Jason Salamun

Project Church is not organized around religion.

We’re centered on Jesus.

There’s a big difference.

Religion ends with guilt.

Jesus begins with forgiveness.

Religion adds burdens.

Jesus carries burdens.

Religion enslaves.

Jesus frees.

Religion is about what I have to do.

Jesus is about what he has done.

Religion sees us vs. them.

Jesus sees us.

Religion leads to pride.

Jesus leads to humility.

Religion is salvation by morality.

Jesus is our salvation.

Religion brings religious institutions.

Jesus brings movements of love.

Religion separates itself from the world.

Jesus steps into the world.

Religion is about rules.

Jesus is about grace.

Religion tries to change people.

Jesus changes people.

Religion produces self-righteousness.

Jesus is our righteousness.

Religion points a finger.

Jesus took the blame.

Religion makes judgmental hypocrites.

Jesus changes judgmental hypocrites.

Religion lost.

Jesus won.

Religion’s no match for Jesus.

It’s easy to think of the crucifixion of Jesus as a historical act.

A “back in the day” sort of thing.

It’s true.

But not completely true.

It’s also a today thing.

And a tomorrow thing too.

You see, I’m still killing Jesus.

Every sin I commit

is another sin he had to suffer and die for.

We’ll never understand how great our Savior is

until we realize how great our sin is.

A sacrifice marked in time bleeds into all times.

If not for Jesus, I’d be hopeless.

Lost.

But in Jesus I have hope.

I’m found.

Jesus took the pill of sin.

And swallowed it on my behalf.

In my place.

For my sin.

Because of him and him alone.

I am reconciled with God.

Made right so they say.

Christ became the worst of us.

In order to save us.

Why would he do such a thing?

Love.

He loves me.

He loves you!

So in this season,

We remember.

We celebrate.

We recalibrate.

It’s all about Jesus after all.

Who he is.

What he’s done.

What he’s doing.

God became a man.

Entered our messy story.

To change the story.

He is the hero.

Yet we killed the hero of the story.

God being God

Used our injustice to make us just.

Jesus being Jesus

Died for us so that we might live for him.

Death couldn’t contain him.

Sin couldn’t defeat him.

Jesus didn’t tap out.

He countered.

Rose from death.

And won.

For us.

Remember his sacrifice.

Celebrate his resurrection.

Recalibrate your life.

On Jesus.

Not just on Good Friday.

Not just on Easter Sunday.

But everyday.

Live free.

Because of Jesus.

Starting Easter Sunday, our church is starting a new journey.

We’re exploring the Gospel of Matthew.

Backwards.

Starting in chapter 28.

Ending in chapter 1.

We’re calling it, “The Jesus Sessions.”

It’s funny to call a series, “The Jesus Sessions”

As if we have any other kind.

We don’t.

The way of Jesus is counter-cultural.

Backwards to conventional thinking.

The last are first.

The first are last.

Stuff like that.

And it begins with the resurrection.

A new beginning.

A new hope.

A new life.

This is the true and radical story that changed everything.

I pray it will change us as well.

I have a confession.

I have a tattoo.

I’m also a pastor at a church.

Seems strange to some.

Cool to others.

But more importantly, is it cool with Jesus?

Many religious types like to point and quote Leviticus 19:28.

“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.”

Funny how we pull verses out of context.

That’s dangerous.

Here’s the deal.

The surrounding culture (Canaanites) marked and cut themselves for the dead and to gain favor with their gods.

God wanted his people to worship him alone and not get caught up in their mess.

That’s why it’s there.

It’s not about tattoos.

It’s about worship.

Silly religious people.

Plus, Christians are free from the law.

Thanks to Jesus.

So now we can trim our beards (Leviticus 19:27).

Including your Aunt Gertrude.

In fact, we can do whatever we want as long as we love God and people.

What about today?

Is it okay to get a tattoo?

Sure.

As long as you’re loving God and people.

The act of getting a tattoo itself is not a sin.

It’s not the outside that matters, it’s the inside.

The heart.

Did you know Jesus is coming back with a tattoo on him?

“On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lord.” (Rev. 19:16).

Actually, his mark will be much cooler than anything we have.

His body was also marked with wounds for us and our sins.

That’s more important than a silly matter of tattoos.

Tattoos for beauty, decoration, and expression are cool.

Just not for worship of something or someone other than Jesus.

That’s true of everything in life.

Also, use wisdom.

Lest you end up with a tattoo for an old flame.

That’s called tattoo regret.

That’s not cool.

Want more information?

Visit sacredink.net or religioustattoos.net

Picture yourself at a backyard BBQ party.

There’s conversation and laughter

Kids are running around playing.

Many of the adults have a beer or a Mike’s Hard Lemonade in hand.

According to Scripture, is this a sinful picture?

When it comes to Christians and alcohol there are various points of view.

a. Satan made it and I don’t want it.

b. Satan made it but I secretly enjoy it.

c. God made it but I don’t want it.

d. God made it, I say I don’t want it, but I secretly enjoy it.

e. God made it and I enjoy it.

I used to be an option c guy.

Then an option d guy.

Now I’m an option e guy.

Why?

I read my bible.

It changed my mind.

Like Deuteronomy 14:26.

Or Psalm 104:14-15

Or John 2: 1-11

And many more.

Then there’s Jesus.

I love Jesus.

He’s my Savior and my great example.

He drank.

See Matthew 11:19.

And it wasn’t mere grape juice.

Jesus also never sinned.

2+2=4

I can do what Jesus did.

It’s a problem to apply our morality to Jesus.

It actually works the other way around.

Jesus is better than religion.

But we do have a few guidelines.

Don’t get hammered.

Be of legal drinking age.

Don’t make it your god.

And in all things, love others.

Because living free isn’t just about what we can do.

It’s who we can love along the way.

So let’s go back to the original picture.

The BBQ.

There’s conversation and laughter

Kids are running around playing.

Many of the adults have a beer or a Mike’s Hard in hand.

According to Scripture, is this a sinful picture?

Assuming we’re loving God and people, no.

It’s actually a wonderful picture of community the way God intended it.

A little drop of Isaiah 25: 6-9

So whether you drink or not, it doesn’t matter much to me.

You have a conscious.

Follow it.

But it’s not the voice of a preacher, parent, or your old youth pastor.

It’s the Spirit of God inside of you.

I could say more but I’ll leave it at this:

You’re free to worship God and enjoy his creation.

And if you do drink a beer or sip some wine, remember 1 Corinthians 10:31:

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Enjoy your beer knowing God is the great Brew Master.

Just do it in love.

On Friday evening, some peeps from Project Church are going to host a family movie night at local elementary school for the students, parents, and staff.

We don’t plan to proselytize them.

Or pimp ourselves.

We just want to love them.

We strongly believe that we are to bring good news, no doubt about it.

But we believe we are to be good news too.

So we’re going to build relational bridges with folks at the school.

565 (or so) students and stories.

Even more parents and staff.

We’ve heard several heart-breaking stories from teachers.

A small sample of many.

These stories need to be changed.

Jesus showed us the way to change a story is to enter a story.

We can’t make all the stories better.

I wish we could.

But we can make a few better.

A few is better than none.

And ultimately, our hope is that they meet the One who puts all the pieces back together.

Who restores stories.

That’s why we enter the story.

To change the story.

I’m on a quest to live free.

I struggle with that.

It’s hard to believe freedom is real.

It’s even harder to live it out.

Freedom is love without condition.

Freedom is God’s great gift to us.

We just have a problem receiving it.

At least I do.

But I’m learning.

To walk in the paradox of grace and truth.

To walk with Jesus.

To live like a free man.

To love like a free man.

This is my great voyage.

Despite myself.

Despite other lovers of my soul.

Despite religion.

Jesus set me free from all that.

He set you free too.

Let’s figure out what that means.

Live Free.

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word:  ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Galatians 5:13-14 (ESV)

I wrote this for my church and thought I’d share it with you all.  Hope you find it beneficial.

Being a Christian is so much more than a mere label, it’s a way of life.  A pattern that’s integrated into everyday life not because we have to but because we get to. Not so much out of religious obligation but compelled by a love for God and people.  Love is what a disciple of Jesus should be known for and these are the rhythms we are striving for.

Follow
Above all, we seek to know, love, and follow Jesus in our thoughts, words, and actions.  In every day and every moment, we look to Jesus as our great King and example.  Following Jesus is a series of next steps, each resulting in us becoming more like him. His footsteps may be large but they mark the path of the life in full.

Sent
Jesus sends us out, on mission, into culture, to be salt and light everywhere we go. In this sense, we are missionaries wherever we are.

Explore
To love God with all our minds means we are to be curious and filled with wonder at what God has revealed- in particular in the scriptures.  By regularly reading the bible, we learn what it means to live the lives we’re meant to live and we are shaped by the very words of God.   We also discover more about our Creator and his creation in all realms of learning through story, wisdom, song, nature, imagination, and more.  However, our highest authority is our divine conversation with Jesus through the reading of scripture.

Eat
We choose not to waste our meals.  We will seek to commune with others when possible and view each meal as a blessing from God.  With each food and drink we consume, we will remember the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf as his body was broken and blood was shed for us.

Presence
We reject any notion that we are to create our own subculture. Instead, we dwell within culture in order to influence, shape, and redeem it. We believe this whole world and everything, and everyone in it, belong to God. Like Jesus, we choose to enter the story in order to change the story.

Listen
We are charged to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. One tangible expression of love is listening. We will take opportunities to hear the stories of others. To rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. We also will listen to God and create deliberate moments of silence and quiet our hearts before our Creator.

Party
Backyard BBQ’s, gathering at the local watering hole, inviting friends to our home for food and fun. These are just a few examples of what it means to party. We choose to celebrate and enjoy life with people inside and outside our community. This is what Jesus did. A good party is like a little drop of heaven on earth and is a way of life for the follower of Christ.

Bless
We are blessed by God to be a blessing to others. This can come in many forms. An encouraging email, a note of appreciation, a kind word, an unselfish act, a helping hand. Wherever your imagination takes you. Being a blessing is to make deposits into the accounts of people. Showing grace is to do so whether someone deserves it or not. We will look to tangibly bless others daily.

Grow
Growth is a natural byproduct of every healthy, living thing. This includes people.  Since growth comes from God, we will continually fix our eyes on Christ, search our hearts for any cheap substitutes to him, and repent of our sin and place them at the feet of our King.  We will seek to live lives of health and wholeness remembering there’s one throne and one source of genuine growth.

Include
The arm of God is big enough to wrap around the whole world. The least we can do is wrap our arms around our neighbor, the people we come across in our daily lives. We will not play favorites based on social status but view all people as equally valuable under an almighty God.  Our community is one where people can belong before they believe and find grace overflowing.  All are welcome to the table.

Pray
We will be a people of constant conversation and communion with God.  As we live our lives, we will pray without ceasing according to God’s will.  We will thank God, worship God, be honest to God, confess our sins to God, listen to God, and always seek opportunities to pray for others.  Our hope is to be the go-to people for prayer in our relational networks without making a big show of it.

Share
We will seek to share our time, talent, and treasure with others. Generosity will flow out of the grace God has given us. We are to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. We will be an authentic community who shares one another’s burdens with a battle cry that “no one stands alone.”  This is pleasing to God and a fingerprint of a true disciple.

Fight
We will stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves and offer hope to the hopeless. We will fight against injustice and guilt-based religion by our actions and the Gospel.  We agree with scripture and believe for justice to roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.  In serving others, we serve Christ.  We will never forget that our ultimate mission is to bring good news and be good news to those around us.

Romans 12:9-18 (ESV):

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

I know for some, the missional church seems like the trend du-jour.  As I read through articles, blogs, and books, I’m noticing that there are strong opinions about the missional church from many church leaders.  And while I don’t pretend to speak for every missional leader, I would like to address a handful of these common misperceptions.

The missional church is a new idea
Perhaps the word, “missional” is a recent discovery to our vernacular, but it’s been around for a while (since the 1800’s).  However, the command to “Go and make disciples…” has been around for a couple of thousand years.  And the missio dei, the mission of God, has been around since the fall of humanity.   It’s not a new idea.  It’s a return to an ancient call to be the church Jesus had in mind. No trend here, just obedience.

The missional church believes gathering for worship is unnecessary
The misunderstanding here is the shift in thinking, “it’s all about Sunday” to “it’s all about everyday including Sundays.”  A church that doesn’t worship Jesus is no church at all.  But let’s not limit worship to an hour a week.  That kind of dualistic thinking and lifestyle is a dangerous pool to swim in and doesn’t mesh with Scripture.  The truth is missional churches do worship Jesus by assembling together- it just doesn’t end there.

The missional church is about raking leaves and hanging out in homes
Well…actually…that’s true.  But it’s incomplete.  The missional church intends to advance the gospel abeit through public gatherings, house parties, loving thy neighbor, serving their city, or having coffee with a friend. Whatever it takes to love God and others.  Missional church doesn’t need a leaf-raking church program to help the elderly couple across the street.  They just do it.

The missional church isn’t attractional
Imagination flows heavy in missional church. So does creativity. I’m not sure where the idea came from that missional church can’t (or won’t) have compelling environments.  Perhaps the notion came from the correct rejection of reducing the church to being a big show or a building.  Maybe it has something to do with replacing language like “we go to church” with “we are the church.”  Nonetheless, missional church believes the most attractive environments are created when they are filled with compelling people.

The missional church isn’t concerned about church growth
Any missional church that doesn’t intend “to go and make disciples…” isn’t missional.  Any missional church that intends to be a holy huddle (i.e. us 4 no more) isn’t missional.  Actually, the opposite is true. All missional churches want to reach people far from God.  As many as possible.  And if that’s happening, the Church will grow.  You can’t make disciples without people believing in Jesus in the first place.  But with missional church, it doesn’t end there.   Missional church is about two things: first steps and next steps.   Getting thousands to an event isn’t church growth (concerts can do that), but making thousands of disciples is.  That’s what missional church is committed to.

The missional church is a church model
Cookie cutter approaches are rare in missional church.  What works in one city, may not work in another.  True missional churches know their context.  They’ve studied their culture and the rhythms of the people in their city.  They look at the streams of people who aren’t connected to Jesus (or a church) and ask, “How can we meet them where they are?”   The answer to that question will result is various methods, approaches, and styles.  And the missional church has to continually pay attention to the ever-changing rapids of their culture- which means their methods will change as well.  That said, my hope is that missional churches not just change with culture- but that we change culture.  That’s our challenge.

If you’re a church leader, you may have noticed that some of this describes your church.  Congratulations, you might be missional. The question is whether it’s by accident or intention.

You see, missional churches are simply biblical churches.  The ones who “go and make disciples…”  The ones who are centered on Jesus.  The ones who love God and love people.   The ones who are sent on mission by Jesus to reach the whole world with the greatest news to ever hit the planet- the gospel of Jesus Christ. That should be the mission of all biblical churches regardless of how we’re labeled.

That’s what being missional is all about.

One Church, Under Jesus,

This is a dangerous verse:

“My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.” – Proverbs 24:13 (ESV)

On the surface, these words of wisdom from a father to a son seem innocent.  You could even say the father is saying that life, much like honey, is to be enjoyed.

But maybe there’s another message hidden in this verse.

To enjoy honey, you’ve got to get honey.

Where do we get honey from? The beehive.

What’s in beehives? Bees

What do bees do? They sting.

Everyone wants the honey, but few want to stick their hand in the beehive to get it.  The same is true with life.  The thing that keeps us from living the lives we’re meant to live and being the people we’re called to be are the beehives.

What are the beehives in your life?

Fear of failure?
Self-doubt?
A broken heart?
Physical pain?
More bills than money?
Fractured relationship?
Regret, guilt, shame, and mistakes?

What if your biggest opportunities lie within the beehives?

Most people look for the path of least resistance. The obvious open door that requires no struggle.  But I would suggest that if it’s easy, maybe it’s not what God wants.  Think about it. To see the mountain view you’ve got to climb the mountain.  To taste the honey, you’ve got to stick your hand in the beehive.

Jesus understands.

To do the impossible, and save us from our own sins, Jesus had to bust through a moment of anguish and difficulty as he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemene right before his arrest and execution.  But he did it.  Thankfully.  So we could have eternal life and life in full right now.

He died for you so that you might live for him.

God meant for your life to matter.  YOUR LIFE!!!!

He has a purpose and a destiny for you to fulfill.

He has honey he wants you to taste.

The honey is in the beehive.

Will you seize it?