Wouldn't it be great if you could grow into a "Spiritual Champion" simply by showing up for church and listening to inspiring sermons? Wouldn't it be great if you were automatically patient with your children, kind to your spouse, and never tempted to watch too much TV, eat too much dinner, or visit a compromising website?
How many Olympic champions have become the best in the world in what they do, by doing little more than listening to motivational talks by inspiring speakers?
Over the last couple of weeks I have been saying God hasn't called us to make church-people busy with church activity. He has called us to make disciples! (Matthew 28:19-20)
God wants us to worship Him, grow in Him, serve Him, and reach others for Him! Growing in Christ isn't the result of simply attending inspiring services.
Growth isn't a work we do. It is a work that God does in us (Philippians 1:6). But it is a work of God that we must cooperate with and be fully engaged in (Philippians 2:12-13).
Paul reminds us that a passive approach to anything "Christian" destines us to failure.
"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (NIV)
If we are to grow, we need healthy and holy connection with God's people where we build friendships for spiritual encouragement and accountability to train like champions for the purpose of godliness and growth in Christ-like character. (1 Timothy 4:7-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
One of the things that I want to see happen in our church is the emergence of dozens of 2:42 Groups (Acts 2:42) that encourage life-changing spiritual growth! I want to see groups shift from a focus on being "small" to being "2:42 Communities" where people continually devote themselves to the word of God and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer! I want to see groups where people experience God's grace, love, and power for spiritual transformation!
Warmly in Christ,
Pastor Gary
Acts 20:24
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Worship Him!
Last week I wrote to you that God hasn't called us to make church-people busy with church activity. He has called us to make disciples! (Matthew 28:19-20)
I also told you about how we have been praying and asking God about the steps He wants us to take to go to the next level as a disciple-making church.
God wants us to worship Him, to grow in Him, to serve Him, and to reach others for Him!
Some people think of worship as a service they attend once a week on Sunday mornings. But there is more to worship than just giving God a one-hour slice of our week.
Worship is not a service that the church provides for people to watch and listen to, like they might go to a concert, movie, or sporting event. Worship is a service that we individually and collectively give to God.
Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."
When we think of and practice worship as the full surrender of our lives to a merciful God, then we take the first step toward becoming a more effective disciple-making church!
Warmly in Christ,
Pastor Gary
Acts 20:24
I also told you about how we have been praying and asking God about the steps He wants us to take to go to the next level as a disciple-making church.
God wants us to worship Him, to grow in Him, to serve Him, and to reach others for Him!
Some people think of worship as a service they attend once a week on Sunday mornings. But there is more to worship than just giving God a one-hour slice of our week.
Worship is not a service that the church provides for people to watch and listen to, like they might go to a concert, movie, or sporting event. Worship is a service that we individually and collectively give to God.
Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."
When we think of and practice worship as the full surrender of our lives to a merciful God, then we take the first step toward becoming a more effective disciple-making church!
Warmly in Christ,
Pastor Gary
Acts 20:24
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Making Disciples
God hasn't called us to make church-people busy with church activity. He has called us to make disciples! (Matthew 28:19-20)
A disciple isn't a religious nut who wears a long robe, sports a long beard, and carries a 20-pound King James Bible. He is a person who embraces self-denial, sacrifice, and even death to follow Christ, but discovers hope, meaning, joy, and abundance in the journey and in the end, eternal life. (Matthew 16:24-26; Mark 10:28-31)
So how do we go to the next level as a disciple-making church?
In July of this year I asked three people to lead three teams to prayerfully consider what it will take for us to become a more effective, disciple-making church and to draft a plan that would answer the question above.
At the end of August, these three teams came together to present their proposals and interact with one another.
Since that time, I have met repeatedly with Steve Acord, Joy Rounsavall, Matt Skinner, Tessa Valle, and Johnny Wilson to glean some of the best ideas from the team proposals and prayerfully put them together in a unified ministry plan that we believe can help guide us to the next level as a disciple-making church.
Over the next few weeks I would like to share with you some of the ideas that have come out of this process.
Warmly in Christ,
Pastor Gary
Acts 20:24
A disciple isn't a religious nut who wears a long robe, sports a long beard, and carries a 20-pound King James Bible. He is a person who embraces self-denial, sacrifice, and even death to follow Christ, but discovers hope, meaning, joy, and abundance in the journey and in the end, eternal life. (Matthew 16:24-26; Mark 10:28-31)
So how do we go to the next level as a disciple-making church?
In July of this year I asked three people to lead three teams to prayerfully consider what it will take for us to become a more effective, disciple-making church and to draft a plan that would answer the question above.
At the end of August, these three teams came together to present their proposals and interact with one another.
Since that time, I have met repeatedly with Steve Acord, Joy Rounsavall, Matt Skinner, Tessa Valle, and Johnny Wilson to glean some of the best ideas from the team proposals and prayerfully put them together in a unified ministry plan that we believe can help guide us to the next level as a disciple-making church.
Over the next few weeks I would like to share with you some of the ideas that have come out of this process.
Warmly in Christ,
Pastor Gary
Acts 20:24
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