TODAY WAS FUN!!!
Seriously—I had a blast in church today! Our band did “The Noise We Make” to end the services…BUT…it wasn’t your normal service ending. NOPE—it was complete with trash cans as we attempted to put “Stomp” to shame! I grabbed a trash can & joined in during the second and third services. Like I said—it was FUN!
I’ve actually been thinking about that concept all day long…that church should be fun. Don’t get me wrong—there are times when church ISN’T FUN…especially when the Holy Spirit seems to be kicking your rear-end all through the song and the message.
But…for the most part—I think church services ought to be a celebration. I mean…IF the tomb is really empty...then why do many churches seem SAD about it? Or even MAD about it?
Folks—WE WIN!!! If we related it to football—GOD IS OUR COACH and WE PLAY FOR A WINNER!!! AND in my opinion I believe it is time the church began playing like a winner instead of trying to see how dull, boring, and predictable we can make our church services.
JESUS CHRIST IS ALIVE…HE IS REAL…HE IS HUGE…and there is NO REASON that HIS BRIDE, the church, should not be radiant and alive!!! YEAH!!!
(I felt that everyone left after the songs & message PUMPED UP! You can download the message here if you would like!)
A few other thoughts…
This Wednesday is FIRST WEDNESDAY!!! If you have missed any of our previous First Wednesday’s you can download the messages here. It begins at 6:30…and it will be very “different.”
Joe is doing his class on finances tomorrow (Monday) night…he has over 600 people signed up! Folks…if you are coming to this class then please bring a seatbelt because God is going to use Joe to take you on a financial trip that is going to blow your mind. The dude is smoking what he’s selling…and he is living it out…so much so that when he was able to get financially freed up—he was able to take a massive pay cut (nearly 50%) to come on staff at NewSpring.
Don’t forget this coming Sunday is going to be when Chelsea Stewart, the daughter of the former Payne Stewart, will be sharing her testimony. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS...and if ANYONE you know is angry or bitter or doubting God…GET THEM HERE ON SUNDAY!!! (If I were you…I would make plans to arrive early…we are anticipating our largest crowd ever!)
And last but not least…I know a lot of church planters read this blog…and I have GOT to tell you about my friend, Steven Furtick. This dude planted a church in Charlotte, NC about 10 months ago. And when I say he began with nothing…I mean it. He moved to Charlotte & started from scratch.
Well…today they had 973 people (their highest attendance ever) and baptized 55 people!!! That is so awesome!!! Steven…I am so proud of you & what you are allowing God to do through you and your team at Elevation Church.
Let me say this about Steven—he is one of the hungriest people I have ever met when it comes to leadership and church planting. He has been asking me questions about this stuff for two years…and he is a trip to be around because I wind up learning a TON through all that God is doing through him. Keep your eyes on this dude—God is going to use him to do amazing things!!!
Please keep something in mind—churches do not go from zero to nearly 1,000 in less than a year unless they talk a lot about Jesus—use Scripture without an apology—and have a dynamic leadership structure in place. In fact—around 80% of church plants FAIL…but not this one!!!
SO…the fact that GOD is doing what He is doing through Steven & his team in Charlotte is amazing. Yeah GOD…I love to see it when churches reach people…and lives are changed…rather than churches that naval gaze and pray for three months about what color they need to paint the restrooms!!!
The church is the bride of Christ—she should shine…let her shine Steven…and hold on…because our God is able to do so much more than all we could ever ask or imagine.
Have an awesome week!!!