Pastor Michael Johnson

Taking care of the ones you have

especially new people. We know that part of the call is reaching new people with the gospel and evangelizing and discipling them but we often don’t know who, when, where or how.

Let us today be reminded of the beautiful reality that God will bring into our lives those that He desires us to minister to.

It really is okay to trust that God will introduce us to the people He desires to connect us with. We need to give ourselves a break and stop being so hard on ourselves about our evangelistic and outreach efforts.

We need to pray and ask the Lord to help us notice the people already on our paths and that He will help us to truly shepherd the sheep he places right in front of us.

Here are just some of the ways we can care for and shepherd the people already on our path:

Be fully present and available to them
Don’t be in a hurry
Listen to their story
Look them in the eyes
Express compassion to them in their struggle and pain
Rejoice with them in their miracles and breakthroughs
Feed them with the Word
Pray with them on the spot
Linger in their presence in fellowship
Share life together

This is just a short list, but I hope that you walk away from this blog post with some insight and direction for shepherding your people.

Recognize that God will miraculously, in His way, in His timing, bring the right people into your life. You don’t have to force it, you don’t have to be brilliant or technologically savvy or super clever or socially extroverted.

You just have to pray and trust God and then take care of the ones you have. God will make sure the other connections happen.

Showing up

Dear pastor

Have you ever received a “perfect attendance” award?

Have you ever given one?

These definitely seem to be things of the past, but there is a lesson to be learned from this practice of yesteryear.

The reason that these awards were created and distributed in the first place is because we know that there is tremendous value in showing up.

One of the most impactful ministries of all is the ministry of presence.

This is why Jesus was incarnated and came to earth.

It is difficult to express in words how valuable showing up really is.

We are reminded of it however, when we are stood up for an appointment or the flight is cancelled or we feel all alone and like no one sees us. We just don’t want to be sitting alone and wondering why no one else showed up.

Often as pastors we place on ourselves the unbearable weight of ALWAYS needing to do the right thing or say the right thing or have the right plan in place. We wouldn’t necessarily call it “perfectionism” but these weighty self-expectations seem to replace presence with performance.

May you and I be reminded today that by showing up to church, by showing up in people’s lives, God can do wonderful things through us.

I often remind myself that I don’t even have to figure out ahead of time all the “perfect” words that I will say but instead I can rely on the Holy Spirit who will give me the words and will speak through me if I show up and avail myself to Him (Matt 10:20)

So please, this week, find rest and peace in the knowledge that by showing up to be with your family, by showing up to listen to people, by showing up to speak God’s words and share love and compassion, God can and will use your presence and your availability.

I pray that God will lift the self-imposed burden of performance off our shoulders and replace it with the beautiful realization that we have the privilege of being together with people and the Holy Spirit and that as we all just “show up” God can cause beautiful things to happen!

Forever faithful

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

You and I change and grow. Sometimes we change and die. But humans are always changing.

There is a funny saying that floats around these days: “People never change.” But it is not true.

People are fickle and change their mind, their behavior, their commitments and their priorities from season to season and sometimes from day to day.

Usually when someone says “people never change” they are referring to a person’s stubbornness or their inability to overcome bad habits. But the reality is that when selfishness, wickedness and worldliness is at work in someone, they DO change, but only for the worse.

On the other hand when Jesus is at work in someone’s heart and life, that person is enabled and empowered to change, by His grace, for the good and even to a point of becoming like Jesus.

But one thing we need to remember, recognize, and celebrate is that God is forever faithful. He is always the same. He doesn’t need to learn and grow because He already is perfect, holy, good and all-knowing. He doesn’t need to change because there is nothing He needs to repent of. The beautiful thing is that because God is ever faithful, you and I have the opportunity in every situation and circumstance of life to be changed for the better.

Please today, tell the Lord how thankful you are that He is always that same. Thank God for His faithfulness, His perfect and unchanging character of holiness, kindness and love. Ask the Lord to always be by your side and thank Him for always being faithful to every one of His promises.

And please, ask the Lord to change you so that you will allow His eternal faithfulness to flow into and through you, so that you will not be tossed by the winds and waves but instead will grow up into maturity and wholeness in Him!

Thank you Lord for ever and always being faithful!

A few questions about church

Did you know that when you go to church, you are actually meeting with the God of the universe? Not just symbolically and not just mentally as you review and rehearse things in your mind, but in actuality and in reality. Yahweh, God is present in the worship service at your local church each and every time that people gather there in His name. Now you will not be able to see Him with your physical eyes, although it is possible to sense His presence and furthermore you can see the evidence of His presence there if you will look for it. Granted, many people miss the reality of God’s presence but that does not mean He is not there.

Did you also know that when you gather with other believers in the name of the Lord, not only is He there, but He is also speaking to all who will listen? This is not just about remembering the words of the Bible or bringing to mind Creeds, Traditions and Bible/Church History, but in actuality, the Creator God who lives and reigns over all is actually, presently speaking every single time that you gather in His presence in a worship service. Of course His voice sounds different than the other voices that clamor for our attention in life and the majority of the time you will not hear His voice audibly, but nevertheless, I can declare to you with absolute certainty that God is speaking to you in every single worship service you attend, but you will have to listen.

I wonder why so many people in worship services do not sing out? Or raise their hands or even mouth the words to the songs? Is it that they have nothing to be thankful for? Or is it that they don’t think God needs or wants or deserves their praise? Or is it that they are thinking more about the people around them or about what they will be doing next after the service is over? I definitely don’t know the reasons, but it surprises me how many people come to a worship service but then don’t participate in it. It’s almost like they think they are simply there to be informed or entertained. I sure hope not! To me it would be absolutely tragic to think Church was more about sitting and listening to humans on the platform than about being present, engaging in worship/thanks/praise and listening to voice of God Himself.

Furthermore, if God is the One speaking to us, I am really surprised that more people don’t respond to Him outwardly. I don’t just mean in the worship service (though what better place to openly and outwardly worship, praise and express faith?) but I also mean in their every day lives. Of course I know that each of us respond differently to things that we learn but if God has spoken about how to turn from our sin, how to be saved, how to receive blessing and walk in abundance and live a flourishing and abundant life, I am shocked by how many times people simply ignore what God has said and go back to their own foolish and self-injurious choices and behaviors. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging people for this, I am just curious why we as humans so often hear and know what God’s will is but instead choose a different path.

Finally, I wonder why we are so often seemingly bored with Church, so uninterested in what is going on there and so anxious to leave? Obviously not every sermon is going to be amazing, in content or delivery and not every song is going to be superb and excellent. But I just wonder why in general so many people seem less than enthused and more excited about leaving than coming? Is it that we are that tired? Or under that heavy of a burden? Or is it that we feel like Church is just another obligation that we have to tend to not a gift that is given?

I have more questions than answers in this post. But I just feel like God has far more to offer us as we gather with other people in His presence and in His house than we sometimes ask for, expect or look for. I wonder, would you pray with me that God would stir something inside of each of us so that we would look at Church differently and that God would do something new and profound in us and in the worship service the next time we gather?

The Scripture way of salvation (and what entire sanctification means)

Many Christians have heard the word “sanctification” or the expression “entire sanctification” but many don’t know what it means.

Furthermore, there are some different explanations of what entire sanctification is.

In this blog post I will attempt to explain both the Scripture way of salvation (how God takes someone from being lost to found or skeptic to believer) and then as part of that journey of faith how God also entirely sanctifies a believer.

This description is considered a Wesleyan – holiness definition and is in alignment with my theological understanding as a member of the Nazarene church.

Please take the time to prayerfully (and slowly) read this so that you can discern where you are on this journey of faith and what God wants to do further in you.

Salvation/Justification/Being born again is a definite work of the grace of God. It happens in a moment, at a crisis of belief.

First there is a process in which a person is convicted of sin, becomes aware of their need for forgiveness and a Savior, and learns of Jesus’ death and resurrection for them.

Then after a process of slowly growing in faith and knowledge they finally “Confess with their mouth and believe in their heart” and they are saved.

The process leading up to birth varies in length, but finally in a crisis moment of faith a person expresses to God their belief in Him as Savior and agrees to turn away from sin and they are born again. (like with physical birth there is a preparation process but then finally there is a definitive point in time when the baby is born and the birth certificate gives a specific time and date when the baby was born)

When a person is born again four things happen simultaneously: 1. They are justified (“just-as-if” they never sinned, based on the atonement of Jesus) 2. They are regenerated (new heart, new mind, new Spirit) 3. They are adopted as children of God, 4. They are initially sanctified (receive the Holy Spirit, set apart for God’s purposes, imparted with holiness and love and power for pure living and to be His witnesses.)

At the moment of being born-again people are only sanctified in the areas of their life they have consecrated/surrendered to God, which is usually limited because they most likely confessed their sins and expressed their faith in God and believed for salvation and heaven but most have not surrendered everything.

Then there is a process in which the born again person grows in faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This process in time varies in length.

During this process the Holy Spirit reveals to the born-again believer any dualling motives in their hearts and the fact that selfishness, sin nature, original sin, pride is still influencing the new believer.

At the conviction of the Holy Spirit the believer then surrenders everything to God (past, present, future, hopes, dreams, strengths, weaknesses, etc). And in a moment of entire surrender then God is able to entirely sanctify the believer in ways that He was not invited to do at salvation. The moment of entire sanctification is a second definite work of grace by faith just as the moment of salvation was/is.

The process leading up to entire consecration is the process of becoming aware of the sin nature and slowly/daily dying to self so that in a second definite work of grace after the person surrenders/consecrates all then the death certificate can indicate a time and date when in a final crisis of faith/belief and confession/declaration, the person died to self, the sin nature was crucified and removed from the throne of the heart and God entirely sanctified the believer.

At the moment of entire sanctification, God entirely does these things:

Sets apart the entire person for His purposes
Removes sin, guilt, shame and stain of any sin not previously confessed
Changes a person from a bent towards selfishness to a bent towards honoring Christ and pursuing Christlikeness
Purifies unrighteous thoughts, attitudes and motives
Delivers from old masters and destructive enemies
Imparts His holiness
Imparts His love
Empowers Christians to live a holy life

Finally after entire sanctification, the sanctified believer must daily deny themselves, daily die to self, daily take up their cross and daily follow Jesus.

After sanctification, God continues the process of changing habits, behaviors, words, attitudes and lifestyle to be complete alignment with what He has done in them by grace on the inside.

After entire sanctification people can still make mistakes, are still tempted, can still sin and very often “un-entirely” themselves, by taking things back from God. When we do sin we have to confess again and re-consecrate again to walk in “entire” sanctification

When we stay entirely surrendered we are daily under the discipline of Christ all the way until glorification.

If you have never prayed a prayer of faith, believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth the Lord Jesus as your Savior, please in your own words express that to God now, so that you can know that you are born again and saved!

If you have never surrendered everything in a decision of your will to fully consecrate everything in your life to Christ, please in your own words, do it now so that you can receive the entire sanctifying work of Christ, right now.

If you have prayed either of these prayers or would like to know what Scriptures and other books help to explain these two gifts from God, please email me at pastormichaelDjohnson@gmail.com.

God bless!

Pastoring contentious people

Dear pastor,

Have you ever had the privilege of pastoring a strong-willed person?

Hopefully you are already smiling at my use of the word “privilege.”

Ministry is already hard enough without putting strong-willed, obstinate, cantankerous and contentious people into the mix. And yet that is precisely what many of us face week in and week out.

And we believe God can change them, but we also know that they have to want to be changed and have to ask and allow God to do a transforming work in them.

So how exactly do we pastor contentious people?

First I guess we should discuss how we know they are contentious? There are certain similar characteristics or traits that we look for (and each of these might indicate something different about the person’s motive or goal).

Some difficult people:

Want to argue about everything.
Have an opinion about everything.
Don’t have a filter on what comes out of their mouth.
Seem to say everything with a sneer or a frown.
Appear to be arrogant and condescending.
Don’t think you know anything or that you have ever considered their perspective.
Think there is always some threat or obstacle we haven’t considered.

And the list goes on.

I have a book in my office called “Well-intentioned dragons” and it talks about people in the church who might have some good motives but they still end up biting and devouring people along the way.

As pastors it is our responsibility to protect our flock, bring unity to the church, listen to concerns, have a teachable spirit, be willing to try new things and this list also goes on and on.

And it seems like some of these contentious people have lists and lists of what you and I as pastors should be doing and could be doing.

This contentiousness and criticism can be overwhelming, overbearing, debilitating and demoralizing.

So here is my advice to you:

Listen carefully and respond gently.
Take what they say with a benefit of the doubt that at least a small part of their motive is good.
Take what they say with a “grain of salt” recognizing that perhaps much of their criticism is unfounded and untrue.
Look for the truth in the midst of the unhelpful, unnecessary and unkind words.
Pray for that person and commit them to the Lord.
Continue gathering around yourself the godly voices who will help you to know and discern God’s will for your ministry.
Don’t bully the bullies and don’t use the pulpit to settle a disagreement.
Preach, teach and live the Truth of the Word with grace and in love.
As necessary (and as led of the Holy Spirit) gently confront people whose contentious ways are leading to division, negativity and complaining.
Remember above all that you will give an answer to God in heaven for how you lead, serve, act and react. But don’t try to independently decide what you should do, recognize that God will give you wise and encouraging voices who can give you wisdom and tact and grace to help the most difficult people.

This blog post is way too short to actually do justice to such a difficult and nuanced topic. But I hope that something small here has given you help and hope as you minister to difficult people.

My heart goes out to you because times of conflict are often lonely times and the moments when we daydream about getting out and going somewhere else or doing something else. But I believe that God has called you and He Himself will equip you to stay the course and graciously shepherd even the stubborn sheep in the flock.

I am praying for you. Please seek out books and people who can help you in this, don’t try to do it alone. And don’t give up hope, God is surely able to encourage you, strengthen you and miraculously help you along the way!

God can sanctify our work

Dear pastor

I want to encourage you to find joy and fulfillment RIGHT NOW, in this PRESENT MOMENT, for the Lord is with you, even now.

So much of life and ministry can seem mundane, boring or like wasted time. And yet when God is present, He is sanctifying that very moment.

I remember the story I once heard about a father and son who went fishing together. When they got home the mother asked the father about the day, and he said something about not catching any fish and that the day was pretty much a bust. The son however wrote in his journal that night that he got to spend the entire day with his dad just the two of them and it was the best day ever.

Scripture reminds us not to despise, diminish or make light of the day of small beginnings. Another verse translates Zech 4:10 as a day of “small things.” And how many of the things in our lives and ministry seem small?

We say things and do things that we think we probably should be doing, but don’t think or expect them to be that impactful in someone’s life. But I am reminded that most often “success” is not made up of a few big things but rather thousands of small things consistently done.

Let’s come full circle back to where this blog post started.

Since God is with us in each and every moment and since He is present, speaking and working in the midst of even the small things that we do, let us not make light of those small things. Let us remember that God’s presence sanctifies that which is consecrated to Him.

So a simple word of encouragement, a kind gesture, a small gift of time or attention, a little sacrifice or service: all of these, done for the glory of God and consecrated fully unto Him, will be sanctified by the Lord!

What great news it is that God is both with us and sanctifying our work. I pray that we will realize this and hold on to this reality. Let us not doubt the ability of the Lord to make holy our small efforts and to multiply these efforts (like the fish and the loaves) to feed many people!

A sense of grief

I have a sense that something is off in this world. It is a sense of grief that weighs on me, a burden that God has placed in me.

Let me define this grief:

A sadness because of the divisions in relationships, homes, churches and nations.
A sadness because of the anger, judgmentalism and condemnation people foist on one another.
A sadness over the oppression, abuse and violence that people perpetrate against others.
A sadness over the bondage that people are in.
A sadness because of the vain and empty pursuit of things that do not matter.
A sadness because of the lack of love, care, empathy or compassion people have for others.
A sadness because of the smug, arrogant and dismissive attitudes people have towards those who live, look, sound, smell, speak or behave differently.
A sadness because of the unnecessary pain and suffering so many people endure daily.

I am grieved because I know that God’s heart is hurting, and He has placed His heart inside of me and therefore I feel this pain. I am grieved because God has made a better way for all who will accept it. I am grieved because God’s gospel, God’s kingdom, and God’s church can offer the better way if we will receive it, live it and share it.

I know the only answer for this grief is the salvation, sanctification and abundant life that God offers to people, even right now. The eternal answer for this grief is the reality that God will set all things straight one day, but that answer is approaching and yet not fully here. Furthermore I have a grief over those who may be finally impenitent and who will not be in the presence of the Lord forever. This hurts my heart and I know it constantly hurts the heart of God.

I know that God will wipe every tear away from our eyes and we will have joy and peace in His presence forever. But I weep for the lost. The ones lost now and the ones who will be lost forever.

But until I am finally united with Him in glory, may I always carry around this sadness and grief so that I will ever and always have compassion towards others and live my life out of the heart of the Father. Rather than trying to ignore this grief, may I realize it is an expression of God’s love living in me and that it should spur me on to fasting, prayer, sacrifice, service and sharing the gospel at all costs. What else can I do? It is like a fire shut up in my bones and I cannot hold it in! Lord help us, Lord have mercy, Lord save us!

The purpose of the church

The purpose of the church is to be the church

To exist. To belong to God. To belong to each other.

The purpose of the church is to exist and to live in holy communion.

What is the end goal?

To be together in worship and prayer
To be together in service
To be together in fellowship
To be together in learning

The end goal of the church is to be: to be in existence, to be like Christ and to be together with Christ and with each other.

We don’t apologize for wanting to be together every chance that we can.

We don’t apologize for wanting to linger in God’s presence and with one another.

And we don’t have to be planning some cool event or activity or program or outreach when we are together.

We can enjoy being together.

We can enjoy the moment we have been given to eat, laugh, sing, pray, talk, listen, work.

Whatever it is that we are doing, while together, the being together part is the first priority.

Of course we are seeking to be together with God so of course we know that we should be doing the things that God wants us to do. And when we do this we will find grace and joy and salvation and fulfillment as we faithfully and obediently abide together in Christ.

We will be fulfilled and experience the fullness of life as we “faith” together. We will experience abundant life as we pray together and worship together. We will discover what it is to be fully alive as we confess to each other and bear each other’s burdens. We will flourish as we encourage one another and spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

We will walk in the fullness of God’s blessing as we consecrate ourselves together to the Lord.

There is no higher calling or purpose for us. If we are not happy and fulfilled in these things then we are missing the point of it all and looking or hoping for something that God never said He would give. I want to challenge you, whether you are clergy or laity, the purpose of the church is to be and when we understand that, it will change how we look at everything church related. We will find much more joy and contentment in the church and perhaps can once and for all stop trying to bring corporate metrics and systems into the church and instead rejoice that we are part of the family of God.

I praise God for the church and for the power of being together with Him and my brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Are you struggling? There is hope!

Let me share the good news with you:

Are you lost? We all have been lost in our lives. Whenever we are not trusting God completely we are lost. But thanks be to God, He has made it His mission to seek and save the lost, so we know He is pursuing you and me everyday so that He will find us and so that we can find and receive from Him!

Are you bored? Thank God for some down time, and ask God to help you rest in Him and know His will for what is next.

Are you tired? God grants sleep to His beloved. Don’t tire yourself out going to bed late and getting up early, trying to figure life out, trying to make ends meet or just trying to have some fun. Instead ask God to help you sleep and rest in Him and His promises.

Are you sad? God is with you in your sadness, but He also can bring you joy when the season of mourning is over.

Are you angry at injustice? God is the God of justice and He will judge the world and set everything right one day. Work for justice on earth but remember to trust God above all.

Are you depressed? God is a God of hope. He can make a way when there seems to be no way! Call on Him and ask Him to work a miracle in you.

Are you guilty? Do you know you have sinned against God and others? God is the God of mercy, grace and forgiveness. Repent and call on the name of the Lord and you will be forgiven and saved.

Are you sick? God is the Great Physician. He is able to heal you. Go to Him in prayer. Ask for His healing touch. Have the elders of the church pray over you. Then wait and watch for God’s answer.

Are you struggling with bad habits, addictions or temptation? Remember that God has said He will always provide an emergency exit. God is willing and able to give you His strength and His self-control so that you can walk away from whatever is harmful and walk completely in what is healthy and holy.

Are you lonely? God is the God of relationship. He wants a relationship with you and also when you call upon HIm and follow Him, He will put you in relationship with others.

Are your relationships struggling? God is the God of reconciliation. He can bring forgiveness and healing to marriages, family relationships and friendships. Ask Him. He will answer.

Are you lacking in your finances? Remember that God told us to pray for our daily bread, we can know He will provide what we need for each and every day. Even when it seems impossible God is able to do the impossible.

Are you struggling with what to do? God is all-wise and all-knowing. Ask the Lord for wisdom and He will surely provide it.

This is the good news: whatever you are facing, God is able to handle it. Seek Him, ask Him, follow Him, obey His instructions. He will surely save you, heal you and provide for you.