Howdy NewSpring Church, FIVE things I would LOVE to share with you today…
#1 - In case you might have missed it…I would LOVE for every NewSpring owner/attender to take a few minutes to read yesterday’s post in regards to why I really do believe we are going to reach 100,000 people!
#2 - This past Sunday (the 2nd week of our Job series) was a GREAT DAY as we saw over 60 people surrender their lives to Christ (NEVER GETS OLD). So far in this series we’ve covered the fact that the Bible says in Job 42:12 that God blessed the 2nd half of Job’s life more than the first…and two of the ways to experience this in our own lives are…
- One - Don’t Ever Give Up On The God Who Has Never Given Up On You - Despite what happened to Job in Job 1 and Job 2 he clung to the Lord (see Job 19:25-27) and refused to turn his back on the Lord, despite the fact that all hell had broken loose in his life.
- Two - Understand That God Has Not Called Me To Make Excuses But Rather To Make A Difference! Job refused to allow the pain of his past to dominate his future…and he refused to play the victim card and complain about tragedy all of his life.
#3 - If you want to do a little further study on your own from the message from this past Sunday, here are some passages you can look at (I’ve included them beside the points that we made.)
- God Is Good - Check out Titus 3:3-7, Ephesians 2:1-10, Romans 2:4 & I Peter 3:9
- (AND under this point we talked about the fact that God has blessed all Christians with at least one spiritual gift (I Corinthians 12:4-7), and that the gift He has blessed us with is for the purpose of us serving others (I Peter 4:10).
- (We also talked about the fact that if you don’t allow your past to die then it will not allow you to live. If you are IN CHRIST then II Corinthians 5:17 and Isaiah 1:18 are true of YOU!)
- Time Is Limited - Check out Psalm 90 (the whole thing), James 4:13-14, Psalm 39:5 & Isaiah 2:22)
- My Life Matters - See Ephesians 2:10, Psalm 139:13-16 & Isaiah 43:1-4) AND…DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT SETTLE for anything less than God’s VERY BEST for your life! All to often we settle for so much less than we should…just like CS Lewis said in this quote…
“Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased!”
#4 - THIS COMING SUNDAY will most likely be the most freeing/liberating message that people have ever heard…and yet at the same time will be one of the most difficult messages to apply! I can’t wait! And…AS ALWAYS, I’m asking every to PRAY like crazy about this Sunday…and BRING SOMEONE with you (remember, the relationships we have with people who do not know Christ are NOT ACCIDENTAL…God has placed us on this planet to be HIS ambassadors - see II Corinthians 5:11-21! - and sooner or later we’ve got to actually HAVE CONVERSATIONS with those who do not know Christ - see Romans 10:14-17!
#5 - A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who sent emails and cards for Pastor’s Appreciation Month. I sat down and read every single one of them and was overwhelmed many times by reading the letters of people who shared with me how significantly Jesus has impacted their lives through the ministry of NewSpring Church. I am SO blown away that I actually get the privilege/opportunity to do this…it is an honor to serve this church as a pastor. I’m quite overwhelmed at God’s faithfulness and all He has done for our church over the past 11 years…and I’m more excited about our future than I’ve ever been. THE BEST IS YET TO COME!