Getting Ready for 2009

Some thoughts on getting ready for the new year

Start to repent for things that need to be resolved with God and others

Start to pray for Gods direction and purpose for the new year

Start to make goals that are reasonable and reachable

Trust God during Christmas

things can change

Right now the weather is changing as I write. It was warm earlier today and now it's freezing. They are saying it might even snow (right). Yesterday they were saying it wasn't even going to rain. Things change and they change fast. The wind blows and we can't see it but we can feel it.
The Spirit of God can change things up quickly. What are some of the things we should keep in mind as things happen all around us?

1. Don't let change make you paranoid. Just because things change it does not mean the sky is falling.
2. Don't let change change what you know is your mission. Keep focused on loving God and serving people.
3. Don't let change put you on the defensive with people. People are going through the same things you are. As a leader point out the change and help every one make the adjustments.

Shine in 2009

For 2009 we will be encouraging our church to "SHINE IN 2009".

S- Study (discipleship)
H- Help Others (ministry)
I- Invite (evangelism)
N-Network (fellowship)
E- Exalt (worship)

thoughts of Christmas giving

I heard a coversation that was about giving gifts for Christmas during an economic slump. Should we give gifts or not? Should we discourage giving by others so that we won't feel bad that we didn't give?

No matter what we think or say Christmas will always be about giving a recieving. What we must remember is that the amount of the gift is not what's important. We can give many gifts that can be minimal in expense.

Most adults are not looking for a gift and are mature enough to realize sometimes one will not be given. The children of our families are thrilled to open a simple toy from the dollar store. Don't allow the economy to rob you of the joy that comes from just hanging out with loved ones. Time is priceless.

We must keep the reason for the season before us. Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

Much to be thankful about

There is a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I am blessed that all my family is doing well. I am blessed to have been given new opportunities this years is so many areas. I am thankful for a future that seems to have so many possibilities. I wanted to thank the Lord for all He has done in my life.

I wanted to thank my wife for all she has done for me. I wanted to thank my children for all there great support. I wanted to thank my church families for seeing the vision God has for us.

A billion thanks to Jesus my Lord and Savior.

really good stuff from Andy Stanley

3 COMPONENTS OF SUSTAINED MOMENTUM: NEW, IMPROVED & IMPROVING

1. NEW
New triggers momentum
Anything new by definition, generates some kind of momentum
The momentum can be positive or negative.

Organizational momentum is often triggered by one of three things:
new leadership
new direction
new product

Momentum is never triggered by tweaking something old. It is triggered by introducing something new!

2. IMPROVED
The new must be a noticeable improvement over the old.
Ask, "is this a significant improvement over what we had before?"
If you are in a situation where there is not enough money to do something new and improved, you are doing too many things.

3. IMPROVING
Momentum is sustained through continuous improvement.
Continuous improvement requires systematic evaluation.
Continuous improvement requires unfiltered evaluation.
Evaluation must be rigorous and on-going and done by the people who helped create it.

APPLYING NEW & IMPROVED & IMPROVING
NEW: personnel, programming, season, series, look, venues.
Look for ways to upgrade your presentation
Visit other organizations
Attend other churches

MOMENTUM STOPPERS
Disengaged leaders
Overactive management
Complacency
Complexity
A breach of trust

Moving Forward

As we inch closer to a new year questions of where we have been and where we are going start to take center stage. What are some of the key things we should be asking? Here is my list.

The Past
1. Am I being honest in my assessment of the facts? Fantasy verses reality.
2. What worked and what did not.
3. Do I still believe in what I am doing?
4. Has anybody been impacted with what we have done?
5. What have I learned in the process or am I on auto pilot?

The Future
1. Do we know where we are headed?
2. Are we willing to work our plan?
3. Is the vision fresh?
4. Do we have a committed core?
5. Are we excited about tomorrow?

Death is a Part of Life

On November 15th two of my family members had birthday's. On November 15th a brother in the Lord died. Death for the Christian is moving from the temporal to the eternal. Celebrating a birthday is part of the temporal and death for the Christian is a celebration to the eternal. The day of ones birth and the day of ones death are worthy of celebration.

Paul said "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain". From the perspective of advantage, death has a greater return in terms of what we gain. We should live this life to the fullest as we prepare to graduate to what life really was mean't to be.

To My brother Bill I write, you really are in a better place and one day we who believe in Jesus will be with you as we celebrate our eternity with the Savior.

Brown Cow or Purple Cow

Mark Batterson really gets down to the bottom line when it comes to how to make and impact.
It seems to me that if we follow through on this chain of thought we could really see some results. Brown churches stay the same. Purple churches find ways to change things up.

1)Brown churches sit on the sideline and invite the community to come to them. Purple churches are always going and compelling. They are making such a big difference that they become a highly visible part of their community. And people drive by the brown churches--the churches that are invisible--to go to the purple church.
2) The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. I know that marketing is a dirty word in some church circles, but does it get anybody else riled up that Madison Avenue is far better at pedaling its worthless wares than the church is at preaching the good news? I have a problem with that. We need sanctified competitive streaks.
3) The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet. Too many churches look too much alike. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people.

Every church has a unique churchprint and ought to be a unique expression of the gospel in their kingdom niche.So how do we paint ourselves purple? For starters, dare to be different. You might offend some Pharisees, but that isn't who you're trying to reach. Secondly, disrupt the routine. I think it starts with your personal routine. Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective.

You need to get out of your routine so you can have some purple thoughts. As a leader, you need to cause confusion. Jesus didn't do orientations. He did disorientations. You need to find new ways of saying old things (see the Parables). You need to find new wineskins. You need to sing a new song. Neurological studies have found that familiarity stimulates the left-brain. Novelty stimulates the right-brain. We need some Spirit-inspired, right-brained ideas that capture the imagination of the church and the world. the good news ought to make the news.

The Seeker's from the East

The story of the Wise Men has to be more than just a story that we connect with the Christmas Manger. The seeker's from the East were involved in a serious search for the truth concerning the Messiah. These were serious seeker's. Truth seeking is critical because at the root of the search is the difference between life and death.

Things to consider:

Seeker's ask questions - where is the King of the Jews?
Seeker's are given signs - They were given a star to follow
Seeker's have enemies - Herod wanted to use the Wise Men for evil
Seeker's bring gifts - They brought there gifts and worshiped Jesus
Seeker's receive experiences - They received great joy

God Is In Control

The election is over, the people have spoken, but more important we are reminded, God is in control. We have our convictions and our political persuasion's and those don't change but we are called to do the following:

Pray for our leaders.
Respect those in authority.
Follow the law of the land (except when it forces us to go against God's Word)
Remind ourselves that the only real hope for people is found in Jesus.
Remember that the heart of the king is in the hands of God.
Work to build the Kingdom of God.
Take courage for God is still on His throne.

The Seeker's Series

Starting this Sunday I will begin a new series entitled "The Seeker's". In this series I will address why people seek Jesus. While there are some who seem to not seek the Lord I believe all people seek truth and we know Jesus is the "Truth".

My first message will focus on the the Wise men who came from the east seeking the king of the
Jews. I will make the point that people who are far away from God many times come to the point of longing to draw closer to the Lord. Tragically it seem that those closest to the truth seem to ignore what is right in front of them.

The Bible encourages all of us to "seek the Lord while he may be found". I hope and pray this series will help all of us to draw closer to Jesus.

Thanking God

Last night Living Springs had there October Fest. I am not exaggerating in saying that we had a great response to this event. We had people all over the church parking lot. We gave away alot of hot dogs, sodas, juice, water, candy and popcorn. If fact we ran out of every thing and people still hung around. We had our big screen playing Christian music videos.

We gave out invitations inviting everyone to our church services and people asked a lot of question about our ministry.

The highlight of the night and the main reason we had the event was to present our live drama "I'm Not Afraid To Die! Or Am I? We had six showings and about 5o people prayed the sinners prayer. It was great and we give all the honor to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A special thank you to all who made this wonderful outreach possible.

getting ready for 2009

We have 2 months left in 2008. For me 2008 has been a very exciting year for many reasons. I have learned a great deal about change and why it is necessary for progress. I have also learned that experience is a great friend when launching out in new directions. I want to list eight words I believe are important as we turn the corner to the final stretch of 2008.

1. Steady
2. focus
3. agressive
4. positive
5. faith
6. compassion
7. vision
8. humility

Getting Ready to Vote

Most people have already decided how they are going to vote November 4th. My only hope for this election is that people will vote for the platform of the party that best represents the important issues for the future.

Pro life
Victory in Iraq
No tax increase
marriage between men and women only
Energy independence in ten years

Lets pray these issues win.

to trick or treat or not

As Halloween approaches the question some Christians deal with is should or shouldn't I participate? Let me give you my journey on this question. Growing up my family always participated in Halloween. After I got married and had my own children I participated for several years. It wasn't until after my last child was born that I asked myself if participating in Halloween was the right thing for my family.

As we do with many issues when we change our stance we go a little extreme. I chose to ignore the day as if it didn't even exist. The reason I did this was because I believed that Satan was being glorified and the evil was being viewed as fun. After revisiting this issue let me state what I am thinking now.

There is the reality that some use this day to worship Satan. Most people view Halloween as just innocent fun. For the majority of people participating in Halloween it really is about the kids.

I believe the answer is to provide alternatives for our children. This idea has been around for some time and has caught on. Churches are having festivals, harvest parties and direct outreaches like hell houses to reach others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I really believe this is the best way to address the issue of Halloween.

vision casting

From the blog of Bob Franquiz. www.bobfranquiz.com

You are always communicating vision in your church. It's not just the day you decide to do a "Vision Talk". I contend that everything you do in your church is speaking about what the vision of your church is.

You communicate vision with the language in your bulletin
You communicate vision with your appearance
You communicate vision with your style of teaching
You communicate vision with your signage
You communicate vision with your follow up processes
You communicate vision with how often you present the Gospel
You communicate vision with your worship style
You communicate vision a hundred other ways
You're always communicating vision

Here's my question: What's your vision speaking?

4 areas to focus on

Tom Rainer writes the following advise for churches

1. Simplify - Have a clear and understandable process of discipleship (Simple Church)
2. Deepen - Provide rich and deep biblical teaching both through the sermons and in small groups
3. Expect - Do not compromise on the New Testament teachings of becoming a vital part of a local congregation
4. Multiply - be a missional church with highly intentional evangelistic outreach.

Thoughts on being Awake

Genesis 28:10-16
Jacob was a real guy with real issues. As a chosen vessel of God he awoke to some needed revelation.

I have to ask the question –

Where are you heading? Vs 10

Do you have a dream? Vs 12

Are you living in the light of Gods purpose and plan?

3 Things

Awake to Gods Presence Vs 16
*Do we understand how to know the presence of God in a situation

Awake to Gods Promise Vs 13-15
*Our dreams are not tied to the economy but to the promises of God

Awake to Gods Pillar (the local Church) Vs 17
*The church is the bride of Christ. Do we gasp the awesomeness of His Church.

Kingdom First

This year John Maccain's slogan is "Country First". In the the Christian world our battle cry should be "Kingdom First". Jesus said "Seek first my Kingdom...". We are proud to be part of this great nation and we love our flag but we must also lift high the banner of our Lord and His kingdom.

For the believer we must live our lives for the honor and the glory of the Lord. We must make sure we are serving the Lord with gladness out of a pure motive. Join with me as we put Kingdom First.

Core Values

I Found these on Pastor Mark's blog and thought they were worth sharing

4 core values and practices of National Community Church where Mark Batterson is pastor

1) Everything is an Experiment
2) Maturity Does Not Equal Conformity
3) Expect the Unexpected
4) Love People when they Least Expect it and Least Deserve it

are we excited yet?

The world is in financial turmoil. People are worried about the future. Our nation is in the middle of a very historic election for our next president. As Christians we should be excited about the possibilities that exist for ministry. Now is the time to become proactive and take the offensive in our evangelism. This is a time to let people know the answer is Jesus.

Lets get excited!

The Gift of Life

You got up this morning. You breathed in air. Your mind began to think. You spoke words. You related to another human being. Your eyes saw the world in which you live. Your ears heard the sounds of life. You thought about what you where going today. You considered tomorrow perhaps the future in some way. You thought through what you believe in. You made choices about what is important to you. You ate food and drank drink. You realized one more time I am alive and I still have time to make a difference. You thanked God for giving you the opportunity.

Some toughts from Matthew 14

I was looking at Matthew 14 and came away with the following thoughts:

1. Jesus teaches us by example that we need alone time with God

2. Jesus teaches us by example to put others first

3. Jesus teaches us to be compassionate

4. Jesus teaches us to us to give and use what we have and trust Him to multiply

5. Jesus teaches us to overcome our problems by getting on top of them and not drown in them

How to Handle an Economic Crisis

What does Matthew 6:19-34 teach us?

4 major points.

(1)Make sure we have eternal perspective.
a. our teasure is in heaven
b. check our hearts
c. seek first His Kingdom

(2) We should Control worry
a. Make sure things are right with God
b. Learn to give your worry to God through prayer
c. Walk by faith

(3) Understand your life is in Christ
a. God takes care of his own
b. God knows what we neeed
c. God is in c ontrol

(4) Do some practical things to manage your money
a. stay or get out of debt
b. get rid of things you do not need or use
c. do not be afraid to downsize

Pointing fingers

It is amazing how people like to blame others for there mistakes. Adam did it and so did Eve. Right now in Washington leaders are trying to put the blame somewhere other than on themselves. I think we should all use this example for us to to ask ourselves what are some of the things I am doing to mess things up in my life and those around me.

Keys to follow:

Be completely honest
Be open to constructive criticism
Be willing to admit failures and short comings
Be willing to make changes
Be willing to let Gods power do the work in your life

Economic Flood

Just like the hurricanes that have hit our coast lines with a vengeance we are now being inundated by a financial storm that has grave repercussions. I was reading David Wilkerson's newsletter and he had some sound advise. Here it is.

1. No more buying of Luxuries. Cut all spending accept absolute necessities.
2. Sell every unneeded item. Turn into cash and give it to ministries to the poor and needy.
3. Downsize as much as possible.
4. Build up your faith by reminding the Lord of His promises.

This is my 2 cents.

1. Don't panic. God is still on the throne.
2. Don't worry. God takes care of His children
3. Keep serving the Lord. This to shall pass.
4. The night comes but joy comes in the morning.

Making things better

It is the responsibility of every christian to try and make things better in every aspect of life and ministry. I learned this lesson from my dad in the early days of his ministry. In every church my father served as pastor he always left it better than he found it.

The people of God need leaders who will challenge them to do things in a way that will enhance ministry and make our churches more effective.

When it comes to our personal lives we should make sure we are growing and doing things in a way that does not put us into ruts and routines. There is still so much to do and learn but we have to keep focused on making things better.

Living Springs Update

I am very excited about some of the things God is doing at Living Springs. I wanted to list a few of the highlights.

The Church unified under phase 1 of our future growth plan. The plan has three general points.
1. To focus our attention on improving our worship experience and first impressions ministry
2. To Focus our attention in becoming a church that excels in evangelism
3. To Focus our attention in becoming a church that provides excellent small group ministry

The Church unified under a call to renovate our current facility and to provide upgrades in all areas.

Over the last 40 days we have baptized 5 people and seen numerous conversions and re dedications. Attendance and giving has been increasing weekly. Living Springs has allowed for Fellowship66 a new church start to use there building at the 1:00 pm time.

Of course all the honor and glory belongs to God.

More to come.

Wild Weather

To say that the weather hasn't been wild lately here in the US would be an understatement. As I write a hurricane is heading to the Gulf Coast region if Texas. The people who report this stuff say it is a big one. Weather is so very much like life.

If you are going through a storm right now let me write a few things down to try and help encourage you.

1. Storms come to everyone. No one is immune from stormy weather it's just a matter of time.
2. Storms come in different categories. They can go from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane.
3. Storms come and storms end. You can just hold on to the fact that you will get through it.
4. No matter what the size of your storm Jesus cares. It could be a bad headache or cancer. Jesus cares!
5. Jesus will bring you peace in the middle of your storm if you call on Him. He is there!

I encourage you to read any of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) and find Gods help through your storm. I encourage you to pray and ask God to help you through your storm. Find a good Christian friend to talk to and pray with. Remember God is for you.

radom thoughts

I was thinking about the way things sometimes go in life. As a believer in Jesus Christ I have really clung to the verse Romans 8:28 that says "All things work together for the good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose". I am so glad that God knows our hearts. God knows whether we love Him or not. Sometimes God will ask us do you love me? When Peter had made some huge mistakes in his life Jesus asked him three times "Peter do you love Me?"

Even though Peter had failed, God used those failures to help him prepare for new and bigger challenges. There were probably some people who didn't like the fact that Peter went on to better things. Peter had left the ministry after the death of Jesus and ran away when confronted about his faith. Jesus, after His resurrection, told the the women at the empty tomb "go and tell my Disciple and Peter that I am alive". It is interesting that Jesus specifically mentions Peter by name.

God used the bad and the good in Peter's life. God wants the best for us at all times. God does not want us to get away from His will. God never wants us to live in sin. But the word of God reminds us that the Blood of Christ forgives and forgets when true repentence takes place.

Where are you today? Hear are some words of advise from someone who has been there.

1. Repent and begin to walk with God
2. Don't live in the past but learn from it
3. Don't let what others may say dictate your future
4. Allow God to put others in your life to replace those who turn away from you
5. When asked, admit failure but leave it there because it over
6. Realize that the consequences of decision made in the past will still be there
7. Don't be afraid to dream again and don't be afraid to dream bigger

Some very true statements

1. God is good
2. God cares
3. God loves
4. God is there
5. God has a plan
6. God never fails
7. God brings life

EL

Here are just a few of the names of given to God through the scriptures.

The One God /EL EHED

Mal. 2:10
10"Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?

The Faithful God/EL HANITEMEN

Deut. 7:9
9"Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

The God of Truth/ EL EMIT

Psalms 31:5
5”Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth.

The God of Righteousness/ EL SADDIK

Isa. 45: 21
Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me.

The All Sufficient God/ EL SHADDAI

Shad means “breast” in Hebrew. Gen 17:1
1Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.

The Most High God/EL ELYON

Stresses sovereignty and supremacy
Ps. 9:2 I will be glad and exult in You, I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Gen.14:20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." He gave him a tenth of all.

The Everlasting God/ EL OLAM

Gen 21:33
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.

The God who sees me/ EL ROI

Gen 16:13
Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God who sees"; for she said, "Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?"

Who is God

I found this work by Ray Stedman and thought it might be helpful

Who Is God?

By Ray C. Stedman

God consists of three persons: Father, Son and Spirit. We cannot experience him in any other way. But though we usually list him as Father, Son and Spirit, the actual experience of God is different. We first meet the Son, by means of the Spirit, and then the Father.

The Father is the source. The Father is unseen, unknown, except as he continually embodies himself (makes himself visible) in the Son. The Son is who we see and hear and know. He is ceaselessly embodying the Father, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. He is perpetually revealing the Father, hitherto invisible.
The Father is logically first, but not chronologically. For the Son exists as long as the Father exists, and is coexistent with the Father. The Father acts through and in the Son. He makes himself visible only in the Son.

It is in the Son that the Father becomes a part of human life, and so is born and lives and dies in human life.
The Spirit, in turn, comes from the Son . He does not embody the Son. On the contrary, God, in issuing from the Son into the Spirit becomes invisible again. The Spirit proceeds silently, endlessly, invisibly from the Son.
But the Son is not the source of the Spirit which proceeds from him. The Father is the source of both the Son and the Spirit. Back of the Son is the Father out of which the Son comes. The Spirit issues and proceeds from the Father, through the Son.

The Son therefore comes out from the invisible Father and perpetually and ever-newly embodies the Father in visible, audible, livable form, and returns again into invisible God in the Spirit.

The Spirit acts invisibly. He continually influences us with regard to the Son. He casts light upon the Son. That is his great function. He helps us to live in the Son which we know, and with reference to the Father whom we expect to see.

One True God

Thank God we have the Bible to teach us about who God is. It is truly amazing how the revelation of our God comes forth from the pages of His word. From the very first verse in Genesis we find God. "In the beginning God..."

God clearly teaches us that we are not to put any thing in front of Him. God says that our worship and focus should be Him and Him alone. We do not need the thoughts of men and religion but we do need the inspired word of God.

God teaches us the reality of who He is and has placed in everyone of us that knowledge.

Gods word directs us to the truth that Jesus is God. The God of creation is the God who provides our salvation. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God of Peter, James and John.

THE NAMES OF GOD

My next sermon series at Living Springs will be "The Names of God". In this series we will discover the Biblical meanings behind some of the names given to God. I Really believe this will be an important series because I am convinced people need to know there is only one true God.

The Bible clearly teaches monotheism(one God). As the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ we must teach the truth concerning the God of the Bible. To many people have a misconception about religion as it relates to who God is. Religion does not define who God is. Only the Bible, Gods Word, can give us the clear truth about God.

In This series we will look at both the Old and New Testaments. In this series we will be amazed at all that God has revealed about Himself through the scripture.

10 reasons to invite and not invite people to follows Christ at your church

I found these top 10 lists on Craig Groeschel's blog:

Why you should invite

1. Someone may be at church only once.
2. The Holy Spirit may have been working on them for months or years.
3. Even some churched people don’t understand the gospel.
4. Many trust in the church for salvation instead of trusting Christ.
5. Seeing others saved gives believers another reason to worship and motivation to witness.
6. New Christians can “light a church on fire.”
7. Angels in heaven get to party when one person meets Christ.
8. Hell is a real place.
9. You care deeply about people.
10. Families, workplaces, neighborhoods, cities, and generations could be different when one person meets Christ.

Why you won't invite

1. You are afraid of rejection.
2. You think everyone at church is already a believer.
3. You wouldn’t dream of offending someone.
4. You don’t really believe the gospel changes lives.
5. You are so busy preaching about how to "have a better life” that you don’t have time to present Christ.
6. You would rather tell another joke than spend time explaining the gospel.
7. You don’t want to be criticized for being narrow minded.
8. You care more about everyone feeling welcome than about their eternity.
9. You are embarrassed to talk a lot about Jesus.
10. You don’t really really believe the gospel yourself.

A Time for Everything"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
3:9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
3:10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
3:11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
3:12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
3:13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
3:14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
3:15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

the lukewarm church

In Revelations 3:14-22 we find the lukewarm church. They were neither hot or cold. Jesus tells this church to open the door to Him vs. 20.

These Christians had closed the door on Jesus. They were doing things in there way on there terms.This church was deeply distracted. This church had a warped perception of who they were.

They thought they were rich but Jesus says they were poor.
They thought they had vision but Jesus said they were blind.
They thought they looked good but Jesus said they were fooling themselves.

This church needed to let Jesus back into there lives.
They needed repentance
They needed a renewed vision of Christ
They needed to let Christ take control

The Zombie Church

Ray Steadman says of this zombie church "Mild-mannered people, meeting in mild-mannered ways, striving to be more mild-mannered."

Hollywood has given us a name for people like that: it calls them "Zombies" -- corpses that are alive, that walk about as though they are living but they are really dead. As we read this letter, we are looking at the First Zombie Church of Sardis! That word has been updated a bit recently.

Calvin Miller wrote "The Singer." He says:
Many Christians are really Christaholics and not disciples at all. Disciples are cross-bearers; they seek Christ. Christaholics seek happiness. Disciples dare to discipline themselves, and the demands they place on themselves leave them enjoying the happiness of their growth. Christaholics are escapists looking for a shortcut to Nirvana. Like drug addicts, they are trying to "bomb out" of their depressing world.

The church at Sardis, says our Lord, is a church that has a reputation to live, but is really dead. It is a church of Christaholics! But there was a time, apparently, when this church was alive, when it was filled with people who knew the Lord. Because they knew him, they served the homeless and the needy of the city. That is the way they won a reputation. They appeared to be a people committed to good works, but now there was no life there. Remember that Paul warns us of that condition in his great 13th chapter of First Corinthians. He says, "Though I speak in tongues, have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and knowledge, and have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal," (1 Corinthians 13:1-2 NIV). Here was a church that once had a great ministry but it had slipped away from them. It once had much impact in the city of Sardis, but now nothing is happening.

Dr. William Barclay has said: "A church is in danger of death when it begins to worship its own past; when it is more concerned with forms than with life; when it loves systems more than it loves Jesus; when it is more concerned with material than it is with spiritual things." This church in Sardis was so devoid of life that it actually had no struggles going on within it. Notice the difference between it and the other churches. There are no Jewish accusers of this church even though there was a large colony of Jews in the city of Sardis. They ignored the church, or perhaps did not even know of its existence. There were no false apostles here. There were no domineering Nicolaitans who needed to be guarded against. There were no female seducers, as at Thyatira. There was nothing! Zip -- that was the ministry of the church at Sardis!

and the survey says

Top 13 Reasons that Unchurched People Choose a Church
(research conducted by Ranier)

90% - Pastor/Preaching
88% - Doctrines
49% - Friendliness of Members
42% - Other Issues
41% - Someone Church Witnessed to Me
38% - Family Member
37% - Sensed God’s Presence/Atmosphere of Church
25% - Relationship Other than Family Member
25% - Sunday School Class
25% - Children’s/Youth Ministry
12% - Other Groups/Ministries
11% - Worship Style/Music
7% - Location

Top 9 Reasons that Church-Attenders Choose a Church
(research conducted by the Barna Group in 1999)

58% - Doctrine/Theology
53% - People Caring for Each Other
52% - Preaching
45% - Friendliness
45% - Children’s Programs
43% - Helping the Poor
36% - Denomination
35% - Like the Pastor
26% - Sunday School

Top 6 Things that Keep the Formerly Unchurched Active in the Church
(research conducted by Ranier)

62% - Ministry Involvement
55% - Sunday School
54% - Obedience to God
49% - Fellowship of Members
38% - Pastor/Preaching
14% - Worship Services

The statistics speak for themselves. Overall, doctrine, the pastor and his preaching, and the friendliness and fellowship of the congregation are the most influential qualities.

I See It

One of the main points to reaching people is through strategically planning to do so. The plan is merely the how. It is the execution of the plan that gets things done. From the view point of vision we must see in our hearts and mind what we want the results to be.

I can see our church reaching a lot of people. I can see our little sanctuary packed with new people finding Christ and growing in Christ. I can see a church building filled with believers worshiping Jesus with everything they have within them.

Imagine this as our future church schedule of services

Saturday night worship 6:00pm
Sunday morning worship services 9:00 am 11:00 am and 1:00 pm

Coming soon a new worship center!

I see it! can you see it?

focus

FOCUS
Follow
One
Course
Until
Successful

Through out the years we get many touches to get people to our church. Think on these.

• delivering values to people
• relationships are the keys
• One message but many methods –finding common ground to see some saved
• What does the community think of your church
• vision-where you want to be in the future
• mission-stating how you plan to get to where you want to be
• branding-stating your uniqueness.
• don’t be flexible be fluid
• stating we are here?
• we need a vision image

good quotes

I was reading Tommy Tenny's book "The Ultimate Comeback" and I read these quotes. Some I had read before but they are really good.

"If you do not quit, you cannot fail"

"The shortest path between your failure and Gods favor is humility"

"Never let your past dictate your future"

"Failure is often the womb of success"

"Develop a NOTHING TO LOSE mentality"

"Pass the test when it comes around again"

"When your outward talent is greater than your inward character there is often a crash"

"One night in Gods presence and you can become what you always dreamed you were suppossed to be"

" God does His best work in the secret place"

"One day is as a thousand years, a thousand years as one day"2 Peter 3:8

7 churches of Revelations 1

The 7 Churches of Revelation

Message 1/Ephesus and Smyrna

Revelation chapter 2:1-11

There are 4 elements to each of the letters in scripture, and they are as follows:
· Praise - what the Lord is pleased with
· Correction needed - what the Lord is upset about
· Advice - to the leaders of the group as to how to get back on track
· Challenge - to the true believers within the group, to hold fast and overcome

1. Church of Ephesus -- Revelation 2:1-7

Praise: I know that you do good deeds, and work hard. You are patient and cannot stand evil. You condemn those who do wrong and hold false teachings to the fire.
Correction needed: You have left your first love - the core of the gospel.
Advice to leaders: Remember where it is that you have fallen from, repent and go back to the original teachings.
Challenge to believers: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Application: Men intent on abandoning the word of God (their first love) for their own doctrinal interpretations. The inference here is the addition of doctrines into the church, placing more importance on them than on the Word of God. This refers to legalistic churches that institute man-imposed salvation requirements, such as specific baptism rituals, or organization membership, and teach that there is no salvation unless these requirements are met. They focus more on dos and don'ts and on who does and doesn't do, than on the core message of scripture and thus they deny salvation by grace through faith. The easiest way to spot a church of Ephesus is their claim of being the only true remnant church of Christ and their insistence that there is no salvation outside of their organization and without their rituals.

2. Church of Smyrna -- Revelation 2:8-11
Praise: I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)
Condemnation: Nothing !!
Advice to leaders: Don't fear your suffering - satan will torment you and you will be tried. Be faithful unto death and you will have the crown of life..
Challenge to believers: He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death (and will have eternal life).
Application: Throughout the world, Christians are being persecuted in places like China, Russia, the Philippines and the Islamic Nation States. Witnessing is illegal in many of these places and sadly, it is all too common to hear of Christians being jailed, tortured and even beheaded for the crime of attempting to spread the gospel and the testimony of Jesus.

New teaching series for Thursday night

Teaching Series: Hidden Treasure Revealed
A series of teachings focusing on the parables of Jesus
What is a parable? A story that teaches a spiritual truth.

1st Teaching-Parable of the seed and the sower
Text: Matthew 13: 1-23

I want to teach this parable using a coin as an example- One side is teaching us what happens to people in relationship to there hearing the good news of Christ. The other side of the coin is teaching how the believer responds to the Word of God.

The sower- The person being used by The Holy Spirit
The seed- The word of God
The different soils- The heart of man
The receptiveness- the result

We will read the parable and then the explanation

(Vs 4) – The seed sown on the side of the road and the birds eat it
( Vs 19) the heart that lacks understanding allows the enemy to steal the illumination

(Vs 5) – The seed sown on rocky soil and interest is shown but nothing further
(Vs 20 ) someone who responds to the gospel but only for a short season.

(Vs 7) – The seed that fell among the thorns and weeds and was choked out
(Vs 22) when other things over take us and the word becomes ineffective.

(Vs 8) – The seed that fell on the good soil and produced fruit. Salvation.
(Vs 23) The growing believer /the degree of fruitfulness is up to the condition of the heart.

Vision

Vision of Living Springs Church


Outreach- To help people receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord through presenting a clear Biblical message of salvation and to encourage displaced believers back into their faith with Christ.

Discipleship- To help believers live an authentic Christianity though teaching Biblical and lifestyle discipleship.

Ministry- To help people in need by providing effective ministries through the church body.

Nehemiah

Nehemiah’s Impact
Chapter 13:30-31

A spot light on Nehemiah “Remember me, O my God, for good”.

Foundation for Impact

1. Getting in Gods will
2. Doing Gods work-(what is more important than eternity-Kingdom Minded)
3. Learning how to use wisdom (ability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight)
4. Being a worshiper
5. Being a warrior

28 reasons for his impact

1. He was a leader. Are leaders born or are they made?
2. He was a great organizer
3. He loved people
4. He was led by his heart
5. He was able to inspire
6. He had great determination
7. He was great at execution
8. He practiced prayer
9. He had a healthy fear of God
10. He loved Gods House
11. He loved serving God
12. He was a doer of the Word
13. He had confidence in God
14. He knew that God was the reason for his success
15. He loved his nation
16. He did not serve for personal gain (And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.)
17. He did not play favoritism
18. He was courageous
19. He showed great perseverance
20. He respected order
21. He defended the weak
22. He rebuilt the wall of the city
23. He establish the cities defenses
24. He grew the city in size
25. He brought spiritual renewal
26. He did not allow for the oppression of people
27. He brought back spiritual education
28. He led by example

Blog For Living Springs

I decided to create a blog for the Living Springs Church. I hope you like it.