Sailors, Saints, & Sinners

A GREAT WEEKEND TO BRING A GUEST!!

This is a GREAT weekend to bring a friend to church with you!!

In Dalton we will be talking about “gaps” or problems that exist in our relationships … parents & children, husbands & wives, friends, family members, etc.  But more importantly, we’ll discover biblical truths to close those “gaps” and experience relational healing and health.  We all know people with struggling marriages, difficulties with their kids, and emotional strain caused by problematic relationships — INVITE THEM TO CHURCH WITH YOU!!!

In Calhoun we’ll learn the critical question we need to be asking ourselves in all facets of our life.  This question gives clarity when there is confusion and gives us confidence to move forward into God’s best for our life and His glory.  If you know anyone who wants to know about God’s plans for them, this message will show them how to take the first step — BRING THEM TO CHURCH and then take them to LUNCH

To all of us @ RBCC … PRAY for God to give people the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the desire to do His will!!

Martin Luther on God’s Will

Martin Luther who helped lead the Protestant Reformation had a very simple but profound take on God’s will–

A man became a Christian and approached Luther asking, “What is God’s will for my life?” Luther asked him what his occupation was and the man said he made and sold shoes.

Luther then replied (paraphrase), “Then make a good pair of shoes and charge a fair price.”

Now that is God’s will made simple … obey all that you know where you are!!

Philippians 2:14-16– ¹⁴Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.

Pick the Message Topics!

Our August ‘09 message series is called, YOU ASKED FOR IT … and that means YOU are picking the topics that will be taught during this 4-5 week series.  

Phase 1 voting occurred during May’s First Wednesday services.

Phase 2 voting is happening NOW online.  Click the link below to vote:

YOU ASKED FOR IT survey

Walls I’m Strengthening or Rebuilding

We talked Sunday (listen here) that our walls are our convictions.  These convictions help define us, protect us, and make us distinct (or not) as Christ-followers set apart for God’s purpose to bear His image and bring Him glory.

I wanted to share some of the “walls” in my life that I’m working on shoring up and/or rebuilding:

1) The power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  As a preacher/pastor it is easy to forget that God is Almighty and to think that the Gospel of Christ needs our help (it doesn’t, it just needs a platform in our lives).  I want my life, ministry, and preaching to be marked by faithfulness to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

2) The sufficiency of God’s Word.  (another preacher confession)  With all the books and conferences out about preaching, it is easy for us to fall prey to the myth that preaching is dependent on our creativity and skillful presentation more than God’s Word (and with our consumer/entertainment-hungry culture it is easy to see why we feel this way).  How wrong this is and how much stress this invites into my life (the “everything depends upon me” stress).  I want my life to marked by simple obedience to God’s Word, our church to be bold in our stand on God’s Word, and our preaching to be centered on the sufficiency of God’s Word.

3)  The radical call to be Jesus’ disciple.  The goal is not merely being a church attender or church member.  The goal is not just to get people baptized.  The goal is not only Bible knowledge.  The goal is not to get people saved.  The goal, according to Jesus, is to be a disciple … to radically and completely follow Him … to be sold out and surrendered to Him above all else.  Jesus changed the world with 12 disciples, yet how much impact are 100,000,000 church “attenders” in the United States making??

New Message Series: Woven

We kick-off a brand new series this Sunday, called Woven.  (click here for the web link).  We’re going to be talking about how God can work through everything that happens in our lives … both good and bad:  Does everything happen for a reason? Did God cause the bad things that happened in my life? How do I handle tragedies and triumphs?  All these questions and more will get answered and we’ll do it by studying the entire Book of Ruth for the next 4-5 weeks.  This short little book (4 chapters) packs a big punch.

Also, please think about WHO you know that needs to see God’s hand at work in their life circumstances? Who needs to understand how a good God can work with bad things and bad decisions and bad circumstances? Who needs to know that God’s blessings have a big purpose?

Pray for them right now and then call, email, or text them and invite them to Rock Bridge this Sunday!!

New Series: FUEL

We start our new series, FUEL, this weekend!! I always get both nervous and excited about kicking off a new series.  I wonder if it will connect with people yet I’m excited because God ALWAYS teaches me some new things through the process and I hope & pray He does for ya’ll as well!

So what is FUEL going to be about?  Well, fuel is what gets us where we’re going — whether gas for your car or food for your body.  We’re going to be talking about the BEST kind of fuel that will get you where God wants to take you.  We’ll discuss how to get better mileage in life, how to deal with and view tough times, and why sometimes in life we feel like we’re just out of gas.  This series is going to cover A LOT of ground and hopefully by the end we’ll all be energized (or reenergized) and heading in the direction God wants us to head.

By the way, the survey is still available if you haven’t taken it yet.  You can complete it here. 

See you Sunday … bring a friend!

Committed Series Resources

Here are some of the books that we used for the Committed series of messages:

• Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs — the central idea and main applications of the series came out of this book and the author’s commentary on Ephesians 5 (especially verse 33)
• The Book of Romance by Tommy Nelson — great commentary on the Song of Solomon! I went through this book via video when I was single and right out of college.  Awesome study!
• Going All the Way by Craig Groeschel — how to date biblically and have a marriage that “goes all the way.” (Good book for singles and people who are dating)
• Covenant vs. Contract by Dave Brown & Phil Waugh — on the parallels between God’s covenants and the marriage covenant

New Series: COMMITTED

Next Sunday we are starting a new series that will be a “first” for us.  The series is called COMMITTED and it is all about relationships: marriage (main topic); dating, divorce, men/women issues, and of course the “s”-word (secondary topics).  I am believing God for BIG things this series because I TOTALLY believe the timing of it is a God-thing.

We originally had this series planned for the Fall, but about 6 weeks ago I began sensing God draw me away from what was planned (now slated for late Fall so stay tuned) and lead me here.  I’ve heard of so many marriages that are going through tough times right now and I believe the church needs to put this teaching out there for people. 
Here’s a couple of things I’d like to ask ya’ll to do:

1. PRAY LIKE CRAZY! Pray for couples to come to church together; for God to speak, to strengthen, and to restore marriages!  God is for marriage and for families.  We can’t let Satan win on this issue.  We have the power of God’s truth available to us.
2. INVITE LIKE CRAZY! We all know people struggling with their marriage, with the pain of divorce, with the temptations of being single, or with the opposite sex in general. This is the perfect series to get them to church!
3. EXPECT GOD-SIZED THINGS!    God can do amazing things … no marriage and no relationship is beyond His rescue or restoration.  Every marriage can be improved.  Believe God that this series could turn marriages around, strengthen the family for generations to come, and see God move in a mighty way!

Seven Deadly Sins of a Pastor (Part One)

I am in the middle of one of the greatest and most challenging times of spiritual renewal ever in my life … both as a pastor and simply as a Christ-follower.  Here are seven sins God has brought to my attention over the course of my five years as a church planter, pastor, and Christian.

1)  Putting limits on God.  To put it bluntly, my bar has been set way too low!  I believe God wants to see churches grow, lives changed, and souls saved way more than we do.  But somehow my little (or lack of) faith, does in fact limit God (Mark 6:5).

2)  Depending on me, myself, & I (instead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  This one has caused countless of us in ministry to not take time off, to not say ‘No’, and to not delegate.  It has caused me to rush through prayer time so we can get busy with the work, to stay way too late at work, and to question my staff way too much.  The pride and pressure of this sin are tremendous.  Jesus’ disciples were guilty of this one, and Jesus told them this.

3)  Comparisons.    Satan can get miles out of this one.  He can make us doubt or make us proud … either one gets us off target.  Our standard is not the church down the street or across the state.  Our focus must be on what God wants to do here and to bring ‘fresh manna‘ to Rock Bridge.  Paul said it best here.

4)  People pleasing.  If you’ve ever made a decision based almost entirely on what ’someone else thought’ or how ’someone else might respond’, then you know what I mean.  In churches, the goal can easily slip from doing what God wants and having a zeal for His glory to keeping people happy (check this one out.).  We are not in a popularity contest or a political race.  We are in a battle.  We are God’s army.  Armies are not democracies.  Our General is riding a White Horse.  Our enemy is already defeated … we just have to march according to the orders already given.

5)  Clever speech vs. the Spirit’s Power.  How long have I searched for that clever phrase, that awesome story, that powerful point when I should have been seeking the power of God!  God changes people not words.  Paul again makes the point.

6)  Prayerlessness.  I just finished reading an incredible book called, The Power of Prayer by E.M. Bounds who ministered during the Civil War era.  Here’s a quote:  “Man is looking for better methods.  God is looking for better men.  Man is God’s method.”  WOW!  In this book he challenges preachers to spend more time praying than they do preparing messages.  He highlights how God has moved in the Bible and in history in response to prayer.  I once read where most pastors spend around 7 minutes in prayer a day.  I have been convicted that one of my main responsibilities is to pray and … up until last week, I was neglecting it. The first crisis in the first church dealt (in part) with the need for the church’s ministers to pray.  (Acts 6:1-7)

7)  Loss of the FIRST LOVE.  The shift is subtle.  It does not happen overnight, but somewhere along the journey passion for Jesus deteroriates from neglect, busyness, and trying to survive one more week … and then one day you realize that your love for {fill-in-the blank} (in my case, the church) has surpassed your love for Jesus.  Your prayers and quiet times are less and less focused on meeting God and more and more focused on getting your needs met.  You never thought it could happen.  You never thought you’d forget WHO got you in this in the first place and WHO you owe eternal & abundant life to … but it happened to me and it happened here. 

{Part One of Two}

Where Does It Come From?

A question I frequently get asked is “Where do we get our ideas for message series?”  The answer is from a lot of sources:  other churches, other speakers, books, our own insights from Scripture, what we hear people talking about, etc. 

Let me share specifics regarding our worship and message planning and how we draw from other speakers, churches, organizations, and the Holy Spirit to develop our worship services and messages.

Other Speakers

Vince Dooley said it the other day:  “I am part of all I have met.”  For me it could say, “I am part of all I have listened to.”  To be honest I have taken notes during every sermon I have every heard since around high school … and I still have those notes!!  Since I did not go to seminary, I basically had to learn to communicate and preach by reading books, listening to other speakers, and just by doing it (and I am still learning).  Here are a few of the speakers who have shaped me and influenced me:

• Rick Warren, Saddleback Church
• Andy Stanley, North Point Church
• Charles Stanley, First Baptist Church Atlanta
• Perry Noble, NewSpring Church
• My wife, Beth (She has taken preaching classes.  She gives good feedback, encouragement, and asks great ?’s)

Partnerships

This is one of the newest and neatest things going on in the church world today, especially among new churches.  We partcipate in or are members of several organizations/ministries that provide resources for worship services.  We use other churches’ materials and other churches use our material as we partner together for the cause of Christ.  This is done free of charge (in most cases) and with permission.  In a few cases, we might pay for the right to use a graphic, song arrangement, sermon content, drama, video, etc.  As part of partnering with these churches and ministries, permission is given to use the material for the cause of Christ.

There is an incredible movement of cooperation and collaboration going on in the church world as we share ideas, wisdom, and insights in an effort to reach more people for Christ. This occurs through blogs, conferences, roundtables, email, and online services. {Click here for a list of churches/ministries doing this sort of thing formally through their web sites.}  Churches are even sharing organizational charts, policy manuals, budgets, small group structures, etc.  Just since January 2007 our staff has made trips to Mountainlake Church in Cumming, GA; NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC; Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC; and WestRidge Church in Paulding County.

I am so thankful for churches like these and their leaders!! 

Let me give some specific examples of where ideas come from in a few of our recent series and give credit to several churches and organizations that have and will continue to help us.

SERIES:  OFF ROAD {Feb. 2007}… the series logo was designed by Ken Wilson of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC.  The message concepts came primarily from a book by Bill Hybels called Just Walk Across the Room. 

SERIES:  MY SECRETS {May 2007}… the logo & title came from www.lifechurch.tv which makes all of their resources available online for FREE.  The message concepts were derived mainly from Andy Stanley’s book, It Came From Within, made available via North Point Resources.

SERIES:  GOD & YOUR BOD {July 2007} … Series title came from North Point.

Other Churches & Ministries We Use:

• NewSpring Ministries  (free and unrestricted access to sermons, order of services, video & graphics).  You can view their stated goal here.
• Seacoast Resources (free access)
• North Point Resources (some material is free; whole section for church leaders)
• Creative Pastors (pay for the right to use and access to materials)
• Willow Creek Association resources (pay for the right to use)
• www.pastors.com (Rick Warren’s resource area for pastors and church leaders)
• www.lifechurch.tv (the pioneer of free and unrestricted use of materials)

The Holy Spirit

Everything good that has every occurred in a Rock Bridge service has been from God.  We rely on the Holy Spirit to prepare us, and then prepare the service or message.  I get ideas from my Quiet Time, from just thinking, from meditation, and from impressions God gives me or our team.   Our team prays, prepares, and works through each service and each message.  I take all the ideas, content, illustrations, points, etc. wherever they came from and organize them in a way that fits who I am as a communicator, in a way that I believe will connect the best with our people, and in the way I sense God leading me. 

The bottom line is we have a process for each series and each worship service.  The process includes prayer, internal teamwork, external cooperative and collaboration, and most importantly, the Holy Spirit’s direction.