read Matthew 23 where Jesus just rips the religious leaders a new one. He lights into them. I would not have wanted to be one of the guys Jesus is calling on the carpet. But then I thought to myself, am I one of them. Am I a modern day Pharisee. Am I a cup that is clean on the outside and filthy on the inside? Am I someone who expects people to do things that I am not willing to do? Do I have the same apathy that I see in some of my students? Am I a good example of who I want my students to become? I am not sure that I am. I know I am filthy on the inside. Any honest person knows that about themselves. But do I consider myself better than others when in all actuality I am not. These are great reflection questions that I think any Christian leader needs to think about. The thing that Jesus wants us to be as leaders is servants. Am I a willing servant? Would I do things even if no one noticed? I pray that I am a servant. I pray that I strive to be someone my students can look up to. I pray that I can model a relationship with Jesus that is intimate. I know I need work. I just hope that I am real and not a hypocrite.

Arrogance

When I prepare a lesson, I often think of what would wow my students. I want to be like Nathan when he tells David the story about the lamb and catches David off guard. Then David responds with repentance. How awesome would that be, to be able to wow people with a lesson. I want to be remembered as a good teacher. I want to be remembered as a pastor that made people think.

As I read Matthew today Jesus was astounding people left and right. People were amazed with His teaching. He even wowed the Sadducees. He made them sorry they asked a question. Then Jesus asks the Sadducees and the Pharisees a question and they could not answer it. They come to Jesus and try and trip Him up and they themselves got tripped up. Oh, what a great day that would have been.

The problem is that is not what the passage is about. Woven throughout the chapter is Jesus saying give everything that is God’s to God. Then He goes into the great commandment (Love the lord your God with all your heart soul, mind and strength and love you neighbor as yourself).

What is God’s? Everything is His. Your heart, his! Your mind, His! Your strength, His! All that you are is His. I should not want to wow people with my clever speech. I should want to wow my God with my love for Him. That should be my desire. He should be all my desire. I think to often I believe when I put a lesson together that it is my persuasive speech that is going to make a difference. Instead I should see that it is God working in me that is going to make a difference, because I am surrendering my mind, soul and strength to Him.

Have I given Him all that I am, or do I want to keep some of me for me?

Biblical Success

My wife and I are at a pastors and wives retreat. The speaker’s main focus is on biblical success. He comes across as a storyteller with some good points. Here are some of his good points. I am going to reorder them because I think they should be in a more specific order (I listened to the sessions, but my friend Neil took the notes. These are from his notes).

In order to be biblically successful you need to:

1. Love God
1. This is the greatest commandment.
2. You can be a pastor of a large church and still not love God
3. Do you love God with all that you are or do you love the ministry more than the giver of the ministry?

2. Be Faithful:
1. We are not called to be successful but to be faithful
2. We need to know what faithful is so we know the new definition of success (This means knowing the word of God)
3. Every one can be singing your praises but that does not mean that you are a success in God's eyes (This one hit me)
4. Faithful is obedience in God's eyes

3. Serve Others:
1. No success without a servants heart
2. Jesus came to serve.
3. We cannot have a I deserve something mentality.

There is no success without:

1. Faith
1. Believe what you believe!!!!
2. God will not take pleasure in our accomplishments or the things we do, or who we become with out faith

2. Prayer
1. You must sharpen your ax!

i. We must sharpen our skills!

ii. Prayer- prayer is the key to staying sharp!

2. Prayer is a struggle but…

i. You can do more after you pray than you couldn’t do before you prayed.

3. We have an endless need for God and Prayer is what supply that need.
4. Like old film. The longer we exposed to God in prayer (in His presence) the more that He is impressed on us.
5. Prayer is surrender in cooperation with the will!

i. Prayer is a must for success because it molds us to God

ii. Prayer brings power (massive power) into ministry - prayer partners for kids

iii. We must pray because Jesus prayed

3. Holiness
1. God calls us to be Holy. This call is especially strong in the light of purity and sensuality.
2. When a brother falls from a lack of Holiness it is heart breaking.
3. Holiness is not easy at all, but it is within reach!

4. Attitude
1. Even in ministry Attitude is everything
2. Two extremely harmful attitudes in ministry:

i. Negativism

ii. Jealousy - I've really got to look at this one… actually I struggle with both of these

3. Remember to God be the glory!
4. Paul didn’t care how Jesus was being preached, just that he was being preached.
5. We are not meant to bear the worldly weight of what they call success- God's yoke is so much lighter and better.
6. We need to have a positive attitude

I was hit by prayer and attitude. I can be a doer without sharpening my ax. I need to focus on prayer in my life. I also need to make sure I do not have a attitude of entitlement. I need to have an attitude of a servant. This is not about me. It is about bringing glory to God!!!!!

The two sons

It is funny how you get new insights when you read something that you have read many times. I am reading through Matthew now. Tonight I was reading Matthew 21. In there is the story about the two sons. The father looks at the one son and says go to work in the vineyard, and he says no. But he later goes and does the work. The other son was told to go to the vineyard and he told his dad yes, but never went. Which one of these two sons am I? When God shows me something I need to change or do, do I do it? Or, am I like the kid who says Dad I will clean my room and doesn’t do it. My wife would say that I am good at saying I am going to do something, but then I never get to it. This comes down to self control and intentionality. Two things that I need to work on. I need to be intentional about doing the things I know God wants me to do. I need to have self control in the things that God doesn’t want me to do.

I love when the bible comes alive and speaks to me. I love when I am being challenged. Most times the reason I am not is because I do not take the time to think about what I read or I just don’t spend the time I need to in the word of God.

Remembering what leadership is

As a person that considers himself to be a leader, I think I often forget what being a leader means. Leadership may include making decisions. It may include telling people what to do, or how to do something. It may mean having responsibility to guide people under your care. But the first thing a leader must be is a servant. This means you have to love those you are leading. You have to consider them as more important than yourself.

I feel as if my selfishness and laziness keeps getting pushed in my face as I study the word of God. I am a person that wants what I want when I want it. I am also a person that does not want to work hard at getting what I want. I want to find the least path of resistance. I want to pick the lowest fruit on the tree.

That is not what a servant leader does. A servant leader does whatever is needed to meet the (true) needs of the person they are trying to lead. This means genuinely caring for those people. It means leading by example.

In order to do this, I have to be spiritually connect with God. I cannot love and serve others unless I am focused on Jesus. I have to be willing to go the extra mile. I have to be willing to climb the tree and pick the fruit that is too high for me to reach. Jesus came to this earth to serve. He lived a life of service. He was followed by people all the time. Jesus did not get annoyed with them, he healed them. He had compassion on them.

Am I a servant leader? I pray that I am.

Hmmm life needs to always be evaluated

Take up your cross and follow Jesus is something that I hear repeatedly in Christian circles. The prefix to this is we must deny ourselves. The NLT says give up all your selfish desires. As a parent and a husband I realize everyday how selfish I am. How I feel entitled to my down time, my sleep, and my fun. The question is what am I entitled to? I am not entitled to any of those things. I am entitled to be a servant of God and man. That is what I am entitled to. First of all do I serve God? I do vocationally, but do I do it as a lifestyle. I truly hope so, but I know I have a long way to go. I want to serve God with all that I am. I want to be used by Him. I want to take up my cross and follow Him. This summer I was challenged with the statement big change happens with small decisions. Am I making wise decisions that translate into me taking up my cross and denying myself? That is something I have to constantly be challenging myself with. The second part of this is, am I serving people? The people I like, it is easier to serve them. But God is calling me to serve even the people I do not like. Most times the only reason I do not like someone is because of some selfish reason. Which brings me back to the point, am I serving people by taking up my cross and following Jesus and denying my selfish desires? Hmmmm life needs to always be evaluated.

The Heart is what God wants

A couple months ago I listened to a sermon by Andy Stanley. It was on how God wants our hearts more than anything else. When God has our hearts, He truly will have our obedience. This sermon has stuck with me. It has changed how I read scriptures. I have started noticing how much God talks about the heart. I was reading in Matthew today. Jesus talked about how from our heart comes our sin. This is so true in my life. I know when I am tempted it comes from in my heart. It always starts as a thought that comes from my heart and then moves to actions. I hate sin. I hate that my heart is so wicked. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I have not sold all that I own to follow Jesus. I was reading earlier this week about the guy who found treasure in a field. After he found it, he sold all that he had and bought the field that had the treasure. Have I really sold all of my old ways. Have I truly given all that I am to Jesus. Do I live a life of surrender. I think this is going to be a constant question I face in my life. I want to surrender to God. I want to give God all that I am. I wanted to be used by God. My biggest hindrance to that is me and my heart, me and my selfish desires. Oh God, that I might walk in your ways. That is my desire.

God is still in control

It is not easy to believe God is in control when the fallen state of the world is so evident. Earlier this week I was in Denver talking about how God’s mission is restoring things back to way they were before sin entered the world. Well fast-forward. Thursday I watch paramedics trying to restore life. I am not sure if they were successful. Please pray for Jan. Now I just found out that someone in our church succumbed to depression. Life is short. How are we investing it? Through these experiences God is showing me how I passively lead both in my family and in ministry. Do I really care about anyone else, or just when I need something from them? This is the real question of commission. Do I love God or do I use God. Do I love people or do I use people.

I have to trust that God is in control of these situations. I have to believe he has a plan. I now have to wait to see how He is going to get glory through these tough times. I may never see it on this earth, but I have to trust that it will happen.

Frailty of life

Yesterday will be a day I remember for the rest of my life. I am not sure of the outcome of this experience, but regardless of the outcome, God is using it to shape me. The past two weeks God has been teaching me compassion.

Starting with last week, I was in Littleton CO to do some training. While there I went with 7 other guys to the Littleton Memorial for the students who died in the Columbine shooting in 1999. While there, I read what the parents wanted us to remember about their students. It was a very surreal experience. When the shooting happened I was not marked by it. Remember I am learning compassion. I remember it happening, but it was too far from me to have lasting affect. Going through this memorial really stirred up some serious emotion in me. One of the guys I went through the memorial with was a youth pastor at a local church. He was around during the shootings. Hearing him tell stories moved me.

This brings me to yesterday. I was at church and a sweet elderly woman lost consciousness in her car (before she was able to leave the parking lot). I had to call 911 and this is where the frailty of life comes in. I watched the paramedics try and revive her. This is someone I know. I watched them try to help her breathe. I was moved to tears. My wife said she wishes she could have seen that (the tears). Remember I am learning compassion. My heart hurts for this woman. She is a sweet women that loves God. Keep praying for her. I am not sure how this is going to end, but God is using this experience to shape me and how I love others.

Ministry is Awesome

Tonight we had our Senior High Ministry. We meet at our church. It went well. After our ministry time a bunch of students and I went to McDonald's. I tell you what tonight I was reminded why I am in ministry. I had an hour talk with a student that knew very little about Jesus. It was amazing. I love ministry. I love sharing Jesus. I love talking about my faith. I love that we are allowed to ask questions. I love that we are allowed to seek truth. I love that the God of the Bible is the only truth and I get paid to share that with students. I sat in McDonald's with a good number of my students watching me share Jesus. I tell them to share Jesus and then they get to watch me do it. Oh what a night. God is so good.

WOW talk about a shot to the face

I have been sitting in meetings the last couple days. As I sat and listened to the speaker yesterday, I was just struck with the thought of how I have sinned. Here is how I have sinned. I sit in my office on most days for hours. Well while in my office I would here someone on the playground. So, I would go and look out the window. What I saw was a dad and daughter playing on the playground. I had never seen them before. Well, one day I went out there and talked with him. He was nice. He works downtown. He takes his daughter with him to work because his wife does not get home in time. Right outside our church we have a a bus station. He would bring his daughter to our church to play on our playground before getting on the bus. When I would here him and his daughter I would think I need to go out and talk to him about Jesus, but I never did. I was convicted that I need to get out of my office and start sharing Jesus outside of my ministry. I have sinned because I have not loved people enough to share Jesus with them.

Self Control

This is a weird way to wake up, but I am weird. Last night I started reading 2 Peter. Well one of the sections talked about sanctification and self control. When I was done reading I stayed up playing games on facebook and looking at sports. This morning when I woke up the passage I read last night was in my head. Basically what it said is that the Holy Spirit gives you self control. When you put your faith and trust in Jesus you get the Holy Spirit and when we yeild to Him we will have self control. Well that blows the escuse that I lack self control out of the water. I have self control because of the Spirits work in my life. I just have to choose to use it. I hate when I have to take credit for my own lazyness.

2 Peter 1:5-11
5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. 6 Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7 Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind or, at least, very shortsighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin. 10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away. 11 And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Alright it is time to start doing this more often

Well, I just came back from lunch with a couple friends. They introduced me to something called twitter. So I signed up. What it is, is you have people that become your followers. I think this sound interesting. I am not going to lie having followers sounds cool. It feeds my ego and insecurities. So now I need to keep this up to date as well because people will look at this.

I was reading last night in 2 Timothy. Man 2:22 just jumped off the pages.

2 Timothy 2:22

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

This has to do so much with our hearts. I need to keep my heart pure before God. I also need to make sure that I have people around me that love Jesus. Wow this is nectar to my soul (thanks for that phrase Dan).

I am looking forward to this next week. I get to hang out with a bunch of guys that love Jesus and spur me on in my faith and ministry. I cannot wait to see what God is going to do during these meetings.

Tenaciously seeking God

I went on a senior high guys paint balling trip to teach the guys about manhood and learned about seeking God. This retreat was awesome. We played paintball until we ran out of CO2 and paint. We played on a woods and a speed ball coarse. When I came home I was excited because God gave me some great opportunities to have conversations with students. As I sat in my house and started reflecting on the weekend something just hit me. When we were playing paintball on the woods coarse I would seek to not get hit in hopes that I may find someone. If I didn't I was OK with wondering around. I played a rather passive game. To be honest getting shot just didn't sound fun. Then we moved to the speed ball course. This is a much faster game, hence the name of the course. I played a little bit more of a aggressive game. The second to the last game I played, there was three of us who played a passive type game verse three students that are anything but passive. My team ended up winning that game because we were just plain more aggressive than the other team. We caught them off guard. As I reflected on this weekend and my time paint balling I came to the realization that I handle my walk with God much like I did paint balling. I was passive. I was resting on what I know, thinking that is enough. I was not being aggressive with my relationship with Jesus. I need to tenaciously seek Jesus, and not sit back hoping God will use me. I think to often we as believers in Jesus sit back and hope something happens instead of putting yourself into a position where God can use you more.

Genesis 16-20

Wow if anyone says the bible is boring they have never read it. These 5 chapters have the birth of a son from a concubine. It has jealousy of a wife and the women she gave her husband. It has God coming to the earth. It has attempted homosexuality, fire raining down from heave and a women being turned into a pillar of salt. Lot's daughters decide to get their father drunk and then get pregnant by him. Then Abraham lies to save his own bum.

After reading all this I asked the question what does this tell me about the God of the bible. The only answer I could come up with is that it shows He is a patient and forgiving God. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and yet save Lot and his family. He save the king of Egypt from doing wrong even though He didn't have to. The God of the bible uses sinful human beings. He gives us forgiveness even though we do not deserve it. He gives us patience even though we mess up all the time. The God of the bible is truly a compassionate God when we will respond to Him and sometimes when we do not.

Crazy Busy

I said I will start doing this again, and I will. These past two weeks have been crazy busy. I have a slow period right now.

I am chewing on Psalms 119 right now. As I am chewing on it, God is showing me my need to know His word more.

Psalms 119:9-16
9. How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. 10. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. 11. Your word I have treasured in my heart , That I may not sin against You. 12. Blessed are You, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes. 13. With my lips I have told of All the ordinances of Your mouth. 14. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies , As much as in all riches. 15. I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. 16. I shall delight in Your statutes ; I shall not forget Your word . Gimel.

In this passage alone we see how much David loved and treasured the word of God. I love the opening question "How can a young man keep his way pure?". Then he goes on to explain that we need to know the word of God in order to keep our way pure. I think this is an awesome reminder of our need to spend time with God in His word.

I will get into this again!!!

I feel like I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I will get back into writting in my blog.

Here is a link to my latest sermon. I would love to hear what people think.

http://www.elimefc.com/Sermons/080203-med.mp3