CHURCH IS THE LAUNCHPAD FOR ETERNITY

There is no replacement in life for your natural human family. No doubt. I’ve learned so many hard lessons in life from spending time with my family. In that way, family is a launchpad for life. It isn’t about having a perfect family and early experience, but what you learned from that and how you let it shape you. In the same way, church is the launchpad for eternity. Whether it is the perfect experience or not isn’t the question. Spoiler alter: it is not going to be perfect. Again, it is all about how you let it shape you.

Let church life shape you

Let me tell you how it can help shape you.

Iron Sharpens Iron

• Proverbs 27:17

Learning a foreign language on your own is nearly impossible. You need to partner with people to wrap your head around proper word usage, sentance construction, as well as pronunciation. Trying to figure that out on your own can lead to fundamental misunderstandinds and communication gaps. Don’t go it alone. Let the church, the people in faith with you, sharpen you like a sword.

Give and Get Encouragement

• Hebrews 10:25

It is almost impossible to maintain a real friendship without sharing your lives. I’ve lived in a lot of different geographic places. And I can say, first hand, it takes effort to stay connected enough to keep things real at a level that I find encouraging. It doesn’t take a huge amount of effort at the local level. It just takes intentional effort to spend a bit of time and really connect with each other.

Get Pastored

• 2 Timothy 4:2

On your own, and strictly sequestered with people who always think like you, you can still slip off into self-focused spiritual echo chambers. Being with like-minded people can feel great, but it doesn’t really work to challenge you most of the time, in ways you need it most. Pastoral ministers are doing what they can to live the Word of God - presenting it honestly, always ready to share a truly life-giving word in ways that correct, rebuke, as well as encourage, and in ways that are more patient and careful that your friends.

Clean Your Heart, Change Your Mind

• Psalm 51:10

Many people call it a conscience, that inner voice that warns you against making an intentional decision that doesn’t fit in with your values. And often if you ignore that voice, over time it starts to feel like your inner life looks a bit like pigpen from the peanuts commics. When you were younger, maybe you made excuses for thos decisions, calling this mistakes. They you got older and realized making an intentional decision isn’t a mistake, it’s a choice. So when Jesus came along and was willing to offer real forgiveness and take the burden of sin from you, your heart got lighter. But at some point, you decided to stop repenting, you gave up being willing to change your mind, and thought you could just unload the guilt and set yourself free, only to realize it is still following you around, like pigpen or a shadow that never really goes away. It takes fellow believers and time spent with Jesus in the presence of others to realize Jesus can answer the prayer, “do a creative work - give me a clean heart transplant, and renew in me a steadfast commitment in my spirit.” You can’t get that kind of spiritual transplant alone. You need the ministry of fellow believers.

How church life is shaping me

I am 46 year old. And it feels like I experience each and every one of those 46 years every morning when I wake up and my legs are still tired and my back hurts a little bit. Another side effect of getting older is thinking “I’ve heard it all.” This is something I tell myself all of the time. In fact, if I tell myself that too often it feels like a symptom of a depression welling up in me.

I take on a lot of hobbies as a result. I feel like the moment I stop learning or creating will be the moment I die or something. But I realize I am often just filling a felt gap in my life. Nothing feels new anymore. I sometimes feel like I have now experienced it all and am doomed to walk the hamster wheel for the remainder of my days.

This is where church life makes a huge difference for me. I am not just reading the bible yet again. Instead, the endless love and mercy of the Lord is being made new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23) Church life, often via worship and pastoral ministry, speaks prophetically over and into my life helping me see that I have so much more to learn, that there are so many more opportunities to grow. And it wriggles it’s way straight into my head and heart, in a personal manner. Let me tell you about my pastors.

Upper Room - Campus Pastor Kevin Tipps

Kevin is the Dallas campus pastor. He was previously a missionary and is now living in Dallas and married to his wife Brethany and has a son named Ellis. His heart is definitely for the Dallas church community and was saved out of a lot as a younger man. Kevin talks about how he was saved out of a gay lifestyle. I recall being genuinely touched by the Lord my first time in worship at the church and Kevin was ministering and caring for people all over the place in a spirit-filled manner. It is great to be a part of a community that really believes in bringing in the ministry of heaven in ways that heal and set people free.

Upper Room - Lead Pastor and Founder Michael Miller

Pastor Michael Miller chases the Holy Spirit with the best of them. I always love when he preaches, because he is very plain and honest with his examples, he wears his heart on his sleeves, and he is a real worshipper. A lot of pastors I know are so deeply in preacher-mode at the start of a service that when it is time to worship the Lord, their minds are far from the moment. This isn’t the case with Mike Miller. Years ago I made a friend in VA Beach, VA, where when the Holy Spirit would show up he and I would let loose an audible “Whooooo!” as if we were celebrating a touchdown at a football game. It was just joy spilling out. Pastor Michael Miller does the same, so it might be a silly thing, but when I hear that - I feel at home.

Upper Room - Lead Pastor and Founder Lorisa Miller

Pastor Lorisa has a kind and honest heart, but probably needs glasses because she doesn’t seem to see all of those eggshells she ends up stomping on when she preaches. I am kidding, but not really. In an incredibly loving manner, she can see and speak to a really tough issue in a life-giving way that causes you to stop nursing and being so tender to some wound you won’t let the Lord heal, or some sin you might feel justified in hanging on to. She speaks with a light spirit, but has a keen and high emotional quotient in the context of the church. She knows she is poking a hole in a dam that is holding you back, and does it with love as well as care, and follows those prophetic words with a ministry of healing and refreshing.

Upper Room - Worship

Last but by all means not least are the times of worship. During the pandemic I am not getting out at all. But every Monday - Saturday there are live broadcast worship sessions and limited access Sunday morning live broadcast meetings. No matter where you are on the planet you and Holy Spirit can make a little habitation for the Lord as you present your thankfulness and heart to God in musical worship (Psalm 22: 3). But the Worship being musical is just a vehicle here. Upper Room in worship is a community expression of worshipfulness and honor to God, set to music. The music is not first. The songs are not always elegant (don’t get me wrong - they are beautiful, but it isn’t about the beautiful music), but they are straight from the heart and straight to the ears of the Father. I love worshipping with others. Not just for the fellowship, because, to be honest, we aren’t really “fellowshipping” in the traditional sense in that moment. It is more like we are collectively prepairing a feast for the King. That is what it feels like.