4 Ways Every Christian Can Join Jesus’ Evangelistic Mission

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Evangelism, PrayerPosted on No Comments

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I know a lot of Christians who wish they were more evangelistic. They long for the day when they’ll experience the great joy of leading someone to Christ. They hunger to be like the Apostles and the early church who saw unbelievers from all walks of life give their lives to Christ.

The desire to be evangelistic isn’t near as rare as actually being evangelistic. I don’t know a lot of Christians who share the gospel regularly. Fewer are those who have actually led someone to Christ. And every study that I’m aware of says that my experience isn’t unique. Most Christians never share the gospel with lost people.

So what’s at the heart of our evangelism problem? Why don’t we share the gospel? Most Christians know that Jesus came to “seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10). Most know that we’re called to make disciples of all nations, a command that requires evangelism (Matt. 28-18-20). So if we don’t have a problem understanding that we should be evangelistic, what is our problem?

The reasons, no doubt, are many. Some people are probably scared of the responses they’ll get, whether that’s a fear of being made fun of, having tough questions thrown at them, or something else. Perhaps others find that they just forget to make it a priority because they’re so busy. I’ve come across a lot of Christians that simply don’t know where to start. For this last group, I’d like to offer 4 ways that every Christian can join Jesus’ mission to save the world.

Pray For The Lost Regularly – Only God is powerful enough to change our hearts. He alone is able to give life to dead hearts. That’s why evangelism starts with prayer. Ask God to save the lost people you encounter throughout your day. Ask him to show you a few lost people whose lives you should invest in. Evangelism starts with prayer because our confidence is in God not our evangelistic efforts.

Invest In The Lost Consistently – Most people need to belong in some way before they believe. They often need to get to know who you are before they’ll follow the God you worship. While it’s true that many people become Christians as a result of a gospel presentation from a stranger, most conversion stories I’m aware of include a part where a Christian has invested relationally in their lives. Together they hung out, worked out, shared meals, coached, or something else like this. Invest in the lost people in your life so that there’s a relational bridge strong enough to invite them to take a step towards Christ.

Invite The Lost Repeatedly – Christians are called by God to be an inviting people. No, that doesn’t mean we’re supposed to be “nice” when unbelievers come. It means we are called actually to invite people to come toward or to Christ. When you invite an unbeliever to a meal, a worship gathering, a group, or something like this, you’re inviting them toward Christ. You’re inviting them to take a step toward Christ that isn’t exactly the same as inviting them to Christ. When you share the gospel with someone and invite him or her to trust Christ, you’re inviting him or her to Christ. Both types of invitations are significant kingdom advancement actions. The Enemy hates both types of invitations and will try to discourage every believer that attempts them. Satan wants to take one of the greatest kingdom advancing actions, a believer inviting an unbeliever towards or to Christ, and use it to discourage you. Negative responses to your invitations don’t change the fact that God loves you and celebrates every imperfect invitation you extend in his name. Keep praying, investing, and inviting.

Connect The Lost Strategically – Christians are called to be connectors. We’re called to be a part of connecting unbelievers to the family of God, the body of Christ, and the temple for the Spirit. When unbelievers respond to your invitation, whether that’s towards or to Christ, do your best to connect them relationally. If they respond to an invitation to come towards Christ and show up at your house, worship gathering, or group, connect them with those they’ll have the most in common. If they come to Christ and surrender their lives to him, connect them to potential disciplers. Every born-again Christian needs to be parented again. Don’t just worry about how you’re connecting, help others connect to Christ, his body, and his mission too.

I’ve had the privilege of leading people toward and to Christ. Without question, these moments have been some of the most exhilarating moments of my life. Even as I write this, many of their faces are running through my mind, causing tears of joy and gratitude to run down my face. I’m praying that every believer would experience the unique joy that is available to those who follow Jesus as he “seeks and saves” the lost in their city, country, and world.

3 Reasons I’m Praying For More Ethnic Diversity At RCC

by Jed CoppengerChurch, Diversity, Prayer, UncategorizedPosted on No Comments

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I love Franklin, TN. It’s an amazing city. Everything you could want from a city, small town, and country is just within a few minutes. There are great schools, people, and events. It’s the heart of Williamson County, which is one of the wealthiest counties in America. Since I’ve lived here most of my life, it’s filled with incredible memories too.

But it isn’t a perfect city. For instance, many people new to Franklin are surprised to hear that life in Franklin isn’t great for everyone in Franklin. There are food shortages in Franklin. Yep, that’s right. Food shortages. There’s poverty. Drug abuse. There’s homelessness in Franklin. There are deep divisions in Franklin. An “Historic Franklin” that has some “must see” plantation homes that survived the Civil War means that the mixture of pride and pain in this city isn’t new.

Thankfully, Franklin has some fantastic men and women working to make this amazing city even better. Elected officials, school administrators, business leaders, churches, and many other types of people of goodwill are leaning into the complex problems facing our city. I’m grateful that God allows me to pastor a church, Redemption City Church (RCC), that has invested a great deal of time, money, and energy in serving our city.

But I want to see more. I believe we can see more. I want to see changes in our city that far exceed our abilities. That’s why I’m asking God to help RCC serve our city in a way that adorns the gospel. Out of the many ways we are trying to do this “adorning,” I’d like to ask you to pray with us as we pursue a more ethnically diverse RCC. I’m praying that RCC will be a church marked by greater ethnic diversity than we see in our historic city. And I’m asking you to join me praying for and pursuing this for the following reasons:

I’m Praying For More Ethnic Diversity At RCC Because The NT Church Prioritized It – One of the greatest evidences of grace in the early church was the uniting of diverse and divided peoples. Nobody could get the Jews and Gentiles together in Ephesus, but the Apostle Paul insisted that the Ephesian church use the gospel to make it happen (Eph. 2:11-22). He told the church in Corinth, a church ministering in a divided city, that their ministry is fundamentally a ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18). This emphasis shouldn’t come as a surprise, since, after all, Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” asks God to unite his people—a people made up from all nations (Jn. 17:21; Matt. 28:18-20). Christ’s church has always made uniting diverse peoples a priority. In light of this, the question really becomes more of a “how could we not pray and pursue greater ethnic diversity,” than “should we?” That’s why I’m praying RCC becomes more diverse ethnically.

I’m Praying For More Ethnic Diversity At RCC Because God Says The Church Will Be Ethnically Diverse In Eternity – There’s a lot that God hasn’t told us about heaven. Thankfully, He’s not completely silent. He’s revealed the most important aspects, one of which is the fact that people from all over the world will be united in Christ (Rev. 5; 21-22)! What a glorious sight that will be. I can’t wait. So, if that’s where Christians are headed and that’s how God defines “Heaven,” why not work towards it now? If Redemption City Church is going to become more of a preview of the coming Redemption City (Rev 21:1-6), we’ll need greater ethnic diversity. If this aspect of the coming of God’s kingdom is going to be a visible reality, we need to pray for it.

I’m Praying For More Ethnic Diversity At RCC Because The Power Of The Gospel Shines Brightest When It Unites Diverse People – Ancient Philippi was divided. In Acts 16, we learn that it was divided politically, socioeconomically, and ethnically. And yet, unbelievably, a church was started with people from each of these diverse groups! How did the Apostle Paul get Lydia, a slave girl, and a Roman jailer together? The gospel. The gospel was powerful enough to bring these diverse people together. And it still is. That’s why I’m praying that the diverse and divided people of our city will be united in Christ at RCC, revealing the unbelievable power of the gospel.

I want to be a part of a church that is a shining example of what the power and grace of God produces with the gospel. I’ve been in enough conversations and read enough about this to know that God alone can produce what I want to see. Join me in praying that the God of the impossible will do the impossible in our church, in our city, and in our day.

Prestonwood, The ERLC, And The Cooperative Program

by Jed CoppengerPrayer, Southern Baptist ConventionPosted on 2 Comments

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Last week Southern Baptists learned that one of their largest churches, Prestonwood Baptist Church, is going to push pause on Cooperative Program (CP) giving. For those who know the role CP giving plays in SBC life, this announcement is a big deal. CP giving is often a key standard by which leaders and churches are judged. The CP is significant in SBC life because it is the funding mechanism for almost all of its cooperative ministries—a list that includes the largest missionary force in world history, several of the world’s largest seminaries, colleges, universities, mercy ministries, and more.

But the CP isn’t perfect. When over 50,000 Southern Baptist churches cooperate for the advancement of the Great Commission, it’s reasonable to expect consistent frustrations and disagreements. That’s why Southern Baptists have always and will always have discussions about how best to handle the monies given to the CP. Disagreements are the norm. But the action taken by Prestonwood isn’t. Whether you think Prestonwood’s actions are justified or not, I think we can all agree it’s unusual.

How should Southern Baptists respond to this action? Should they follow suit? Should they speak out against it? Based on my conversations over the past few days, the plans for how best to deal with the current Southern Baptist problems and divisions are just about as varied as I’ve ever seen. If you’re not new to these types of disagreements, you know it’s simplistic to act like the problems are only on one side of a divide. They’re almost always more complex than is immediately obvious. That’s why, in the midst of all of the problems, I’d like to ask you to consider praying the following 5 prayers with me.

I Pray That Southern Baptists Pray More For Unity – Jesus prayed that his followers would be united (Jn 17). The Apostles prayed that their followers would be united (Eph. 1; Phil 1). They prayed for unity amongst God’s people because unity amongst God’s people won’t happen without God’s help. Division is what happens when we’re left to ourselves. It feels more natural to us. We need God’s help to be unified. I love the way the SBC president Steve Gaines and the SBC president before him, Ronnie Floyd, have led our convention to be a people of prayer. The church I lead, Redemption City Church, is currently going through a #30DaysOfPrayer, not because we’re disciplined, but because we’re desperate. We’re desperate for God to bring about the outcomes we want to see, that we know we’re unable to control. Let it be said of Southern Baptists, that through all of the conflicts, we became more of a people of prayer than we were before. Let’s be like Jesus and the Apostles and pray for unity.

I Pray That Southern Baptists Pursue Unity Where It Is Most Difficult – Unity isn’t just difficult, it’s impossible. Because we all will be wronged enough to have “good” reasons to avoid pursuing unity, while feeling like the victim. Thankfully, the Spirit of God loves to use the gospel to unite people that are “impossible” to unite. No doubt people thought it was “impossible” to unite Jews and Gentiles in the Ephesian churches. But the Apostle Paul wanted them to understand that the gospel isn’t just meant to unite people that have small disagreements. It’s meant to unite the most deeply divided peoples. Ken Sande was right when he observed that peace doesn’t just happen, it’s made. A gospel that is glorious enough to reconcile a holy God to unholy men and women, is certainly able to reconcile unholy men and women to each other. I’m praying that Southern Baptists will pursue unity where it is most difficult. I pray we see more moments in SBC life like we saw last year at the SBC when Steve Gaines and J.D. Greear came together in unity. While it will mean different things for different people, but it will mean something for all sides of all debates. The gospel is powerful enough to bring unity about for all sides of all disagreements and divisions.

I Pray That A Spirit Of Humility Characterizes Southern Baptists – One of the greatest threats to unity is pride. It divided humankind from God in the Garden of Eden, and it’s been dividing us ever since. Pride doesn’t just want to be right, it wants to be recognized as right. Often times, pride wants to be recognized as right at the expense of someone else. But most of the time, frankly, it’s hard to know exactly where pride is present in these disagreements—even though we know it’s there. But God sees it. That’s why we need to pray that he’d help us all see it and turn from it. Unity grows in the soil of humility. I think we can all agree that pride is present on every side of every debate, although it’s tough to say where exactly. That’s why I’m praying that the Spirit helps us see it in our own hearts and turn from it. I’m praying that we humble ourselves enough to own 100% of our part of the problems we’re in. I’m praying that we might even be willing in some situations to be wronged, like Jesus, and still work for the good of those who are doing us wrong. Unity depends on humility.

I Pray That A Spirit Of Love Characterizes Southern Baptists – Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). He didn’t say that we’d always be lovable, but that he wants us to always love. The Apostle Paul called the Corinthian church to a love that is defined like this: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” This kind of love, strangely, requires us to be in circumstances where other brothers and sisters in Christ have wronged us to the point that we would naturally get irritated and resentful. This kind of love requires the kind of situation that Southern Baptists have been and are in right now. That’s why I’m praying that we use our deep disagreements and divisions to display the undeserved love of Christ to each other.

I Pray That Southern Baptists Avoid The Payback Mentality – Jesus called his disciples to love their enemies (Matt. 5:44). The Apostle Paul had to remind the Ephesian Christians that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but are to have “gospel of peace” shoes that enable us to run to any relational conflict requiring supernatural reconciliation (Eph 6:10-20). One of the reasons they had to tell Christians those kinds of things is because 1st century Christians didn’t naturally respond graciously to relational conflict anymore than 21st century Christians do. Regardless of where all of the current discussions lead, I’m praying that we can avoid the payback mentality that says whatever you do to me, I’ll do worse to you. I don’t want to see pro-ERLC Southern Baptists use this action to justify pulling away from SBC life, which, inevitably, will lead to an endless series of “back and forths,” until SBC life reeks with the smoke of burned relational bridges. Let’s expect to be sinned against. Let’s be ready to accept apologies. Regardless of your “side” on whatever particular “issue,” let’s avoid the payback mentality.

Thankfully, Jesus is on his throne and he loves all of us. Nothing will stop his perfect purposes for you, me, or anyone else in his family. That means no one can take away anything he thinks is best for you. Rest in his care (1 Pet 5:7). Follow his lead (Jn 1:43). And let’s stumble forward together.

Father, Cause Your Holiness To Shine

by Jed CoppengerHomepage Slider, PrayerPosted on No Comments

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I remember exactly where I was when it happened. I was standing just outside the front door of one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. When it happened, I stopped my conversation, turned to it, and took it in. The “it” that happened was the rare appearance of the sun in January in Mid-TN.

You see, here in Mid-TN we have winters filled with gray, cloudy, energy depleting skies. We don’t get much snow or ice. Just gray skies.

Everything just seems worse in this kind of situation. Sure, we still get around and do all that needs to be done. But it just isn’t as fun, easy, or energizing as it is in the Spring or Summer when the sun is shining about everyday.

The sun, of course, still shines in the winter. It doesn’t take winters off. It’s just not visible, except for those rare moments when it’s energizing, life-giving beams break through the clouds like it did for me that day.

That’s what this prayer is all about. It’s about praying that the glory of God’s awesome, life-giving, energizing holiness would shine through the “gray skies” that have covered our hearts since sin entered the world. We aren’t praying that God would become awesome and able to shine. No, he always has been, is, and will be awesome. We’re praying that we could see and experience more of the awesome holiness that is always true of him. We’re praying that his glorious “beams” would break through all of the “grayness”of  our sin that has covered our hearts, lives, and world. We’re praying for more of the one Being we actually need. We want to see more of him. We want increased capacities to love him, enjoy him, and serve him.

Father, cause your holiness to shine…

3 Ways To Ignite Your Prayer Life

by Jed CoppengerPrayerPosted on No Comments

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Why do atheists pray? Sure, not all atheists pray. But 34% of atheists said they’ve prayed. 34%! Isn’t that amazing?! I think it is. But I don’t think it’s that surprising. After all, there is something unusually beautiful about the idea that you could see miracles take place simply because you asked. There’s something incredibly attractive about the notion that your problems and plans could be handled by an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving, and all-present God!

Yet, for many Christians, prayer is almost non-existent. For most Christians, prayer plays practically no role in their lives. Why is this the case? Some Christians probably haven’t been taught how to pray. Others, perhaps, have never tried to learn anything about prayer. Most, probably, are just too busy to pray. Whatever the reasons are for the lack of prayerfulness amongst us, I think we’d all agree they don’t justify our silence. I think we’d all agree, perhaps, that it makes no sense for the church to fail to ask our infinite God with his infinite resources to help us with our overwhelming problems and ambitious aspirations.

That’s why we’ve spent the last month reflecting on “5 Life-Changing Prayers” and will spend the next few weeks on a #30DaysOfPrayer journey! But in order to get started on this journey rightly, I think there are at least three truths that we need to take to heart.

First, prayer happens when we realize that God’s a Father who can help with anything and we’re childlike enough to need that help in everything. Prayer starts when we have a low enough view of ourselves that we realize that we need help and have a high enough view of God that we think he can help us. Ultimately, prayer is about identity. It’s about how we view ourselves and God. If you don’t think God can help you, you won’t ask him for help. If you don’t think you need help, you won’t ask for help. Often times then, our doctrine of God—our understanding of God—is our prayer problem. Other times, our doctrine of humanity—our understanding of ourselves—is our prayer problem. Recover a biblical view of God and humanity by realizing that we need God’s help enough to ask and he’s competent enough to make a difference. We need to realize that God’s a Father who can help with anything and we’re childlike enough to need it in everything.

Second, prayer happens when we use our desperation as a starting point for our prayers. When you face problems, ask God to solve them. As you feel pressures, ask God to relieve them. God intends for your problems to ignite your prayer life. Paul Miller rightfully and insightfully said, “prayer isn’t for the disciplined, it’s for the desperate.” That’s exactly what we see in Scripture as the Israelites “cry out” to God by the Red Sea, at Jericho, in the face of giants, and more. That’s what we read as the church “cries out” for Peter before he is executed. It’s what we’re told the Spirit enables us to do as we “cry, Abba, Father.” When you cry out, you are desperate. Let your desperation ignite your prayer life.

Third, prayer happens when we use our aspirations as a starting point for our prayers. When you dream about your life, ask God to cause those dreams to come true. When you make plans and set goals for your life, ask God to do the heavy lifting. Our aspirations are designed to ignite our prayer life. In Acts 1, the people of God pleaded with God to advance his kingdom purposes in the world. They asked God to move in their midst. And in Acts 2, God moved in ways they had never seen, could never bring about, and never could have imagined. Without the prayer in Acts 1 there would be no Pentecost in Acts 2. When you think about your plans, ask God to bring them to life. Ask him to enable you to have an impact that goes above and beyond your competencies.

Everybody can grow in their prayer life. We’re praying that kids, students, and adults ask more of God and see Him work in miraculous ways. Let’s prepare our hearts for this Saturday’s launch of #30DaysOfPrayer!

Join Our 30 Day Prayer Journey!

by Jed CoppengerGallery, Homepage Slider, Prayer, UncategorizedPosted on One Comment

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Thirty days. That’s what we’re asking for. 30 days of specific prayer, starting this Saturday and ending March 12th. Redemption City Church is inviting anyone and everyone to join us as we take a “30 Day Prayer Journey.” We want to see the children of God call out to their heavenly Father like never before. We want to see God work in miraculous ways. We want to see lives changed!

Over the past several weeks, as RCC explored Jesus’ “5 Life-Changing Prayers,” we have seen God answer specific prayers in amazing ways. People are praying that have never prayed. Seasoned saints are rediscovering the life-giving benefits of prayer. God’s answered prayers for jobs, finances, health, difficult situations, and more.

We want to see God do more. And we believe he will. We believe that our heavenly Father loves to answer the prayers of his children. He loves showing his strength in our weakness. He loves to surprise and energize us with his wisdom and might. He loves to hear the voices of his kids.

Take this journey with us. All you have to do is pray specific prayers about whatever is on your heart for 30 days. Simple, right? We made a bookmark that provides direction for your specific prayers, if you need it. You can download it here.

As we approach Saturday’s launch, I’ll post a few brief summaries of each of the “5 Life-Changing Prayers” for those of you who didn’t get a chance to hear about them or may have forgotten them. Until then, let’s spread the word for the #30DaysOfPrayer journey. Let’s pray for the journey as it approaches. And let’s watch with expectancy, as our specificity leads to His visibility in our lives, families, churches, cities, and world!

When You Feel Dead On The Inside – Part 2

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Homepage SliderPosted on 3 Comments

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It wasn’t the first time I’d heard it. “I feel dead on the inside.” This sentence, or some variation of it, has come up more often than I thought it would in my time as a pastor. It’s voiced by new Christians and seasoned Christians alike. I’ve said it. Somewhere along the way a person’s emotional energy, intellectual energy, spiritual energy, and of course, physical energy isn’t showing up like it once was. And most of the time people don’t see it coming. When it arrives they don’t know how it got there or how to remedy it.

So what do you do when you feel dead on the inside? What do you say to your loved ones when they feel this way? In the last post, I offered 10 diagnostic questions upon which to reflect. Here I want to offer 10 actions that, when taken, give life to the discouraged soul.

Remember Who You Are In Christ – We all suffer from occasional spiritual amnesia. Those who are feeling “dead on the inside” seem to be in an unusually intense spiritual fog. We forget we’re loved by God in Christ. We forget that we’re not on our own. We forget that nothing will take away anything that we need, either now or in eternity. That’s why it’s so important to attack your spiritual amnesia with active remembering. Remember the great truths of the gospel. Remember who you are in Christ. You’re not alone or left out. You’re a son or daughter of the King of Glory. He has great plans for you that don’t depend on you being “awesome.” Remember who you are in Christ until your heart starts to smile.

Read, Memorize, And Pray The Psalms – The factors that lead to a “deadness of the soul” are complex. Thankfully, God gave us an equally complex set of prayers in the psalms. Psalmists know what it’s like to feel like a “dry and weary land where there is no water” (Ps. 42). They know there are times when all you can say to God is “consider my sighing and I’ll watch expectantly” (Ps 5:1-2). There are other times when we tearfully cry, “heal me Lord, for I am weak, my bones are shaking” (Ps. 6:2). Read, memorize, and pray the psalms everyday—it provides language of the human experience diverse enough to lift our complicated souls up from the dust.

Talk To Yourself, Don’t Just Listen To Yourself – No one influences you more than you. No one speaks more life or death into your mind and heart than you do. And all of us naturally speak more death than life. That’s why you have to talk to yourself, not just listen to yourself. You need to win your “inner dialogue” with the gospel (Ps 42). So tell yourself, the presence of your problems, worries, and struggles are not evidence of the absence of a glorious and gracious God who is actively working all things for your good! Tell yourself convincingly to “hope in God”!

Thank Your Way Out Of It – When you are discouraged, you tend to focus on stuff that will cause you to become more discouraged. I’ve found that thanking, rather than complaining, provides a way out of the soul deadening cycle you’re in. Thanking God is powerful because it requires you to focus your heart and mind on the evidences of God’s grace all around you. If you start your day by thanking God for 5-10 evidences of his grace, you’ll be more energized and hopeful. This thankfulness creates life-giving patterns that will help your soul get out of the ditch it’s in.

Show Your Trust In God By Handing Him Your Burdens – Most people don’t realize that they are carrying heavy, divine level burdens until they hand them to God. They don’t know how heavy the soul is burdened when we think we know what’s “best” or what “should” happen in our lives. Only God knows truly what’s best. Only knows what “should” happen in your life. Ask God to do what you think is best and then trust him to do whatever he thinks is best—no matter the outcome. If you trust him with your problems, you can be at peace in the midst of an increasing number of problems. If you trust him enough to hand him your burdens, you’ll be able to get better—even if your circumstances don’t.

Seek Influence Rather Than Control – Control is an illusion. We can’t control traffic, our health, the weather, and so much more. Only God has real control (Ps. 115:3). Control is an illusion, but influence isn’t. We can use our energy, wisdom, skills, and more to influence our circumstances in a more God-glorifying direction. When you seek influence, you do what you can to manage the moments God gives you in a direction for his glory. When you seek influence, you trust him to “do what’s best” while you obey what he’s commanded you to do. As an influencer, when problems appear in your life, you don’t have to waste energy worrying about any ruined plans. You can use that saved energy to focus on influencing everything for the better, whatever circumstances you find yourself in.

Create Some Margin In Your Life By Saying “No” – Many “burned out” people became “burned out” people because they couldn’t say, “no.” Learning to say “no” doesn’t mean you’re learning to be unkind, it means you’re learning to be human. You have limitations. Only God is limitless. You can’t be everyone’s friend. You can’t keep everyone happy. You can’t achieve everything you want to achieve. You need margin in your life. Like those plants in your garden, you need space to be fruitful. Do a little weeding in your calendar and commitments. Transition out of what needs to be transitioned out of in a way that is least destructive to the places you’ve committed. Release the chokehold on your schedule and create some margin in your life with your “no.”

Share Your Burden With Your Brothers And Sisters In Christ – One of the key ways to move from being discouraged to encouraged is by spending time around fellow Christians. God loves for his church to share their burdens and their struggles with each other. As we share our burdens and struggles with others, they instantly become lighter. As they become lighter, we find it easier to walk through our struggles. Find an encouraging brother or sister in Christ and pour your heart out to them. And don’t just look to living brothers and sisters. I’ve found that God uniquely uses Christian biographies to awaken sleeping hearts, to encourage discouraged souls. Take these steps and watch how the Spirit of God uses the body of Christ’s imperfect words and ways to accomplish his perfect purposes in your life.

Say “Yes” To More Of What Energizes You – God has designed you so that some activities energize you more than others. Find what those activities are and do more of them. Everybody has unique “energizers” that God uses to give them even more energy and life than they’d have if they didn’t do those activities. Create more time to do them. As you do, you’ll find that those actions will increase your spiritual and emotional energy. Give more time to doing what you love to do and watch what it does to your heart.

Make a Physical Change – There is a significant connection between our spiritual life and our physical life. So part of improving your spiritual life is improving your physical life. I’ve found that physical changes help my spiritual and emotional condition. I think you will too. So get to sleep earlier. Exercise more often. Take your meds if you’re on them. Make sure your diet is more of what it should be. Often times a big part of encouraging your soul includes making a small, easy physical adjustments.

Everybody struggles. Unfortunately, not everybody struggles well. That’s why I’ve found that the previous post’s diagnostic questions and this post’s prescriptions can do a lot of good for the weary, even the “dead on the inside,” heart.

When You Feel Dead On The Inside – Part 1

by Jed CoppengerChristian livingPosted on 9 Comments

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It wasn’t the first time I’d heard it. In fact, it was something I’d been told quite a bit as a pastor. “I feel dead on the inside.” It’s voiced by new Christians and seasoned Christians alike. I’ve said it a surprising amount of times. You don’t see it coming typically. It seems to just happen. The energy-intellectual, emotional, spiritual, or physical-isn’t there like it used to be.

So what do you do when you feel dead on the inside? What do you say to your loved ones when they feel this way? I’ve found that people who reflect on the following 10 diagnostic questions find the life and energy they’ve been missing more quickly and deeply than those that don’t. The way you answer these questions will determine what steps you need to take next.

How Life-Giving Is Your Devotional Life? Every Christian goes through seasons where their devotional life is incredibly life-giving and seasons where it’s a bit dry. In a dry season, you open the Bible or start to pray, but nothing seems to happen. You don’t leave more encouraged and aware of God’s gracious purposes for you and presence with you today. You don’t walk away with a humble confidence as you face your problem filled day. Unfortunately, you feel just like you did before—weary. When a dry devotional life becomes the norm, burnout is typically not far ahead.

How Often Are You Asking God For Help? Every Christian knows that they should pray, but most don’t. As they find themselves feeling more and more discouraged, rarely do they ask God for help more and more. It’s weird that when many people feel their greatest need for help, when they feel their weakest, they don’t ask for help. Is any of this true of you? If you aren’t asking for help from God, then you’re not accessing all of the resources available to you. If you aren’t accessing the divine resources available to you, then you’re looking for divine help from people and places that aren’t able to provide it—including yourself. Be on the lookout for a lack of prayerfulness as you diagnose your struggle.

How Much “New” Are You Facing? It always takes more energy to start something new than it does to do what you’ve always done. It could be a new job, a new project, a new schedule, new city, new relationship, or anything else that takes you out of your comfort zone. Too much “new” at one time raises your chances for burnout.

How Wisely Are You Managing Your Energy? Everything you do takes energy, but some projects take more energy than they should. There are places that you spend your energy that actually give energy back, energizing you. There are other areas that you have to use your energy that don’t energize you. In fact, they take disproportionate amount of energy. We all have to work on projects that don’t energize us, but you can’t do it too long without facing some serious problems.

How Much Are You Worrying? One of the greatest ways to put a choke hold on your soul is to worry. While worry can indicate that you care, it can also be evidence that you don’t trust God. In order to worry, you have to believe that you know what’s best. Worry happens when human beings try to act like divine beings without divine abilities. You think you know what “should” happen in this conversation, on that project, with this problem, and all the rest—but you don’t have the ability to make it happen. The longer you believe in your “I know what’s best for me now and in the future” enough to worry, the more you will increase the possibility of burnout.

How High Are Your Expectations For The People And Projects In Your Life? The higher your expectations are for the people and projects in your life, the greater your potential for disappointment. Disappointment often comes simply from unmet unrealistic expectations that are put on people and projects. Beware of setting divine sized expectations on human sized people and projects or you’ll end up burning yourself out while blaming others.

How Much Time Is Spent In False Refuges? When the world seems overwhelming, you will look for refuge. These refuges aren’t physical. These are places where you take your mind and heart for relief and life. Some of you will look for refuge in a screen, others in drugs and alcohol, or perhaps in some routine. Whatever the refuge—and there are many more—it’s important to realize that there’s no life in them. The more you look for a life-giving refuge in the places and people that can’t provide it, the closer you’ll get to burnout.

How Wise Has My Stewardship Been of My Body? – Christians often overlook the importance of taking care of their bodies. When you’re down in the dumps, many times there are negative physical factors at play. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you getting enough exercise? Are you eating well? If you’re on medication, have you been taking it? There are a lot of complicated aspects to living life, but this isn’t one of them. If you don’t take care of your body, you’ll increase your chances for discouragement and burnout.

How Are You Using Your Words? Your words are a good indicator of where your heart is and we’re it’s headed. They’re a good indicator of what you’re dwelling on and will be dwelling on. If you are criticizing people consistently, you’re heart is probably in a bad place and will stay in a bad place. Sure, we live in a broken world with broken people. There’s a lot of stuff to criticize. It’s easy for the cynical and almost burned out to criticize. It comes natural. Constructing and encouraging comes form a heart that has life in it. Beware of the ways your words are revealing and leading your heart.

How Often Are You Gathering With God’s People? Everybody knows that worship attendance is down. Many people talk about gathering with God’s people for worship like it’s not designed by God to be a unique part of their spiritual growth. I don’t think God sees it this way. There is something mysteriously glorious that happens when God’s people gather to lift up the name of Christ. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that while worship attendance is down, burnout and weariness is up. Sure, there are other factors. But it’s biblically naïve to argue that this isn’t a key factor. Don’t neglect the regular means of grace without expecting a negative impact on your heart’s health.

These diagnostic questions aren’t the end of the restorative journey, they’re the beginning. In order to take those next steps, I’ve found several habits helpful that I’ll share in the next post.

3 Marks Of Peace-Creating Prayer

by Jed CoppengerUncategorizedPosted on No Comments

I remember where I was standing in St. Louis when I got the call. It’s the call many church planters have received and every church planter fears. It was a call from the YMCA, the place our church gathers for worship, telling us that we had less than 30 days to find a new place to worship. No, they weren’t mad at us. In fact, they loved us and wanted us to stay. But they were starting to renovate the space we were gathering in, so we couldn’t. Since our church had already been turned down by around fifty places over our short three year life, this was a major problem.

In a lot of ways, my problem wasn’t all that unique. Everybody has plans in place and then out of the blue, some significant problem appears. It might be a problem in a marriage, finances, health, dating, job, family, or anything else. We all face problems that instantly shrink our other problems. That’s where I was in that room. That’s probably where some of you are today as well.

So what do you do when worst case scenario shows up? How can you be at peace when your world isn’t? Pray like a child. Talk to God like a child talks to his Father. Jesus taught his disciples the necessity of a childlike posture in prayer when told them to start their prayers with, “Our Father…” (Matt. 6:9). And if you’re going to pray like a child, I’ve found it particularly helpful to remember at least these 3 marks of childlike prayer.

Pray With Childlike Trust – My youngest child was telling on one of his siblings for some great injustice—someone touched his lego creation, his nerf gun, or maybe it was just a bad look. I heard his concern and let him know that I’d take care of it. Immediately, he turned around and walked back into the room with his siblings, and I overheard him say triumphantly, “Dad said he’ll take care of it.” Now, he had no idea how or when I would take care of it, but he had enough confidence in my judgment and ability in that moment that he was content and at peace just knowing that I was aware of the problem and would do what I thought was best. That’s childlike trust. That’s exactly why the Apostle Paul tells the Philippians to thank God before they know the answers to their prayers (Phil. 4:6-7). That’s why Jesus tells us to pray, “your will be done” (Matt. 6:10). This childlike trust is the key to peace-creating prayer. If there’s no confidence in your heart that “God’s will be done” is the best option, then there will be no peace in your heart in the midst of your problem. Pray with childlike trust.

Pray With Childlike Constancy – On a recent drive to Texas with my family, my wife and I were reminded that kids get “constantly” in a way adults don’t. For hours, kids effortlessly and relentlessly offer up requests even in the face of parental threats. Kids don’t let their parents’ need and desire for rest get in the way of their desire to voice their request, even in the middle of the night. That’s childlike constancy. That’s exactly what God shows us taking place in the early days of the church in the book of Acts—a book that mentions prayer more times than any other book in the Bible. The people of God were a people of prayer, not because they were super disciplined, but because they were super desperate. They faced bigger problems than us with greater levels of peace because they constantly prayed their problems. They prayed with childlike trust and childlike constancy.

Pray With Childlike Wonder – “Dad, is there anything you can’t do?” That was the question one of my sons asked me on the ride home from baseball practice. As silly as that question sounds, it occurred to me that it represents something every one of us needs in relation to our heavenly Father—childlike wonder. This kind of request is an embodiment of the belief that our “God is in the heavens and does whatever he pleases” (Ps. 115:3). This is the kind of wonder that we see in Peter and Paul as they sat in prison facing death (Acts 12:6-19; 16:25). Rather than cynically throw the towel in on the problems they were facing, they persisted in prayer with childlike wonder. They believed God was capable of shaking the earth and opening locked gates. Your problems aren’t present because God’s not present, not able, not wise, and not loving. He wants to use your problems to show you greater levels of his grace, love, power, and provision. He wants you to face your problems with enough childlike wonder to ask him to do miraculous things, impossible things. As you pray your problems with childlike trust and constancy, pray with childlike wonder. Pray with imagination to the God who is in control of everything.

God provided our church a new location. In less than 30 days, we ended up in a better location than we had ever had before, at a price that was less than we’d ever paid! For the first time in three years, our church didn’t have to do Sunday morning set up and tear down. It was a miracle. And it was a reminder. It was a reminder that our problems aren’t evidence of the absence of God, they are opportunities to experience greater levels of his provision, power, and peace. It was a reminder that this truly is our Father’s world.

5 Life-Giving Ways Christians Can Respond To Relational Pain

by Jed CoppengerUncategorizedPosted on No Comments

As a pastor in the Nashville area—a place where churches are plentiful and Christianity is profitable—I’ve come across a lot of stories of relational pain caused by professing Christians. This reality is especially unfortunate, since most of the people I have pastored understand far more about what to do with their physical pain than they do with relational pain. They know how to deal with diverse levels of physical discomfort, but usually they just have one of two responses to relational discomfort—fight or flight.

Perhaps there is a better way? How great would it be if we could find a way that leads to less relational pain and more relational peace? I think the Bible shows us this way. I think the Bible would have us choose the following 5 responses to relational pain, resulting in reduced relational pain and increased relational peace.

Use Your Relational Pain To Grow Your Prayer life – Most Christians struggle with prayer. They know they should pray, but they don’t. One of best ways to grow your prayer life is by praying your problems, praying your pain. When prayerless people learn to talk to God about their pain, they experience deeper levels of healing and peace. That’s what we see the Psalmists doing all of the time. Like the Psalmist, ask God to “consider your sighing” on those days you can’t seem to find the words for your pain (Ps. 5:1). Pour out your heart to God when it wasn’t an enemy that caused you great pain, but, like king David, it was your “companion and good friend!” (Ps. 5:13). Ask God to bring healing to your heart and your relationships. God allows relational pain in our lives to grow our prayer lives.

Use Your Relational Pain To Grow Your Love For God – When people let you down, or cause pain in your life, it usually helps you appreciate those who haven’t. Of course, there is no one in your life who has avoided sinning against someone relationally, including you and me. Only God is perfectly dependable, loving, gracious, and present. Only Jesus has never been in the wrong relationally and yet always working for your good. Let your relational pain increase your love for the one being who is “a helper who is always found in times of trouble” (Ps. 46:1). Like the Apostle Paul, let the weakness of others lead you to experiences of God’s strength and faithfulness—“but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me…” (2 Tim. 4:17).

Use Your Relational Pain To Grow Your Trust In God – Relational pain is painful, not only because of what has happened in the past, but because of what we think we are losing in the future. Our pain is exasperated because we think that our painful situation is causing us to lose a great future we had counted on. In my conversations with Christians, this “best future plan loss” thought is one of the hardest to get over. We naturally think we know what’s best for us right now, this week, next month, and beyond. But we don’t. God knows what’s best for us because he’s all-wise. He can ensure we experience what’s best for us because he’s all-powerful. And he is willing to do what’s best for us because he’s all-loving. The less we feel in control the more we can either worry about the future or trust God with the future. As we trust him more deeply, we rest more deeply. While the future implications of your relational pain don’t make sense to you, rest assured that they do to God.

Use Your Relational Pain To Grow Your Peacemaking – Relational peace doesn’t just happen, it’s made. Jesus said blessed are the peace…makers (Matt. 5:9). The Apostle Paul says, “if possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18). Peace and unity aren’t on the side streets of the Christian life, they are on main street (Jn. 17:21). Thankfully, with the gospel, Jesus has provided us everything that we need to be at peace with God and humanity. He’s given us an infinite amount of grace so that we can extend nickels and dimes of grace to those around us. Because you have been forgiven when you didn’t deserve it, you can forgive those who you believe are undeserving. Because Jesus works for your good, while you don’t deserve it, you can do the same for others as well. Those who have received grace can extend grace. Even when your “Alexander” is warring against you—when people are acting like your enemies—remember that Christians “don’t wrestle with flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:12). Anyone can show kindness to people who are kind to them. Jesus wants to show the world something different. Use your relational pain to become more of a peacemaker. Make peace, by God’s grace, when you want to make war.

Use Your Relational Pain To Grow Your Compassion – God uses our painful times to enable us to help others going through painful times. There is a unique comfort that God extends to people through the lives of people who have gone through something similar. Until you’ve been scarred by an “Alexander,” a “Demas,” or a “no-show,” you’ll have a hard time “getting” the pain of those who have. The Apostle Paul said that God “comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Cor. 1:4). Let God use your relational pain to make you more useful to others who are going through, have gone through, or are about to go through relational pain. Nobody makes it out of this broken world without a limp. The question is, will your limp help others or hurt others.

No one makes it out of this broken world unscarred. While it’s true that you’ll face relational pain, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have relational peace. It doesn’t mean that you can’t be prepared, like so many Christians before us, to face it with courage and humility. The way of Christ is a way that includes relational pain. But God is present, using even the worst things for your good (Gen. 50:20; Rom. 8:18; 8:28).