5 Questions With Pastor Gregg Matte

Welcome to 5 Questions With.....

Today's guest is Pastor Gregg Matte.

Gregg Matte is the senior pastor of Houston's First Baptist Church and founder of Breakaway Ministries at Texas A&M University, one of the largest college Bible studies in the nation. He is also the author of Finding God's Will and I AM Changes Who I Am. He and his wife, Kelly, have a son and a daughter and live in Houston, Texas.

I just recently reviewed his book, Unstoppable Gospel and Pastor Matte took time to discuss his book with me in a phone interview today.  What follows is a transcript of that call.

OK, let's get started:

1. Why did you decide to write Unstoppable Gospel?

I wanted the people of the church to be encouraged and offer them some practical steps in how to make a difference. We live in a culture where everyone is dogging the church or dogging Christians and acting like the church and the Christians are the problem when it really is the answer. We want to be a part of making the difference. So by looking back at the book of Acts we get some practical steps in how to make a difference, we also are encouraged that we can make a difference. Lastly, in the beginning of Acts, they are hiding, afraid that they are going to be killed just like Jesus was. The last verse of Acts says, "Then the Gospel went out unhindered." (Acts 28:30-31) So you have a very big difference there and that is what I wanted the people of God, the people of the church to really get, that through God we can make a difference. 

2. You mention in your book that we should define ourselves spiritually rather than vocationally. Can you explain that a bit more?

We have to see our primary identity first. That is really our eternal identity, that we are Christians, and then see our roles and our other identitys second. What happens is then you get the order right and that is where Jesus says, "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33) and C.S. Lewis says "put first things first and you'll get second things thrown, put second things first and you'll lose the both of them." So what I wanted people to do is to understand that the first thing that you are is a Christian. That is the number one thing that you are as a believer in Christ. Then fron that, that gives us the strength to then be a mom or a dad or a businessman or an engineer or whatever it is. We have to first see ourselves, with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and Him moving through us. Often times we get it mixed up, so if I see myself as a businessman first, then I may never share Christ with anyone at the office or really want to make a difference because that would risk me being a businessman. Instead of having my primary identity being first and the resource of Jesus being from which I do everything.

3. What do you see as the difference between conviction and condemnation?

Condemnation is very ambiguous. Conviction is very procise. The conviction of the Holy Spirit is going to have a prociseness to it that we are going to go, "You know I need to stop doing this or start doing that, or I was rude or God is working on my pride, He is working on my selfishness. Conviction is like a laserbeam flashlight. Condemnation is just this big wet blanket of "Oh woe is me I am terrible." What does that mean that you are terrible? What specifically is God trying to get your attention on? The devil loves to give us condemnation. He just wants to paralyze us with a wet blanket thrown over us. God wants to give us conviction in order to bring growth. Condemnation sends us backwards, conviction sends us forward. Condemnation takes us away from God, conviction actually draws us to God. So they are very different, though they may feel the same because they have a twinge of guilt with them. We have to get past that and say ok I want to grow from this. 

4. You mentioned the "ministry of interruptions" which really gave me pause as a pastor because I do not always look for that. Can you explain that phrase for our readers?

Yes, you know God has got you on a path and He is going to interrupt you throughout the day. What I mean by that is there are going to be people who come along that are either lost person in need of a Saviour or a saved person needing encouragement. When we see people spiritually that makes a difference. So then when the phone rings or someone crosses our path in need of help, we don't see it as an interruption, we see it as an opportunity. That is what they had in the book of Acts. You see Peter and John on the way to the temple and someone would interrupt them asking for money and they would say, "I want to give you Jesus." So they use it as a ministry opportunity. A lot of times we are focused, knocking it out and we have to see that God is going to bring some intersections into our path and those can sometimes be the greatest moments of our day. As opposed to just making it to the store and getting our grocery list checked. 

Let me add one other thing, as a leader, it doesn't mean everything that comes into your inbox is something that you ned to deal with at that moment. That is not what I am saying. I am not trying to call people to reactionary living, I am trying to be attuned with the Spirit to know when they need to turn aside and to take that time to encourage or help that person. There are a thousand things coming at you. You have to be strategic about that and have a listening ear to the Lord. 

5. How is your church, Houston First Baptist, sharing the unstoppable Gospel?

It has gotten a hold of us in a huge way. We're giving and we're going. We are a generous church and want to give financially and also of our time and be able to give and say lets let the Gospel go out, Acts1:8, to our city, nation, world. Also we want to be able to go. To be active in it.  We have people adopting children, we have folks teaching Sunday School, we have folks sharing Christ in their workplace. We want to be difference makers. 
 
Thank You Pastor Matte!

If you get the chance, check out Unstoppable Gospel

Out of Focus

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

Sometimes my life is way out of focus. I don't know how it happens. Well actually I do. I'm ashamed to say I take my eyes off of where they should be and the next thing I know my life becomes completely unbalanced.

I have mild asthma and at times it becomes hard to breathe. This is NOT a fun feeling. Struggling for breath can be quite scary. However, the fear can cause one to panic, or at least become a bit anxious. This tends to happen for me after a prolonged series of attacks.

I recently had a very prolonged series of asthma issues. I ended up using my inhaler about 24 times in 21 days. Now, even for me, that is an extreme and unusual situation. However about 20 days into this I realized I was being consumed by the situation. My waking thoughts were gravitating towards my breathing. I was beginning to walk around looking for signs I may be entering into distress. I was becoming intensely aware of every minute change in my chest.

My eyes were no longer on Jesus. After I became aware of this, my mind drifted to Matthew where we find the story of Peter, who seeing the Lord Jesus walk across the water, stepped out of the boat in faith and began walking towards Him. However:

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:30-31)

Peter got his eyes off of God and began to sink. This is what was happening to me. I was sinking in fear, distracted by the situations. I had to get to the point where I cried out, "Lord, save me!" That is exactly what happened. On day 21 I sunk to my knees late in the evening and cried to the Lord in my distress! I repented for the sin of idolatry.

Wait idolatry?!? Yes. Idolatry in it's simplest form, is having another god besides the Lord of Lords. That is what I was doing. I was focused on something else completely. I had made my health, my lungs, an idol. I had to repent.

I know the Lord heard my cry. I felt His rebuke for my doubt.

My focus is slowly going back to its proper place. I am resting more in the Lord as I seek to focus on Him daily. Yes I still have some asthma issues, though not like what happened recently. In fact I have not used the inhaler since that day. As much as I praise God for that, I know that even if I do have to resort to an inhaler, in faith I can keep my focus on Christ.

What about you? Are you in a battle? Where is your focus?