Category Archives: Oikos

2022 Word Of The Year

05 Wednesday Jan 2022

Posted by in Challenge, Church, Decisions For Christ, Holiday, Oikos, Salvation, small groups, Volunteer, Worship

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Every year I pray and go through a process for a Word of the Year for our church for the coming year.  For 2021 God gave me the word THRIVE. In all the chaos of the season when people were suffering and reeling from Covid and all the governmental mandates and division that came from it, people were just trying to survive in 2020.  We decided that wasn’t good enough, and God made it clear that we are to Thrive. We have certainly experienced a thriving at Skyline Church. Over 1,176 decisions for Christ, 233 baptisms, over 15,000 people at Christmas nights––we’re seeing God move, and Skyline is thriving with more and more people! Over the last several months as I’ve asked the Lord for the word of the year for 2022, it became clearer and clearer that Rooted is the word for Skyline Church.

2022 Word Of The Year: Rooted

Def:  To establish deeply and firmly 

I believe the main reason God gave me this word is because we have so many people that have made a decision for Jesus but are not connected any more than a Sunday service. Pre-covid the national average for church attendance was 1.3 times a month. This is someone who claims to be a Christian and claims a home church! There’s no way to establish a deep and firm root base at 1.3x a month.

Rooted In Scripture

At Skyline Church, we’re not interested in building a crowd. That’s where it starts for sure, and of course we want to see crowds of people saying YES to Jesus. But we don’t just want a Sunday event, we want a Sunday fellowship! We want to truly help people get rooted in their faith, rooted in the church, and rooted in our community.

We have to disciple people and show them how to live out the process. Colossians 2:6-7, “And now, just as you (1) accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must (2) continue to follow him. (3) Let your roots grow down into him, and (4) let your lives be built on him. (Result: 5) Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and (6) you will overflow with thankfulness” (Emphasis mine). 

Process

We see the process stated above in Col. 2:6-7. It all starts with a decision for Christ. But then, our work really begins. We’ve got to help them get connected and rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to teach them how to build their lives on Him. Only then, will their faith grow strong in the truth they are taught and that will cause them to overflow with thankfulness.

Are You Rooted?

I’m asking you to think through what rooted means in your walk with Christ. How can you get more rooted and how can you help others get more rooted (more connected) in 2022? Do you need to root yourself, your children, and your family? While we’ll always be focused on our Oikos, this year Skyline will be even more intentionally focused on helping people grow deeper roots whether they are brand new to the faith or have been a Christian for many years.

The first teaching series of the year will be called Rooted and it begins this Sunday January 9. We will look at key biblical practices that help people get rooted in the faith. Join us this Sunday at Skyline Church in Rancho San Diego, Lakeside, Kansas, or Online. 

This is going to be a GREAT YEAR as we see more and more people establishing deep and firm roots in their faith!

An Invite Can Change A Life

11 Wednesday Aug 2021

Posted by in Christian Habits, Decisions For Christ, mission, Oikos, purpose driven, Salvation

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What is Salvation and How Does Someone Get It?

Salvation is very simply the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If we accept this free gift we are spared eternal separation from God. Although salvation is purely based on God’s grace, He chooses to use people like you and me as channels of that grace.

In Colossians 2:6-8, it says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

When we admit our need for Christ and we believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose again to save us … we gain salvation, which is to be eternally connected to our Creator and Lord. We do not gain a religion or a ritual, but a real relationship with the Lord of the universe. A real relationship that has changed billions of lives including mine. So, why hasn’t this “real” relationship changed the lives of those in your Oikos? (more on that later).

Why Is Jesus The Answer For You?

As we cling to our hope in Jesus, we also need to share our hope with others. In the past year we’ve talked about how essential church is because we ALL need hope to cope … maybe now more than ever. While hope is in demand, there is by no means a short supply. Not only is there more than enough grace, but it is sufficient even when you feel unworthy (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Who in your life needs to hear about the hope you have in Jesus Christ? Why is Jesus the answer for you? It’s not a trick question. Your story matters to God! That’s why He uses us to reach others. At Skyline Church, we believe that God has supernaturally and strategically positioned every one of us to share the “Good News” about Jesus. On average, we all have 8-15 people in our Oikos. “Oikos” is a Greek word in the Bible that means “relational network.”  It means to share the Good News with your friends, family members, grocery clerk, gym buddy, neighbor, etc.

These 8-15 people are the ones you come in contact with regularly that may not have put their trust in Jesus … yet. This is how the Kingdom of God is built.  It isn’t by standing on the corner with a megaphone and a sign yelling at people to “Turn or Burn.” Not only is that impersonal, but the one yelling can come off as a real jerk. The Bible doesn’t tell us to act like jerks. Rather, it tells us to be more like Jesus, which means loving people right where they are in life. I want to encourage you to invite them to Skyline Church this weekend and let them decide for themselves if God’s message is true that there’s no perfect people allowed. Because no matter where they’ve been or what they’ve done, they will be welcomed. Romans 15:7 says, “So warmly welcome each other into the church, just as Christ has warmly welcomed you; then God will be glorified.”

Never forget, an invite can change a life. I’ll never forget my friend Mark inviting me to baseball chapel. My entire life began to change after that invitation. You just never know what the Holy Spirit might be whispering to people’s hearts when you come along and extend an invitation.

An Invite Can Change A Life

You may be thinking, “Pastor, they’re going to say no if I invite them to church.” And I’d say, that’s okay, invite them anyway. This world is full of difficulty and hardships and people have put their hope in a lot of things that haven’t lived up to their expectations. People are tired of being let down. While we know and have experienced that Jesus is the ONLY one that is WORTH putting our hope in, others are still coming around and it may take more time. Many times it takes more than one invitation for a person to say “yes.”  Whether you’re the first or the eleventh person to invite them, or somewhere in between … God isn’t done with them yet, and it’s only a matter of time before they say “YES!”  If they have a pulse, God still has a purpose for their life. Their story matters to God and it matters to us. We hope this weekend they say “yes.”  But don’t let a “no” discourage you into thinking they will never experience the blessings you have in your faith and salvation. God has something incredible planned for their life and you can be a part of that story by simply extending a welcoming invitation.   Because truly, an invite can change a life.

Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It

26 Tuesday Jan 2021

Posted by in Decisions For Christ, mission, Oikos, small groups

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We’ve been given a very clear mission in Scripture. Any Mission Impossible fans out there? This is your mission, should you choose to accept it…

From Acts 20:24 we read, “My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” 

Notice, it doesn’t say our aim is to “start” the mission. It doesn’t say that we should aim to “think” about the mission. Our goal is to “complete” the mission of telling people about God’s grace. When we became Christians, we were actually given a mission to accomplish. 

The most important thing in our life is to complete the task the Lord has given us. Acts 13:36 says, “David did the will of God in his own generation and then he died.” Is there anything better that can be said of someone? That they did the will of God for their time on earth? That is completing the mission! 

That’s why evangelism is part of our Core Values at Skyline Church. Our church family knows that FOUND people, FIND people. Now, evangelism is a very churchy “Christianese” word, but it doesn’t have to be weird or awkward. So, how do we do it? Well, let me share a story with you from my baseball days when I visited a church as a new Christian. 

I sat in on a service where the pastor was sharing about a time he was in New York City. He was walking past a traffic cop when the Holy Spirit prompted him to go witness to the cop. But the pastor kept walking. Well, soon he felt guilty for ignoring the Holy Spirit and so he walked back to the traffic cop. In the middle of the street, he told the cop, “Hey, I want you to know, God told me to tell you He loves you.” And he turned to walk away. But the traffic cop said, “Whoa, hold on.” After calling for backup to have someone take his place in the street, the cop joined the pastor on the side of the road to chat. Tears slowly fell under the rim of his mirrored sunglasses as he spoke to the pastor and said, “I prayed last night for the first time in a long time. I asked God that if He was real, to send someone and just let me know.” The pastor led the traffic cop to Christ right there and then! 

NOW that’s something to get excited about––what a powerful story! I got so pumped up when I heard it that I went out looking for traffic cops to witness to!

We ALL get excited about stories like that!

But how do you think the church responded to that story? I’m not against doing what God tells you to do. However, we can hear a story like that and think that’s how we’re supposed to lead people to Christ. Did you know, less than 1% of people come to Christ through a stranger. The most effective way to help people know Jesus is by being a witness. Acts 1:8 tells us that we will spread the Good News of Jesus by being a witness. God doesn’t expect you to be a salesman. God doesn’t expect you to be His attorney. He doesn’t need your defense. He does say, to be a witness. 

But what does it mean to be a witness? It simply means to share what you’ve seen or experienced. It means sharing what God has done in your life. You don’t have to be a Bible Scholar, a Christian for 20 plus years, or sinless. We say it all the time at Skyline, NO PERFECT PEOPLE ALLOWED. You can share what God has done in your life with authority and confidence because it is YOUR story. Your story matters!

Do you remember the Bible story of the man born blind? The religious leaders were distraught over his healing and accused Jesus of many things. The healed man couldn’t speak to their accusations and said, “All I know is that I was blind and now I see.” 

You don’t have to be an expert or have it all figured out! You can take the evangelistic, preachy, and condemning pressure off your shoulders and remember the moment that Jesus changed everything for you. Sharing the Good News will suddenly become easy and impossible to keep to yourself. 

THIS is your mission, should you choose to accept it … to finish telling people of what God has done for you. 

You can start by telling me! Fill out a Connection Card at SkylineChurch.org. Tell me how the grace of God through Jesus Christ has saved your life. But don’t stop there. Our aim is to finish the race and complete the task Jesus gave us. Think of who else you can share this news with today … because your story matters!

The Most Important Answer

08 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by in Christian Habits, Decisions For Christ, Holiday, Oikos

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Why is it that over 3 billion people are celebrating this week around the globe? As we turn our attention to Holy Week, the most important week in Christianity, I’m confident there are some of you reading this who may not understand the significance of Holy Week. Or, you have someone in your Oikos (relational network) who could use a link to this blog because they just don’t “get what it’s all about.”  There are also those who would say they are Christian, but they are not sure about Jesus entirely and they are apathetic about the pursuit of the full truth in Christ. 

And, there are those out there that would say they are agnostic, which is a person that believes nothing is known or can be known about God. While the agnostic or apathetic belief system may be a convenient one, it certainly will not get you the answer to the most important question. When it comes to your faith or the lack thereof: What you believe about Jesus is the most important thing in your life. It has implications for this life and the life to come.

Briefly, let me give you an overview of Holy Week. Our attention turns to this miraculous week on Palm Sunday, one week before Easter Sunday, the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (Matthew 21:5-9) as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as predicted in Zechariah 9:9, some FIVE centuries before it actually happened: 

Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.
Continuing into Holy Week leads us to Thursday, traditionally known as Maundy Thursday. Jesus uses the setting of the Last Supper to be an example by washing the disciples feet before the meal. It reminds us of when Jesus said  “I have come to serve, not to be served” Mark 10:45. Maundy Thursday also signifies the remembrance of the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus had with the disciples before he would be arrested later that night.  Maundy comes from the latin, mandatum meaning “Commandment” which comes from Jesus’ words on that Holy Thursday, in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another.” 

Good Friday is typically a more sepulchral or subdued time where we as Christians reflect on all that Christ did for us in taking our sins on himself and suffering the punishment and death we deserved on the cross. This is a time of worship, communion, reflection and prayer in churches (online this year) and homes across the world.

Then Sunday, that life-changing, world changing day when Jesus Christ rose from the grave and proved he is who he said he is…God in the flesh, forgiver of sins, giver of hope, purpose and life.

So, why are over 3 billion people celebrating this week? They have figured out the answer to the most important question in life when it comes to Jesus Christ. 

The most important thing you have to figure out about Jesus is this … 
Is He God or is He a fraud? 
Let me give you an example: If I said, “Hi, my name’s Jeremy and I teach the Bible and it IS going to help you,” … you could probably buy that. You may even say (if I paid you enough) that, “Hey, Jeremy’s a good teacher.” But if I said, Hey my name’s Jeremy, I teach the Bible, because, by the way, “I’m God,” … you’d have a decision to make! Am I who I say I am, or am I a fraud? Because a “good teacher” in their right mind, would never say that they are God. Yet Jesus did say that. 
Colossians 1:15 claims that Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the father.” That’s an audacious statement! He claimed to be God many times, even in John 10:30 when he said, “I and the Father are one.“
So, Jesus, although he was a good teacher, he never claimed to be just a good teacher. He actually claimed he was God! That leaves humanity with a decision to make, is Jesus who he said he is or is he a fraud? 

If you’ve been around Christianity you’ll recall this argument. It’s the Liar, Lunatic or Lord argument, and I’ve added another “L”, Likable. It goes like this, Jesus is either a Liar … a Lunatic … or he is the Lord. For many people, they may say, “Well, I don’t think he is a Liar, or I don’t think he is a Lunatic, but I can’t say he’s the Lord.  But I would say he is likable. He taught good things, moral things, he was gentle, he helped people, yeah, he’s likable.” 

But, here’s the problem, Jesus doesn’t leave us with the option of “Likable.” Although he certainly is, he said, “I am God, and when you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” That leaves you with a decision to make.  He is either a Liar, a Lunatic, or he is the Lord of the universe that over 3 billion people are celebrating this week.  The answer to that question in your life, is the most important one you will ever give.

I want to encourage you if you’re apathetic or agnostic or even an honest atheist, to dig, do your own research on Jesus, dig into the claims of Christ. Who knows, you just might find what you’ve been looking for all along; Peace, purpose, happiness, and what over 3 billion people are celebrating this week, salvation in Jesus Christ.

If you want more information please tune in to our Live Good Friday service this Friday (April 10) at 7:00pm PST and our Easter Sunday services at 9:00am, 10:30am, 3:00pm, and 5:00pm PST, all available on http://www.skylinechurch.org.
God bless you, happy Holy Week, and keep your head up, we’re going to get through this Coronavirus together.

Jeremy

And if you’re interested in getting baptized, let me know by filling out our Connection Card. Just check Baptism in the Next Steps section and we’ll get connected!

How To Speak to JW and Mormon’s at Your Door

27 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by in Decisions For Christ, Oikos, Resources & Articles

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As I mentioned on Sunday, there is a seemingly renewed push by the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons to recruit new adherents. In Lakeside and Santee they seem to be everywhere. In my neighborhood alone, I have seen them and engaged them multiple times in the last several months. I have seen them on consecutive weeks multiple times. They completely ignore “no soliciting” signs of our neighborhood and make no mistake, they are there to lead you on the wrong path. They will not stop until you start talking about the real Jesus.

I shared on Sunday how I have had long discussions with some JW and Mormon’s pointing out their errors in Scripture only to see them completely ignore what I said and give their rote response. Although I sincerely hope they come around and find the real Jesus of the Bible, in my experience, they do not listen to me, they only try vigorously to convert me to their false ideology. I believe the best way a cultist can be converted is the best way anyone can be converted, through a relationship, a trusted one. Perhaps someone in their family will be able to share the truth with them and lead them to the real Jesus. Therefore, I find the stand at the door and debate pretty useless. I no longer tolerate them in my neighborhood and after telling them about the real Jesus and seeing no genuine response from them, I kindly tell them to leave my neighborhood, as I believe God has placed me in my neighborhood for a reason, it is not by accident (Acts 17:26) as I am trying to lead my Oikos (my neighbors) to the truth.

As a way to help prepare you, I told you to go to the website CARM.org. I am providing a link so you can be prepared to discuss Jesus with them. THEY BELIEVE IN A DIFFERENT JESUS. Understand, it is NOT the same JESUS. Click the link and read and print out the article, it will help you… and you won’t want to hide and be quiet when they come to the door, (nobody wants to feel like a prisoner in their own home and you don’t have to!) you can be prepared and even bold and even look forward to them coming so you can witness and share the TRUTH.

https://carm.org/easy-way-witness-mormons-and-jehovahs-witnesses