Would you be confused if I said don’t be like Jesus? I don’t believe the bible teaches us to imitate the life of Jesus. To experience the fullness of the Christ-life we are called to participation not imitation. There is a school of thought that says in order to be a good Christian we should parade around meeting everyone’s needs like a crusade of do-gooders. Getting behind a cause has become hip and trendy, giving back is the new black you know. I do strongly believe the philosophy that church should meet the needs of others. I believe deeply in outreach, community transformation and serving your city/world. There is however, a very important question to ask: What is the source of our serving? Consider the warning of Matthew 7 and notice the different forms of ministry detailed throughout.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name (preaching and teaching), and in your name drive out demons (Community transformation and outreach) and perform many miracles (ministry gifts to build up the church)?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ -Matthew 7:21-23 parentheses mine

It is possible to imitate Jesus and not participate in His life. I think the confusion with imitation is fueled when we misinterpret verses like Ephesians 5:1which says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children”. That word imitate comes from the Greek word Mimitetes and means to be an example. There’s a difference between being an example and being an imitation.

The source of imitation is human strength and self-will, the source of participation is Christ’s strength and Gods will. Imitation results in burn out and can kill true Spirit vitality while participation fuels passion and fulfills you. One is law the other is grace.

Christianity is not an imitation of patterns, philosophies or principles. It is a participation in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Christian life is not about mimicking the actions of the historical Jesus. The Christian life is Jesus. He makes His residence in us and lives His life through us. If you want to be a good Christian just rest in Him and allow Christ to live His life through you. Learn to let go, learn to yield your life everyday over to Him. This is not a passive life of laziness but a passionate life of constant surrender. The enemy of great is often the good. Move past mere imitation and learn the secret of participation.

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. –Romans 6:13

It was sixteen years ago on this very month that Julie and I walked down the isle and surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ. We had the honor of serving in so many ministries from usher to pastor. These past 16 years have been the best of our life. We feel a strange mixture of confidence and fear as we set out on the road ahead. Please pray for my girls who are being such troopers through all of this. We are currently living out of a hotel in Bryan, TX and they started a new school this week. They are coming off of a two year home schooling break so there is much change and transition for them. Yet, they are happier than ever and excited with us about the future. I would like to send you updates on how we are doing and the progress of the ministry. If you wish to opt out of these update just reply to this email and I will remove you from the list.

From Julie, Audrie, Alyssa and me, thank you and we deeply appreciate your prayers and support.

Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless.

Romans 4:19-25 The Message

Five years ago my parents were called of God to move to Merida and open up a recovery home for men. It was a big decision for them to step into the mission field and pioneer a new harvest for Victory Family and the Kingdom of God. It was a bittersweet time for us at Victory Family. Bitter because it meant that pastor Joe and Carmen were going to be around a lot less, sweet because we knew that God was expanding the kingdom and increasing the harvest. They moved to Merida and started the ministry. God began to move and show them favor in Mexico. They did such a great job and a team was raised up from among that harvest to run the ministry. This meant they could focus on planting a new recovery home in Matamoras. Two years ago they planted that home in Matamoras and were able to rise up a team from among that harvest to run the ministry as well. Success has truly followed my parents wherever they focus their efforts.

I have had the privilege of watching them come full circle as God has called them back to where it all started, and focus once again on the local ministry here in the  Houston area. With my parents more than capable of handling the ministry, Julie and I have turned our hearts to the Lord and started seeking God for His will and direction in our own lives. I believe we have come to our own bittersweet moment. After a long hard time of praying and soul searching, I am excited to announce that God is calling me to plant a church and recovery center in Bryan / College-Station, TX. I will be moving my family soon and hope that you will pray with us. We believe that God is preparing a new harvest and that His kingdom is expanding. I hope to still be involved at Victory Family and come to preach regularly as the Lord wills. Pastor Joe and Carmen have a vision to take Victory Family to new heights. I am confident that new and exciting things are on the horizon.

We are working on finding a place to live and moving our family before school starts. I want to launch CrossCentral Church and Recovery Center in the fall of 2011. So once we move to Bryan I intend to work on the church and recovery center for one year before doing an official opening. During that one year we will start home bible study groups where we can plant the gospel, make disciples and develop a team to help with the church plant. We are also working toward building a dormitory and ministry infrastructure to serve 20-25 men through a Christ-centered rehab program. I have met with key people in Bryan / College-Station and community research has revealed that CrossCentral will be the ONLY free faith-based recovery center in the entire Brazos Valley. With your help we can start an incredible work that will make a great impact in this region. Please stay posted for updates, prayer request and ministry needs. We are excited about the future and believe God is going continue a great work at Victory Family and begin a new one in the Brazos Valley.

They are penetrating the very den of Satan with the hope of Jesus Christ, this group has very quickly become heroes of the faith in my book. They have planted 100′s house churches and currently have 1000′s active believers attending their church network. There is no hierarchy of controlling leadership or even a charismatic leader among the bunch. Their movement is pure, humble and filled with grace. This quiet revolt has caught fire and is rapidly spreading. This is the final frontier for the Gospel; the last wall of resistance and it is coming down!

The opportunity to add to the faith of these incredible Christians is truly an honor. There is no “Western” or “Eastern” gospel; there is only the Gospel. We are one body in Christ. Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters who are so hungry and desperate for truth. If you would like to learn more about this vision or would like to get involved please contact me personally.

Through the cross,
Steve Trevino
Victory Family
victoryinbox@aol.com

I want to thank the people of Victory Family Church for stepping up in a big way. From filling and giving away 250 Easter baskets, to participating in servolution events all across the city, you’ve made huge sacrifices and blessed so many. Special thanks to our team leaders, Frank and Teresa Medders, David and Theresa Nuncio, Ron and Monique Wangeneer, Abel and Breann Villarreal and newest team leaders Ralph and Veronica Cardenas. This week could not have been possible without you.  I am really blown away by the second mile attitude that is truly an expression of the Christ-life within you all.

I would like to thank my parents, Joe and Carmen Trevino for giving me the opportunity to serve as a leader in this church. Thank you for pioneering the church and laying the groundwork for the future of our ministry. Thank you for trusting and believing in me and for letting us dream BIG. I love you guys.

Finally I want to thank my wife, Julie. Your hard work, sacrifice and humility day after day – simply amazing! You inspire me. I don’t know if a wife can stand behind her husband and support him any more than you do.  You set the bar for what loyalty and companionship should be. Your ideas, organizing and communication skills are a BIG reason the “Biggest Week Ever” was a success. You consistently deliver, period. (And you look good while doing it too)

A new benchmark has been chiseled into our ministry and there is no turning back. Let’s keep going; let’s keep living with ridiculous generosity. I want to shock the world with the love of Christ.

I often hear people say the church should be “Like the book of Acts”. Let me suggest a few reasons why I think this is wrong. The church of Acts was a glorious mess. The pure Jewish congregation of Jerusalem was still under Temple worship, dietary law, circumcision etc. It was a difficult transition from the legalism of Judaism to grace filled Christianity. If we became like the church of early Acts it would be a step backward not forward.

We would have to practice:

Preaching Jesus plus works for salvation, (Acts 2:38), Communal living, (Acts 2:44), Wealth distribution, (Acts 2:45), Works righteousness through circumcision, (Galatians 2:14), Enforcing dietary laws (Acts 10:14) to name a few.

The reason Peter and Paul clashed is because Peter was reluctant to totally abandon the old system of works based religion and commit to this new gospel of grace (By the time Peter wrote his epistles he had fully transitioned into Paul’s gospel of grace alone). The church of early Acts was a Jewish/Christian, Law/Grace hybrid church transitioning into God’s new economy of the Cross. Some might argue that the church of early Acts was a good model and we should still consider following it closely. That’s fine, but you might not be able to call it true New Testament Christianity. Remember we weren’t even called Christians until Paul arrived onto the scene in Antioch in Acts chapter 11. So the next time you hear someone say, “We just need to get back to the early church of the Book of Acts!” Think twice, you just might be taking a step back into legalism instead of moving forward, deeper into God’s glorious gospel of grace. Thank God for the book of Acts, it’s a wonderful book of history and transition inspired by the Holy Spirit. The signs, wonders and miracles are pretty cool though, without the burden of legalism.

In the natural realm we understand that change is often crisis-driven. Do we accept this fact in the spiritual realm as well? So often we don’t have a change of heart until it hurts, until the pain of staying the same hurts more than the pain of change. Yet pain is the change-agent of both equations. The question is not if you will suffer in this life but when. Or more often, when will it end? If suffering is such a great change-agent then shouldn’t we have a better attitude about it? The scriptures say yes!

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. -1Peter 4:1

Consider this definition of suffering: “Not getting my way in the circumstances of the present moment”. This fosters an environment of faith, patience, humility etc. In short, spiritual maturity is suffering-driven. The key to personal growth in our lives is not to run from suffering but to embrace it, yield to it and learn through it. When we do, it becomes a powerful tool in the hands of God to shape us into His image. God isn’t the author of our suffering but the redeemer of it. He takes what was intended for evil and converts it into an experience of grace. If you look for God in the midst of your suffering, you’ll discover Him in ways you’ve never known. People all over the world are hurting. In our own backyard people are suffering. We have a message of hope for those in the middle of crisis. You ask why I talk about suffering? I ask why you don’t?

“Well, here’s why: “The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit.

You drive your employees much too hard. You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight. You fast, but you swing a mean fist. The kind of fasting you do won’t get your prayers off the ground. Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after: a day to show off humility? To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black?

Do you call that fasting, a fast day that I, God, would like?

“This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts.

What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’ A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

“If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins, If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places-firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.

Isaiah 58:1-12 The Message