Sunday Night Reflections January 10, 2010

Can’t get my mind wrapped around the amazing day that God blessed me with…here are a few thoughts…

• The services were energetic…there is an amazing sense of celebration and anticipation in our church…and in two weeks EVERY campus comes together for one service at the BI-LO center…it’s going to be EPIC!
• We will be announcing at that service the location of our 5th satellite campus that we will be launching sometime within the next 12-18 months, I CAN’T WAIT to tell you more about it!
• We saw several people receive Christ today…and yep, you guessed it, that NEVER gets old!
• Had a blast recounting the changes in culture over the past decade, the changes in our church…and talking about the things that will never change.
• Matthew 16:13-18 is one of those passages that God always brings me back to…was so much fun looking at it today.
• If we are going to continually be the church God wants it to be…we can’t play it safe!!!
• One of the greatest lies from the enemy is, “the safest place to be is in the will of God.”  Uh…according to church history the apostles were all murdered for their faith…not exactly safe.
• And…if the above statement about being safe is true…then how in the world does Luke 9:23-24 fit into that!
• The church isn’t a place for perfect people…it’s a place where imperfect people gather to worship a perfect God.
• Yes, I did wear a snuggie!  NO, it was NOT MY SNUGGIE!  And…if you are a dude and you own one…you should not tell ANYONE about it, that’s just not cool!
• The church isn’t called to legislate morality…we CANNOT expect non-Christians to behave like Christians…we need to be less concerned about their actions and more concerned about their eternal destination!
• Jesus didn’t die on a cross so the church could control our behavior…but rather to UNLEASH the power of His Holy Spirit inside of us.
• It’s so funny how the church will trust the Holy Spirit to work in a person’s life PRE-conversion…but POST-conversion their message to God is, “thanks for all of the amazing work You did, but we can take over from here!”
• I say if we are going to believe in His Sovereignty then let’s believe in it completely…that the same God who drew them will keep them because they are HIS!  (Philippians 1:6)
• The church needs to stop trying to control people and begin releasing them to do what God said to do and be who God said to be!
• The Gospel IS OUR MESSAGE…we have nothing else that can bring hope or heal hurt in people!
• We will not be a “one hit wonder” church.
• AND…yes, I can rap the entire version of, “Ice Ice Baby!”  (You need to hear the podcast to understand.)
• As long as Jesus keeps changing lives…people will keep showing up!
• We’ve got a lot more people to reach…and by God’s grace THIS is the LAST YEAR that we will be able to hold an event @ the BI-LO center because after two weeks from today it will be TOO SMALL!!!
• Yes, I know that’s crazy…but I would MUCH RATHER dream crazy dreams and believe in God for HUGE things instead of slipping into cruise control and telling the communities we are in to “go to hell” because we think we’ve arrived!
• We are not the perfect church…but we will always strive to be the church Jesus has called us to be!
• There is NOTHING more powerful and/or relevant happening in the church than changed lives.
• It was so nice to share my heart at the end of the message today about finishing well.  My passion is that THIS will be the only church I ever pastor, that Lucretia will be the only wife I ever have, that Charisse will be a godly daughter who, as she knows me more will love and respect me even more and to have ONE LORD, JESUS CHRIST…and to do my best to follow Him and do what He says.

I am already looking forward to next week…more excited than a man should be about the incredible blessings God has placed in my life…NewSpring, the BEST IS YET TO COME!