Troy Marshall

Who (or what) Are You Following?

    Yesterday, I received a twitter message from a friend of mine at Revolution Church. It led me to find out that their Lead Pastor stepped down from Revolution and admitted being in an emotional and physical affair with his personal assistant. I was at Revolution Church last month. I heard the stories of how radical they are. Stories of their members so committed to the church that they get tattoos of the church logo. People who meet at 5:00am to set up for weekend services, week in and week out. Just a few weeks ago, I heard that over 300 people have made decisions to follow Christ since January this year. The church is made up of 70%+ who didn't attend church prior to Revolution.
    I'm sickened inside about what transpired. Not that the pastor "sinned" because we all sin. I am sickened at the fact that many of those people will be forever affected by the fall of yet another leader. It's times like these that make me think about BCC. The question that plays through my mind is, "Are people who attend BCC following a church, or Jesus?" For many, it's church. They are immature in their faith and need 'the church' to spur them on. But I never want BCC to get in the way of someone passionately following Jesus Christ. Every day, I hear about awesome churches. I hear the stories of great leaders in those churches. But the simple truth is, we are all one sin away from losing everything. Now I don't want to come off as being legalistic. I trust God and what He is doing. I know that He is in control. But as leaders, we have to set boundaries. We have to have people hold us accountable and we have to have people who speak the truth in love when they see stuff that isn't right. Did Gary have that in place? I don't know. Do the leaders at BCC have it in place? Somewhat. But I see many areas that we need to tighten up.
    I think everyone should ask themselves that same question. Are you following a church, a movement, a specific man (or woman), or you following Jesus Christ? He's the one who died for you. He is God. Make Him your "new favorite" ;o)

Fishing in a Bucket- pt 2

    Brickcity can be split into two main groups. Those who have been following Christ for some time, people with church backgrounds. And those who are very early in their journey with Christ. The latter group is so refreshing. They have simple problems. Like, my finances are screwed up. I'm addicted to alcohol or drugs. I'm shacked up with my girlfriend. I don't know how to pray. You know, foundational problems.
    It's the other group that pisses me off! No not all of them. And not in OUR church. Just in the church as a whole. So many times I get cornered by someone who wants to 'enlighten' me on what we are missing. Like "Deep Worship", "Signs and Wonders","True Discipleship". You want Deep Worship- kill yourself. How much deeper can you be than being face to face with Jesus? You want Signs and Wonders? Fly oversees, rent a car, and go for a drive- some of you got it. Recently, I heard, "What about us? The 'Old Timers'? It seems you are only focused on new believers." Yeah- well guess what- so should you. I don't think that another program or another class is the answer to discipleship. We have taught our church members in America to be dependent on the church or a program to move us forward. The times when I have moved closest to Christ in my life is when someone else held me accountable. My boss and friend, Bill Maye, has the freedom (and the balls) to look me in the eyes and ask me how my marriage is. Or ask me if I'm looking at porn, or are my finances in order. That's what discipleship is. Finding someone who is not as mature as you and help them on their way. Lead them through mess in their life and call them out when they aren't doing what they should be doing.
     What's it going to take to bridge those two groups I was talking about? Why is it that new Christ Followers in BCC aren't immediately swept up into a mentoring relationship by the Old Timers? Unless some program is put in place. Jesus said to "make disciples (or followers)". No one should have to tell you. You should be looking for it. At BCC, it's truly like fishing in a bucket. We do everything short of sin to bring 'em in. They pick up red bags every week. If you are an old timer at BCC- you should be fighting each other to see who gets to mentor the next person who picks one up. You don't need to be deemed "most holy connection dude". Just do it. I promise, if you do, you will grow more spiritually than you would with years of classes at the best bible college! We have got to stop being consumers and start being leaders.

Do you still love me?

Fishing in a Bucket- pt 1

    Here's the deal. I love to fish. I have ADD. So I only love to fish, when I'm catching fish. If I'm out there for 30 minutes and haven't gotten a bite- I'm done. I could be doing so many other things with my time that would be more productive, and fun. In ministry, I'm the same way. I move quickly. I like results. Yeah I know that God is in control of everything I do, but I am a firm believer that when we use His wisdom in what we do that we can have better results in everything we do. Like fishing. I can go to Jordan Lake and sit in a boat trying different baits, hoping one works or I can go to a fish hatchery and drop a line in one of those ginormous tanks with millions of densely populated fish. Which one would be more fun? Oh yeah- you know  if you had the chance, you would be right in the middle of that hatchery!
    Many churches across America preach the gospel. Many are communicating great truths and are passionate about reaching people who do not follow Jesus. They want to "catch fish". After all, Jesus said He would make us 'fishers of men'. The problem? We assume we are 'fishing' where there are fish. We put on our religion, go to a building that we call church, do a bunch of ritualistic stuff and assume 'Lost' people are going to come.
    I don't think so. I decided to follow Jesus 30 years ago and I grew to hate the church. Not 'His church' but religious church. The constant condemnation, the rules, the jockeying for position, the "what about me- I need to be fed!" That stuff makes me want to puke!
    We do alot of crazy stuff at BCC. Yeah it's marketing. BCC is talked about all over our city. We are called a cult, crazy, church where the sinners go, rock 'n roll church, you name it. The truth is, we want people who do not follow Jesus to come in the doors. We have the greatest message ever given. Jesus lives- and He died so that we can live, too. When we take out the religious obstacles that exist in church, people 'get it' and they want it. BCC is going through the largest growth rate in the history of the church. Stories of lifechange are everywhere. 42 people have made decisions to follow Christ this year. So what's the next step? When someone makes that decision- Is it all over? Is that the end? What about all of the "old timers"?
    I'm so glad you asked-I'm going to answer that in the next post.

Live Life Out Loud

Well we did it. This past Sunday was the culmination of our "Live Life Out Loud" series. The people at BCC proved that they are Loud! It definitely would not have been the success it was without the unbelievable volunteers that worked so hard to make it happen. From our BCC Band practicing their fingers to the bone, to the lighting, video and sound volunteers who set the atmosphere. From the First Impressions team who were incomparable to the children workers who were severely out numbered! Our parking team greeted guests in the rain and none of them complained. Scott and his crew set everything up and made last minute adjustments because of the bad weather- You guys rock! I got a chance to stand back and watch people pitch in with smiles on their faces and purpose in their heart. So what was the result? I'm glad you asked. Here's a few highlights in no particular order.

• 72% of attending families participated in financial commitment (that's huge- I was told it would be 40% by the professionals)
• 455 people attended ONE service (I know we broke the fire code for sure! We only have 7200 sq. ft. around here!)
• 107 volunteers showed up to serve!
• Offerings are up 38% during this series, people have taken steps to tithe (and stories of God's provision are everywhere)
• We're up to 36 people making decisions to follow Jesus in 2009 (that's the number that I watch closely)
• We raised over $525,000 so far in a group of people with no rich dudes and a town with a 14% unemployment rate- Now that Rocks!
• Attendance is up 33% over the same month last year

So what's next? I'm not sure. We have meetings with banks and investors and are simply waiting for a door to open. One thing for sure. We will not stop growing! We will not stop pointing people to Jesus. We will not give up on the vision that God has for this church and this city. We are pretty sure we know where God wants us to be but there are a few hurdles between here and there. Keep praying for the leadership of BCC to hear God clearly. I am so excited to see what's next- I can't wait. And I know that you can't either ;)

Does Tithing "Work"?

My first answer is yes. Wait a minute. But it could be no. It depends on how you look at it. You see, I have heard a lot of talk from people who say they tithe and are still struggling. There in lies the problem. People have been duped in to believing that if they tithe, they shouldn't have any financial worries. That's just not true. You still have to be a wise steward. Tithing is not a "get out of debt free" card. Let's pick it apart.

First of all, what is a tithe? It is 10% of ALL your increase. What is increase? Could be a lot of things but one thing for sure, it is pre-tax salary. Not net. It is also a bill. The Bible says that you OWE your tithe to God. What happens when you don't pay what is owed? Bad stuff. A tithe is not just an "Old Testament" principle. Jesus said that we should pay our tithe, I choose to do what He says. In the original text, the word 'Carem' (I think that's how you spell it) is used for a tithe. That means "set apart for God's use or His destruction". That means that it is cursed. It belongs to God. Ever heard that 1 bad apple spoils the whole bunch? Well it's a Biblical principle. It's what happened to Achan in the Old Testament. Jericho was the first of 10 cities that Israel had to conquer in the promised land. A dude named Achan kept some of the spoils (that's loot) from Jericho. God had told Joshua that the gold and silver from Jericho belonged to Him and to bring it back to the temple. It was a tithe. All the stuff from the next 9 cities was free to keep. So Achan kept some of the tithe- just a little bit. Know what happened? He was killed, and his whole family. That's 1 bad apple! But his disobedience caused Israel to get their butts kicked in the very next battle. (What would a church be like if EVERYONE tithed?)

You see, tithing is more than a principle- it's a command. When you keep the tithe, even some of it, the whole thing is cursed. So tithing is the minimum. It removes the curse from your finances. The real wealth comes from taking risk and trusting God. And wealth isn't always money. Giving offerings (above a tithe), sacrificing in order to give more, and giving alms (giving secretly) brings you closer to God and causes you to trust Him at a higher level.

So tithing does "work". It removes the curse. But if you want to prosper, step it up a notch. Give sacrificially. If you would like further study on what I am talking about, listen to the "ticket to a sold out show" here. And watch for the "curse of the tithe" uploading this week.