What will be the legacy of your church?

Here’s an article from On Mission Magazine, Winter 2013 that I’d like to share with you written by Johnny Hunt, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga. entitled, “What will be the legacy of your church?”

“A few years ago the leadership of new Hope Church in Mableton, Ga., came to us looking for help. The once vibrant church was now struggling to grow beyond the 17 members that had stuck around through tough times. The church had a capacity to hold 250 people and 3.5 acres of land but no longer had the ability to reach its community.

The decisions New Hope had to make weren’t easy. Some of the people in the church had been baptized, discipled, married and raised their children in that church. No one wanted to see the church close its doors.

First Baptist Woodstock wanted to help. When they asked us to come alongside of them, we met with the 17 members and decided upon a complete makeover for the church. We brought in a new pastor and installed blended worship in the church. We began to tell the community about a brand new church plant that would be more culturally connected to it.

Today, six years later, Vinings Lake Church – what the church is now called – is running 600 most weekends. More important, the church is reaching its community. Young families in the community are coming to know Christ.

When those 17 people came to meet us at First Baptist Woodstock, they saw what they were doing as a part of their legacy. They gave us the land and great buildings. They joined with us in this journey. Now they’re seeing these great days of ministry with the resources they provided.

Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of buildings and land could become available in the near future for kingdom work. Many buildings around North America house evangelical churches that are facing the same challenges New Hope faced.

I am excited about what the North American Mission Board is doing in church revitalization through Send North American Church Growth and Revitalization Conferences. I’m glad to be a part of it because I’ve seen the difference revitalization can make in a church and community.

Maybe you’re facing the same uncertainty in your church. You might not be ready to close the doors, but you’re not growing and impacting your community like you want – and you dream of doing so. Regardless, the questions are the same. What will your church’s legacy be?

If you’re asking yourself this question, join me at a conference near you. Visit namb.net/revitalization.”

Learning to Worship Like the Angels

Learning to Worship Like the Angels

Luke 2:8-14

Revelation 5

Why do they worship? “good news” Gospel brings hope

What is the Good News at the heart of their worship?

God’s Covenant - City of David   Root of David

Sacrifice - Savior, Christ   Lamb slain

Universal - For all   Every tribe, tongue, nation

Restoration - Peace toward men   Redeemed us to God

How do they worship?

“glory,” “multitudes”

“tens of thousands,”   “new song,” “loud voice”

They worship this way because they live this way!

Question:

If God (Hebrews 2:14-18)

•         does not give aid to angels

•         made Jesus take on humanity, be tempted as us, and die to conquer death

And angels serve God…

THEN what character should we aspire to develop?

Revitalizing to reach North America

I wanted to share with you this article from Kevin Ezell, President, NAMB entitled "Revitalizing to reach North America", Winter 2013 issue.

"We have a big job ahead of us as Southern Baptists. Maybe this is hard to believe, but there are places in North America that have no evangelical presence. There are places where Southern Baptist work is so scarce as to be non-existent. Do you think it's possible to find someone in the United States or Canada who has never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ? This reality is more common than you think.

This task is big, but many of our churches are not prepared. The number of  churches that have plateaued or are declining in growth is around 70 percent. That tells us these churches probably are not having much of an impact on their communities.

We lost nearly 900 churches every year. You probably could name some in your community that have become statistics, and you may have seen it coming for a long time in your own church not knowing what to do.

I firmly believe there is something we can do to reverse these trends and to see fewer and fewer churches drift toward closing their doors. Just as Send North America is a strategy for linking existing churches with church planting efforts, it's also a strategy to help existing churches that are on the brink of death re-launch with new life.

Visit namb.net/revitalization to see how we are ramping up efforts through Send North America to help reduce the number of SBC churches that close their doors every year.

By partnerting with pastor Johnny Hunt and state convention leaders, we are creating a framework that helps Southern Baptist do what they do best - join together for kingdom expansion. If we're going to see God work through us in the unreached area of North America, we first need a majority of Southen Baptist churches that can carry out the work He has called us to do.

And I truly believe this is our opportunity to see that future ministry is built on a solid foundation of healty, growing, sending, giving and going churches."

The Character of a Messenger of God

The Character of a Messenger of God - Luke 1

Gabriel shows the character of a servant of God

Gabriel vs. Satan

Gabriel

“Man of God”

“Strength of God”

Relationship with God (Ezekiel 28:14-19; Isaiah 14:12-15; Matthew 4:1-9)

“I stand in the presence of God.”

Satan

Adversary

Relationship with God

Stands against God – adversary

Gabriel

Approach to the Gospel

“I have been sent to bring you this good news”

Satan

Approach to the Gospel

Opposes the Gospel (e.g. Matt 13:18-23; 2 Cor. 4:1-6)

“And even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,…” vv. 3-4

Gabriel

Relationship to people

“Do not be afraid”

Speaks truthfully, often with a sign of truth

God loves you and you have found His favor 

Points you to Jesus

Satan

Relationship to people

A murderer – Jn 8:44; Jn 10:10

Father of Lies – Jn 8:44 “he is a liar and the father of lies”

Hinders Christians – 1 Thess 2:17-20

To KEEP you FROM Jesus - 2 Cor 4:1-6

Question:

If God (Hebrews 2:14-18)

•         does not give aid to angels

•         made Jesus take on humanity, be tempted as us, and die to conquer death

•         and Gabriel serves God,

THEN what character should we aspire to develop?

Who Are Angels

Who are angels? Luke 2:8-14 “angel of the Lord” The heavenly host

Why study angels?

•         Universal fascination with angels – Christmas, the arts, spiritualism

•         Angels = spirit world:  validates God as Creator, search for eternity

•         Too many myths, untruths: Satan transforms to angel of light - 2 Cor. 11:12-15

•         Their work surrounds us

•         They validate the priority of Jesus’ redemptive work

Angels defined

•         “An angel is a spiritual creature without a body created by God for the service of Christendom and the church.”  Martin Luther

•         Term means “messenger”

•         Created by God: Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 1:14

•         Made before creation: Genesis 3

•         Free will: Luke 10:18; Isaiah 14:12-15

•         Good and evil- Rev. 12: 7-12;

•         Spirit beings, but can manifest in different forms for our sake

Different types of angels

•         Cherubim: guard the holiness of God

•         Seraphim: serve in matters such as worship, purified Isaiah for service

•         Four Living Creatures: Rev. 4 describes as unique

•         Archangel: Michael –Jude 9; warrior and leader of warriors

•         Heavenly hosts – unspecified angels

Myths

•         We worship angels: Col. 2:18; Matt. 4:8-10; Rev. 19:10

•         Personal, guardians angels

•         We become angels when we die – We are the redeemed! Hebrews 1:14

•         Angel ministry

•         Worship God

•         Further God’s plan of Redemption

•         Serve the Redeemed

Multisite is Multiplying

Here’s an article from “Church Executive” magazine November 2012 issue that I want to share with you………….

“Leadership network says there are now 5,000-plus multisite churches.

The number of congregations that host worship services at more than one physical location has grown to more than 5,000 in the last decade, according to a Leadership Network report.

Researchers say these “multisite” churches, which may share worshippers across town or many miles apart, are growing in a much larger pace than traditional megachurches.

Without the burden of additional expensive buildings, congregations find they grow faster in new places, says Warren Bird, research director of Leadership Network. Bird, the author of books on the multi-site trend, has tracked the number of churches meeting in more than one place for the Dallas-based church think tank; he combined his findings with Faith Communities Today surveys.

Multisite churches have grown from fewer than 200 in 2001 to 1,500 in 2006 to an estimated 3,000 in 2009 to more that 5,000 today. In comparison, U.S. megachurches have grown from about 50 in 1970 to about 1,650 in 2012 in North America.

Multisite comes in all kinds of models:  Some congregations speak different languages at different locations; some hear from different “campus pastors” onsite and others are preached to by a senior pastor who speaks live or via video. “The more campuses you have, the more likely you are to use video teaching,” says Bird. Sergio De La Mora, senior pastor of Cornerstone Church of San Diego, preaches five times every Sunday on its main campus in National City, CA – with on service in Spanish and another translated into Japanese. After morning services, he hops in his car and drives to the La Jolla campus for a 5 p.m. service before returning to National City for its last service at     6:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, videos of his 8:30 a.m. sermon are played in satellite campuses in Escondido, CA and across the border in Tijuana and Mexico City. A campus pastor runs the service at a location in Tucson, AZ.

At Community Christian Church in the Chicago area, Pastor Dave Ferguson has taken a different approach with its dozen sites. Each week he gathers in a room with a team of campus pastors to develop a “big idea” into a sermon. A video featuring one of them is created, but the pastors can choose whether to speak from the original manuscript, a version of it they edited or show the video.

In the end, the general message reaches about 10,000 people worshipping at sites that include a community center, a college theater, reported churches and offices parks.”

Article by Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service

100 for 100 "The Wisdom of Taking that Step"

The wisdom of taking that step - Proverbs 11:30

How is it wise?

It’s the only hope for the world

It’s the only thing that lasts for eternity

FBC opportunities

Boston

Anchorage

New York City & the United Nations

Seattle

Naples, Fla

Bulgaria, Guatemala, Uruguay, Bangledesh, Haiti

How is it wise?

It makes YOU wise

It makes your children wise

It makes a wise, vibrant church

The wisdom of taking that step - Proverbs 11:30

How is it wise?

It’s the only hope for the world

It’s the only thing that lasts for eternity

FBC opportunities

Boston

Anchorage

New York City & the United Nations

Seattle

Naples, Fla

Bulgaria, Guatemala, Uruguay, Bangledesh, Haiti

How is it wise?

It makes YOU wise

It makes your children wise

It makes a wise, vibrant church