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One summer during her high school years my daughter worked in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at a café called The Bunnery. (Their motto is, “Get your buns in here!” Very nice place to eat if you ever get to Jackson Hole.) One afternoon, with the regular crush of tourists waiting in line outside to get a table, a famous woman came to the head of the line. My daughter and the other hostess recognized her immediately. (I will not tell you her name for fear of being sued but you would all know the name.) This famous and wealthy woman said, “Table for two please.” The other hostess said, “You will have to wait in this line.” The famous woman said angrily, “I have never waited in line in my life.” And with that angry proclamation she walked away.

The message here is not that all rich and famous people are arrogant and self-absorbed. In fact some are quite humble and selfless. The message here is that every one of us needs to take a hard, honest, long, searching look into our own souls and ask the question, “To what degree am I an arrogant and self-absorbed person?” Please note that I said, “…hard, honest, long, searching look.” This look into ourselves is not the cursory glance that does not consider the evidence and that gives us each the benefit of the doubt.

Merriam-Webster Online: consumer, (kon-su-mer) n. “one that consumes: as a: one that utilizes economic goods b: an organism requiring complex organic compounds for food which it obtains by preying on other organisms or by eating particles of organic matter.”

Consumers, especially as shaped by American culture and capitalism, are those who are demanding, pampered, self-absorbed, and who incessantly say, “Meet my needs! Meet my wants! Do it my way! Serve me! Give me what I want and be gracious about it!” They are takers. They are not contributors. They expect to be in charge and to have others defer to them.

The outcomes of consumerism are legion and sad: anger, demandingness, selfishness, smallness, disobedience, sadness, dissatisfaction, failure to help others, and utter bankruptcy in Christlikeness.

Consumers are “cruise ship” people. They are on board to be pampered by those around them. They are on board to have it their own way. They are on board to have it all. Spiritually and biblically they don’t “get it”—they are bankrupt.

To what degree are you a consumer? What is the evidence? What are your outcomes?

Merriam-Webster Online: servant, (ser-vant) n. “one that serves others; especially one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer.”

Servants, especially as shaped by Bible culture and Jesus, are those who are other-focused, sacrificial, humble, compassionate, sensitive, generous, on a mission, contributing, willing to be inconvenienced, gracious, and absorbed in the needs of others. They are incessantly asking, “How does God want me to help others at this moment?”

The outcomes of servanthood are similarity to Jesus, obedience of Jesus, meeting the needs of others, a meaningful life, and joy.

Servants are “mercy ship” people. They are on board to help those in need. They are on board to live out their spiritual identity as servants. Spiritually and biblically they not only “get it” but they also “live it.” In ways that really matter they are rich.

To what degree are you a servant? What is the evidence? What are your outcomes?

Jesus: “But whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.” Mark 10:43, 44.

A Jesus Corollary: “The least and last among you shall be the consumer.”

Here is our towering need as individuals: We all need to be servants.

Here is the towering need of each one of our families: We all need to be servants.

Here is the towering need of Cypress Bible Church: We all need to be servants.

If this “look-and-act-just-like-Jesus” identity and lifestyle were to grip all of us the spiritual growth, the spiritual impact, the practical good, and the joy would be explosive. KPAX TV would be here in a heartbeat. YouTube would be flooded with videos about service and helping. Facebook would be humming with stories of people being helped. Twitter would be alive with spiritual victories. Emails would be flying about salvations. Bloggers would be full of enthusiasm about spiritual impact and practical help. Skype would be smoking with happy stories. We would be full of joy. God would get glory. It would be great fun. But all this is not the outcome of consumerism. It is the outcome of a “look-and-act-just-like-Jesus” identity and lifestyle.

There are two broad categories of people in the world—noble and ignoble.

In Charles Dickenson’s classic tale A Christmas Story Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean-spirited, self-serving, business tycoon who is devoid of compassion and utterly resistant to service for his fellow man. Even at Christmas he lives as a hardened penny pincher who will not help the poor or even enjoy his own bounty. For Scrooge the Christmas season is a miserable time in which he must witness the good cheer, gift-giving, and selflessness of an entire city full of “fools.” As you know Scrooge is changed by a visit from three ghosts who “re-educate” him and bring him to a new perspective on generosity and kindness.

I have personally known about 40 “pre-ghost Ebenezer Scrooges.” These are people who were ignoble, living truly pitiable lives—overflowing with selfishness, lack of discipline, moral bankruptcy, cynicism, meanness, crassness, and absolutely devoid of grace, nobility, and any service to their fellow man. If you looked up “ignoble” in the dictionary there would be no written definition—only a group picture of these people with the pre-ghost Ebenezer Scrooge.

The word “ignoble” means to be “base, low, mean, cowardly, and lacking in character, quality, and purpose.” To be ignoble is to be “characterized by a total lack of nobility.”

As believers in God we are all terrified, in our good moments and at the core of our beings, of becoming ignoble people. We shudder at the thought of becoming pre-ghost Scrooges.

In contrast, “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a classic Christmas season movie about a small town banker named George Bailey. Bailey abandons his personal dreams for the good of his little local town and the good of many people who need him in one way or another. Bailey accomplished great good for the people of Bedford Falls and did it all with a lifetime of personal sacrifice, humility, and other-centeredness. Bailey saves his small town from the domination of the evil, wealthy, and ignoble Mr. Potter who is trying to take over the entire town.

George Bailey is the quintessential “noble man.” About 99% of the people who ever saw the film love the film because of the noble life of George Bailey.

As believers in God we all ache, in our good moments and at the core of our beings, to live noble lives. We do not want to be ignoble people.

We want to be the kind of people who are morally pure and personally humble. The kind of people who are spiritually mature and relationally gracious. The kind of people who are intellectually striving and servant hearted. The kind of people who are full of truth and intentionally sacrificial. The kind of people who are devoted to God and to material simplicity. The kind of people who are intentionally sacrificial and spiritually persevering. The kind of people who are big-hearted in our forgiveness and noble minded in our desires. The kind of people who value what is biblically valuable and shun what is morally base. The kind of people who are, in short, like Scrooge after the ghosts and like George Bailey and like Jesus Christ.

The noblest people are really the most like Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate Example of sacrifice and compassion and humility and generosity and moral perfection. There is nothing mean, base, or crass about Him. There is nothing selfish, cruel, or profane about Him. Nothing at all.

In my good moments and at the core of my heart I want to be a noble person. I want to be remembered at my funeral not as a funny man or a talented man or a handsome man or an accomplished man or a crafty man but as a biblically noble man. I want my wife and my kids and my grandkids and my friends to be sitting there thinking to themselves “This was a noble man. He was a lot like Jesus Christ.” (I understand very clearly that I had better not die soon if this is my hope at my funeral.)

In all my moments I want Cypress Bible Church to be a place that incubates and cultivates and nurtures noble people—old and young, women and men, Hispanic and African American, Caucasian and Asian, new believers and long-time believers, rich and poor, anybody at all.

I ache for us, individually and collectively, to be more and more noble people who are full of compassion, humility, and self-sacrifice. I ache for us to be more and more kind and generous and disciplined and selfless and gracious and truthful and like Jesus.

In my ministry I have preformed and attended a lot of funerals. I have heard a lot of “grief-driven testimonials” about loved ones who have died. In many cases I was called in to do the funeral for someone I never met. Yet, even in a “grief-driven testimonial” where every person becomes a saint posthumously I can tell the noble people from the ignoble people. Things are said that make it clear whether this person was a “pre-ghost Ebenezer” or a “post-ghost Ebenezer.”

The longer I ease down the road of life the more I would rather be noble than successful.

The movie “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?” is a comedy spoof on Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey.” In the movie George Clooney plays an escaped convict who flees from a prison work-crew with the two other men to whom he is chained. The three men face problem after problem and obstacle after obstacle. In each new pickle Clooney says, “We’re in a tight spot!”

Clooney’s line is a joke because each time they are not in a “tight spot” they are in a horrible spot. And it is a joke because his assessment of each predicament is so calm and so understated. The viewers of the movie quickly see that the trio will get out of each “tight spot” and that there is really nothing to fear. No need for tension or anxiety here because some improbable rescue is coming in each “tight spot.”

While the movie is a comedy and Clooney’s line is a joke there is a great deal of our lives that is not a comedy and much that is not a joke. There are many things in our lives that are more like a horrible spot than like a tight spot. There are many things in our lives for which an improbable rescue is doubtful.

In my own life when I get into either a “tight spot” or a “horrible spot” my focus is almost always on the problem or threat. I have a gift for getting obsessed on what is wrong or what might go wrong or even on what was wrong. It is draining to focus on the problems. It is debilitating to focus on the threats. It is distracting to focus on the struggles. But I am very good at it.

George Muller was a Prussian pastor, evangelist, and orphanage director who lived from 1805 to 1894 and worked for much of his life in England. While he traveled extensively in preaching and teaching, (more than 200,000 miles in the pre-aviation era) he is most famous for his orphan work in Bristol, England. The further degree of Muller’s fame stems from his terrific faith in God. Muller spent decades trusting God to provide the funds for his several orphanages while never asking for any funds. When he needed funds he spoke to God and left it to Him.

There is a reputable account of Muller traveling aboard a sailing ship to Canada for a series of speaking engagements. The ship entered a dense fog and was slowed considerably in her progress. The captain told Muller that they would never make it to Quebec in time for Muller’s speaking engagement. Muller replied that he had never missed an appointment in 57 years and he did not intend to miss one now.

The captain of the ship was incredulous and said to Muller, “Sir, do you not see the thickness of this fog?” To this Muller said, “My eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God, Who controls every circumstance of my life.”

What a terrific focus and perspective! “My eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God, Who controls every circumstance of my life!”

When we are “in a tight spot” or “in a terrible spot” one critical issue is our focus. We have full freedom to focus on the fog or on the Controller of the fog. We have full freedom to focus on the trouble or on the Deliverer from trouble. We have full freedom to focus on the problem or on the Solver of problems. We are not required to obsess on troubles.

Muller said what the Bible had taught him: God is living. God is sovereign. God is in control of every circumstance of our lives.

I am not advocating a Pollyannaish approach that says, “Nothing is wrong and nothing will be wrong and God fixes all problems and prevents all troubles.” That is clearly insanity.

What I am advocating is an obsessive focus on the living God Who loves us even when “we are in a tight spot.”

“His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.” Sure. But what is my eye on?

In many ways these are not real “good” times for effective ministry. The economy is floundering and giving is down. The American consumerism mentality is flourishing and church hopping is up. Many believers need no more than a misting of rain to stay home from worship. Many believers are so absorbed in their diversions and their jobs that they are doing no ministry work. Interest in God is waning with so many because cynicism and lust and addiction and affluence and electronic diversions are flourishing. There is a ready availability of great preaching online and great books to read and the motivation to commit to a local church is low—and dropping. Various fears are growing about the economy and radical Islam and terrorism and swine flu and government ideologies and national debt. Many respond to these growing fears with more “circling of the wagons” and less prayer and less ministry initiative. There is a large and growing anti-evangelical sentiment in the media and the arts and the government. There is an erosion of trust in evangelicals due to the behavior of evangelicals.

In many ways these are not real “good” times for effective ministry.

Question: What do you do when your ministry circumstances are bad? Redouble your efforts? Put more color in your brochures? Do a mass mailing? Sing more hymns? Sing fewer hymns? Hire a consultant? Sell the church bus? I want to think about the question of what to do when ministry circumstances are bad by taking a brief look at an effective ministry that was thriving in a real “bad” time.

The Gospel of Luke is “about all that Jesus began to do and teach”—while He was in the flesh and on the earth. The Book of Acts is “about all that Jesus continued to do and teach” through the apostles—while He was in the apostles in the Person of the Spirit. In the course of the Book of Acts Luke gives 15 brief “progress reports” about the impact of the Gospel and the advancement of the Kingdom and the growth of the Church. (Acts 1:14; 2:41-47; 4:4; 4:32-35; 5:12-16; 5:40-42; 6:7; 8:1-3; 9:31; 12:24; 13:1-3; 13:52; 19:8-10; 19:20; 28:30, 31)

The general trend of these spiritual impact progress reports is somewhere between “good” to “very good” to “amazing.” And all this spiritual victory happened despite some very difficult circumstances for doing ministry. Troubles that plagued the ministry are chronicled in the Book of Acts: imprisonment, martyrdom, deceit in believers, relational conflicts, theological conflicts, ship wrecks, ongoing external attacks, spiritual warfare, beatings, dangers, Christians discredited, and brutal, incessant attacks from the government.

As the Book ends the Apostle Paul is in jail. God’s “franchise player” is in prison—for two years! This is like having a franchise player in the NBA on the bench in a body cast for the next two seasons.

The circumstances for doing ministry, from a human view, are not good right now—but the spiritual impact is terrific right now.

Acts 28:30, 31 reads, “And he (Paul) stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.”

Here is powerful ministry and it is happening in “bad” times because Paul is doing two things: proclaiming the rule of God in human hearts and in the entire universe, and teaching about the sovereign, saving, anointed Son of God. There it is: preaching the rule of God and teaching about Jesus.

The Big Idea: Ministry effectiveness is not driven by our good circumstances…but by God’s Good News—the power is in the message.

The power is in the message about Jesus. That said I believe with all my heart that we should be wise and diligent about enabling quality worship and assimilation and discipling and building bridges and clear signage and clean, safe, interesting, Bible-teaching kid’s programming and accessible small groups and on and on and on. I am not saying to forget about other aspects of ministry.

But I am saying that ministry effectiveness is not driven by our good circumstances or by having great signage or clean nurseries—important as these are. Ministry effectiveness is driven by God’s Good News—the power is in the message.

The Book of Acts ends with God’s franchise player in jail but more importantly it ends with these words; “…with all openness, unhindered.”

Most books end with “The End.” The Book of Acts ends with “all openness, unhindered.” In other words when Luke stops writing he says, “Not the end but the continuation of all that Jesus is doing through His people as they are indwelt by His Holy Spirit.”

Friends, we are living in Acts chapter 2009. We are striving to be faithful in all aspects of ministry but especially in the preaching of the rule of God and the teaching about Jesus. We are aching to see God use our faithfulness in high-impact ministry that is “open and unhindered.”

In 1977 I drove with my family from Raton, New Mexico to Dallas, Texas. It was my first time on that route. Besides being a long, hot drive I remember distinctly the striking fact that all the trees were bent severely to the north. It was not difficult to see why. As we were driving along that day the wind was blowing steady and hard from the south. Clearly the wind was so steady and so hard from the south that all the trees were bent north. The kind of bending we observed could not happen quickly. It had to be the result of some serious and steady wind over years and years.

We have influences in our lives (“winds”) that bend us. These influences may bend us a little if they are weak or temporary influences or they may bend us a lot if they are strong and long-term influences. Having a fanatic person bend our ear for half an hour is not going to bend us like a parent who influences us for good or for evil over the course of two or more decades.

It is also true that some influences we have no choice about and some influences we choose. The influences we have no choice about include things like the parents who raised us and the place we grew up and accidents and various diseases. There may have been some horrible influences in these things but we did not choose them and could not prevent or eliminate them. However, many of our influences we do choose—they are completely under our control. We choose who we hang out with and what we watch on TV or the web and what we listen to and what we read.

I cannot remember who first said to me, “The two greatest influences in our lives are the people we hang out with and the books we read.” In our electronic era I suppose you could argue that the two greatest influences in our lives are the people we hang out with and the web sites we visit! The truth remains that if we are older than 6 years old we have significant choice about who we hang out with and what we read.

We have significant choice about which influences or “winds” that we experience.

We can hang out with angry or cynical or lustful or hate-filled or unethical or dishonest or critical or arrogant people if we choose. On the other hand we can hang out with gracious or truthful or compassionate or mature or wise or forgiving or servant-hearted or loving people if we choose. This is largely within our control. There are times we have no choice but to be around draining people but even then we can, for the most part, limit the exposure to them.

We can read noble and biblical and wise books if we like. In our country we have the big blessing of being able to read the Bible if we choose. We can also choose to read filthy and angry and foolish material if we like. This is fully under our control.

We have significant choice about which influences or “winds” that we experience. What we do not have choice about is the fact that these influences will “bend” us. We will be bent by them to one degree or another.

If we want to be “bent to the north” we should hang out where the wind is blowing steady from the south. If we want to be “bent to the west” we should hang out where the wind is blowing steady from the east.

The application is almost too obvious to say but please indulge me by reading it: We must choose to hang out with God-honoring people and to read God-honoring material—most notably the Bible.

Almost certainly the greatest lost discipline among American believers is the steady and ongoing and continual reading of the Bible. Almost certainly the majority of American believers are more “bent” by the winds of American culture like entitlement, pleasure, image, collecting, wealth, beauty, self-centeredness, consumerism, ease—and all these promoted by much of our media and much of our entertainment and many of our friends and much of our arts.

Truthfully, I encounter loads of American believers who are so shaped by American cultural values that it is tragic. I listen to them talk and think, “You cannot possibly know Christ and believe that!!!” Most especially I hear pervasive consumerism. Most especially I hear pervasive entitlement. Most especially I hear pervasive commitment to convenience. Most especially I do not hear a heart of servant-hood toward the people around themselves. I listen to American believers who are immeasurably more “American” than they are “believers in Jesus Christ.”

My appeal is simply this: Please give some serious reflection to the way you are being bent. Please give some serious reflection to what you are reading and with whom you are hanging out. Please give some serious reflection to who you will be in five or ten years if you keep living under the influences you have chosen.

My final appeal is this: Please, please, please make a serious commitment to reading the Word of God and hanging out with wise and servant-hearted people. If these are strong and steady influences in your life the “bending” that results will be beautiful and valuable beyond your imagination.

My father-in-law, Bob, is a forester and a woodworker. He loves wood and knows a great deal about different kinds of wood and values nice wood—like dense hardwoods.

When Bob was in his early 40’s he left the forestry profession and went to work as a missionary for Wycliffe Bible Translators. As part of his early training Wycliffe sent Bob and his family to “Jungle Camp” in southern Mexico. While there they received some severe culture shock and faced the realities of a different environment head on. They had some amazing experiences in their 6 weeks of living in the jungle but Bob came home talking about one thing—and to this day it amazes him.

Bob discovered that in the jungles of southern Mexico the tribal people there place a high value on tin cans. Tin cans are hard to get. But once you have a tin can there it can be used repeatedly as a cooking pot. In fact a tin can is used to cook food over the open fire until the bottom of the can burns out and the can is ruined.

So while the people there value and hoard tin cans they make their cooking fires using mahogany. If you know anything about wood you know that mahogany is a hard, beautiful, and, in the States, a very expensive wood. In the jungles where Bob spent six weeks mahogany is used routinely for firewood. It tortured him to watch mahogany stacked on a cook fire.

Bob came home fascinated with this reality: “They save tin cans and burn mahogany.” He never got over it.

What we value is very important. What we value drives our choices. What we value not only drives our choices but it also comes to fruition and impacts our lives profoundly. A person who places high, high value on new things will constantly strive for new cars, new clothes, new jobs, new places, new experiences, and new spouses. The end result of placing a high, high value on new things is new pain.

Hoarding tin cans in southern Mexico gives you the utility of cooking pots. Hoarding tin cans in Houston makes you look deranged.

I said all that to ask this: “What do we value at CBC?” I admit that the answer to that question is complex, long, and probably not something that each person in CBC could agree upon.

So, I will go out on a limb and seek to answer this more focused question: “What does Dave Gibson value in and for CBC?” Here is the summary or outline version of the answer.

Depending. I value depending on God. The Bible is clear that we do not possess, either individually or corporately, the ability and resources to succeed spiritually without the sustaining and empowering and enabling and guiding work of God in our lives and in our midst. (John 15:1-5 and Philippians 4:13 and 2 Corinthians 12:9 and on and on and on.) We, in and of ourselves and without God, are utterly incapable of spiritual growth and transforming ministry and God-honoring lives. Utterly incapable. If God does not work in and through us all is lost.

Striving. I value striving according to the power of God that works mightily in us. While God must work and sustain and empower and guide we must also labor. The New Testament is full of “laboring and striving” exhortations. (1 Timothy 4:10 and Romans 15:30 and 2 Timothy 2:3, 9 and Philippians 1:27 and Colossians 1:29 and Hebrews 4:12 and Philippians 2:12, 13 and on and on and on.) We cannot succeed spiritually without God but He will not cause spiritual success without our striving. We do not have the option of coasting and leaving the Christian life or the Christian ministry all up to God.

Loving. God is love and those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ must also be lovers of God and lovers of others. We must love God with all that we are and we must love others with the uncommon love of “just as we love ourselves.” We must love others with the shocking “love of our own will”—deciding to love others because God commands it and not because they are lovely or lovable or nice to us or think like us or live like us. (Matthew 22:37-39 and John 13:34, 35 and 1 John 4:7, 8 and Matthew 5:44-46 and on and on and on.)

Transforming. I value transformation—personal, relational, and organizational. Until we see Jesus we are simply not the people that we should be and we do not have the quality of relationships we should have and we are not the organizations that God envisioned—meaning we are constantly in need of transformation to be more like Jesus. God willing we have all, individually and corporately, grown but we still need to grow and to “keep becoming.” I believe that one of the great maladies of the Christian faith in America is the “this is good enough” mentality. (Romans 8:29 and Hebrews 5:11-14 and Philippians 3:12-16 and 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 and on and on and on.) A substantial and non-negotiable part of this transforming to become like Jesus involves the Word of God. It involves us learning the Word of God, gaining motivation to obey the Word of God, gaining strength to obey the Word of God, and practicing the Word of God. Jesus said that we are to “teach them to observe all that I commanded you.” As I practice the Word of God I am both obedient and growing and impacting others for good and for God. (John 3:21 and Hebrews 5:14 and Matthew 28:20 and 1 John 1:6 and 1 John 2:29 and on and on and on.) “There’s no such thing as sanctification by instruction. Each one of us knows more truth than we are able to put into action. Our goal is not knowledge, but godliness based on truth. Learning to know is not the same as changing to grow.” Pastor Johnny Miller. 1988.

Worshiping. I am deeply convinced that God is the greatest Being Who could possibly exist and the only sane and obedient response to Him is worship. We must cultivate in our inner lives a response of adoration to Him, must pour out our lives for Him as He poured out His Son for us, and we must humble ourselves before Him. As we come to know how majestic and beautiful and loving and just and all that God is our adoration of Him grows and we respond with worship. The less we know God and know what God is like the less our interest and skill in worship. (John 4:21-24 and Revelation 4:5-11 and Revelation 5:6-14 and Isaiah 6 and on and on and on.)

Building Bridges. I value reaching out to the lost around me and around us. The Great Commission says, “Going, make disciples…” The command here is “make disciples.” Going is an “attendant circumstance” of the process of making disciples. It seems to me that Jesus is assuming the going out in this command. The majority of unbelieving people do not come seeking out Jesus. To be sure a few do come to us looking for Jesus but most do not. Therefore, based on this reality and on Jesus’ command we must be going—building bridges out to lost people—going across the street and across the racial or socio economic barriers and across the oceans and across our comfort lines. (Acts 1:8 and 2 Corinthians 5:20, 21, 17 and Matthew 28:16-20 and on and on and on.)

Connecting. I value authentic connection with one another. We are designed for relationship and our only hope of thriving in the spiritual life is when we are in relationships with other Christ followers. We need each other for encouragement, direction, accountability, motivation, recalibration, truth, grace, forgiveness, and much more. (Consider the approximately 50 “one another passages” and 1 Corinthians 12 and Hebrews 10:24, 25 and on and on and on.) As we live in authentic connections with each other we have great resources for growth and for ministry and for joy. Unconnected people are very vulnerable and they are also missing wonderful personal blessing—not to mention that the unconnected Christian is an oxymoron.

Living our values. If I value mahogany I should gather it and use it. If I value tin cans I should gather them and use them. If I value Building Bridges and Transformation these must be evident in my life.

For me, in my life and in my leadership at CBC, I am striving to live in a way that these values are evident.

On May 6, 1954, in Oxford, England, Roger Bannister ran to the tape.
That day he ran the mile in 3:59.4-
-the first sub-four minute mile ever recorded.

The background picture on my home computer is a black and white photo of Roger Bannister. In the photo Bannister is 1/10th of a second from breaking the tape on his incredible race in 1954. The photo is indescribably compelling to me. Bannister is at the tape, his head is back, he is clearly exhausted, he is pushing with all that is left in him, the time keepers are watching diligently and anxiously beside the track, race fans are exalting over Bannister’s race, and Roger Bannister is running to the tape—indeed running through the tape.

Bannister did not slow down before he reached the tape-
-if he had slowed at all he would not have broken the four minute mile.

For me Bannister’s feat will always be the most incredible accomplishment in all of sports history. I am no one’s idea of a sports historian, or even of a sports fanatic, but I will always see this broken barrier as spectacular. On that day Bannister did not so much beat the records of other milers as he broke through “the” barrier in running circles.

He was the first one to do it. He set the pace and opened up a new vista in sports. He gave it his all. Because I am a very slow runner, the second slowest runner on my high school football team, I have huge admiration and envy for runners. How I wish I could say with Eric Liddell, “God made me fast and when I run I feel His pleasure.”

Today Roger Bannister is 80 years old. He is “Sir Roger Bannister” having been knighted by the Queen of England in 1975 for his service as the Chairman of the Sports Council of England. He is retired from a stellar career as a neurologist in which he made significant contributions to neurological research. The kind of diligence and drive that propelled Bannister to the tape on that terrific day in 1954 propelled him through the rest of his life as well—he ran to the tape in his other endeavors.

The day that Bannister accomplished his historic run in England I was a toddler in Presidio, Texas. I don’t think I was yet capable of running. I had no idea what a mile race was and no idea who Roger Bannister was and no idea what England was. I had no idea what a finish line was because I was not more than a few feet out of the starting blocks of life. As my time passed and I moved farther down the track of life I learned about racing and distances and finish lines and running to the tape. I “ran” track in junior high school and played all sports for six years and experienced some of the substantial physical and mental pain that results from pushing beyond your physical limits.

I have also come to understand the concept of “run to the tape.” I have seen, along with you, the dozens of examples of people who let up before the finish line—either in a sporting event or in a career or in the marathon of life or in the striving to end with integrity. I have known some pain in my own life from not running to various tapes. I have seen high levels of anguish in the lives of others as the consequences of coasting or of quitting too early came crashing in on them.

The concept of “run to the tape” has dozens of applications—running to the tape in: a foot race, a school semester, a home repair project, a report for work, a relationship reconciliation, a debt elimination, a quest to get in good physical shape, a commitment to serve in some ministry, a study program you started, a desk you told someone you would build for them, and on and on and on.

Much of life is a marathon but much of life is “sprint/rest and sprint/rest and sprint/rest.” Our great need is to continue sprinting until we are at the end of the sprint section—until we have actually run to the tape.

Sometime after Bannister’s great race he said, “The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.” For me, and I think for all of us, the issue is not so much “winning” or defeating other people. The issue is more importantly driving ourselves in noble pursuits once “the efforts get painful.” Our concern is not with defeating others but with drawing diligence and excellence from ourselves in the face of struggle, pain, setbacks, ambushes, difficulties, and finish lines that are much farther removed from the starting line than we imagined.

When I was in eighth grade in Denver, Colorado our PE class ended every day with a one mile run. I hated that run. My best finish for most of the year was about 18th out of about 35 students—and that was quite a good day for me. One of the students in our class was well out of our league athletically and he won every day—generally hitting the showers before I hit the finish line. Another student was quite good and he was second almost every day. One day in the late spring, without meaning to, I had a great run. I felt strong and ran strong and found myself running in third place near the end of the run. The regular first place finisher had finished but the regular second place finisher was not that far ahead of me. I decided on a “final kick” in an attempt to beat him. (I am no one’s idea of a sprinter and my “final kick” looks like your grandma trying to get away from a wasp.)

Still I began to run with all I had and I could see the boy ahead of me was easing up in the belief that he had secured his usual second place finish. I veered to my left in order to attempt to pass him quite far to his left. Near the end the boy looked back over his right shoulder to make sure he was alone. He did not see me. He slowed up even more and I came running past him on his left. When he saw me go past he threw it in overdrive and tried to catch me. If there had been five more yards to the finish line he would have caught me. But on that day I finished second. I finished second not because I was faster than the boy who finished third but because that boy did not run to the tape.

So much of life comes down not to being fast but to running to the tape.

A pastor named Craig Groeschel wrote a book that was released this year simply entitled It. The full title is “It: How Churches and Leaders can get It and keep It. The book is a discussion of the “X factor” or “it factor” in a given ministry that is difficult to define. The “It factor” clearly involves a power and impact and momentum and excitement about Who God is and what God is doing that is contagious. When “it” happens in a ministry—a church or para-church or mission board—everyone knows that God is present in intimacy and that He is working with power for eternal spiritual impact.

One of the main principles that Groeschel sets forward in his book is this: “Limited Resources + Increasing Passion=Exponential Innovation.”

If you saw the movie “Apollo 13” you saw a living example of “Limited Resources + Increasing Passion=Exponential Innovation.” The three men in the lunar module had a huge problem due to an explosion in an onboard oxygen tank. Because of the explosion the resources on that lunar module became extremely limited extremely quickly. In the lunar module and on the ground at Mission Control there was a terrific and increasing passion to bring the men home safely. The mission director said, “We are not going to lose men on my watch. We are going to figure this out.” That combination of limited resources and increasing passion led to exponential innovation as astronauts and NASA scientists on the ground worked feverishly to innovate solutions for getting those three men down safely. The innovations that they finally found and implemented were effective and the three men returned safely to earth despite overwhelming obstacles and odds. “Limited Resources + Increasing Passion = Exponential Innovation.”

The application of “Limited Resources + Increasing Passion=Exponential Innovation” to us at Cypress Bible is fairly easy to understand but not so easy to live.

Limited Resources: While God has given us many resources—for which we thank and praise Him—we do not have unlimited resources. Our One reliable and inexhaustible Resource is God Himself. Given that we have Him we can never be in true need. That said, we have only so many volunteers and only so many spiritual gifts and only so much energy and only so much money and only so many square feet of air conditioned space and only so much organizational savvy and only so much leadership and only so much of any resource. The resources we have are adequate for what God expects of us at a given time. As God expects more of us in terms of ministry impact He provides more resources and we respond with greater generosity and greater personal sacrifice.

Increasing Passion: The longer the crisis with Apollo 13 continued the more the passion grew to bring the three men safely home. The longer we are exposed to the Person of God, the compassion of God, the Word of God, and the utter lostness and need of those in the world the more our passion to reach them grows. The more we are exposed to the struggles and pain of our fellow believers and the more we cultivate the love of Christ toward them and the more we obey the Word of God the more our passion grows for helping each other. The less we are distracted by security and wealth and electronic addictions and experience addictions and substance addictions and adrenaline addictions the more we are passionate about those around us and those around the globe.

Exponential Innovation: As we gain a greater vision for what God might do through us and a greater zeal to be part of what He might do we strive to be more and more innovative. Because we are so passionate to love God and love others we get more and more creative about how to have greater impact with the resources that God gives to us. We think about ways to use our buildings more often and more efficiently. We think about ways to share the Gospel that are more impactful in the kind of culture we are facing—locally or globally. We think of other ways to use money that is more spiritually effective. We think of ways to better organize ourselves for impact. We just keep saying, “There are people in need of Christ and people in need of maturity and these people matter to us so what can we do better or different to help them?”

We never abandon our doctrine but we continually strive for greater obedience to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission with what God has given to us. We continually cultivate inside of ourselves the passions of God—the compassions that enflame the heart of God. We continually wonder about how to get greater impact with what we have been given.

“Limited Resources + Increasing Passion=Exponential Innovation”

The resources are limited—we do not need to do anything to create that part of the equation. Our main focus is on the cultivation of passion for the Person of God and the Kingdom of God. As that passion grows we naturally become more innovative. If we do not have great passion we are content with how we are doing and we do not innovate.

It seems to me that the main lesson for us is the crying need for us—both individually and corporately—to cultivate our passion for the Person of God and the Kingdom of God. So we choose to be in the Word and near to people who are passionate about God and in the service of God and man. We simply make the choices—hard and sacrificial and uncomfortable though they may be—to pursue the things of God.

Jesus made it clear that our passions follow our investments—when we invest in something or someone we come to love that thing or person. (Matthew 6:21) As we increase our investments in the Person of God and the Kingdom of God we also increase our passion for these and we are, as a natural byproduct, innovative about using the resources of God.

So, at the end of the day: “What passions are you cultivating in your life?” Your answer makes all the difference on how much you are willing to be creative about the resources that God has given to you.

The summer before I was a senior in high school I worked for a custom wheat harvester and we cut wheat from southern Oklahoma all the way up to northern Montana.  When my job was over my dad had agreed to pick me up on a certain corner in a certain little town in northern Montana.  My boss drove me and my duffle bag to that town in his pickup and dropped me off.  He thanked me for my summer of work, shook my hand, and drove off.  He was off to work and he was not coming back and he assumed that my dad would show up—that is what I assumed.

I had a check in my pocket for $750, no cash, and no cell phone (in 1969).  I was just there on the corner in the town with my duffle bag and waiting to see if my dad would show up on the corner in the town when he said he would be there.

A great source of pain in our lives comes from people not doing what they said they would do.  A great source of comfort, strength, and courage in our lives comes from people doing what they told us they would do.  One of the countless wonderful things about God is that He does what He said He would do.

As I write this one of our many CBC volunteers is sorting a stack of several hundred cards that you gave to the Lord last Sunday as an act of worship.  The cards were our responses to this Bible idea:

The normal Christian life is taking risks and accepting discomfort…in order to attempt spiritual impact.

The commitments include having a neighborhood BBQ, getting baptized as a visible testimony of following Christ, joining or leading a small group (we have 80 people coming to the Taste of Community Dinner on Sunday and can take more—please sign up on line), befriending a person for the sake of spiritual impact, improving personal modeling of the Christian walk, serving in some outreach capacity, serving in some physical ministry capacity, and on and on.

We told God on Sunday, in response to His commands and in imitation of a disciple named Matthew, that we would take risks and accept discomfort in order to attempt spiritual impact.  It was an act of worship—just the same as bringing our verbal praise or our financial gifts.

So now we must each ask ourselves, “Will I do what I said I would do?”  “Will I really follow through on what I wrote down and brought to God on Sunday?”   “Or did I, in a sense, put a check in the offering plate and then go to the bank and stop payment?”

The first issue at stake here is that of integrity.  Will I keep my word?  Keeping my word says a great deal about who I am and it also strengthens who I am as a person of integrity.  “Integrity” means to be “a single person” who is without duplicity and cannot be divided into a “how I act in public” person and a “how I act when no one is watching” person. When I do what I said I would do I keep my personal integrity intact.  Personal integrity is valuable beyond calculation.

The second issue at stake in following through is one of spiritual impact.  Will I really try for spiritual impact and what might God do through my act of risk and discomfort?  When I take the risk or accept the discomfort I am opening the door to the possibility of God working in a terrific way.  He might take my simple act of obedience and create an explosion of spiritual fruit.  When I do what I said I would do I open the door for great spiritual impact.

The third issue at stake surrounding follow through is one of giving either courage or pain to other people.  People who keep their word to us give us courage and hope.  They teach us to trust and model for us integrity.  They build us up and give us emotional blessing.  People who do not keep their word flood our lives with pain and trouble.  If the promise was a small one from a distant person the trouble and pain is minimal.  But if the promise was a big one from a person who is very close to us the trouble and pain is monumental.  When I do what I said I would do I give courage to others and I protect them from emotional pain.

The fourth issue is that we must represent God as He is—namely, as a “Promise Keeper.”   Given that you are the first representative of God that many people will see your behavior will be a model of what others believe about God’s behavior.  I become His representative—His flesh and blood example to others.  As people come to know that I am a Christian will they come to see God as a promise keeper based on my behavior?  My behavior will either reinforce the truth of God’s trustworthiness or it will erode the truth of God’s faithfulness and integrity.  When I do what I said I would do I enhance the reputation of God.

God is the ultimate Promise Keeper.  He simply does what He said He would do—every time.  This truth about Him gives courage to us as we live in a world were we do not always keep our promises.  His faithfulness also gives courage to us in a world where others do not always keep their promises to us. 

I am committing anew to God and to you that I will follow through on what I said I would do on my cards on Sunday—there are nothing but upsides in doing this.

Back in 1969 my Dad showed up on the corner in the town when he said he would be there.  He did what he said he would do.  It gave me courage.  When we do what we have committed to do there are nothing but upsides.

On Sunday May 3rd I stood up to give our annual State of the Church Address. I explained some of the new initiatives that came out of our extensive annual planning cycle which is led by the staff and elders. I also said, “I am making a commitment to you that on Sunday August 23rd things are going to be different at Cypress Bible Church.” Sunday August 23rd is just 3 days away! We are about to see if Dave Gibson and the CBC leadership team are people of their word.

Between May 3rd and August 23rd many people, including me, have been doing a lot of work to support what I said about things being different here on August 23rd. We are striving for focus and for simplicity—the paradox is that it takes a great deal of work to get there! I much appreciate them and their extra-mile efforts—you would be surprised if you knew all that has been done in the past 3 months and all that is being finished this week. Extra mile work is happening even these last 3 days!

Please let me be very clear about something: Our commitment to things being different here does not relate to boredom or to “change for the sake of change.” Our commitment to things being different relates to our belief that we should always be striving for a more effective and God-honoring ministry, for greater spiritual impact, for greater wisdom in our actions, and for continual intentionality in our work. We must not say, “Hey, great Sunday see you next Sunday,” and then coast along until next Sunday.

Please let me be very clear about something else: We understand that ministry impact always demands trusting dependence on God and wise striving in us. We have made ongoing appeals for specific prayer surrounding our efforts for August 23rd and beyond. We need you to pray as well!!!!

I am convinced beyond any doubt that the changes we are making will greatly improve our ministry impact. We will be more skillful at worshiping God. We will be more family friendly. We will be more serious about spiritual growth. We will be more skillful at welcoming guests. We will be better equipped to attract young adults. We will be more intentional about doing business with God through a serious application of His Word. We will be better at connecting with each other for spiritual growth and mutual help. We will be doing better at the things Jesus commanded us to do:

• Celebrating God with our entire lives—with a special focus on Sunday morning campus-wide excellence. We are striving to improve our worship of the majestic and mysterious God of the universe.

• Building Bridges to Local and Global Communities—with a special focus on friendships and trips. We are working to increase our ability to reach young people, to reach families, and to reach people who do not yet know Christ.

• Connect and Grow Together in life-shaping relationships—with a special focus on small groups. We are committed to enhancing our ability to draw near to each other for love, help and spiritual growth.

When you arrive on campus this Sunday morning some of the differences will be obvious—I will just let you see them. However, there will be about 65 total differences that are genuine ministry improvement—you will probably not see many of these. You will not see them because they are “behind the scenes” kinds of things or because they happened in an area where you do not work.

Knowing that there will be a lot of changes that you cannot see I asked every pastoral staff member to give to me a list of the things that will be different in their area of ministry. They gave me those things and now I am giving you that composite list. Please take a minute to read it and please understand that what I said on May 3rd was not “leadership hype and motivational rhetoric”—it was real commitment and it was commitment that we as a paid leadership team and volunteer leadership team and volunteer team members have followed through on with integrity. We were serious.

Please do not hear arrogance in that statement I just made. Please hear in that statement a deep commitment to doing what we said we would do. Please hear me saying that the leadership of Cypress Bible Church is deeply committed to integrity, openness, intentionality, high-leverage initiative, and communication with you about what we are doing. The leadership team at Cypress Bible Church is loaded with people who are zealous for God, for others, and for ministry, who are responsive to their supervisor, who give great amounts of time as volunteers, and who are deeply committed to intentionality and initiative. We do not have one person on our staff team who closes his or her office door and plays computer solitaire. The people in our volunteer leadership positions are likewise mature, skillful, and dedicated people. We are staffed with self-starters—very dedicated people. This is one of God’s many blessings to us.

How things will be different on August 23rd at Cypress Bible Church—this is only the new things and I am not including the many things we already do in the areas of “Celebrate, Build Bridges, and Connect”—I will warn you that this is a long list but it is well worth the read:

• In Celebrating God and Sunday Morning Campus Excellence as we strive for greater simplicity, clarity of focus, a more “user-friendly” campus, and creative engagement with God:
o Increased focus on “bringing us to decision points and commitment points” based on the truths from the Word of God in the main worship services.
o Increased focus on strategic prayer in the Sunday morning worship services.
o New center screens and projectors, improved lighting, moving the worship team forward, and upgraded stage sets in the Worship Life Center.
o Increased commitment to creativity, flow, smooth transitions, and variety of service formats and worship arts in the WLC worship services.
o Improved web-based communication system for the worship team.
o More advanced planning of sermon series and worship team alignment with sermon series.
o Better use of media for announcements, testimonies, and storytelling.
o Clearer, more defined focus for the ABF’s.
o New level of excellence with check in and hospitality for Kid Konnection.
o New programming style in Super Church.
o New drama ministry for Super Church.
o New attraction items and “environmental feel” in Super Church.
o New media use in Super Church.
o New scripture memory system in Super Church.
o More student leadership in Super Church (Xtreme Team).
o New table activities ministry for Super Church.
o New interior paint in the entire Jump Kids building. (This was a big struggle but we are almost there!)
o New check in and hospitality area in the Jump Kids building.
o New attractions for kids in the Jump Kids building.
o New check in and hospitality desk for First Steps.
o New parent monitors for First Steps.
o New level of safety and security for First Steps.
o An elevated worship experience for 11 AM in First Steps.
o New programming in First Steps.
o Renovated early childhood wing to provide classes in one building from birth through kindergarten.
o Beginning a middle school ministry for both the 9:30 and 11:00 AM hours.
o New, more dynamic and varied Sunday morning experience for middle schoolers—varied teachers, greater focus on targeted needs areas, and appropriate methods.
o New parking lot greeter team.
o Guest check is now available in The Commons.
o Renovated library will open September 13th.
o New signage.
o New welcome center.
o New ministry booth.
o Moving IGNITE (college and young adult) to a better location.
o More intentional life-transformation studies for IGNITE on Sundays.
o New greeter system at the Women’s Alcove.
o Remodeling the women’s restroom in the Worship Life Center.
o Initial planning for remodeling the restrooms in the Service Station.
o New coffee shop in the TSMAC “Fuel” student ministry lobby.
o New layout and seating area for students in the Service Station lobby.
o New adult greeter system for TSMAC Fuel on Sunday mornings.
o New hardware and software to improve TSMAC presentations and media.
o Increased effort and intentionality with the Fuel Band and the Fuel leadership team to raise the bar on the quality of Sunday morning worship.

• In Building Bridges to Local and Global Communities:
o Angel Food Ministries—planning and recruiting is happening now for a January launch to help families in our area with food costs.
o Area hosts in each section of the sanctuary to meet and engage new people or struggling people in their section of seating.
o Ten to fifteen new short-term missions trips each year to train, motivate, and release folks into ministry and move them to the next level in commitment and ministry risk.
o Lamkin Good News club will begin along with the second year of substantial service to this “State of Texas Exemplary School for 08/09.”
o Church-wide outreach event for December (six performances) called “Uncle Dave’s Diner.”
o TSMAC “Dive” Retreat will become a Building Bridges event.
o New evangelism training for students.
o A student focused missions conference.
o Oasis—a new monthly gathering of women to connect with unchurched women and serve in various community projects.

• In Connecting and Growing Together:
o New “Buzz” Small Groups at the 9:30 service for preschool-5th graders.
o Integrating the new membership process with the small group system.
o One entry door to small group involvement: Taste of Community Dinners three times each year.
o Two new spiritual formation classes beginning after Labor Day.
o New focused curriculum path for TSMAC student small groups (242 Groups).

• Other initiatives in our striving for: simplicity, focus on “Celebrate, Build Bridges, and Connect, helping families, reaching young people, and clarity about how to get involved at CBC:
o A new, simpler web site will soon be up and running.
o Establishing a three-year curriculum for Life University for understanding and applying the Bible and systematic theology.
o New volunteer coordinator in the Pastoral Care Ministry.
o Men’s and Women’s ministries are giving new priority and planning for connecting new people up to CBC and to others at CBC.
o Establishing a stronger, unique identity for the Middle School Ministry: “Six78.” (Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade students.)
o More intentional contacting of the students outside of program times by small group leaders in the Middle School Ministry (242 group leaders).
o New opportunities for middle school parents to connect with middle school ministry leaders.
o New communication vehicles (Parent Talk newsletter and web site) for parents of middle schoolers.
o New security measures for the middle schoolers on Wednesday night on campus.

For me personally there is a growing excitement about what God will do, how He will work, and how He will show up in greater ways in and through Cypress Bible Church.

Dependence, intentional initiative, striving, and risk are the normal Christian life—they are not once a year “make a big splash” programming. The Bible and the example of God-fearing people through the centuries are constant reminders that we are part of a great movement and a great adventure. We are part of something bigger than ourselves and we make a greater impact with we are partnered together. We are commanded to join this movement with our whole hearts.

Dependence, intentional initiative, striving, and risk are the normal Christian life. Anything less than this is not worthy of the great God we serve.