Discipleship « Element Church Insider

Do You Feel Like Jesus Is Napping?

7 02 2012

Sometimes it might FEEL like God’s taking a nap; what you don’t see is He knows what’s NEXT!

I shared this with our Lead Team this past week as a leadership lesson, but it also relates to our everyday lives.

Ever feel like God’s napping in your life? Like you’re in the middle of a storm and He just doesn’t seem to care? Maybe you felt like you were following His leading, you started traveling across the sea in the direction He said to go, then BAM…a storm comes out of nowhere? Well, if you’ve never felt that way, the disciples DID and you’ll probably face it eventually.

Luke 8:22-24 says this ²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. ²³As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. ²⁴ The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm.

Jesus KNEW the storm was coming yet He LED them into it anyway. THEN, in the middle of the storm He was just taking a nap. So again I ask, have you ever felt like God was taking a nap in your life? Cause if the answer is YES, then remember this.

God will sometimes lead us into a place of FEAR so He can show His FAITHFULNESS!

God will allow us to face PERIL so He can show His POWER!

Just because you’re in the middle of the storm doesn’t mean that He is NAPPING or that He doesn’t NOTICE…it just might mean that He knows what’s NEXT! Trust Him!

Waiting for what’s next,

Jeff

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Categories : Discipleship, Element Church, Leadership

“She Has It”

1 02 2012

“She Has It” Was the Subject line of the email Pastor Derek sent to me on Monday, and the only content other than the picture to your left was “I think she has the bug”.

“WOW!” That was my only response. “WOW!” That, and I was moved to tears.

Like “big church” does each Sunday, Pastor Derek offers a chance for kids to turn in any prayer request they would like prayed for, and that’s what my daughter Mariah turned in. Again…WOW!

This is one of those moments as a parent I live for. SHE GETS IT! Her prayer? “More people to come to know Jesus and come to element church!” Nothing like the heart of your child to convict the parent.

Her prayer makes Mark 10:15 come to life “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

What do you say? Will you join my daughter in this prayer? I think it’s THE MOST important thing we could pray for. “More people come to know Jesus…AMEN!”

Praying,

Jeff

P.S. And I LOVE she put her name “Mariah Maness” and then added “Jeff’s daughter”. YES SHE IS…and I’m PROUD to say it! And by the way, she prayed that prayer Sunday and FORTY PEOPLE acknowledged to us they accepted Jesus as their Savior. YES!!

The Circle Maker

31 01 2012

Just recently I finished one of the BEST reads I have done in a while. It’s the first book I chose to read in 2012, and MAN am I glad I read it. The book is called The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. The Circle Maker is a book all about prayer, and it’s based off the true legend of a man named Honi, who became known as “the circle maker”. Honi was a Jewish sage whose bold prayer ended a drought and saved a generation. It’s this inspiring story that Mark uses as a launching pad to challenge us to “pray circles” around things in our life. This is not a “name it claim it” kind of book. It’s a “Trust in the NAME of God” kind of book. Mark not only talks about ANSWERED prayers, but UN-ANSWERED ones as well and how we walk through those seasons of silence.

The Circle Maker came at JUST the right time in my life. I can honestly say, it is the most challenging yet encouraging book on prayer I’ve ever read. Inspiring to say the least. I would say that last year was the best year of prayer I’ve ever experienced. I was more motivated and moved by God through prayer in 2011 than I ever have been, and The Circle Maker only fueled my fire for prayer. I truly believe that prayer is the forgotten discipline in the church. I’m convinced, if we fully understood the power that prayer has to connect us with the heart of God, it wouldn’t be just the thing we add before a meal, or the desperate plea for provision. We’d be DEDICATED to seeking God daily in it.

Trying to capture the essence of The Circle Maker in one blog is impossible, but here is one statement from the 2nd chapter of the book that I think sums it all up: “Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers. God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. he is offended by nothing less.” WOW! Makes me wonder about my own prayer life. It inspired this statement in me “Our prayers should be so big we SHOULDN’T expect them to happen, but our GOD is so big we do.” I want to pray those kinds of prayers. Prayers that are generational. Mark talks about that in the book. That God is outside of time. There are prayers He’s already answered 50 years from now, that we haven’t even PRAYED! (That’ll blow your mind) Makes me want to pray BIGGER prayers over my children, my grandchildren…OUR CHURCH!

From PRAYING through things and PRAISING through things (new concept for me). From fasting to goal setting, Mark covers it all. I was literally captured from the first sentence. Rarely are there books that I can’t wait to pick up and continue reading…this was one! All that to say, if you’re looking for a practical yet inspiring book on prayer, this is one I’d recommend. I’ve started praying circles around things in my own life, in fact, I think it might have even inspired a whole sermon series I’m circling in prayer!

Praying Circles,

Jeff

The Fault In Seeking Favor

24 01 2012

The greater the favor that God pours out, the greater the faith it requires from man.

As a pastor I’ve fallen for this before, and I continue to see and hear SO many others do the same. Things are said like “MAN, I wish we had the favor like THAT church has.” “If I had the favor THAT pastor had.” “If we just had MORE favor.” And to be honest, when we say things like that, I think it just shows how much we don’t really know.

In Luke 1:27 Gabriel appeared to Mary and said “Greetings, FAVORED woman! The Lord is with you!”

FAVORED? Before you ask for God’s FAVOR you better remember what Mary had to FACE! Her fiance wanted to divorce her. More than likely she was accused of being a harlot. Who KNOWS how many threats she faced; friends and family she lost. She gave birth in a stable (cave, livestock holding area. Whatever you want to call it, it wasn’t FAVORable). She fled for her and her Sons life to Egypt. She watched her Son rise to prominence, then be BRUTALLY beaten and crucified on a cross. FAVORED? If that’s favor, do we really want to seek it?

Paul had the favor of God. Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-29. Stephen had the favor of God. Read Acts 7:54-60 . The unnamed people of Hebrews 11 had God’s favor. Read Hebrews 11:35-40 I mean, I could go on. Now don’t get me wrong, the favor of God is also an AMAZING thing. It just seems we focus on all the REWARDS of God’s favor and none of the REFINING! We see all the PERFORMANCES of those who have it but none of the PAIN they went through to keep it.

The favor of God WILL bring the contempt of men. The favor of God WILL require more sacrifice. The favor of God WILL test your faithfulness to Him. The greater the favor that God pours out, the greater the faith it requires from man. I just think we…I, need to remember that.

Remembering,

Jeff

As Generous As A 7 Year Old

10 01 2012

If I were as generous as a SEVEN year old I’d make a much more SIGNIFICANT impact.

Generosity is not something many of us are natural at, but it IS something we are called, even COMMANDED to be. Now, giving is a spiritual gift that I think many people have and if they have it, it is OBVIOUS by the way they live. My daughter Makalah, has been given the gift of giving and generosity…and I LOVE it!

Makalah LIVES and LOVES to give. Not many days go by without me receiving something from her that she has made or found. When we were at Disney World this past month, she used some of the money WE had given her to use as SHE wished to buy a gift for her sister. What seven year old does that? Makalah wants to go to the Childrens Hospital for Chrsitmas and buy gifts for the kids who are sick, instead of GETTING gifts for herself. WHAT? And this past week, she did something that again blew me away.

Each week, one of our children gets a daddy date with me. (For Jonah we call it Father/Son hangout time. His idea…and I’m cool with it. HA) This last Thursday, Makalah had her date. I LOVE taking my girls on dates and my son on some hangout time and they look forward to it every month. Sabrina and I have budgeted money for each week so I can do that and the kids get to choose what we do, up to a specified dollar amount. As soon as it was Makalah’s week I asked her what she wanted to do, and she said “I want our daddy/daughter date to go buy a gift for somebody.” I told her “You understand that if you use your money to buy a gift, that’s what we’re doing for our date?” She said, almost with a “DUH dad” kind of response. “I know!”

So that’s what we did. I came home from work, had dinner with the family and took my amazing daughter on a date. I actually had a Starbucks giftcard that was given to me, so we used it to go sit down, have a donut and drink before she bought a gift for her mom. We headed to Walmart, and I walked the aisles hand in hand with Makalah as she smiled from ear to ear, living out the LIFE of generosity. She used every penny of her money to buy some things for her mom that SHE wanted to get her. It was amazing.

We ended our date by going to the mall to check out the dogs in the pet store and see the guniea pigs, snakes and lizards. (I like going down the snake aisle with her cause she holds my hand even tighter. Daddy trick) As we walked out of the mall and headed to the car, I unlocked her door and opened for her. She looked up at me before she got in the car and said “This was the BEST daddy/daughter date EVER!”

God just spoke to my heart, and I thought “MAN…If I were as generous as a SEVEN year old I’d make a much more SIGNIFICANT impact.“ Makalah LOVES to give, and I LOVE affirming that gift in her.

Friends, we belong to a RADICALLY generous God, may we be RADICALLY generous people…like my seven year old.

Learning from my daughter,

Jeff

Re-Post: The Answer

31 12 2011

Through January 1st of 2012 I’d like to “Re:Post” one blog a day from each month of 2011. Maybe it’s a highly viewed blog, a favorite of mine or one that impacted me the most. Enjoy this one from October:

GOD’S answer to your prayer may not be YOUR solution to the problem.

I think sometimes we assume that the only way God “answer’s” our prayer is by providing for us the solution to our problem. And we typically TELL God what that solution is don’t we? If there is sickness the ANSWER is healing. If there is need the ANSWER is money. If there is strife the ANSWER is restoration. I mean, if we’re honest, that’s usually how we feel. We approach God with our request, and then we GIVE Him the solution to our request. At least that’s how I am.

Now, let me preface that with this: I’m not saying we shouldn’t pray for healing, or provision, or restoration. We SHOULD! I think we should, as the Bible says, approach the throne of grace with CONFIDENCE in Jesus. We should lay our hands on the sick and pray for their healing. We should pray for and seek out restoration in our relationships. We should trust in and ask God to provide for all our needs. But for myself, I want to be careful that I’m not DEMANDING of God what I think should be HIS answer to my prayer.

Psalm 138:3 says As soon as I pray, you answer me; You encourage me by giving me strength.

Man, when I read that, God just spoke to my spirit. “MY answer may not be in doing what YOU ask, but in building up your STRENGTH to face whatever you’re against.” King David says “AS SOON as I pray, God answers me”. And His answer was in giving him strength.

I believe there is one thing God’s ALWAYS willing to do for His children who seek Him through prayer. GIVE THEM STRENGTH. He may not bring healing to that illness, but He WILL give you strength to face it. He may not bring provision the way YOU see it, but He WILL give you strength to trust Him to provide. He may not bring restoration in the TIMING that you ask, but He WILL give you strength to face the strife in your life.

May I be able to say, as King David did, “As SOON as I pray, you answer me”, because my answer is in HIM not in what He will GIVE! GOD’S answer to your prayer, may not be YOUR solution to the problem.

Praying for God’s STRENGTH,

Jeff

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Tags: Element Church, Cheyenne Wyoming, Churches in Cheyenne, Cheyenne Churches, Element Church Cheyenne, Element, Cheyenne, Church, The Element, The Element Church, The Element Church Cheyenne Wyoming, Worship, Prayer, Jeff Maness, Pastor Jeff Maness
Categories : Discipleship, Element Church, Prayer

Re-Post: How Long Do I Have To Wait?

30 12 2011

Just because God DELAYS doesn’t mean He’s DONE!

Ever feel like you’ve been waiting FOREVER for God to come through on something? Like, you’ve BELIEVED for it. You’ve PRAYED for it! You’ve TRUSTED Him for it! But you’re just stuck in a holding pattern. Like “GOD, are you done?” I know I’VE been there before. Been there more often than I care to admit, and SO MANY times, it’s not that He’s done…He’s just delaying.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus performs one of his most famous miracles by raising Lazarus from the dead. Most of us are familiar with this miracle. Lazarus is sick, Jesus gets there too late, Lazarus dies, BUT Jesus raises him from the dead. I mean, how would you like to have been there for THAT one? HOLY COW!! I’m sure I would have said something very similar to what Lazarus’ sister said “Lord, he’s been dead for four days, the smell will be horrible.” One of Lazarus’ buddy’s was probably thinking “And he stunk even BEFORE he died. Jesus should probably listen to Martha.” (HA! I crack myself up reading Scripture sometime)

So word gets to Jesus that Lazarus is sick, but much to everyone’s surprise HE DOESN’T GO TO HIM! He DELAYS! Now, we’re blessed with the REST of the story. For us it’s no big deal cuz…well, Jesus heals Him. But Lazarus didn’t know that. Mary and Martha, his sisters, didn’t know that. The disciples and onlookers didn’t either.

John 11:5-6 says⁵ So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, ⁶ he stayed where he was for the next two days.

ALTHOUGH he loved them, he DELAYED. Just because God DELAYS doesn’t mean He’s DONE!

Our circumstances are not a SIGN of whether God loves us or not, they are an opportunity to TRUST in His unfailing love. Just because God delay’s doesn’t mean He’s DONE! I’m not saying that He’s always going to do what YOU think He should do, I’m just saying, He might be setting you up for a breakthrough.

In need of a miracle of God…just wait! Praying for healing…just wait! Trusting for financial provision…just wait! Looking for an answer…just wait! Feeling like you’re stuck in a holding pattern…just wait!

Waiting,

Jeff

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Categories : Discipleship, Element Church

Re-Post: Don’t Let It Define You

29 12 2011

It’s not about where you WERE and it’s not about where you’re AT. It’s all about where you’re GOING to be.

This past Sunday, Keegan Bradely, who until Sunday was a relatively unknown golfer, took the golf world by storm when he won the 2011 PGA Championship golf tournament. And the story really isn’t THAT he won, but more about HOW he won it. With only three holes left to play, Bradley was 5 shots behind. It was a seemingly INSURMOUNTABLE obstacle to overcome, not just because it was 5 shot deficit, but because he had just TRIPLE BOGEYED (if you’re not a golfer, that’s BAD) the 15th hole and appeared to be in a total golf meltdown. But that’s where EVERYTHING changed.

Bradley regained his composure, birdied the next two holes (one of them a 35 foot putt on hole 17) while his opponent with the 5 shot lead had a meltdown of his own. This led to a two person tie at the end of the tournament, which Bradley went on to win a 3 hole playoff, securing his first ever Major tournament win.

Following the victory Bradley was asked about his 15th hole fiasco and what kept his mind in the game. I LOVED his response. He said “I just kept telling myself, ‘Don’t let that hole define this whole tournament!’”

That’s when I realized, the same statement should be said by all of us when it comes to our LIFE.

Don’t let that last failure define your whole leadership.
Don’t let that last mistake define your whole relationship.
Don’t let that last sin define your whole spiritual journey.
Don’t let that last hurt define your whole attitude.
Don’t let that last rejection define your whole pursuit.
Don’t let that last disapointment define your dream.

Whether in leadership, relationship, or our spiritual lives, if we’re not careful we can end up never leaving the 15th hole. It’s not about where you WERE and it’s not about where you’re AT. It’s all about where you’re going to BE!

The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14 …I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Don’t let it define you, MOVE ON!

Moving on,

Jeff

Re-Post: Discipleship is NOT Dependency

26 12 2011

At least not in the way I’m gonna describe it. One of my frustrations in the church is labels and definitions. You can read my thoughts on how “I hate labels” HERE. We use words in the church that EVERYONE has a different opinion ON and definition OF. Words like: Contemporary, traditional, modern, missional, attractional, and the list goes on. Discipleship is another one of those words that causes INTENSE frustration with me sometimes.

“What do you guys do for discipleship?” is a question oft asked in the church. I think sometimes what people mean when they ask that is, “What program do you do for discipleship?” Now, I’m all for programs if they work. I’m all for curriculum if it’s good. I’m all for classes if they’re done right. But sometimes I want to ask back, “What did Jesus do for discipleship? Did he have a ‘program’? A ‘class’? A ‘curriculum’?” I’m getting off track from where I intended to go so let’s get back.

Are we supposed to do discipleship? ABSOLUTELY! Are we supposed to “make” disciples? YOU BET! In fact, we are COMMANDED to: Matthew 28:19 says Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Here is one of my frustrations with discipleship though, and I’m frustrated because I don’t think it’s what Jesus intended. Many times in church we find people who are “good” at discipleship so we set them up to lead a small group or class, AND WE SHOULD! But I’m afraid that in our quest to be ABOUT discipleship, we might be creating a BUNCH of dependents. People that are dependent upon these “good” disciplers. We end up putting all the “good” disciplers over all our small groups and then perpetually meet in our group.

By the way, if we keep doing that, don’t we just have a bunch of small groups and not really discipleship? The goal of discipleship is not to have a bunch of groups, with people dependent upon a “good” discipler. The goal of discipleship is to teach, train and equip “disciples” to go out and make MORE “disciples”. Is it not? In fact, if our church is NOT making disciples who make MORE disciples, our church is NOT about discipleship.

If these “good” disciplers aren’t sending people OUT of their group to also be “good” disciplers they aren’t really good “disciplers”. They’re just creating a bunch of people to be dependent upon THEM, and I don’t think that’s what Jesus ever intended. Imagine the apostles NOT teaching, training and releasing people they were discipling, to make more disciples. We’d have a pretty small church today. Eleven small groups to be exact. Twelve if you count the addition of Matthias who was added AFTER the Great Commandment was given.

Discipleship is NOT about getting people into a huddle but never into the game. Discipleship is about unleashing a holy army into a battle for HIS name! I hope we don’t create a bunch of dependents, I hope we create a TON of disciples!

Till the end,

Jeff

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Categories : Community, Discipleship, Element Church, Leadership

Re-Post: Do Angels Go Camping?

25 12 2011

I’ve made it a habit to pray for my kids each day before they leave for school, or before I leave for the office, whichever comes first. I started doing that a few years ago and see it as a VITAL role of me as a parent…to pray over my children. I want them to KNOW that I pray for them, and for them to HEAR me pray over them. I LOVE the fact that it has become such an important part of our morning that I don’t even ask if I can pray for them anymore. They find me before they take off across the street to school and say “Dad, will you pray for me before I go to school?” I LOVE that!

Well, a few weeks ago I gathered all three of the oldest kids in the kitchen to pray for them before they left. I typically pray the same prayer every day, and did that day as well: “Lord, I pray you would ENCAMP your angels around Jonah, Mariah and Makalah. I pray you would protect their hearts, souls, minds and bodies. Help them to be leaders for you! I pray they would have an awesome day and to do their best. In Jesus name, Amen.”

As soon as I said Amen, Mariah looked at me and said “Angels go camping?” At first I wasn’t sure what she said, so I was like, “Huh?” Mariah asked again “Do angels go camping?” I replied “Why would you ask that?” “Dad, you prayed for angels to be camping around us.” I about lost it! In the middle of my laughing I explained to Mariah that I didn’t pray for angels to be camping, but that God would ENCAMP them around her. “What does ENCAMP mean?” I then explained that it means we’re asking God to put angels ALL AROUND us to protect us throughout the day. Like kids often do she said “OH” and bounded off to the playground at school.

I didn’t think anything of it until last week at family devotions. We had finished reading the Bible and everyone had shared their prayer requests they would be praying for. We went around the table praying and came to Mariah. I don’t even remember who or what she was praying for, but she prayed one of the most mature prayers I’ve ever heard her speak. And in the middle of her prayer, in the proper use, she prayed “And God, I pray you would encamp your angels around them to protect them.” WHAT? Did she just pray that? ABSOLUTELY she did. Wanna know why? Because she heard her DAD pray it!

Hearing her pray that prayer only FURTHERED my firm belief in what Donna Reed said during our panel discussion on Sunday: “Much more is CAUGHT from us to our kids, than it is TAUGHT!”

Parents? What are your kids catching from you? Are they hearing your prayers? Seeing you read your Bible? With you when you serve? Do you let them put the tithe check in the offering and then have the JOY of explaining to them why you give that much money to God? Don’t be fooled. Your kids are watching, listening AND learning from what you do!

Do angels go camping? Not that I know of? But with that one question, my daughter learned a VALUABLE lesson in prayer and spiritual warfare.

Hoping they catch it,

Jeff

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Tags: Cheyenne, Cheyenne Churches, Cheyenne Wyoming, Church, Churches in Cheyenne, Element, Element Church, Element Church Cheyenne, Jeff Maness, Pastor Jeff Maness, Prayer, The Element, The Element Church, The Element Church Cheyenne, The Element Church Cheyenne Wyoming, Worship
Categories : Discipleship, Element Church, Family, Personal, Prayer

Element Church Insider

Do You Feel Like Jesus Is Napping?

“She Has It”

The Circle Maker

The Fault In Seeking Favor

As Generous As A 7 Year Old

Re-Post: The Answer

Re-Post: How Long Do I Have To Wait?

Re-Post: Don’t Let It Define You

Re-Post: Discipleship is NOT Dependency

Re-Post: Do Angels Go Camping?

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