A few thoughts on a great day at NewSpring Church…
- Today we talked about the fact that there is a difference in following Jesus and attending church…the tension was obvious; however, as my friend Andy Stanley says - “the tension is good.”
- Unfortunately in America the church is known for how we scream at people rather than how we serve them!
- Core Value #2 that we covered today is...SAVED PEOPLE SERVE PEOPLE! (See Matthew 20:28)
- According to the Scriptures it is impossible to say that we are following Jesus if we are not actively serving others.
- BTW…Chic Fil A was the hands down winner in the “favorite fast food” restaurant vote.
- Their food is really good…but it is their service that takes that restaurant over the top…service makes the difference!
- (I did a leadership post about Chic Fil A back in 2005…you can check it out here if you are interested.)
- One of the things that happens to a follower of Jesus is that we begin to see as Jesus sees…He changes us.
- BTW…if you are not changing then you are not following Christ. We can’t follow Jesus and stay the same.
- Today we covered the story of the Good Samaritan…who was the one in the story that not only SAW the opportunity…but did something about it. (See Luke 10:25-37)
- The guy in the story who “fell among robbers” is like so many of our friends and family members who do not know Christ…they walked down the wrong road…had the mess beat out of them…and they don’t really need a song or a sermon but rather someone to come along, pick them up and take them to a place where they can heal! (THE CHURCH!)
- We can’t say we’re following Jesus if we are not willing to get our hands dirty…because…HE GOT HIS HANDS DIRTY when it came to reaching us!
- Jesus didn’t die on a cross so that we could attend church…He did it so we would one day BELONG to one.
- We’re not trying to raise an audience at NewSpring…we want an army who believes that God can still do the “impossible,”...and we live out Isaiah 62:6-7 by begging Him for it!
- If we are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ then we must respond as Jesus leads…and He does not lead us to sit but rather serve!!!
- He’s not looking for “experts” but rather ordinary people who allow Him to do the extraordinary through them! (See Acts 4:13)
- A person who will not commit to a local church is a “spiritual hoe!” (Someone who attends everywhere but belongs nowhere!) God has called every believer to be involved in a local church spiritually, physically and financially.
- It’s not about the church needing us…but rather about God giving us the church through which He develops the gifts He has given us for His glory.
- I am so thankful for the hundreds and hundreds of volunteers at each campus who do all that they do every week to make sure church happens…you guys are AWESOME!
- I can’t WAIT until three weeks from today when we inform each campus of the AMAZING opportunities we each have to serve through local community projects…it is HARD to resist the message a church preaches when it is actively serving others.
- We had hundreds sign up for membership ownership class today…can’t WAIT to teach it tomorrow night in Anderson and Florence, Tuesday night in Cola and Thursday night in Greenville. (Monday will be the only time I teach it live…the other two will be via recording.)
- I literally could go on and on about what we learned today…if you didn’t make it then you can watch it online on Tuesday…or download the podcast from itunes.
One more quick thing…
I would really appreciate your prayers this week. I taught four seminars (two hours each time) last week…and I woke up Friday pretty sick to my stomach…that carried on through today…and I also had a massive headache to make sure the stomach ache was not alone. Basically I felt like I had been hit by a truck…it backed up…and then ran over me again. God was so gracious to me by allowing me to preach…and I know that through your prayers HE will continue to set me on fire so that I can teach the ownership class tomorrow night.
NewSpring Church…I LOVE MY CHURCH…you guys are awesome…and the best is yet to come!