WOW!
I have a confession…I am overwhelmed AND amazed at what God is doing here at NewSpring church.
We had a total of 8,055 people at church today (over 1,400 were children!!!) Folks—STOP and think about this just for a second…in January we were averaging around 4,000 people…and this week we had over 8,000. Basically our church has doubled in less than a year…and we are in Anderson, SC.
NOW…keep in mind that this would be incredible in Atlanta or Dallas or LA…but…this is ANDERSON! What am I trying to say? Simple—GOD IS MAJORLY involved in what is going on here…this type of growth DOES NOT HAPPEN unless HE is at work…and the fact that HE is working is undeniable. Sure…there are some that may not like what is going on (satan for example), but God’s work cannot be disputed.
(This series has brought about an incredible response…we have received more e-mails and phone calls at our church than ever before. If you would like to listen to this weeks message about being a MAN…or any other message…you can download them here.)
We have been getting a lot of calls and e-mails lately asking us what we are doing to facilitate this type of growth. Basically we are doing what we’ve always done…I will list it out…
#1 - We Talk About Jesus—A LOT!!!
I have heard in the church planting world that, if a church is going to grow, the subject of Jesus should only be brought up every once in a while.
WRONG!
You see…the church…the ministries…the facilities…EVERYTHING is all about Jesus. If we don’t have Him—as Paul said in I Corinthians 15…our faith is useless.
Today I challenged the men to become more like Jesus…and I painted the picture of Him that Scripture paints. Too many of us were brought up in a church where the men were weak and the only picture of Jesus we ever saw was some weak pathetic looking dude who wore a dress, carried a lamb, and cried a lot.
THAT’S NOT THE JESUS OF THE BIBLE!!! He was a warrior—a king…and if we, as men, sought to be more like Him our lives and our families would be much better off.
#2 - Speaking Of The Bible—We Teach Straight From Scripture.
Once again…I heard in church planting world when I first got started that you basically had to do some sort of feel good talk and then read a verse at the end of your message to prove a point.
WRONG AGAIN!
It’s quite simple—I believe in Scripture…and I believe it is all true…from Genesis to the maps in the back! And, if you will take a look at the churches nationwide that are experiencing growth…the talk about Jesus a lot…AND preach from Scripture.
One of the rumors about our church in this community used to be that we don’t teach the Bible. (I even heard once that we would confiscate Bibles at the door and not allow them in!!!) Someone who would say something along these lines is merely showing their stupidity in that they are talking about something that they have not taken the time to investigate…because if they did they would see that we teach & preach from Scripture just as much as any other church on the planet.
#3 - We Are Creative
I have done several posts on this…so I will not belabor this point…I just want to say that I believe that we do not serve a boring God; therefore, we should not attend a boring church.
People have accused us of being “too entertaining.” I would MUCH rather be accused of being “too entertaining” than “too boring!!!”
Besides—where in the world did we ever get the idea that entertainment = evil? We want the movies, television shows and sporting events to be entertaining and then want church to be boring?!?!? If that is the case then maybe we need a bigger view of God…HE is ANYTHING but boring…and He created this world for us to enjoy!
(You don’t think God is fun & entertaining? This is the God who created the Grand Canyon. This is the God who designed the Rocky Mountains. This is the God that created SEX!!! YEAH!!! Nope, He’s not boring!!!)
SO…can a church preach about Jesus…use Scripture…and be creative all at the same time. I would say yes…because we are doing it. NO—we are NOT perfect…but we are trying our best to lift up the name of Jesus and make Him famous all over the Upstate…and eventually the world!!!
#4 - We CARE About Reaching Kids!!! (I have done several posts on this—here is one, this one was fun, and this is one I did this past summer.)
On a personal note—let me say this…I am overwhelmed…in a good way…but still—keep in mind that this is the largest church I have ever attended and the only church I have ever pastored. I am not an expert…I am a rookie!!! And I can honestly say that I am MORE DESPERATE to hear the voice of God than EVER BEFORE IN MY LIFE!
Reality is this…I can’t do this…I am not smart enough to figure this thing out. We didn’t get where we are today because Perry Noble is a really smart guy…GOD KNOWS that’s not the reason…we got here because God wanted to do something at a place and among some people that, when people from the outside looked at us, they said, “Now that HAS to be GOD…because the guy who is leading them is an idiot!!!” :-)
I am more in love with Jesus than I have ever been…and NewSpring…I say this all the time…but THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. GOD HASN’T EVEN BEGAN TO SCRATCH THE SURFACE OF WHAT HE WANTS TO DO!!! There are too many people within a driving distance of our church that are going to spend eternity in hell…and I am NOT comfortable with that…so let’s continue to INVITE as many people as we can…and do all we can to make the name of Jesus famous.
One more thing…here is a list of blog posts that are coming this week…
- Advice to single dudes when it comes to asking a girl out/dating a girl
- Why Jesus could probably never be a pastor in most churches
- With all of the attention given to mega-church pastors falling…should the mega-church dissolve?
- AND—this week there will be an extra mp3 on our website…I am doing an all staff meeting tomorrow and the subject I am dealing with is something that I believe every church leader in the country needs to take a listen to…more information on this later.
THANK YOU JESUS CHRIST FOR ALL YOU ARE DOING IN OUR CHURCH! TO YOUR NAME BE ALL HONOR AND GLORY AND PRAISE…and thank You for using a screw up like me…for finding me…gifting me…changing me…and using me…do what You have done in my life to THOUSANDS of others…in Jesus name, AMEN!