Celebrating What’s Important

Aug 28, 2013

The other night I sat on my couch and watched one of the most meaningless things I have ever seen in my life.  

First of all, I am an INSANE football fan, and this time of year is incredibly challenging as I am having to WAIT for the season!  So, in order to kill time I will kick back on occasion and watch a few minutes of pre season NFL football, just to remember what it is like! 

There is hardly anything less meaningful on the planet than the final outcome of a pre-season NFL football game!  

No one cares!  

There is NOT a "Pre-season Champion!"  

Pre-season records are never remembered.  

So, with this in mind, I was watching the game and a player scored a touchdown (in a pre-season game!)...AND HE LOST HIS MIND!  He began dancing, celebrating and encouraging the fans to do the same.  I MAYBE could have understood if he would have been a rookie and this had been his first touchdown; however, he was a veteran who had been in the endzone before...yet he spent so much energy celebrating something that was insignificant before the day even ended...and is impacting no ones life right now!  

Our world LOVES to celebrate the temporary and the unimportant.

We celebrate singers and bands today as if they are they greatest thing since sliced bread...when in actuality most of them will be lucky to be able to play on a stage at a college frat party in 20 years.  

We celebrate actors and the release of moves (DO WE REALLY NEED TO SEE ANOTHER BATMAN MOVIE?)  

We celebrate halftime at the Super Bowl!  

AND...don't get me wrong, I'm ALL FOR CELEBRATION!  However, when it comes to CELEBRATION I believe the church should take the LEAD rather than letting the world out celebrate us!!!  

Which is one of the reasons I always tweet and share whenever someone gives their life to Christ on a Sunday, no matter if it is one or 1,500 I celebrate!  

I celebrate when our church has a great day (and yes, I believe every Sunday is a great Sunday!)  

I celebrate when I see Jesus do something awesome...I refuse to be quiet when He has done so much for me and is doing so much in our church.  

So, NewSpring Church, I wanted to share some things that all of us can celebrate together today:  

First of all, since January of THIS YEAR we have seen the following number of salvations per campus...

  • 2,095 in Anderson
  • 1,050 in Greenville
  • 668 in Florence
  • 1,877 in Columbia
  • 395 in Charleston
  • 850 in Spartanburg
  • 659 in Greenwood
  • 200 in Myrtle Beach

WE NEED TO CELEBRATE THAT!!!  Every number has a name, every name has a story and every story matters to God!  

I also want to celebrate (and THANK YOU) for OWNING the core value that "Found People Find People!"  You all have been relentless in inviting people to church, and it is WORKING!  We're seeing thousands come to Christ, and...take a look at the attendance increase per campus when we compare the average from August of last year to August of this year...

Anderson

  • 2012 - 9,830
  • 2013 - 11,368
  • Increase = 16%

Greenville

  • 2012 - 3,279
  • 2013 - 5,728
  • Increase = 75%

Florence

  • 2012 - 1,662
  • 2013 - 2,309
  • Increase = 39%

Columbia

  • 2012 - 2,147
  • 2013 - 5,501
  • Increase = 156%

Charleston

  • 2012 - 1,013
  • 2013 - 1,755
  • Increase = 73%

Spartanburg

  • 2012 - 1,420
  • 2013 - 3,417
  • Increase = 140%

Myrtle Beach

  • 2012 - 429
  • 2013 - 936
  • Increase = 118%

Greenwood

  • 2012 - Did not exist in August
  • 2013 - 2,113

NewSpring Church...this IS NOT NORMAL!!!  Would you take some time with me today (maybe just 30 seconds right now) to say "thank you" to the Lord for all He is doing in our church...and then ask Him to continue to pour Himself out on us and do things that we could have never even thought of or imagined?  

I cannot WAIT for this coming Sunday, the 4th message in our "Step Up" series.  I can promise you that THIS SUNDAY will be an incredible day of us all being both encouraged AND challenged in ways that will help our roots to grow deeper and stronger in our walk with Christ!  

I love my church!