Joe, one of our pastors on staff found this video on you tube the other night. BEFORE you watch it please keep in mind that it is around nine minutes long…but worth every second. It brought tears to my eyes and raised several thoughts in my mind.
#1 - Every Week Is Someone’s First Week At NewSpring.
If you are a pastor…the same could be said about your church…that every single weekend COULD be THE weekend that THE PERSON who people in your church have been inviting and praying for show up. For some people that may be an afterthought…but I am OBSESSED with this thought. This video was proof that you never know who is going to show up.
#2 - If The Tomb Is REALLY Empty Then The Atmosphere At Church Should Reflect It!
It blows my mind that a person will go to a football game and nearly kill themselves yelling for a bunch of people they don’t even know…and that SAME person will go to a church the next day and show no emotion at all.
I once Mark Beeson, pastor of Granger Community Church, say that Christianity is THE most exciting thing that has ever happened in the world…and it has taken the church 2,000 years to make it boring!!!
It IS our job to make the environment exciting and friendly.
I can’t get these thoughts out of my mind
- Jesus is ALIVE…He ROSE!!!
- WE WIN…I’ve read the last chapter of the book
- People do not have to go to hell!!!
These thoughts govern my teaching and my leadership…which is one of the reasons I am getting away from the critics…with all that God is doing here—I simply do not have time for you. I want to see more people reached for Christ!!!
#3 - God AND The People Walking Through Our Doors Every Week Deserve Our Best!
It bothers me when a church throws some sort of program together at the last minute & then asks God to bless it…this is equal to the college student that refuses to study for an exam all semester long and then shows up to take the test and throws up some lame prayer, asking God to help him out.
I know this—Sunday at NewSpring God is going to give His absolute best. We are going to get His best attention…His best grace & mercy…His best empowerment…His best beauty…His best protection…the best of everything He has. (Yes, this is there for every church in the world!)
BUT…we should give Him our best…our best in prayer…our best in preparation…our best in the singers…our best in the musicians…our best in the parking lot…our best in the greeting…our best in the children’s & nursery area…our best in EVERYTHING!
AND…when you combine God’s best with the churches best…BAM…things happen. Churches grow when people in the church do not sit around and offer God half-hearted, watered down presentation…they grow when people KNOW that God is SOVEREIGN…and because of that very fact are willing to go all out to see as many people as possible come to Christ.
I can’t wait for Sunday!!! I promise you we will give our best. Oh yeah…just a sidenote…we mess something up EVERY week. Seriously…which is a beautiful reminder that God is so much bigger than all of us or our efforts…and its so cool to see Him work MANY times not because of us…but in spite of us!
On a different note—we have over people signed up for our conference so far…what are you waiting for? :-)