Reflections from Sunday
04/30/07 08:48 PM
Sunday was great! I'm really enjoying this series.
I actually had someone come up to me after the
service and say, "They ought to make a movie about
Abraham!" Someone else said, "I used to think the
Old Testament was boring. I didn't think anyone
could make Genesis come alive, but you guys are
doing it." Now the reality is God doesn't need our
help. His Word is alive! But what really made
Sunday great was changed lives! Several Connect
Cards reflected people making decisions to leave
things behind, renew their hope, or to continue to
walk by faith. That's what it's all about!
We also had 118 people in church! We had 1st time
guests and guests who returned! Coastal, I
challenged you earlier that we need to hit 150 in
attendance. Well let's do it! Let's do it now!
There are people in our community, where you live
and work, who are lost, unsaved, and unconnected to
the Family of God. There are people who are
hurting, hopeless, and hungry for something more.
Are you personally praying every day for the growth
of our church? Are you personally praying for God
to open your eyes and to see people and
circumstances as He does? Are you personally
building relationships with people who are
disconnected from God and the church? Are you
personally inviting people to Coastal? And once
they come to Coastal and come to Christ are you
tapping them on the shoulder and including them in
the mission and ministry of our church? Coastal
that's our strategy! Let's hit 150 now and without
skipping a beat let's move on to 200 and beyond.
That also means that YOU are here on Sunday
mornings! If you're not here, you're probably not
bringing people with you. Now I realize people get
sick, go on vacations, and travel, but if you're in
town make Sunday morning a priority!
"But Pastor Chris, it's not all about numbers! I like things the way they are. Change is difficult." Jesus said, "I came to seek and save the lost." Jesus said, "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?" Sounds like a lot of numbers to me. Numbers matter because they represent real people that are lost and matter to God. And if they matter to Him, they ought to matter to us. Now the question you need to ask yourself is, "Do they matter to me? What am I willing to do to reach out to lost people that matter to God? What changes am I willing to make to reach out to one more? What changes are we willing to make? Is church about me and my needs and my preferences or is it about reaching out to one more, making room for one more, 30 more, 50 more, 100 more? Do I simply go to church or am I on a mission? Are WE on a mission?" And if we really believe that, then let's do something about it, let's plan for it, let's prepare for it. It will never happen by just talking about it, having a pretty building, or putting an ad in the phone book. The church before us had those things. God brings the growth, but He uses you and me as His vehicles to change the world. But He will not use a church that doesn't pray, plan, prepare, and purposefully reach out to the world. That's the vision God gave me almost 20 years ago and it's never changed. If anything, He has renewed that vision and passion in my heart! It is as clear to me as anything I've ever experienced.
I will not shrink back from preaching the whole Word of God on Sunday mornings. We will not water down the dangerous, powerful Gospel. But we will continue to do that in increasingly relevant ways to a people who think we and God are irrelevant. I will not stop encouraging you and everyone who walks through our doors to get into a Small Group - the primary place at Coastal to care, teach, love, shepherd, and live out our faith. We will continue to turn up the heat as far as our Children's Ministry and Student Ministry goes. They deserve the very best - our very best! And I will not make apologies for or back down from the vision God has given me for Coastal. And I'm through being distracted and diverted from that mission! Coastal join me! Casual reader just surfing the net and reading our blog, come check us out and join us in changing the world!
A couple more reflections from Sunday - our offerings have definitely improved. Why? You know what I think? Yes, we have more people coming. Yes, we just straightforwardly teach what God's Word says about giving. But I believe that it's also that people give to Vision! People support LIFE Change! People WANT to give and get jacked up about giving to something they believe in. Keep it up Coastal! We also had a great 201 Class Sunday night. By the way, 101 and 301 will be offered on Sunday, June 3rd. Sign up today! And our next Newcomers Lunch is this Sunday, May 6th, immediately after church.
Anyway, that's about it from this past Sunday. And like Janet said, "Don't miss this coming Sunday and the opening song! Come early and get a good seat." Let me just say - we will definitely ROCK YOU this week! This Sunday we're going to look at Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph and how God was "with them" and how He still wants to be "with us." I love Coastal and I love you!
"But Pastor Chris, it's not all about numbers! I like things the way they are. Change is difficult." Jesus said, "I came to seek and save the lost." Jesus said, "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?" Sounds like a lot of numbers to me. Numbers matter because they represent real people that are lost and matter to God. And if they matter to Him, they ought to matter to us. Now the question you need to ask yourself is, "Do they matter to me? What am I willing to do to reach out to lost people that matter to God? What changes am I willing to make to reach out to one more? What changes are we willing to make? Is church about me and my needs and my preferences or is it about reaching out to one more, making room for one more, 30 more, 50 more, 100 more? Do I simply go to church or am I on a mission? Are WE on a mission?" And if we really believe that, then let's do something about it, let's plan for it, let's prepare for it. It will never happen by just talking about it, having a pretty building, or putting an ad in the phone book. The church before us had those things. God brings the growth, but He uses you and me as His vehicles to change the world. But He will not use a church that doesn't pray, plan, prepare, and purposefully reach out to the world. That's the vision God gave me almost 20 years ago and it's never changed. If anything, He has renewed that vision and passion in my heart! It is as clear to me as anything I've ever experienced.
I will not shrink back from preaching the whole Word of God on Sunday mornings. We will not water down the dangerous, powerful Gospel. But we will continue to do that in increasingly relevant ways to a people who think we and God are irrelevant. I will not stop encouraging you and everyone who walks through our doors to get into a Small Group - the primary place at Coastal to care, teach, love, shepherd, and live out our faith. We will continue to turn up the heat as far as our Children's Ministry and Student Ministry goes. They deserve the very best - our very best! And I will not make apologies for or back down from the vision God has given me for Coastal. And I'm through being distracted and diverted from that mission! Coastal join me! Casual reader just surfing the net and reading our blog, come check us out and join us in changing the world!
A couple more reflections from Sunday - our offerings have definitely improved. Why? You know what I think? Yes, we have more people coming. Yes, we just straightforwardly teach what God's Word says about giving. But I believe that it's also that people give to Vision! People support LIFE Change! People WANT to give and get jacked up about giving to something they believe in. Keep it up Coastal! We also had a great 201 Class Sunday night. By the way, 101 and 301 will be offered on Sunday, June 3rd. Sign up today! And our next Newcomers Lunch is this Sunday, May 6th, immediately after church.
Anyway, that's about it from this past Sunday. And like Janet said, "Don't miss this coming Sunday and the opening song! Come early and get a good seat." Let me just say - we will definitely ROCK YOU this week! This Sunday we're going to look at Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph and how God was "with them" and how He still wants to be "with us." I love Coastal and I love you!
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