Hard, but worth it

On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Pastor Max Lyons reflects on how raising four kids has turned his hair gray, and how it has also been completely worth it. Anything worth doing is like that, above all following Jesus, which means picking up your cross daily. What separates those who persevere from those who opt out is that they never lose sight of their why. "If you lose your why, you'll lose your way." Too many Christians get influenced by the wrong people, carry unforgiven baggage into new seasons, or settle for comfort. You are either all in or not in; Jesus cannot be Savior without also being Lord. Continuing the All In series, Pastor Max walks through four areas.

All in for worship: remember who you are living for

Too many Christians walk into church like food critics, grading the vocals and asking whether they felt anything. Worship is about God, and an encounter with Him is the byproduct, not the goal. In John 4 Jesus says the Father is seeking true worshippers who worship in spirit and truth. Pastor Max recalls coming to Jesus because he was broken inside, and then facing a decision once God healed him: would he worship Jesus for what he could get or for who He is? He warns the church not to worship the answered prayer and miss the One who answered it. You also become like what you worship: money never satisfies, approval makes you a chameleon, control breeds anxiety. But worship Jesus and you become more like Jesus.

All in for God's Word: remember what you are building on

From Matthew 7, both the wise and foolish builders heard Jesus' words; the difference was that only one put them into practice. Pastor Max tells of being ticketed in Oregon for inattentive driving solely on another driver's word and being told not to bother fighting it. His father, an attorney, urged him to take the right route rather than the easy one; he showed up to the hearing, the officer did not, and the ticket was dropped. We either do what the people around us say or what the Word says. Culture says follow your heart; the Word says guard it. Do not just hear God's Word on Sunday; build your life on it all week.

All in for Jesus' church: remember who you are walking with

Isolation makes drifting easy and community makes it hard. Pastor Max shares the story of a picture-perfect church couple whose marriage collapsed after the husband, who had grown up without a father, withdrew from church, friends, and his wife when their child arrived. Hebrews 10 calls believers to spur one another on and keep meeting together. The challenge is not merely to attend church but to be planted in it, with deep relationships, serving, and friends who will tell you when you are making a bad decision.

All in for God's purpose: remember why you are still here

If salvation were only about heaven, we would be gone the moment we were saved. Salvation is the beginning of the journey, not the finish line. Pastor Max recounts launching Elan Church in the Naperville area at the end of 2020, in the middle of COVID lockdowns, and watching a launch of just over two hundred people shrink to fifty within six months. When he considered going back to the large church in Florida where he and Pastor Juliet had served, a board member asked whether he was planting because it seemed like a good idea or because God asked him to. He remembered his why and decided not to quit. Galatians 6:9 promises a harvest at the proper time for those who do not give up. Following God's purpose will cost something; nobody in Scripture carried an anointing without a price.

Elan 3.0 and the challenge

Pastor Max describes a new season he calls Elan 3.0: after surviving as a church plant and then getting Teams and Groups running, the church is now building and raising up leaders. Jesus ministered to crowds but multiplied His ministry through a few. The church will spend the fall studying the life of David, staff will focus on equipping others, and a new ministry apprenticeship program, open to anyone stirred toward leadership, will let Pastors Max and Juliet intentionally develop leaders. He closes by inviting the church to fill out the interest form and praying over a church at a significant crossroads.