Preaching with the Mrs.

Excited to preach part 3 of DELAYED this weekend with my wife, Beth!!

Easter 5K

Less than 2 weeks until Easter and this is the first time we've ever set an attendance goal except for our initial launch goal of 200 people back in September 2002!

The goal: 5000 people across NW Georgia hearing about Jesus and connecting to life in Him.
Why? God's renown (Isaiah 26:8)
How? God's people praying persistently and inviting & bringing people to church

1. We have multiple services and multiple campuses for people to attend: 10 services in 3 counties!!


2. Let your guest/friend choose which service and attend that service with them.


3. Help free up seats by attending Rock Bridge PM (Dalton) or a Saturday night service (Dalton/Calhoun).


4. We will be starting a new series on Easter weekend called, Identity Theft.

Short of planting a new church, one of the best things we can do to help grow God's church is to free up seats at optimal service times. This means we especially need seats available on the Sunday morning "popular" service times such as 9:30 and 11:00. Additionally, we'll need young families to help free up space in Children's Ministry by attending a non-traditional service time if at all possible.

However, if you bring a guest attend whichever service they want to attend -- guests are the priority!! And let's remember that the goal is for guests to do more than just attend -- we want to help them connect to Christ and His church! So pray for people to encounter God's presence and be drawn to Him!

Calhoun Service Times [Gordon Hills Shopping Center/old Piggly Wiggly (near Ford dealership, off Hwy 41)]
Saturday at 5:30 pm; Sunday at 8, 9:30, & 11:00

Chatsworth Service Times [Bagley Middle School]
Sunday at 10:30 am (we'll be ready to use the bleacher seating if needed ... let's need it!)

Dalton Service Times [Downtown Dalton]
Rock Bridge PM/Thursday at 6:30 pm (Stage 123)
Saturday at 5:30 pm (Wink Theatre only)
Sunday at 8:00 am (Stage 123 only)
Sunday at 9:30 & 11:00 am (Wink & Stage 123)

Message Recap: Delayed-Part 2

This weekend's question when we face a "delay": What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

Psalm 25:1-9

• We must decide who is going to be "God" over our delay.
  
  
  
  • The first issue we must resolve is who we are going to trust (Psalm 25:1-2)
  
  
  • God gives us 2 incentives to trust Him (Psalm 25:3-4)
    
    
    
    • A promise to claim that those who wait on Him will not be disgraced
    
    
    • A warning to heed that short cutting God will prove costly
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Before we quit believing on God, we often quit waiting on God.
  
  
  
  


• Once we decide to trust God over our delay, we can seek to know Him better. Knowing Him is transforming.
  
  
  
  • God begins to work on our character, transforming us to Christ.
  
  
  • If all God wanted was a "happy ending", we'd all be in heaven now.
  
  
  • The process of waiting is the point of waiting.
    
    
    
    • What do we become while we wait.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Character transformation leads to course/path determination.
  
  
  
  • God speaks to us through our character that can recognize Him, His ways, and His will.
  
  
  • We can walk down a path with clarity, confidence, and courage.
  
  
  
  


• 4 Paths that we see through trusting God and letting Him transform our character in a delay:
  
  
  
  • When in the meantime, you need to grow. (2 Chronicles 34:1-4)
    
    
    
    • Josiah chose to grow into his position as King.
    
    
    • Growth means maturing, developing convictions, making pre-decisions, forming a theology, and going to deep with God.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • When in the meantime, you need to stay. (Genesis 16:1-4)
    
    
    
    • Abram & Sarai should have "stayed" and not taken matters into their own hands.
    
    
    • Staying means enduring with patience, not quitting, not running, and not falling for the "grass is greener" syndrome.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • When in the meantime, you need to go. (Joshua 10:7-10)
    
    
    
    • Joshua marched all night to receive the God-promised victory.
    
    
    • Go means we fight, we take responsibility, we march in God's direction, we do all we can while trusting God to do what He can.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • When you've messed up in the meantime, do the right thing right now. (John 19:38-40)
    
    
    
    • Nicodemus had been wrong all his life.
    
    
    • But after Jesus' death, Nicodemus got it right while the disciples ran in fear. He did the right thing.
    
    
    • His act of courage gave us irrefutable evidence of the death and resurrection.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Ultimately, what we do as we wait in trust on God is we give evidence like Nicodemus that the God we follow is alive!

Take A Trip!!

Can YOU go on a mission trip?
SHOULD you go on a mission trip?

When most of us ask those two questions, we come up with at least one good reason why we can not or should not go on a mission trip. Trip costs, scheduling considerations, self-doubt, fears, the sheer inconvenience, and worry all come to mind rather quickly. And when we focus on these things, odds are we aren't going anywhere, anytime soon.

But what do you do with the "itch" you have to go overseas, experience another culture, represent Christ, and demonstrate His love? What do you do with the God-give desire or "call" to go? What do you do with God's commands to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth?

Should we not at least be open to the possibility that the God of the Universe can overcome all the reasons we come up with for why we can not or should not go?
Should we not at least consider this prayerfully, biblically, and with godly counsel?
Should we not at least be intrigued by what could happen if we step up and out in faith?

So Rock Bridge, we've got some amazing trip possibilities for 2012 (Bolivia and Ukraine trip have several open spots). Yes, they cost money. Yes, you might have to give up some vacation time at work. AND yes, they are worth it!
I think a lot of us know we should go, but are focused on why we can't go. So what do we do with this tension?

#1: Everyone has a command to "go" (see Matthew 28:19-20). How we obey that command will differ for all of us but we can't ignore it and must decide how we obey it.
#2: Be open and pray. Don't disqualify yourself or let money, fear, worry, or inconveniences become louder than God's Word.
#3: Ask for help. If you want to go, but find yourself getting stuck then ask for help. Talk to your small group, a staff member, your boss, and others. There is NOTHING God commands that He does not make possible for us to obey.
#4: Make a commitment. God honors godly commitments. Commit to being a Great Commission Christian. This does not mean you take a trip but it does mean you consider any and all opportunities to spread news about Jesus whether it is through invitations to church, investing in an unchurched friend, or taking a trip.

Message Recap: Delayed-Part 1

We all struggle with God's timing, asking "God, when are you going to do something about this?"
--This struggle can take us down a path of disillusionment, doubt, and despair
--It also can lead to a deeper and richer faith.

The pattern in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation says that delays more fully display Jesus.
--Can we find this pattern in our own delays?

John 11:1-44

• Jesus' intentional delay in responding to Lazarus' sickness is challenging:
  
  
  
  • The Scripture says that because Jesus loved this family, He delayed in going to help them
  
  
  • The Scripture says that Jesus will use this sickness for His glory
    
    
    
    • We define "glory" as God's weightiness, His fullness
    
    
    • Is God's glory more important than our immediate comfort and well-being? Apparently so.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Jesus tells His disciples that He is glad Lazarus died so He can help their belief in Him.
  
  
  
  


• Delays remind us that we are not in control.
  
  
  
  • Does not mean that no one is in control; just that we aren't.
    
    
    
    • The passage clearly reveals that Jesus is in control
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • This is where lots of us leave the faith or settle for God "from a distance".
  
  
  • This also creates an opening for greater faith and connection to God because once we lose the illusion of control, we are open to the One Who actually is in control.
  
  
  
  


• Jesus meets Martha first.
  
  
  
  • Martha was looking forward to a favorable event or circumstance
  
  
  • Jesus taught her to look for Him as the "I am"
  
  
  • Who God is is bigger than when God is.
  
  
  
  


• Jesus then meets Mary and comforts her with deep emotion: tears of sorrow and anger at sin & unbelief.


• Some in the crowd understand, some do not.
  
  
  
  • If we insist on being loved the way the world does, we will miss God.
    
    
    
    • The world spells love "O-W-E" and places expectations on people, government, etc.
    
    
    • God spells love "M-Y S-O-N" and gives us Himself.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Delays help us meet God personally, and not just circumstantially.
  
  
  
  • When you can't find God in favorable circumstances, you must look for Him in His Word and at His Cross which we see visibly through the Lord's Supper.
  
  
  
  


• Delays force the issue of faith forcing us to lean on what we cannot see and trust the One we cannot comprehend.
  
  
  
  • Jesus raises Lazarus so that the people may believe in Him.
  
  
  • Lazarus' resurrection was not the point, just the platform.
  
  
  • Jesus was/is/always will be the point.
  
  
  
  


• Does this answer satisfy us? It depends on how we see Jesus?
  
  
  
  • If He is the source of life, we are satisfied and have peace that passes understanding.
  
  
  • If He is a threat to our way of life, we run or doubt or despair.
    
    
    
    • The Lazarus miracle was the catalyst for the diabolical plot to kill Jesus (see John 11:53).
    
    
    • Jesus as God is threatening to some.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• 3 Choices:
  
  
  
  • Receive salvation
  
  
  • Lean into God's sovereignty
  
  
  • Live for God's glory
  
  
  
  

The Rundown (3.13.2012)

Big stuff on the horizon as we head into Easter season --

• Disciple Now: March 23-25
  
  
  
  • 6th-12th graders
  
  
  • More information including registration information here
  
  
  
  


• Easter 5K: 5000 in worship over Easter weekend. How?!?
  
  
  
  • Multiple services: Thursday night, Saturday night, & Sunday morning
  
  
  • Multiple locations: Chatsworth, Calhoun, & Dalton
  
  
  • INVITE! INVITE! INVITE!
  
  
  • PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!
  
  
  
  


• NEW SERIES: Delayed -- what is happening when God makes us wait? Why does God allow things to go from bad to worse? How is God working when it feels (and looks) as if He is completely absent and inattentive?
  
  
  
  • Starts this weekend at ALL our campuses!
  
  
  
  

An on a lighter note, the Harlem Globetrotters are in town this coming Monday night at the NW GA Trade Center ... and yours truly is the "guest referee" (I wonder what will happen to me?)!

Weekend Recap

This weekend we talked vision and strategy at all our campuses. Because of the importance of this topic, here's a recap:

• We need to have the same definition of "church" as the Bible.
  
  
  
  • From Ephesians 1:20-3:10, we arrived at this definition: God's display of transforming "dead me" into a "living we" for a "watching they"
  
  
  
  
• This definition forces us to think of church as a mission, not a meeting. The church is God's demonstration community.




• When church is nothing more than a meeting of individuals, it is easy to excuse lack of participation and tolerance of sin.


• When church is a community on a mission with God, everyone is significant as a display of God's grace to make known the "immeasurable/incalculable" riches of Christ.




• Four things the "watching they" needs to see from us:




• They do not need to see us disqualify ourselves.
  
  
  
  • Because of fear and insecurity some sit on the sidelines which betrays the power of God's grace and resurrection in our lives.
  
  
  • Some fail to pursue holiness, and live in sin while claiming to be Christians. This mocks God's grace and says God is less than satisfying and His grace is less than sufficient.
    
    
    
    • To clear: Christians are not perfect but are called to pursue holiness and fight sinfulness
    
    
    • For those living in blatant and obvious sin, there are 3 choices:
      
      
      
      • 1-Stop it.
      
      
      • 2-Seek help. Fighting sin is often a community affair through confession & accountability.
      
      
      • 3-Stop claiming to be a Christian and consider you may be "dead" as described in Eph. 2:1
      
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• They need to see life.
  
  
  
  • The church proclaims life and displays life change through its members.
  
  
  • As a result, church should be exciting and full of passion.
  
  
  • We should expect to see people saved and baptized.
  
  
  • Worship should be an expression of passion and affection.
    
    
    
    • We should never appear to be "bored" with God's grace when the Bible says we will enjoy it for eternity.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• They need to see a strategy.
  
  
  
  • Without a strategy to church drifts into "me" mode (selfish, independent) or "me & we" mode (country club, clique-ish)
  
  
  • Our strategy:
    
    
    
    • We pray.
    
    
    • We proclaim Jesus when we gather (in large & small groups) and when we scatter (to our locations and vocations).
      
      
      
      • We invite. We talk about Jesus relationally and casually but intentionally displaying His grace to us.
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • We repeat.
    
    
    • We multiply.
      
      
      
      • Disciples. Small groups. Services. Campuses. Churches = Kingdom impact
      
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Rock Bridge Easter goal: 5000 in worship!
    
    
    
    • Bring an unchurched friend with you.
    
    
    • Have a strategy to be involved in making Easter invitational and evangelical, not just traditional and cultural.
    
    
    • We need some people not to come on Sunday during optimal times (9:30/11:00) so we have room for guests.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• They need to see sacrifice.
  
  
  
  • My greatest fear as a pastor is we lose our sacrificial mindset.
  
  
  • We must resist the urge to be comfortable and complacent.
  
  
  • Sacrifice is always a tension between what feels safe vs. what God asks ... Go with God!
    
    
    
    • Take the mission trip. Make the ask. Serve with passion!