A picture for 2011

Be intentional in 2011

On December 30, 1842, a 29-year-old Scottish pastor named Robert Murray M’Cheyne wrote a letter to his congregation. He said:

"MY DEAR FLOCK,—The approach of another year stirs up within me new desires for your salvation, and for the growth of those of you who are saved. “God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.” What the coming year is to bring forth, who can tell? . . . Those believers will stand firmest who have no dependence upon self or upon creatures, but upon Jehovah our Righteousness. We must be driven more to our Bibles, and to the mercy-seat, if we are to stand in the evil day. Then we shall be able to say like David—, “The proud have had me greatly in derision, yet have I not declined from thy law.” “Princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart standeth in awe of thy Word.” It has long been in my mind to prepare a scheme of Scripture reading, in which as many as were made willing by God might agree, so that the whole Bible might be read once by you in the year, and all might be feeding in the same portion of the green pasture at the same time."

D.A. Carson provides a great resource to help us understand the Bible as we read it.  This is the resource I will be using -  Vol.1 of "For the Love of God" and doing the reading plan over 2 years. 

Why I chose this option:
-  It's available for free online
-  It gives a small portion of commentary on a large portion of scripture rather than the opposite, like many devotionals.
-  Carson is a brilliant expositor of Scripture,  and many times I walking away from reading wondering what exactly I just read...Carson's commentary will help with that.
-  During year 2 I will use Vol. 2 of his book
-  This plan follows M’Cheyne's reading plan that has you read in 4 different places of the Bible each day, however I will be only reading 2 and then picking up the other 2 in the second year to help keep up.

The resource is further explained and available free in PDF format HERE.

May you press into the Lord in 2011 in ways you never have before...and May you never be the same!

Pursuing Him with You,
Dave

A friendly rebuke

Yesterday we had an unplanned visit from some good friends of ours who needed to borrow our car.  During their time at our house we had some very God-ordained conversation which basically consisted of them calling us out on some things.  Their biggest concern was that we had been neglecting to walk out some very specific things the Lord spoke into our life about a year ago.  Their challenge was filled with love and encouragement, yet stern and truth-filled.

If I could sum up their words, it would come from Acts 4:29, "We must obey God rather than men."  Lately in many ways, I have been obeying man.  I have been more concerned with how people view me and my ministry, instead of knowing my acceptance in Christ and being freed up to not be concerned with man's thoughts toward me.  The Apostles in this passage were able to walk in massive amounts of obedience because their focus was on the greatness of their God and his mission for their life, and not on those around them, namely the religious authorities who were telling them not to preach the gospel.

I believe part of the answer to this problem of living to please man is found in Acts 4:32 - "And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

What is it that enabled the Apostles to endure the abuse and opposition of man?  They were fully engaged in the Spirit, to the point where even to consider obeying man and not living out Christ's mission was not even on their minds.  Why?  Because their minds were full of the Lord and their spirit (The Holy Spirit) was filled with His power to walk out God's calling on them.

Questions to consider:
1.  Who is speaking Truth into your life?
2.  Are you allowing them to walk with you in what obedience looks like?
3.  Is your focus on YOUR abilities/inabilities or HIS ever-enabling Spirit?
4.  What's keeping you from walking in obedience?

Surrendering with you!
Dave

Build an orphanage in Sudan for only $1 on Nov 16!

All it takes is one. All it took was one strand of E.coli to be processed into one hamburger patty, to make it to one burger king, to one mom, whose one son, took one bite and the one life he had would then be over. All it took was a series of one events to lead to one of the biggest recalls on beef. Because of one situation America has never been the same.
In 2001, one man, Vernon burger, who had, one passion, that being Jesus, took one trip, to Southern Sudan and connected with one bishop, who was trying to love and spread the gospel to many who were orphaned by the civil war. Since that one trip in 2001,  HIS VOICE GLOBAL  has been in an ongoing relationship with the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church), 10 years and three orphanages later they seek to continue the movement to open a fourth.


You might ask the question what makes this place so special? Sudan was in war for over 20 years before signing a peace agreement in 2006. Until the peace agreement this was the longest civil war to date in human history, leaving over 2 million dead and many children without parents. So what makes this place unique!?!? Many things but one is there are many who have teamed up, like  HIS VOICE GLOBAL  and The Village Church, to be a gospel centered presence through proclamation and practice. While The Village Church has sent many teams to train pastors, equip leaders and love the children in these orphanages in Yei,  HIS VOICE GLOBAL was the door that God used to bring a gospel centered presence from the west into this area of the world. Now there is an opportunity for you to be a part of this continued movement of Christ in this region for as little as a dollar.
This past September a group of 13 from all walks of life from Reach Records, The village Church, Red Revolution, Collision Records and HIS VOICE GLOBAL partnered under The Village banner to go and minister to those in Southern Sudan. They ministered through teaching, medical, music, and loving children who were victims of the Civil War that now live in one of the three Orphanages sponsored by HIS VOICE GLOBAL. Moved by the fruit there and continued need, Tedashii, Lecrae (Reach Records artist), Swoope (Collision Records artist) and Jai teamed up to do a single to raise awareness and funds for a fourth orphanage in Southern Sudan. The single, which is slated to be released November 16th under new label Collision Records is called Actions Speak Louder. This single and symbol seen above calls believers to move beyond awareness and put their prayers in motion, to quote the song. The symbol inspired by the scriptures that say a strand of three cords are not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12), the exclamation points showing the immediate nature of the call to apply the gospel (Luke 4:18-19), the highlight of one exclamation point showing the power of one to change and lead others and the patch like design showing the reality that there is strength in numbers, calling believers to action,  an action beyond themselves.
So leading up to this date will you be the one to blog, the one to tweet, the one to put a twibbon on your twitter account (see the twibbon below click on the link to support), the one to Facebook, the one to lead and allow you actions to speak as loud as your words. The average number of songs downloaded per day are close to 10,000,000 yes that is correct 10 million. Come November 16th HIS VOICE GLOBAL only needs over 250,000 one’s to download this amazing song (which is not even 10% of the daily average) to complete and have a fourth self sustaining orphanage. We are not asking you to change your lifestyle just point your efforts toward something that will last. The amazing thing about this whole campaign is that 100 percent of the profits from the song will go toward this fourth orphanage. All it takes is one!!!

Download a song...help orphans!

All it takes is one!

GL + RR + GC = MI

A helpful formula from Pastor Darrin Patrick of The Journey Church in St. Louis:

Gospel Life + Relational Rent + Gospel Clarity = Missional Impact

"Gospel Life" = I allow the gospel to saturate every aspect of my life.

"Relational Rent" = I "pay the rent" relationally with lost people.  I am a friend of sinners (Luke 7).

"Gospel Clarity" = I clearly articulate the gospel to those around me.

"Missional Impact" = Gospel fruit is seen in the lives of the people I encounter.

Make disciples!

"Make disciples" (Matt. 28:19) is a command of Jesus that requires action not just thought. Quit talking about it and do it!


Francis Chan: Make Disciples [VERGE Video Clip] from Verge Network on Vimeo.

You can change the world!

What would the world be like if every Christian realized and embraced the power of God's Spirit within them?  How would it change the way we lived our lives?  Alan Hirsch has some good things to say about it!


Alan Hirsch: Every Believer A Church Planter [VERGE video clip] from Verge Network on Vimeo.

Discerning the Lord's Leading

Here is the thought process the Lord took us on in this transition. This was written probably 6-8 months ago

RATIONALE – WHY I AM RAISING SUPPORT TO PASTOR AT NORTH CHURCH
On February 12, 2000 at a high school youth conference, the Lord called me into full-time vocation ministry. The very next day, February 13, the Lord gave me the person who would be my biggest partner, supporter and encourager - the one who would be called to walk beside me in ministry - my wife – Danielle. Since Danielle was a teenager, she always knew the Lord was calling her to be the wife of a pastor, and here we are 9 years later, seeking to walk out what the Lord started so long ago.

Why not continue my ministry at North County Christian School?
I am finishing my 5th year at NCCS. It has been an incredible ministry to say the least. The Lord has used this opportunity to shape my gifts of leadership and teaching. When I began teaching in the Fall of 2005, I was terrified. I really had no clue what I was doing. I wasn’t sure if this was for me. When the Lord called me into full-time vocational ministry, my mind immediately went to the local Church – for that was true ministry, I thought. I really had no clue, not only about what ministry was all about, but even about how to go about doing it. True ministry can only be defined as being faithful wherever the Lord has me, and for the last 5 years that has been NCCS.

I have really grown to love that place. The relationships I have built with the students and staff over the years, and continue to build, have been nothing short of a blessing. There are very few days that I don’t get in my car at the end of the day saying “I love my job!” Working at NCCS is absolutely a dream job. There are so many rewards in being a Christian school teacher, especially teaching the Bible.

But what I can’t get past is what the Lord is doing in my heart. There are numerous reasons I could list for why I would never want to leave NCCS, but none of them trump obedience. I have come to a place in my ministry here that is very comfortable. Not to say there aren’t challenges that present themselves everyday, because there are definitely days I don’t think I’m gonna get through. But on a whole, my job does not present the challenges it once did. If I’m not careful, I could easily coast through each day failing to beg for God’s help. When I started, that was all I knew to do.

The Lord is calling me to a place of greater dependence upon Him. He has more for me and wants to stretch my leadership in a scary way. What I can’t deny is the incredible burden he has given me for his Church. Yes I have come to love Christian school education, but even more my heart beats for the Church.

Why North Church?
Danielle and I began attending North Church in 2007, just a few months after its inception. There was some great excitement about branching out from the church I was born in, to being a part of something new, brand new. The early stages were difficult to say the least. From trying to build new relationships to trying to figure out how to do church, there were many days I thought we made a mistake. Ministry just didn’t look the same as I always knew and I didn’t like that. I wanted to run. Little did I know that it was all apart of the process in what God wanted to transform in my own heart. He wanted to bring me back to a Christ-centered, gospel-centered reality. He wanted to rid me of myself – my pride, my legalism, my fear, ultimately my sin.
I am currently serving as a pastor/elder at North Church. I lead a community group and preach pretty consistently. As the only other elder with Rik Maxedon, the planting pastor, I am helping cast the vision and direction for our church, as well as seeking to shepherd our people. I have come to love our community at North Church. Since I came to this church, the Lord has revealed the pastor’s heart he put within me. Everyday my longing to lead and shepherd our people grows more and more. I am currently torn between my ministry at NCCS and my ministry at North Church. Because of the commitment and demands of NCCS, I am able to give little time to pastoring at North Church. This is very difficult considering where we are as a church.
We are currently a small, young church that has a ton of potential but needs a ton of leadership. Rik, is not able to carry the load by himself. Because we are a small church, we are not at a place of financial self-sufficiency. The church isn’t even at a place of offering full support to Rik, which requires him to raise support and work part time. This greatly limits the time he can give to the church, demanding for more of my time.

North Church is a community driven, gospel-centered church. We are a broken people, leaning on Christ alone as our sufficiency and significance. We long to continually allow the gospel to impact us as we seek to impact our community with that gospel. Our church is located in North St. Louis, an area that seems to have very few churches seeking to reach out to the unchurched 20 and 30 year olds.

In seeking to raise support to pastor full-time at North Church, it would allow our leadership to assess each others gifting and determine our roles and responsibilities as leaders. Danielle and I have grown to love the Maxedon family. We desire more than anything to help them grow what God has started with their family. They have made many sacrifices to start this church, and we believed the Lord is calling us to come along side them and help them continue to move forward in being the Church and doing Church in North St. Louis.

A New Chapter in our Life and Ministry

We are excited to announce, as many of you probably already know, that the Lord is taking us on a new journey. After 5 amazing years teaching the Bible at North County Christian School, the Lord is leading us away. It's a very bitter sweet things for us right now. The Lord has been so faithful and allowed us to be a part of some amazing kingdom things there. We are truly blessed for the ministry the Lord allowed us to have at NCCS.

The Next Step
For almost 3 years now, we have been a part of a new church plant in St. Louis called North Church. You can check it out at www.northchurchstl.com. Within the last year or two, I have moved into the position of an elder at the church and now am coming on as a co-pastor with the guy who planted the church, Rik Maxedon. I am working part time for my parents at Subway to help pay the bills and insurance as well as raising financial support to pastor and continue the planting process at North Church.

How you can support us
Some of you may be interested in knowing how you can specifically pray for us or ever support us financially. You can contact me at dave.kuntz@sbcglobal.net if you want more information. We are also in the process of setting up online options for fundraising and will post them when they are available. We plan to use this blog to keep you up to date with what's going on. We are not consistent bloggers so I would recommend setting up the "follow" this blog option or signing up to receive an email when we update it (you can do that on the right side of the blog as you scroll down to the bottom.) Also follow me on twitter @davekuntz or on facebook and I will post when we have updated our blog.

We covet much prayer in this process. Thanks for all your support!

In Him,
Dave

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Content from a sermon I preached at North Church a few months back:

:: Seeing the Gospel through North Church ::

My journey from our first day at North Church until now has been one filled with many ups and downs. The joys and excitements of being a part of a new church came with its share of incredible personal and spiritual warfare, so much was new, so much was different. I knew one church model for 26 years of my life. I knew nothing of what it meant to live a missional life.

The past 2 ½ years have been nothing short of life changing. Although it’s included many difficulties, coming to North Church has brought so much freedom and clarity to the Christian life. Raised in aspects of legalism, so much of my pursuit of Jesus was a pursuit of my own self-righteous standing before God. I understood very little of my acceptance before a Holy God as based on the finished work of Christ alone. I obviously didn’t know it at the time, but I placed a ton of stock on how much of a good boy I was and in sin judged others for how bad they were. I hadn’t fully come to grips with all that the gospel meant for my life. And I am still trying to come to grips with

Is. 64:6 (NIV)

⁶ All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.

Col. 1:22 (NIV)

²² He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

I knew the gospel message really well, but only as a means of justification. I viewed it as the ABC’s of Christianity, not the central reality and hope of all that we are in Him, through Him and for Him. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin is the beginning and end of all things.

Romans 11:36 (ESV)

³⁶ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Not just a means to justification, but also sanctification and glorification.

Colossians 2:6 (ESV)

⁶ Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.

And this will be central to all that we are and all that we do as a church.

:: Pastor’s Heart ::

Having graduated with a Biblical studies degree, I always knew that I would serve the Lord in vocation ministry. I just never fully knew the context in which it would happen. For the past 5 years, the context has been teaching the Bible and directing spiritual development at a Christian school. However, for the past several years the Lord has given me a special passion for the Church, and that passion has continually increased.

I always thought the idea of being a pastor sounded cool (as if that matters at all!), but there were aspects of it I wanted nothing to do with. Growing up under the senior pastor/youth pastor model, I was always at a loss – I wanted, in part, to be used by the Lord in pastoral ministry, but I wanted nothing to do with either one of those positions. I watched incredible men lead out in those positions, but never desired the responsibilities they carried.

Well part of what led us away from Chatham was a pursuit of colligate ministry at UMSL. Little did we know that this wasn’t at all what the Lord had for us. On April 26, 2008, the Lord revealed himself in a powerful way! Late at night, in my office at NCCS, He revealed to me the depth of the pastor’s heart he had given me. Since that night, his work in my life has been profound. I’ve begun to eagerly desire the gift of pastor and the very aspects of it that I wanted to run from. Since that night, my view of this place (North Church) has never been the same. I can’t deny what the Lord is doing in my heart for this place. The potential and vision of what this place we call North Church can be through the gospel and for the gospel is incredibly exciting. For me it’s more of a matter of obedience than anything else. As Rik mentioned last week, he and I have had many long and difficult conversations. But what’s been incredibly clarifying in the discussion of this transition has been Danielle. Her support and willingness to follow in this is huge. She challenges me in every way. We do not think alike at all. And every step of the way, when I would bring these discussion to here about us pastoring at North Church, she continually said, “It makes so much sense.”

Updates coming!!!

With all the new things ahead for us, we will begin to keep people in the loop with our blog. It's been a while since we've posted anything, but updates and new posts are coming soon...so stay tuned.