As Iron Sharpens Iron...

We are reading through the story of Joshua right now at Believers Church.
It comes to no surprise that where we are in the book coincides so much with where I am in life…and probably You as well.

After Moses died, it became Joshua’s turn to continue leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. They had been following Moses for 40 years…had believed in Moses for 40 years…had seen miracles performed by Moses for 40 years…
And now with his death, they are called to follow a new leader, a new man, a new servant.

A man who’s resume is far inferior to Moses.
He has not performed any miracles, he has not led any of the tribes, and he has not spoken with any authority.
He was Moses’ amigo.
His compadre.
And now he has the responsibility of leading AND convincing 2 Million people to Follow Him! And I wonder how confident he was in himself at this point???

You see, God puts us in seasons where our Faith is nurtured. We have family, friends, and a church that continually pour into us, love us and educate us about Faith, Hope and Love. But what happens is we begin to lean on them. We actually lean more on people than on God himself as this Faith of ours grows. And then something happens – and God strips us of all of those around us.

We feel naked and alone and we no longer have that safety net of faith around us.

It’s like climbing a rope course. Even with that safety harness on, we are fearful of jumping. And then God removes that safety harness and requires the same from us.

Joshua is told by God to lead the Israelites across the Jordan. He’s not told how. He’s merely told to cross.
God often speaks into our lives and tells us to move. But He doesn’t direct us how. He doesn’t tell us by train, boat, or car – He just tells us to move and TRUST in Him.

Furthermore, He waits for Joshua to MAKE the move. With Moses, God parted the Red Sea and the Israelites crossed over dry land. With Joshua, He commands that they step foot INTO the rushing waters of the Jordan, which by the way, is at flood level during this season. He doesn’t stop the waters like He did for Moses. You see, Gator, God was requiring a different FAITH from Joshua.

He doesn’t always move the same way in each of us…and sometimes Yesterday’s FAITH is not good enough for Today’s Journey.

Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for God and realize God is waiting for you. He’s already gone ahead of YOU and paved the way. HE knows the journey is safe. He’s waiting for YOU to get off the couch and put one foot in front of the other.

STEP into the rushing waters of the Jordan River and watch God stop the flow for YOU to cross over Dry Land.
HE’S waiting on YOU to step out in a NEW Faith.
Today’s Journey Needs Just That.
Today’s Journey Requires a New Strength.
A New Man.

Be Strong and Courageous!
Be STRONG and COURAGEOUS!
Be STRONG and VERY COURAGEOUS!

Prayerfully Yours,

Nathaniel Uriel Fisher-Shaffer

We live busy lives.
In fact, I believe we base our security, comfort, and identity in what we do and how much we can accomplish in a day.

I’m a workaholic - I admit this.
I have never had less than two jobs along with ministry, school, and a social life. It’s the way I’ve always been.
I get uncomfortable when I have a day off, or spend more than 3 days on vacation.

Sick isn’t it??!

Mike Yaconelli mentions in Messy Spirituality, “It’s not sinning too much that’s killing our souls, it’s our schedule that’s annihilating us. Most of us don’t come home at night staggering drunk. Instead, we come home staggering tired, worn out, exhausted and drained because we live too fast.”

In our spiritual walk, it’s not sin that stunts our growth as much as being busy.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Have you ever thought about this…I mean…REALLY thought about this verse???!

God Rested.

But…He’s GOD.

Do you really think God needed to rest?
God Is.
That Simple.
He Needs Nothing.
He just IS

So, perhaps He was doing this for us. Modeling for US the importance of Rest since the Dawn of Time. He knew/knows how devastating busyness is on our lives, character, and souls.

REST provides for us 2 main things:

First - this is a time when we get to be refueled, renewed, and re-energized by God. By taking a moment out of our busy lives, we are allowing God to intercede and renew us from within.
If we don’t take this moment, then the outpouring of our hearts will not be from pure and loving motives.

I’ve learned this. If I don’t take the time for God to refill my heart, then I do not approach everyone and every situation out of Love - it is SO easily replaced by exhaustion, resentment, bitterness, or indifference.

…and that is NOT what I want to be investing in people.

Second - Taking a moment to rest, a day off, honoring a Sabbath sheds us of our God complex. You see, the real reason why we stay so busy is merely because we don’t COMPLETELY trust that God has it ALL under control.
We refuse to relinquish this control because we have a God complex and want to remain in control of our jobs, our relationships, our families, our social life, our finances, and our…lives.

By taking a day to REST we are humbly reminded that…we really are not as important as we think we are.

Your job is still there.
The house is still there.
Your family is still there.
Your friends are still there.
Your bills are still there.
You are still there.

So….may you LEARN to REST
and follow God’s example.
Relinquish Control.
Allow Him to refuel your soul and take control of your lives.
May He lead you to green pastures…
lay you down beside still waters…
and refresh your soul. (psalm 23)

Two weeks ago, a desperate friend called me.
Broken and alone.
His wife had left, and he had nothing but his sorrow
guilt
resentment
pride…

He sat alone in his apartment,
adorned in only his pajamas
and a guitar.

I picked him up in my truck and headed back to my place.

After a long and difficult
glorious and loving
humbling and truthful talk.

I gave him my truck to use
so he could get to work and have some stability in His life.

The agreement - that he’d come to church and help me move a fridge.

Two days later his phone was turned off…

Then the storms came.
Then the frigid cold.
and the icy rain.
And all I had was my motorcycle to ride.

The COLDEST and WETTEST days I have ever encountered on my bike!!
But I pushed back the frustrations
accepted my fate
and held on to the joy (not to be confused with happiness)
knowing that my truck was in good use.

Sunday came, and no sign of my truck…

…and the weather continued…

No sign of my friend.

Trust
Pray
Trust
Pray.

A guy at my work looked at me as though I was crazy
driving to work in the storm.
I told him I lent out my truck.

His response: “Why don’t you watch the weather channel and plan for these things???!!!”

The irony is -
That guy still has my zero degree sleeping bag I lent him when he got kicked out of his house
and was sleeping in his car
in the middle of winter.

Yet,
he just didn’t
get it.

…and another week went by.
Mo sign of my truck
No sign of my friend
not even at his house.

until yesterday - he finally called!!
and now I know he’s safe
which was my greatest concern.

Why do we only help those around us out of convenience? When did our culture manifest this selfish bastardization of the word? Why, when even in the midst of writing this, do I wonder if my motives are to post a TRUTH inspiring blog…

…or to pat myself on the back for acting out the gospel?

1 Timothy 6:18-19
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is TRULY life.

Romans 12:19
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good

James 3:16
For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

What our the motives of our hearts?
Do we act out of Sincere Love, or Selfish conceit?
Are we providing only to receive something?
Are we serving to get something in return?
Are we only giving what we can because it fits in our schedules, or because it’s the leftovers after meeting our own needs?

…Do we love only in hope to receive love?

These are the questions that keep me awake at night.

I write you this because it brings me joy.

Believer’s Church.
Be.Live.Redeem.

Be. Live. Redeem. So - as my first meeting approaches regarding the Vision and Launch of Believer’s Church, I found it would probably be of mine and everyone else’s best interest if I began laying down some basic framework of the Vision God gave me. So…after a short sketch on a notepad, and very little editing (as you all should be quite accustomed to by now from the way I write, lol), and mostly just a “free” write from my heart, Here’s the beginning of the purpose of:

Believer’s Church

+

Be. Live. Redeem.



Vision:
Believer’s Church is a church community of believer’s in Jesus Christ as our savior and redeemer for our sins through our repentance and His death on the Cross. The core group is comprised of a community of ragamuffins, outcasts, broken, disheartened, and not-good-enoughs who mirror the early disciples that were called by Jesus to drop what they were doing and follow Him (Matt 4:18-20), because He believed in them to fulfill His purpose.

Believer’s Church is based on the discomfort of the name “Christian” that has changed over time from once being an adjective to describe those that mirrored Christ’s love, to merely a pro noun linked to the end of a long winded name tag. The hope of Believer’s Church is to radically change the hearts of people and cause a revolution transforming “Christian” to an adverb, driving Christ-like actions.

Believer’s Church is called to the Nashville community to reach the broken, sinful, down and outers that feel jaded towards the church community, Christians, and fellowship. As a fellow community of artists, musicians, and people with radical gifts of creativity, Believer’s Church seeks purpose in reaching the artists, musicians, entertainers, and rockstar personas prevalent throughout the city, and particularly in the East Nashville Community. We strive to break down the stigma that church is a building with walls, since we are all the bodies of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-13) created in God’s image to do good works. (Eph. 2:10)

Believer’s Church is founded on the belief that Everyone is Welcome and extends Grace through all things. We strive to live by and through Love - that covers over ALL things. (1 Peter 4:8) We embrace the lost, the roughnecks, the drunkards, the homeless, the homosexuals, the students, the overly righteous, the braggers, the upper class, the CEOs, the prostitutes, the all-togethers and the broken, because we are all equal sinners in this world and desperately need Christ’s healing Love. It is not the healthy that seek a doctor.

Believer’s Church is also a community that accepts spiritual messiness. We are all individuals and have free will, and therefore are capable of making mistakes. We believe that the cost of missing out is far greater than the cost of messing up, and will continue to approach each other with Love, Grace, Humility, and Forgiveness. Nashville does not need another church, but Nashville’s community does deserve a different church – based on transparent Honesty of self, Boldness of God’s Word, and Intentional effort for Life Change through Love. We are here to hold each other accountable and encourage each other through God’s Word.
As Iron Sharpens Iron, One Man Sharpens Another (Prov. 27:17)

Mission Statement:

Be In God’s Word: We believe that The Bible is God’s Word and/or inspired by God and therefore is infallible. This is where we turn for answers, questions, guidance, advice and wisdom in our pursuit for a relationship with Him.

Live in Christ’s Love: We believe that the most important commandment in the bible is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-32) We experience God’s love best when we learn to extend it to our community, exercising the same unconditional love that God extends to everyone equally.

Redeem the Brokenness of the World: We live in a World fueled by brokenness since the Fall of Man (Gen. 3) and are called by God to be His light in this World (Matt 5:14-15), and examples to the broken. In our brokenness, repentance, and healing, we show the World the Redemption available to All who accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. All things are Redeemable and used for His glory. (Rom 8:28)

“Where GRACE is not just a pretty name, and REDEMPTION is real.” …are YOU ready to Believe???!!!!!

OH, PRINCESS REBORN

Awake from Brokenness
Oh, Princess Reborn
The shards of past
Have weathered and worn

Arise from Brokenness
Oh, Princess Reborn
Healing has patched
From the time of mourn

Arise from Brokenness
Oh, Princess Reborn
Redeemed is the Image
The pieces Reformed

Arise from Brokenness
Oh, Princess Reborn
The heart may love
Is no longer torn

Arise from Brokenness
Oh, Princess Reborn
A leaf in the wind
My breath, the storm

Arise from Brokenness
Oh, Princess Reborn
A story Redeemed
A heart once scorned

Awake! From Brokenness
Oh, Princess of Mine
I was in the pieces
A mirror refined…

My Love Still Finds
Oh, Princess of Mine.

It’s easy to boast.
To get caught up in my success.
To pat myself on the back…

For the friends I’ve seen baptized,
The youth I’ve reached,
Those I’ve inspired to go to church,
Groups I’ve led,
Sermons I’ve preached,
Charities I’ve donated to…

All for the Kingdom of God.

But what’s hard to see, or remember, or reflect,
or admit…

Are ALL the lives I’ve HURT.
The relationships I’ve RUINED.
The things I’ve done to OBSTRUCT the Kingdom of God.

The sins I’ve COMMITTED.
The Brokenness I’ve CREATED.
The Darkness I’ve BRED.

So, So, So
many, many, many
Lives

That I have failed.
Not being a credit
For the Glory of God.

And just like the “church” that I spend so much time
Criticizing for chasing people AWAY from Christ.

I am The Same.
A Hypocrite.

I have hurt FAR more than I have Helped.

And that just Sucks.
It hurts. Knots in my stomach. Anxiety filled Heart. Chaos filled Head.
Sick. Broken. Desperate.

Truth.

I am reminded of the Samaritan woman,
That met Jesus at The well.

Mid Day
Under the High Heat
Alone…
Ostracized…

Ashamed.

Resorting to gather water
During the only time of day
Guaranteed to NOT
Be Seen.

Because of Sin.

And Jesus calls her out.

The Five times she’s been married…
The man she lives with that is not “hers”
The years of guilt,
hurt,
brokenness,
ridicule,
darkness…

Everyday she does her “Walk of Shame”
Every.
Day.
For…

Years.

“Walk of Shame.”
An Inside joke amongst college kids that are ALL too familiar with the reality of waking up on a Saturday morning
or
Sunday…
Dressed in the previous nights debauchery.
Wreaking of Sin.
Drenched in Shame.
Blanketed With guilt.

Been there?
Still there?
Still walking?
Still hiding?
Still

Alone?

And Yet Jesus Meets US at The Well.

And offers a water that quenches all thirst.

And Reminds us, that though we’ve been SAVED…

***And EVERYTHING I have done to hurt people along the way of my own Road to Personal Salvation through Selfishness occurred AFTER I accepted Christ into my life…
The Booze, The Broads,The Hot Rods.
The Drugs, The Sex,The Nights of Unrest.***

We still have things that haunt us.
A Past that lingers a bit too long.
The stench that will not wash off.
The clothes that never seem to stay clean.

That there IS FREEDOM
Through
REPENTANCE.

Humility.
Honesty.
Awareness.
Confession.
Conviction.
Love.
Truth.

AND WE CAN
Take our “Walk of Shame”
and turn around.
a WALK OF REDEMPTION.

…and use EVERYTHING WE HAVE EVER DONE..Yes, ALL of IT>

To Glorify God.

and In ALL that we continue to do.

You see, It’s not JUST about
SALVATION.

It’s about BREAKING free from
The Bondage of Sin.
The Shackles of Guilt.
and the Chains of Shame.

It’s a constant struggle.
A battle.
But WE CAN win.

And Fail,
And Win Again.
Repeat.

“My Failure Yesterday is My Success Today.”

I write you this because this is my heart
and it brings me Joy.

Believer’s Church.
Be. Live. Redeemed.

Yesterday I ran a 5k.
Nothing big – just a short run. A little over 3 miles.
But I wanted to do it – to actually run in a marathon
and complete something – set a goal, and finish.

I only “trained” for 3 days, since I spent the previous 3 weeks with the Flu. But, regardless
I awoke at 7am to register on Saturday morning.
Signed,
committed,
fate…

While waiting to start the race, I noticed a guy standing to the side of me with a t-shirt
with “Philippians 4:13” on the front.

Luckily, since I am so well versed in scripture, or perhaps because I read all bumper stickers, I know that verse well –
“I can do ALL things in Christ who strengthens me.”
But for those less versed, it was written on the back of his shirt.
Like a bumper sticker.

I overheard his conversation with the people in front of me, about how it was there first race, and he was giving them advice.

We never talked.

I wondered if he noticed the “Last Disciples” Black motorcycle bandanna I was wearing…or if my all black attire, Mohawk, and tattoos obstructed his view.

The time came, and I began my run.

2 miles into it,
I decided to quit.

I didn’t quit – but I decided to.
The long uphill slope was too long for my untrained legs to handle, and I decided I’d stop at the top of the hill…

But I didn’t.
I kept going.
As we sloped downward and were within a half mile from the end, The man with the shirt passed me…keeping about 5 steps ahead of me…

“I can do ALL things in Christ who strengthens me”

Blaring back at me.
Step by step.
Convicted!

At this point, I don’t know if I was running or purely worshiping. The last segment of the race is kind of a haze..
I held my hands out,
upward,
prayed
and kept going…

Finally we made the final turn and I increased my speed…
Crossing the finish line at the same time
As the man
In the shirt.

Thank You God!

The times came up, and I did better than my goal.
Keeping an 8:17/mile average (I always shoot for under 8:30)

Thank You Jesus!

As I left the Arena,
The man with the shirt walked by…

“Thanks for pushing me” he said.
“I love your shirt bro” was my response.

…and then it hit me.

The whole time he was running behind me,
I was setting the pace.
He was using me as a way to pace himself,
To push himself
To persevere.

And once he passed me,
He returned the favor.
And provided the inspiration
I needed to persevere.
And Finish the race.
(Timothy 4:7)

Has it ever occurred to you
Just how much you influence and inspire
Those just behind you,
That go unnoticed.
That use you as the pace setter of their life.
A mere few steps away,
They follow,
Inspired and pushed,
As you lead.

And when the time arises,
They push past to remind you
To continue on the path.
To persevere.
Endure.

I write you this because it brings me joy.
Iron Ministries
Believer’s Church

We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 2 Cor 6:3-10

IN A SOCIETY
so culturally driven,
restricted,
and infected

by hatred,
stereotypes,
socio-economic class,
judgment,
status,
racism,
sexism,
and
fear…

it breaks my heart

that disease is so prevalent in
“The Church.”

Denominations have become an avenue for Satan to infiltrate the Christian Church,
Infesting the walls with the disease of Separatism.
A mortar so strong, that the walls of the church
can not be broken down -
imprisoning the “churched,”
comfortable and safe,
behind the infected walls of their institutionalized building.

The Church has Become an Ironically Privatized Quarantine…
Imprisoned in it’s Own Sickness.

A “Restricted Zone.”

How can this be?

Shouldn’t the church be, what Kelsey writes
“a hospital for sinners?”

How has the church become so Separated???!!!

One God,
One Savior,
One Purpose:

TO LOVE.

Yet we fall victim to the endless cries from the bastardization of the Word,
through
legalism, religiosity, theology, and over doctrinization…

We are detrimentally consumed with concerns
of
types of worship songs, production, preaching style, and formulaic structure of a “take two of these and call me in the morning”
corporate produced rendition of Christ.

I was not raised in a church.
BUT- when I did accept Christ,
I attended a “Non-Denominational” Church.

A term coined for a User friendly church,
to soften the blow from the wounds caused
by past denominationally driven institutions.

In other words- a place for ALL followers of Christ (and non-believers), regardless of denominational upbringing and beliefs.

And now, as most things do,
Non-Denom has evolved from the original purpose and goal,
a victim of a mass produced, corporate, “As Seen on TV”
engulfed society
Into
it’s own denomination.

Much like the early punk rock culture,
In response and resistance to pop culture,
eventually transformed itself into it’s own fraternity
of rules, regulations, restraints,
and business type ladder of “punkdom”

Transforming an anti-conformist purpose,
into it’s own form of conformity.

The Bible makes it very clear,
that the Church
Is NOT a building.

But US.

WE
ARE
THE CHURCH.

And if our purpose, goal, love, desire, ambition, calling, drive, struggle, battle

is to simply

LOVE.

God and People.

Then when are we going to break free from the self inflicted chains and bondage of judgement, self-servitude, and vain conceit?????

We NEED a WAKE-UP CALL.

The church was never meant to be a safe-haven for the healed,
to be confined from the toxic, diseased,
Broken World.

We are CALLED
and EXPECTED
to act AS THE CHURCH.
BE THE CHURCH.
TAKE THE CHURCH WITH US.
REACH OUT AND SHARE.
DISCIPLE THE WORLD.
SPREAD LOVE.

And, if we can’t even get that right
within our OWN “RELIGION”

then how can we EVER expect to convince the LOST

That WE

have
FOUND
THE WAY?

I, too, am uncomfortable calling myself a “Christian.”

I am a Believer.
A Follower.
A Messy Disciple.

I write you this because it brings me Joy.

Believer’s Church
Be. Live. Redeemed.

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it…
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:8-13)