Awaken

A new definition of insanity- “keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results”.
Unfortunately that is the story of many Christians today.
When we peek into the lives of people it is like watching the reruns of your favorite sitcoms. Everything stays the same, nothing changes.
We find the same hang ups, problems, patterns of life mixed in with a few good days. Is it any wonder why people are so frustrated with the lack of progress in their lives.

When you read a message like this you might think that the call is for radical and immediate change but that is not the reality we are seeking. This call is more about challenging people to take personal leadership to start turning around the ship that is your life.

One of the problem we face is about change. People don't like change and resisit it when possible. We like our little clicks in life. We like our small thinking. It has been said "Little thinkers are the big stinkers". People are hesitant to bring real change in there live because we have tried to make changes. We try but then fall back to our old ways. Because of this we become gun shy of change and those who propose it.

This tension brings me to the purpose of the message. How can I wake you up. How can you awaken from you daze and apathy. How can the dawn of a new day be a new start for you? It is a given, if you keep doing what what you've always done you will keep getting what you've always gotten. Change then is essential to progress. So how do we change things to take us foward?

Take pride in who you are through Christ. Ask the the Lord to restore the joy of your salvation. Return to your first love. Start a spirtual makeover. Make renewed commitment to the spirtual disciplines. Get involved in the ministry of the church. Start to pray for people. Help someone in need. Ask God to put a new spiritual spring in your step. Stop and smell the roses. Start to care about the things that are really important. If people know that you care it will make a huge diffrence.

Planting-Watering-Growing

As we began our church conference I was reminded about the process of God. God calls us to do the work(holy sweat) and leave the results to Him. I heard a preacher say "leave the size of the church up to God". Three things we should keep in mind as we plant and revitalize churhes.

1. Remember the Law of the Harvest- Gal 6:9 says that we should not grow weary in doing good for in due time we will reap a harvest. Keep serving, keep working, keep on keeping on. The bumper sticker said "Jesus is coming, look busy". We don't need to be self decieved. If we trully are in the field and laboring we can expect a harvest. If we are just going through the motions nothing will come of it.

2. Measure Accordingly- Results should not only be based on numbers. Numbers are good and a good measurement but sometimes other things must happen before we see the numbers(numbers represent people and people count). Facility upgrade is a measurement. Developing new strategies and implimentation of new systems are in the mix of growth. Developing new leaders, small groups, mission giving, giving increases and things like these help spell out progress as well.

3. God is Still God- In the scope of everything growth God remains on his throne and there are factors that He calls us to consider. A new church in a growing suburb of a major population area will have different results than a land locked urban older congregation. Each of these church must approach ministry in a different context but each can be successful in there setting. Trust God for whatever situation you find yourself in.

We must make sure we are doing our part because God is always ready and more that able and willing to do His.

Vision Again?

It seems that you have to go back to vision everytime you are taking the church foward. Warren Bennis stated that the single defining quality of a leader is vision. A leader is one who is in tune with the future, who knows where God wants him to go, a person who is focused on a clear purpose. As one person put it, a leader sees more than others, farther than others, and before others. Someone said "Our preachers aren't dreaming. That's why the church is such a nightmare." If our churches are asleep, we are the ones that need to wake up and start dreaming. Nothing happens unless it's first a dream.

Everybody has a story

The Gospel is a true story about how God came to earth and gave His life to save mankind from sin. Every Year we tell the story of the birth of Jesus because we celebrate the power of God's love for us. That almighty God would leave heaven and come to earth opens the door to the greatest story ever told.

When we read the Bible we are reading about the lives of people that God used in many ways. In the Bible we read the stories about how God was involved in the lives of Men.

What is your story? where have you been? Where have you come from? What is happening now? Have you stopped to reflect on all that has happened in your life?

Can you pick out the God momments in your life? Can you put into simple terms what God has done for you?

I recently attended a conference in Houston. One of the speakers was Drayton McLane Jr. Mr. McLane is the billionare owner of the Houston Astros. When he gave his talk it was one story of the successes and faiures of his life. It seemed that everything that had happened to him was a lesson about what his purpose was.

Now as a man in His eighties he was sharing with us the tapestry of what he was. If you have ever seen a tapestry it a beautifully woven picture on the front side but in ther back it is a mess of string seemingly without purpose.

What is your story? It is time to tell someone, any one what God is going in your life.

Taking A Really Good Look

Sometimes you have to take a really good look at what your doing and ask if it is making the differnce you are wanting it to. An honest set of fresh eyes on your current situation might hurt when you have to face the truth but in the short and long run it will make a huge difference.

In Ministry we must be willing to re-evaluate everything we do because we need to be effective in all we do. We don't want to do anything just to do it. Here are some of the things I have been doing:

What is happening from 11am to 12pm @ the Springs? Are we doing our best to give God our best? Is this hour during the week making a diffrence in the lives of those who take the time to attend. Are we truely hospitable? Are we striving for excellence? Do we have first time quest every Sunday? Do we have a system in place to connect people to what we are doing as a church? Is there a spirit of excitement and expectency in the hearts of God's people. Is life change taking place?

These kind of things start during the week. Are we praying, planning and preparing to make good things happen on Sunday.

Healing

Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’

A man has been beat up and placed in a pit…a man comes by and delivers him from the pit but the man remains busied inside and out. He must be healed. The story of the Good Samaritan is the story of Jesus. Jesus found us by the side of the road and picked us up and now is making sure we are being healed.

The heart is desperate and wicked who can know it…The deepts of sin..how far can we fall.
You have to articulate where you are…you must get in touch with yourself.
We can be delivered but not healed. There is process to some things that need healing in our lives.
We must allow the sword of the Lord to pierce our wounds and allow the poison that is sickening us to be realeased. Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Everybody has a secret…a need for healing that must take place.
Confession is good for the soul. Who do I talk to?
We must be renewed in our minds
God respects our intellectual abilities because He wants to bring revelation to us.
Reconciled to God /then to self/ then to my surroundings(others)
You know what you have gone through so don’t let anybody devalue that.
God uses imperfect people to help perfect people.
How can I say that God has forgiven me if I haven’t forgiven myself?
God speaks to my spirit and my spirit speaks to my mind.

Our God Heals

Some of the things we go through in life damage us. We become wounded by events that we bring on ourselves or that others bring on to us. God does not want us wandering around as wounded warriors. God wants to heal our hurts and wounds and make us whole.

The blood of Jesus can bring healing to us if we ask God for that healing. To many times we do not want to deal with the hurts in our life but that denial only stops us from being free to be all that God has called us to be.

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing how we can recieve healing in our hearts from all of our hurts. Stay tuned.