Does A Church Need A Building To Be A Church?

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I came across this this morning on my RSS reader. ?Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Fayetteville, GA is selling their building and property to be able to leverage that money “to meet the needs of people.” ?Pretty bold, interesting idea, however it is not a new idea is it? ?The first century Christians are said to have met “house to house.” ?I am reminded of Dr. Sanchez, a church planting prof. at SWBTS that told about the Church in Cuba. ?Part of the extreme growth that has occurred there is thought of to be because of the the mandate from Castro that the churches can’t own property or buildings. ?Because of that mandate, the Church has had to go back to it’s first century roots. Check out the church website at wheresthesteeple.org.

What do you think? Do you think your church could function without owning a building or property? ?What do you think of this church’s decision to sell it’s building and rent a movie theater so they can give money away?

Does A Church Need A Building To Be A Church? – 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA.

Pray for Elections in Sudan today!

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Please be in prayer for the elections that are occurring today in Sudan.? They are the first free elections that they will have had in 24 years.? The presidency is at stake with the current president Omar al-Bashir; having allegations of ties to Osama Ben Laden as well as being charged by the International Crimes Court for crimes against humanity .? The elections are being monitored by international oversight, including former President Jimmy Carter.? There is substantial fear that these elections are not fair, free elections because several of the other opposition party candidates have dropped out of the race.

Rob Wegner, Pastor of Life Mission at Granger Community Church says it better than I can on his post this morning…

Would you take a minute and pray for an upset right now? Elections are occuring as you read this.

This election does concern us. We serve a Global God and that makes us a Global People.? First and foremost, we are citizens of the international Kingdom of God. We do have skin in the game in Sudan. Right now, without leaving your computer, you can exercise a global influence through prayer. From the light of eternity, we will be shocked to discover that some of our most influential moments were the moments spent in secret prayer, unnoticed by the masses, but duly noted by our Maker.. . .

EnterMission has been fueling a grassroots church planting movement in Sudan for the last two years.? Currently,

?we have 125 church planters in training,

?who have personally shared the Good News with more than 34,000 people.

?.Out of that number over 7,500 have joined on-going Bible Studies, which will be transitioned into new churches.

?Over 2,950 men and women have been baptized into the faith and

? already 32 churches are up and running!

This is where the hope for Sudan ultimately lies, not in a government, but a Kingdom, a peaceable Kingdom.

As everything else has fallen apart in Sudan, the Church has not only remained, but thrived. In many communities, our church planters are the ones providing food, shelter, clean water, and even, education.

Let us pray today for our brothers and sisters in Sudan.? That as the words of this young man in the video says, “that we might have peace.”

Amen.? So let it be.

Salam Sudan from World Relief NEXT on Vimeo.

Making Disciples by Ed Stetzer

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You need to check out these clips from sermons by Ed Stetzer. ?He is a missiologist that works for Lifeway. ?Came through on my RSS reader yesterday and I thought I would share. ?Make sure you watch both segments…they are both great! ?Painful though. ?Good preaching often does that, doesn’t it…sometimes the truth of God hurts!

He starts off with an amazing rant about people with a lack of the idea that they need to be on mission for Jesus…

If we [church leaders] disciple people through knowledge without action we’re training people to be puffed up gnostics.. . .Listen, I’m worn out–I am sick of?knowledgeable,?religious people not living on mission and then criticizing those who are. . . . I just think that what we need to have happen is that this knowledge-based needs to lead to an action life and they need to get off their “Blessed Assurance” and do something for Jesus!

and ends the first segment with this gem…

“The greatest sin in most churches is that we [pastors] have made it o.k. to sit there week after week and do nothing and call yourself a follower of Jesus.”

He does a little Ross Perot imitation and says this afterward in the second segment…good stuff…

The reality is, I don’t care if you have 5 purposes, if you rename yourself ‘missional,’ if you move into a house, or you ’emerge’ into something else! I care that you have a Biblically driven church that is challenging people to be changed by the Gospel and then in doing so, they follow Jesus on His mission in the world! ?I care less about the label and more about the lifestyle. Maybe we need to fight a little less about that and focus more on the calling that we have.

The?irreducible minimum…

Disciples see what Jesus in doing and they join Him in doing it. ?Is your church leading your people to join Jesus in His mission?…[Pastors] Go home and say “what am I going to say differently about my message so they’ll join Jesus on His mission.”

This message sure does go along with the message that I am preaching tomorrow @FPCarthage in our Outflow series. ?We are going to be talking about the idea that Christ wants us to reach out to those people in our community.

Awakening

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awakeningcover

For most of you all that know me very well, I have a huge heart and affection for the Passion folks. ?When I was a student pastor, I would follow Louie and Tomlin around the country for Student Life Camp each summer. ?It was (and still is) a pretty bad “crush.” ?Actually, I think I like the movement so much because it really speaks to my heart like not a whole lot of other things. ?I think that it is because it is all about making Jesus famous…taking His Fame and Glory to the nations. ?I think the other thing is that worship has always been a huge part of my connection with the Savior. ?There have been times of worship, both corporate and private, that have been very instrumental in my journey. ?Many of those times have been around songs and sermons at Passion conferences. I love that they are still influencing the future generation to preach the Gospel to the Nations.

I first met Chris Tomilin over a very cheap meal for youth pastors in Fort Worth, TX while I was in seminary and he was a student at Texas A&M. ?He was working for Dawson McAllister Conferences and we had a very enjoyable conversation over a “conference information lunch” about ministry, college life, and Taylor Guitars! ?My, what God has done through him and used him to influence millions of people through his music! ?What I loved about him was his “guy next door” demeanor. ?He didn’t care to “work the room” like so many others in that room, but was very humble and personal. ?It is amazing how God places experiences in our lives to teach us on this journey. ?Pretty cool.

Kevin said I needed to check out the new Passion CD…it is amazing…as usual!

The title song is great and really speaks to my heart right now. ?What would happen if we all truly had an “awakening” and Christ became the center of all of our lives! ?What could happen if we “woke up” to the fact that the Gospel of Jesus Christ needs to go to the nations? What would happen if we were awakened to the fact that the Gospel needs take root in our own lives and our neighbors’ lives? Amazing things would be done for the name of Jesus!

Here are the words…

In our hearts Lord, in this nation
Awakening
Holy Spirit, we desire
Awakening

For You and You alone
Awake my soul
Awake my soul and sing
For the world You love
Your will be done
Let Your will be done in me

In Your presence, in Your power
Awakening
For this moment, for this hour
Awakening

Like the rising sun that shines
From the darkness comes a light
I?hear Your voice
And this is my awakening

Like the rising sun that shines
Awake my soul
Awake my soul and sing
From the darkness comes a light
Awake my soul
Awake my soul and sing
Like the rising sun that shines
Awake my soul
Awake my soul and sing
Only You can raise a life
Awake my soul
Awake my soul and sing

In our hearts Lord, in the nations
Awakening

I
n our hearts Lord, in this nation
A
wakening
H
oly Spirit, we desire
A
wakening
F
or You and You alone
A
wake my soul
A
wake my soul and sing
F
or the world You love
Y
our will be done
Let Your will be done in me
I
n Your presence, in Your power
A
wakening
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or this moment, for this hour
A
wakening
Like the rising sun that shines
F
rom the darkness comes a light
I
hear Your voice
A
nd this is my awakening
Like the rising sun that shines
A
wake my soul
A
wake my soul and sing
F
rom the darkness comes a light
A
wake my soul
A
wake my soul and sing
Like the rising sun that shines
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wake my soul
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nly You can raise a life
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wake my soul
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n our hearts Lord, in the nations
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wakening

Written by Chris Tomlin and Reuben Morgan / ? 2010 sixsteps Music / worshiptogether.com Songs / Vamos Publishing (Admin. by EMI CMG Publishing) / Hillsong Publishing (admin. in U.S. & Canada by Integrity?s Hosanna! Music) (ASCAP)

Chris Tomlin ? Vocals, Acoustic Guitar ? Matt Redman ? Vocals, Acoustic Guitar ? Kristian Stanfill ? Vocals, Acoustic Guitar ? Christy Nockels ? Vocals ? Nathan Nockels ? Vocals, Keys ? Brett Younker ? Vocals, Acoustic Guitar ? Jesse Reeves ? Bass ? Daniel Carson ? Electric Guitar ? Travis Nunn ? Drums ? Matt Gilder ? Keys

awakening

Mosaic hopes to win Super Bowl ad contest

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The Super Bowl is not only the biggest stage for American football, but almost as importantly, it is the biggest stage in the advertising and marketing industry. ?Groups spend millions and millions of dollars to get people’s attention. ?Check out this creative ad, “Casket,” for the Super Bowl made by Mosaic Church in LA. ?Erwin McManus is the pastor of this very innovative church that has a ton of members that are a part of the TV and film industry in LA.

?Casket? was inspired by one of our team member?s funeral experience where his deceased grandfather requested to be buried with a beer and cigarettes. ?Casket? is a commercial where a guy stages his own funeral just to munch Doritos and watch football undisturbed ? in a casket. But of course, things don?t go as planned. (from vote for casket.com)

There is a good AP article explaining the reasoning behind their lighthearted spoof.

“We’re not trying to use Doritos to propagate a message, but I think we want people to know that we have a sense of humor, that it’s OK to laugh,” McManus said. “So much of what comes out of the faith community seems so dour and somber and we want to say, ‘Hey, we’re real people. You can be a person of faith and really enjoy life and laugh.”

Phil Cooke, a Christian producer, filmmaker and author says this about the commercial.

“Nobody’s going to fall on their knees and accept Jesus as a result of this spot. But advertisers on Madison Avenue spend millions on a Super Bowl spot because they know it influences people,” said Cooke, the producer. “It might not get someone converted, but I think it will get someone to say, ‘Maybe there is something I ought to investigate.'”

What do you think? ?How do you like the “soft” sell approach to faith?

LA megachurch hopes to win Super Bowl ad contest – Yahoo! News.

Monday is for Missions…and mudpies

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Wow, what an awesome day at Forest Park Carthage yesterday! ?We had a ton of new faces at both of our services. ?We also got a ton of people signed up for LifeGroups! Exciting things are happening here in Carthage!

Monday is for Missions…

  • Keep praying for Haiti. ?FP has had over 60 people interested in going on relief trips to Haiti. ?We have raised well over $1000 to go to Haiti.
  • FP has a group in Kenya this week. ?Pray for them as they minister in His name at the Mattaw Children’s Village
  • We just had a group get back from Fort Worth, TX yesterday that were working in the inner city with a church downtown.

Too good of a post to pass up on this Monday afternoon…Enjoy! ?This is from Matt Wilkie’s blog this week. ?Powerful!!

A few months?ago, I got my own?Haitian mudpie. It sits on my desk. This gift from our Haiti director,Kevin Rose, has reminded me to pray for the poorest people in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

mudpie

On Tuesday, like every other ?normal? day in Haiti, people in the poorest areas of?the country?were eating these for lunch. Some ate them for breakfast that morning and dinner the night before as well. They?re made of dried yellow dirt, vegetable oil and salt.

I?m going to type that again?they?re made of dried yellow dirt, vegetable oil and salt. They?re real mudpies. People eat them.

Then an earthquake hit.

I?m still processing things?but I for now, I wanted to mention the mudpies.

around the world with Jesus ? Blog Archive ? Mudpies for lunch Tuesday, and then?.

Forest Park’s Haiti Relief Effort

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Jenny and I were talking this evening about the situation. ?Glued to the television just like 911 and Katrina. ?The?devastation?is stunning.

We have been getting a lot of calls and questions about what our response will be. ?Brock Cummins, our Missions Pastor has been in contact with several agencies and is exploring the possibility of FP putting together a relief trip to Haiti. ?You will have an opportunity on Sunday to sign up to receive more information about the trip(s).

My cousin’s wife, Nettie was commenting on Facebook about the benefit of being a part of a Southern Baptist Church in Indiana. ?I wholeheartedly agree with her. ?There is a lot of power behind pooling money and resources for a united effort. ?Our Cooperative Program is an amazing thing for sure. ?There is a fund set up to provide relief to the?devastated?country. What is good about the SBC fund is that each gift is 100% toward relief–there are no administrative costs taken out of your gift.

In addition to giving to the SBC relief fund, we are also pooling our money locally to help fund a relief team. ?You can give directly at church to go towards our own FP relief effort. ?Please simply write “Haiti” in the memo of your check and bring it on Sunday.

If you have noticed my tweets and other posts since the earthquake, there are also a ton of other organizations that you can give to as well. ?I think one of the most effective things we can be doing at this time is to pray?fervently?for those who are already on the field and those who are headed that way.

A Response to Pat Robertson?s Comments about Haiti

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Donald Miller has hit the ball out of the park with his post “A Response to Pat Robertson’s Comments about Haiti.” ?It is?definitely?worth the 5-10 minutes to read his well thought-out response.

I absolutely love these two?asterisks at the end of the post…

* I understand that many of you will want to comment on the theological truths you?ve found that support Robertson?s comments, and also on the good that Robertson has done. Regarding the latter, this was not a blanket dismissal on Robertson?s life or ministry, it was a response to a comment, regarding the former, it?s a debate I ask you to take somewhere else. Also, this isn?t meant to harshly judge Robertson, it?s meant to calm those who might want to throw a tomato at him, while also trying to understand why somebody could make such an insensitive comment at such a painful time. Lets put our tomatoes down.

* For those thinking this blog was too harsh, please understand that in one passing comment, Pat Robertson painted an entire nation as Godless, and deserving of destruction. Reports from Haiti have stated that many fled into the streets, crying out to Jesus for help. Robertson, by referencing an obscure book of unknown origin chose to prejudice an otherwise ignorant Christian audience of gullible and trusting viewers. I propose, then, this post needed to be written. I only wish more Christian leaders would speak during at moments like this.

There is also a well-crafted update/response to a statement from CBN that basically defends Robertson’s comments as truth.

One of my favorite comments on the blog post is from JB, “Now what am I supposed to do with all these rotten tomatoes?”

Better put my tomatoes down as well. . .

In Case you missed it, here is the clip of Robertson’s comments

A Response to Pat Robertson?s Comments about Haiti.

Haiti – Compassion International on Vimeo

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I have some great friends at Student Life that I went to seminary with and have always been a HUGE fan of SL Camps!! ?@KStratt got an email from SL this afternoon sharing this video.

The email says this:

In November 2008, a Student Life team went to Haiti to spend time with the people and produce a film on the work of Compassion International in Haiti.

We hope this video will be useful in your time with students as you pray for the people in Haiti.

Compassion has close to 50,000 Haitian children in their projects in what is the poorest country in our hemisphere with over 50% of the 9 million people living on less than $1 a day. ?Compassion International works in Haiti to relaese children from spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty.

But now more than ever, they need your prayers and support after this devastating earthquake. ?We encourage you to have your students praying for this country this week and giving to Compassions’s Disaster Relief Fund. ?This fund allows their staff to provide food, clean water, temporary shelter, basic sanitation and medical attention to children and families in need.

Haiti – Compassion International from Student Life on Vimeo.

Operation Christmas Box–Alaska Style!

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Monday is for Missions

lindyalaska1

I have a good friend from high school that is married to a Trooper in Alaska…the great white north of Alaska! ?You think it is cold here in the Ozarks last week! ?They have to scrape ice off their storm door…on the inside…to get in and out of their front door!

I thought this was really cool what their church did for Christmas to serve people who are less fortunate! ?Awesome stuff! ?Check out her blog as well. ?She doesn’t post too much because the internet is really slow up there, but each post is pretty interesting!

lindyalaska2

Icey & Spicey Tales from the Great North: Operation Christmas Box.