We are partnering with Church of the Highlands in this effort.  Their pastor, Chris Hodges, is one of the greatest men of God that I know…and I fully trust him, the staff the Lord has given him and the amazing volunteers at his church.

I’m asking as many people as possible to help out this Sunday by bringing at least one of the items on the list below to the campus you attend.

• Flavored drinks, either Gatorade or Powerade  (We’ve been told that they have PLENTY of bottled water!)
• Diapers
• Baby Formula (I was told this is a tremendous need!)
• Packaged juices
• Baby food

Also…our church is going to be giving Church of the Highlands a donation for $25,000 to help in other areas of disaster relief as they see fit.  If you would like to give additional dollars to assist in their efforts to meet needs “on the ground” then here is a link where you can give directly to the disaster relief effort.  I can promise you that 100% of what you donate will go directly to disaster relief…and that Church of the Highlands will do an amazing job of stewarding every dollar you donate well.

So…NewSpring Church…let’s step up BIG TIME this Sunday.  Let’s “BE THE CHURCH” and meet the needs that are right in front of us.

See you Sunday!

#2 – What is the ONE THING that we want to happen and need to happen…but it would take a move of God for it to happen?  (Finding the answer to this question will definitely give your prayer life direction!)

#3 – Is there any unresolved conflict in this room?  (If you don’t have a healthy culture it will eventually spread to your staff and then your entire church!)

#4 – Is there anything that we need to stop doing?  (Are there any programs that no one is really excited about, that are not growing but are simply being maintained because “we’ve always had that program.”  If the horse is dead…get off the horse.  DO NOT form a committee to study the horse.  Don’t try a different saddle on the horse…DISMOUNT!)

#5 – Are there any obvious problems that we are trying to deny that simply need to be dealt with?  (There are some things you cannot “pray away!”)

#6 – Do we know the vision and values of our church and can we recite them from memory?  (If you don’t know them and/or they are unclear then there is around a 100% chance that your church is not really moving forward with a unified vision!)

#7 – Who should be be learning from?  (My advice…stay away from the philosophers, you know, the people who write books and have websites that tell people how to do things they’ve never actually done!!!  Stick with the people who have fought the fights and paid the price…and do whatever it takes to learn from others!!!  See Proverbs 4:7!)

This year for our Easter services one of my opening illustrations was taken from the movie “Smokey and the Bandit.”  I talked about how in 1977 that I really wanted the Trans Am that was in that movie…and thought that if I could have it then I would never want anything else again.  (The message will be online and on itunes by noon tomorrow.)

Anyway, a family had been inviting a friend of theirs to NewSpring for three years and he finally came to a service last night.  (Don’t EVER give up on people!!!)  He did not pray to receive Christ during the service…HOWEVER…

On the way home he was listening to the radio and “East Bound & Down” by Jerry Reed (The theme song for “Smokey & the Bandit”) came on!  When that happened he pulled his car over on the side of the road and surrendered his life to Christ!

John 5:17 is true…God is ALWAYS at work!!!

H = Hunger – I am seeing a hunger in pastors and church leaders like I’ve NEVER seen before.  There seems to be a willingness to admit among many now that “if we always do what we’ve always done then we’ll always get what we’ve always got” and so, because of that, there is a desire to grow, learn and change.  Denomination preferences are being put aside and people who would not even speak to one another 20 years ago are now sitting down at the table together to learn from each other.  AND…church leaders are becoming more dependent on REVELATION from God and not just the IMITATION of others!

O = Optimism – There is a growing sense of optimism among church leaders unlike anything I’ve ever seen.  There are more and more people reading their Bibles and beginning to see that God has WAY MORE in store for the church than we are currently experiencing (see John 14:12), that the book of Acts isn’t something we’re supposed to get back to…but rather was the launching pad that the church STARTED from!  Badmouthing the church has gotten way uncool…and church leaders are now beginning to ignore the “experts” who merely want to badmouth the church on their website…but then ask the church to help them when they need to sell a book, CD or schedule a consulting gig!

P = Perseverance – When I was first introduced to work in the church world I believe the average stay for a pastor in a church was around 22 months (a youth pastor was 17 months!)  Church leaders were not bought into the churches they were leading…many of them were merely using those churches as a stepping stone to further their ministry career and eventually wind up in their “dream job” at the “perfect church.”  However, today I am seeing pastors and church leaders dedicate their lives to a vision, to a cause…and I’m seeing a willingness in leaders to fight through the difficult times and a desire to stay and fight the wolves rather than abandoning the flock so that they can be devoured.  (See John 10:11-13)  Church leaders are actually loving the people in their churches and are willing to work through the hard times so that they can see God do more than they could ever imagine.

E = Expectation – Church leaders are seemingly becoming more and more unsatisfied with unfruitful ministry!  We are understanding more and more that IF the Bible is true, IF Jesus died on the cross to reconcile people to Himself (II Corinthians 5:15-21), IF He desires people to come to a knowledge of the truth (I Timothy 2:3-7), IF He has commanded us to reach the world (Acts 1:8), IF He has risen from the dead (I Corinthians 15:3-4), IF He has given us the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) and IF He has empowered us to do His work (II Timothy 1:7) then to expect NOTHING to happen is simply inconsistant with Scripture, His commands and His character!  There is a building sense of expectation of NOT just a revival in our land…but a brand new awakening/reformation!!!

I honestly believe the greatest days of the church are yet to be experienced!!!

The best really is yet to come!

Pastor Perry,

Well we launched Cardiff campus with a bang, great turn out, people from all sorts of backgrounds. We had about 200 in attendance, many from Freedom who had travelled to support but approx 60 visitors! The greatest thing of all we witnessed another 5 precious souls rescued from Hell & most of these people came in from the street!

There was such excitement in the house where this was the first time the gospel had been preached, we had a Muslim man come & although didn’t get the preach he enjoyed the worship so is returning with friends next week, come on God save some Muslims.

We also has several people who have been praying for a church in Cardiff for years & this is just what they have been waiting for, some great contacts.

We had 20 people sign up for Tuesday midweek connect plus our own team.

Amber approx 17 was a girl who travelled with her mum 50 minutes on the train & then walked along way just to be there last night & gave her life to Jesus!

This is just the start of what God is going to do in Cardiff.

Thank you Pastor Perry & Thank You Newspring for loving His church!!!!

SO thankful for this!  God is moving all over the world.  I can’t WAIT to get over there and see this work!

Just wanted to keep you updated…

there were 2 salvations in Greenville and 2 salvations in Florence yesterday.

Every one counts! Yay Jesus!

THAT NEVER GETS OLD!!!

I’ve said it before and I will say it again…hardly anyone reading this still has an eight track player in their car.  (In fact, many of you have no idea what in the heck that is!!!  Google it!)  I haven’t seen any Sony walkman tape players in the gym.  AND…I haven’t heard ANYONE under the age of 12 ask anyone to come and play their Atari lately.  Why?  Because, although these products used to have value we have BETTER OPTIONS today…we’ve UPGRADED!!!

Yet…what is sad is that we’ve embraced upgrades in nearly every area of our lives, yet so many of us have never really thought about/considered what it might look like to upgrade our walk with God…to step into what Jesus promised us in John 10:10…

BUT…this Sunday we’re going to DIVE INTO how to make that a reality in our lives as we examine things such as…

• How in the world am I supposed to forgive “that person” after all of the hurt they brought into my life?  How can I break through the bondage of bitterness?
• How in the world can I break free from financial bondage, debt AND believing the lie that having “more” will solve all of my problems?
• I hear people say “I heard from God” a lot…and yet I’ve never heard His voice–how can I hear Him speak to me?
• If God wants me to be successful then why is my life the way it is right now?  Am I the exception?
• I keep struggling with the same sin–why can’t I seem to get past this?
• I am so concerned for my friend/family member who does not seem to “get it.”  I don’t want to push them away; however, I desperately want them to meet Christ…how in the world do I manage that tension?
• I want the life I am living TODAY to matter in 100 years…how can I do that?

So…make plans on being here AND bringing people with you (remember, FOUND PEOPLE FIND PEOPLE!!!)

Cannot wait!

#2 – Make the decision that you are going to lead out of CONVICTION of the Holy Spirit rather than the CONVENIENCE of doing what is easy rather than what is right.

#3 – Beg God to allow you to see people the way He sees people.  I think one of the fundamental problems in the body of Christ is that our eyes no longer see as His eyes see!  However, if we take off our “church colored glasses” and begin to see the world the way HE sees it…it changes EVERYTHING!  (See II Corinthians 5:16)

#4 – Make the decision that you don’t have to have all of the answers before you obey the voice of the Lord.  I once heard Francis Chan say, “When I read the Bible it makes perfect sense not to know what is going to happen next!”  THAT might be one of the most freeing statements I’ve ever heard!  Hebrews 11:1 and Hebrews 11:6 have been HUGE for me personally in this regard.  YOUR church can do EXACTLY what God has told you to do…GO FOR IT!

#5 – Understand that everyone is NOT going to understand you…and that you can’t make it your goal to make sure that everyone understands and approves.  (See Galatians 1:10 and Proverbs 29:25)

#6 – Quit running to the online audience that will never darken the doors of your church to seek their approval.  Enough said!

#7 – PRAY BOLD PRAYERS for your church!  The early church prayed for boldness…we pray for safety.  The early church prayed for people to come to Christ…we pray for sister so & so’s hangnail!  The early church prayed for the church to expand and the Gospel to advance…we pray that we can keep our churches small and safe.  Let’s BEG God for things to happen in our churches that are UNEXPLAINABLE and UNDENIABLE so that HE can receive ALL the glory!

#8 – STOP trying to be everyone else and be who God called you to be…your church should be a result of responding to the REVELATION of God and not the IMITATION of others!

Last weekend we did part one of, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  AND…the stories that continue to pour in are simply amazing in regards to people letting go of bitterness and anger that they’ve held in for years.  (Remember, in Christ we can walk from tragedy to triumph!  See John 16:33)

THIS WEEKEND we are taking that question to the next level as we take a look at some real life examples of people who have experienced unbelievable tragedy in their lives…but with the help of Christ are walking in triumph through it.  There is SO MUCH POWER when it comes to people’s personal stories…and so as your pastor I am telling you that you need to do everything possible to be at church this weekend…AND you also need to do whatever possible to BRING SOMEONE with you (especially if they are struggling with bitterness/anger at God!)

Anderson campus…remember that THIS WEEKEND ONLY we are moving our Sunday night services to Saturday night…the times are the same, 4 and 6pm.

Columbia campus…remember that THIS WEEKEND ONLY we are moving the Sunday night service to Saturday night…same time, 6pm.

We are making these adjustments for one weekend only because there is this little event called the Super Bowl that a few people are slightly interested in!  :-)  (AND…let me know if your home group Super Bowl Party is going to have good food…I am more than willing to crash it!)  :-)

All other campuses will have the normal service times.

AND…normal service times will resume the next weekend (the 13th) and we answer the question, “What is the one thing that is holding me back from experiencing an unbelievable life and relationship with God?”

I’m so excited in regards to what God is doing in our church right now…which leads me to ask each of you one more thing…

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE spend some time between now and Saturday praying for this weekend and asking God to show up in an undeniable way and IMPACTS lives as only He can do.  Seriously NewSpring Church…let’s BEG GOD to move this weekend like never before.  I am not just thinking this is going to be an amazing weekend…I am BELIEVING IT and I know that thousands of you are going to BEG GOD and BELIEVE with me!!!

Can’t wait…see you THIS weekend.

#1 – I am still overwhelmed with what I saw God do at our church this past Sunday.  To think that 11 years ago we were at one location with 115 people and then 11 years later we had nearly 14,000 people at five locations absolutely fires me up when I consider this – if THIS is what God has done in the first 11 years of the history of our church then what will the next 11 look like!!!  Like I’ve said for quite a while now…I don’t even think we’ve scratched the surface in regards to all Jesus wants to do in and through us…the best really is yet to come.

#2 – I truly believe if all of us could grasp the realities I taught through this past Sunday and learned to find our identity in Christ and NOT our past mistakes, disappointments and regrets then we could truly step into the victorious life Jesus has for us.  Remember…”that” photograph may be what you did…but it is NOT who you are…IF you are in Christ (see II Corinthians 5:17!)  Don’t allow the voice of the enemy to hold you captive (like the Israelites did in regards to Goliath!)  Remember…in Christ…

• I am completely forgiven – Ephesians 1:7, Psalm 103:12, Isaiah 1:18
• I am chosen and valuable – Ephesians 1:3-5, Ephesians 1:11
• I am unconditionally loved – Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 3:17-19
• UNDERSTAND THESE TRUTHS WILL CHANGE THE GAME!!!

#3 – THIS coming Sunday I really do believe I am preaching one of THE MOST important sermons I’ve EVER taught in the history of our church…it is sort of a “part two” if you will in regards to follow up from this week’s sermon.  SO…IF these things are all true then WHAT in the world are we supposed to do about it?  THIS Sunday we are going to MAKE WAR on the idea that we are somehow normal, ordinary people who could never do anything significant in this world.  God didn’t call you to just live in this world…HE CALLED YOU TO CHANGE IT…and this Sunday we’re going to dive into that!

#4 – We had SEVERAL people who were absolutely fired up about Kenya and what we’ve seen the Lord doing over there.  It blows my mind that we’ve had 241 people go on a trip over there since we’ve been partner with that nation since 2009.  And…like I said Sunday…it is my prayer/desire that every single NewSpring member/owner will one day serve the Lord oversees on a short term mission trip…it is UNBELIEVABLE what God does in your heart when you break out of your normal environment.  Remember two things regarding an overseas trip…

• First – DON’T WAIT until you want to go!  Like I said Sunday the reason I went is because I knew the Lord clearly spoke to my heart and COMMANDED me to go.  I have learned that if you WAIT to “feel good about? what the Lord is telling you to do then you’ll probably never do it.  He is ALWAYS calling us to leave our comfort zone and step into the unknown!
• Second – The cost to go is $3,500 plus your immunizations.  We’ve had people say they would love to go as long as the church fully funded their trip.  Which…is sad because it reveals the heart of Christianity to a lot of Americans which basically says, “Dear Jesus, I will do anything you want me to do as long as it does not cost me anything!”  If God wants you to go…then He will provide the money!!!
• One more thing…HERE is the website that gives you more information about our trips scheduled for this year.

#5 – We are going to be starting more campuses; in fact, right now I believe the Lord is calling us to start five campuses in the next five years somewhere in the state of South Carolina.  There are over 4 million people in this state…and conservative estimates say that around 2 million do not know Christ!!!  NewSpring, we’ve GOT a lot of work to do!!!

#6 – Anderson and Columbia campuses…REMEMBER that on Super Bowl weekend (the first weekend in February…the 5th and 6th) we are moving our Sunday night services THAT WEEKEND ONLY to Saturday night!

#7 – If you want an EXCELLENT follow up to the sermon this past Sunday then I HIGHLY recommend “The Grace of God” by Andy Stanley! It is SERIOUSLY the BEST book on the Grace of God that I have EVER read.  You can order it online here…or you can pick it up in the resource center at your campus this Sunday.