Monday, March 29, 2010

THAT'S MY KING

Here's a reminder of what Easter weekend is all about: the celebration of our risen King. This is from S.M. Lockridge's classic message: The Incomparable Christ.

Ready to have a little church?

That's My King!

GOD'S "A" TEAM - Intervention Part 3 Extended Notes

Here are the extended notes from yesterday's message "God's 'A' Team." Special thanks to an incredible message by Christian humorist and speaker, Ken Davis for several of the thoughts and concepts in this message.

Download a free mp3 of the message on our website or by typing "a2 Church" into the Search Engine on iTunes.

Here are the notes...


Three Truths About How God Speaks and Who God Uses:

1. GOD SPEAKS TO ORDINARY PEOPLE, ON ORDINARY DAYS.


Exodus 3:1 (NLT), One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro…

Exodus 3:2-3 (NLT),
Suddenly, the angel of the LORD appeared to him as a blazing fire in a bush. Moses was amazed because the bush was engulfed in flames, but it didn’t burn up. 3 “Amazing!” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go over to see this.

Important:
When God breaks into the course of an ordinary day to get your attention, pay attention!


2. GOD SPEAKS THE MOMENT WE TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Exodus 3:4 (NIV),
When the LORD saw that [Moses] had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.



QUESTION:
“How good are you at turning aside? How hard is it for God to get your attention? Do you pay attention to the opportunities and moments that God regularly brings into your life?”

Do you realize that there is not an inch in space or a moment in time that God doesn’t inhabit? Every moment is jammed with God-sized opportunities.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning said it much more poetically…

Earth is crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees takes off his shoes. The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.

Moses “turned aside.” The whole story hinges on that act.


Exodus 3:4-8,
God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
5“Do not come any closer,” God told him. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” 6Then he said, “I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he hid his face in his hands because he was afraid to look at God
.

When Moses heard God introduce himself by saying, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, wrapped in that introduction was the message that God is a God of grace!”

All three of these men had a “tainted past.” Abraham lied… Isaac, his son, followed in his dad’s footsteps… Jacob’s name actually means, “deceiver, schemer, or con artist.”


The moment Moses turned aside, God spoke. “Moses… Moses… I’m the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… I’m a redemptive God… Take off your shoes… Come closer…”

Then, God lets Moses see His heart… God reveals His plans…


Exodus 3:7-8, Then the LORD told him, “You can be sure I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries for deliverance from their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians…”


If you want to know the heart of God for people, it’s described in four phrases contained in this passage.

Verse 7 – “I have seen…”
Verse 7 – “I have heard…”
Verse 8 – “I am aware…”
Verse 8 – “I have come down to deliver them…”


3. GOD USES ORDINARY PEOPLE TO ACCOMPLISH EXTRAORDINARY THINGS!

Exodus 3:7-8, 10 (NLT),
Then the LORD told him, “You can be sure I have seen the misery of my people… I have heard their cries for deliverance… I am aware of their suffering. 8So I have come down to deliver… 10 Now go, for I am sending you…”


Our Excuses and God’s Responses:

• Excuse #1: "Lord, what do I have to offer? I am a nobody!"

Exodus 3:11 (NIV),
But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”


God’s Response: “I will be with you!”

Exodus 3:12, Then God told him, “I will be with you…”


• Excuse #2: “Lord, I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know what to say.”

Exodus 3:13 (NLT), But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘the God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they won’t believe me. They will ask, ‘Which god are you talking about? What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”

Exodus 3:14-15 (NLT), God replied, “I AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS. Just tell them, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15God also said, “Tell them, ‘the LORD, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This will be my name forever; it has always been my name, and it will be used throughout all generations.


God’s Response: “I will tell you what to say.”


• Excuse #3: “Lord, what if they don’t believe me?”

God’s Response: “That’s not your job!”

Exodus 4:1,
But Moses protested again, “Look, they won’t believe me! They won’t do what I tell them. They’ll just say, ‘the LORD never appeared to you.’”


Exodus 4:2-4,
Then the LORD asked him, “What do you have there in your hand?”
“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.
3“Throw it down on the ground,” the LORD told him. So Moses threw it down, and it became a snake! Moses was terrified, so he turned and ran away.
4Then the LORD told him, “Take hold of its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it became a shepherd’s staff again.



Exodus 4:6-7 (NLT),
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Put your hand inside your robe.” Moses did so, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with leprosy.


This clinic was all about TRUST. God said, “Moses, take a few simple possessions… Take your shepherd’s staff that you use to herd sheep… Take your hand, a part of the body that I gave you… Give them to me… I can do amazing things with them, if you will just trust me… Just trust me enough to give me what’s in your hand…”

That’s the same question God is asking some of you: “What is in your hand? Just give it to me…” Your job is obedience! Your job is trust! The rest is up to God!


• Excuse #4: “Lord, I’m not capable.”

Exodus 4:10 (NLT),
But Moses pleaded with the LORD, “O Lord, I’m just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I’m not now, even after you have spoken to me. I’m clumsy with words.”
11“Who makes mouths?” the LORD asked him. “Who makes people so they can speak or not speak, hear or not hear, see or not see? Is it not I, the LORD? 12Now go, and do as I have told you. I will help you speak well, and I will tell you what to say.”



God’s Response: “I made you!”


• Excuse #5: “Lord, I’m not as qualified as others. Send someone else.”

Exodus 4:13 (NLT), But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send someone else.” 14Then the LORD became angry with Moses.


God’s Response: “No! You are my answer!”


Take a quick inventory of the people God used…

• Abraham was a liar and on Medicare…
• Jacob was a con man…
• Joseph was an ex-con…
• Moses was a fugitive who also struggled with a speech impediment…
• Joshua had problems with jealousy…
• Rahab had a pretty notorious sexual past…
• Gideon was a wimp…
• Samson was the poster child for impulse control disorder…
• Eli was a finalist for the worst father of the year award…
• David had an eye for beautiful women… He was an adulterer and involved in a conspiracy to commit murder…
• Elijah was probably bi-polar… One minute he could outrun a chariot, and the next moment he was suicidal…
• Jeremiah said He was too young…
• Sarah thought she was too old…
• Jonah was directionally challenged…
• John the Baptist ate bugs…
• The disciples didn’t have a lot of faith…
• Zaccheus was vertically challenged and integrity challenged.. He also worked for the IRS, which meant, nobody like him…
• James and John had anger control issues and were status seekers…
• Thomas doubted…
• Paul wasn’t exactly “Dale Carnegie” in the tact department…
• Peter was the poster child for attention deficit disorder. He denied that he knew Jesus three times in the same night, and even cut a guy’s ear off…
• Martha obsessed over housekeeping and food preparation… (We’re talking Martha in the Bible, not Martha Stewart…)


What’s your excuse? All of these people made excuses, but when God gives a challenge, there are no excuses…

I love what Henry Blackaby said in his book, Experiencing God.

Some people say, “God will never ask me to do something I can’t do.” I have come to the place in my life that, if the assignment I sense God is giving me is something that I know I can handle, I know it is probably not from God. The kind of assignments God gives in the Bible are always God-sized. They are always beyond what people can do, because God wants to demonstrate His nature, His strength, His provision, and His kindness to His people and to a watching world. This is the only way the world will come to know Him.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

THE STORY OF ZAC SMITH

Zac's story challenged and inspired my faith... It reminded me of three Jewish guys faced with an ultimatum from a king named, Nebuchadnezzar. The ultimatum?

"Bow to the idol in the town square, or burn in a raging incinerator" (Daniel 3:15).

Their response?

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up'" (Daniel 3:16-17 NLT)

The words that have always challenged me? "...even if he doesn't..."

I like it when HE does... Not so much, when "He doesn't..." Zac's story is an "...even if he doesn't..." kind of story.

I'm praying for Zac and his family. I'm also praying for Zac's kind of faith. This video is worth watching.

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

Monday, March 22, 2010

PIPER ON THE FUEL, FIRE AND FURNACE OF WORSHIP

"The fuel of worship is a true vision of the greatness of God; the fire that makes the fuel burn white hot is the quickening of the Holy Spirit; the furnace made alive and warm by the flame of truth is our renewed spirit; and the resulting heat of our affections is powerful worship, pushing its way out in confessions, longings, acclamations, tears, songs, shouts, bowed heads, lifted hands, and obedient lives. " ~ John Piper, Desiring God

Sunday, March 21, 2010

PICTURE THIS - An Easter Weekend Worship Experience








I'm pumped about Easter Weekend @ a2 Church 2010. We really believe that God has been leading the preparation phase and that the Friday evening and two Sunday morning worship experiences are going to be unforgettable illustrated worship experiences that present the gospel in a clear, creative, memorable and inspiring way...

Here's the info...

Let's pull out all the stops and invite our friends, family, work associate, neighbors, class mates, and the people we rub shoulders with to experience the reality of the cross and Jesus' resurrection this Easter.

PICTURE THIS
An Easter Weekend Worship Experience


Broken and repaired. Damaged and restored. Sometimes, it's not about what you can do. It's about what's already been done. You're invited to an incredible weekend featuring two messages about being made whole again.

GOOD FRIDAY Worship Experience – Picture This…Broken
featuring a breathtaking illustrated message and Holy Communion
Friday, April 2, 6:30 pm

EASTER (Two Experiences) – Picture This…Restored
Snapshots from lives that have been restored
Sunday, April 4, Special Worship Times: 9:30 and 11:00 am

A free Easter family photo with Abernathy Photographics for every family attending on Easter Sunday…

Guerrilla Lovers - INTERVENTION Part 2 Extended Notes

Here are the extended notes from the second part of our series, INTERVENTION.


Guerrilla Lovers
INTERVENTION - Part 2


2 Kings 6-7 contain a story with incredible parallels to our personal lives… The story unfolds in about 850 B.C. during the ministry of the prophet Elisha, though He is not a player in the story.


2 Kings 6:24 (NLT), Some time later, however, King Ben-hadad of Aram mobilized his entire army and besieged Samaria.

The city of Samaria had been sealed off not simply for a matter of days or weeks, but for a period of MONTHS… And since no one could enter or leave the city, eventually there was a severe shortage of food.

2 Kings 6:25a (MSG), This brought on a terrible famine, so bad that food prices soared astronomically.

2 Kings 6:25b (NCV), It was so bad that a donkey’s head sold for about two pounds of silver, and half of a pint of dove’s dung sold for about two ounces of silver.

2 Kings 6:26-30 (NLT), One day as the king of Israel [probably King Jehoram] was walking along the wall of the city, a woman called to him, “Please help me, my lord the king!”
27 “If the LORD doesn’t help you, what can I do?” he retorted. “I have neither food nor wine to give you.” 28But then the king asked, “What is the matter?”
She replied, “This woman proposed that we eat my son one day and her son the next. 29So we cooked my son and ate him. Then the next day I said, ‘Kill your son so we can eat him,’ but she had hidden him.”
30 When the king heard this, he tore his clothes in despair
.

2 Kings 7:3 (NLT), Now there were FOUR MEN with LEPROSY sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other.

2 Kings 7:4 (MSG), “If we enter the famine-struck city we’ll die; if we stay here we’ll die. So let’s take our chances in the camp of Aram and throw ourselves on their mercy. If they receive us we’ll live, if they kill us we’ll die. We’ve GOT NOTHING TO LOSE.”

2 Kings 7:5-7 (NLT), So that evening they went out to the camp of the Arameans, but no one was there! 6For the Lord had caused the whole army of Aram to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” they cried out. 7So they panicked and fled into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, and they fled for their lives.

2 Kings 7:8 (NLT), When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating, drinking wine, and carrying out silver and gold and clothing and hiding it.

2 Kings 7:9 (NLT), Finally, they said to each other, “This is NOT RIGHT. This is wonderful news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone!”

I love the way The Message reads…

2 Kings 7:9 (MSG), Finally they said to one another, “We shouldn’t be doing this! This is a day of good news and we’re making it into a private party!”

2 Kings 7:9-10 (NLT), Finally, they said to each other, “This is NOT RIGHT. This is wonderful news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! We’re making it into a PRIVATE PARTY! If we wait until morning, some terrible calamity will certainly fall upon us.

2 Kings 7:9c-10 (NLT), Come on, LET’S GO BACK and tell the people at the palace.”
10 So THEY WENT BACK to the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened…


The parallels should be OBVIOUS

If we’re not careful, our tendency will be to FORGET TO GO BACK… If we’re not careful, those of us who "STUMBLED INTO GRACE," will get so preoccupied with the extravagance of God’s grace to us that we’ll forget to GO BACK


Why reach out? What motivates me to share?

1. Reality Check: God’s Been Incredibly Good To Me.


1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV), Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Psalm 23:5 (NLT), You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

Psalm 34:8 (NLT), Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!


2. Eternal Perspective: There’s More To Life Than This.

Why share? Why reach out? Because HELL IS REAL and REAL PEOPLE GO THERE FOR ALL ETERNITY.


3. Big Deal: The Honor of Being an Agent of God.

Mark 1:17 (NLT), “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18At once they left their nets and followed him.

Acts 1:8, …you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…

2 Corinthians 5:18, 20 (NLT), And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him… 20 So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!"

We are God’s ambassadors in this world. We are PLAN A in God’s strategy of how He is going to win this world to Himself… God’s plan is to use IMPERFECT, MESSED UP PEOPLE like you and me to accomplish His purpose and plan on this planet.


The Revolution Begins…

• Invest

(1) Love People Authentically


In his book, Guerrilla Lovers, pastor and author Vince Antonucci writes:

"I am not an expert on warfare, but it seems to me there are two basic ways to engage in a modern-day war. One is shock and awe. This is when the balance of power is on your side, so you move in the troops, roll in the tanks, and drop bombs from above. The goal is to rapidly destroy your enemies and force them into quick submission…"

Then he writes: "I wonder if, as Christians, we’ve relied on ‘shock and awe’ tactics too much. We’ve tried to attract people to Christianity through our big church buildings, slick presentations, cool music, and quality programs.

The other way is guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare is a method employed when you’re outnumbered by the opposing force. Guerrilla warfare relies on intelligence. You must outthink your enemy.

It also relies on espionage. You must know your opponents, being able to discern where they are, how they think, and what they’ll do next.

Guerrilla warfare features strategic surprise attacks. You must hit your opponents when they’re not expecting it. These ambushes are usually low-intensity, close-proximity confrontations. You don’t have the firepower to blast away from a distance, so you sneak up close, hit ‘em quick, and get out of there."


Antonucci concludes by saying, “I admit this metaphor breaks down quickly because those we’re trying to reach are not our opponents or enemies. They are the people Jesus loves, and we’re bringing his love to them. But you get the point. Jesus didn’t call us to use shock and awe; he called us to use guerrilla tactics.

It’s time to do the kingdom of God the way Jesus taught… It’s a guerrilla revolution. And it’s a love revolution… The way to attract people is through the way we live and love.

We are guerrilla lovers…"


Here's how Antonucci goes on to describe his ministry:

“Our church has always…practiced guerrilla warfare. At one point we decided to try something to spark people who perhaps hadn’t caught on yet. We handed everyone a sealed envelope on their way in to our service several Sundays in a row. At the end of each week’s service we explained that these were guerrilla lover assignments for them to complete in the next seven days. This led to an outbreak of people ordering pizzas for their neighbors, dropping cookies off at fire departments, mowing lawns for old ladies in the neighborhood, buying lunch for the person behind them in the drive-through, cleaning the bathrooms at their office, tipping the dishwasher in the restaurant, and much more…”


Here are three books / websites that will help you explore how to become a "guerrilla lover" in the Kingdom of God.

Guerrilla Lovers by Vince Antonucci
www.guerrillalovers.com

Conspiracy of Kindness by Steve Sjogren
www.conspiracyofkindness.com

Servolution by Dino Rizzo
www.servolution.org/ideas


(2) Pray for People Relentlessly


• Invite


4. Ultimate Thrill: The Reward of Leading Someone To Jesus.

Daniel 12:3 (NLT), Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever.


Intervention: to involve yourself in a situation so as to alter an outcome.

The Other Side - INTERVENTION Part 1 Extended Notes

Here are the notes from Part 1 of our new series INTERVENTION presented on Sunday, March 14, 2010. I'll post the notes from this morning's message later tonight.

Special Note: Significant portion of this message were inspired by and taken from an excellent message by John Ortberg on "The Other Side." Thanks to Ortberg for his consistently inspiring insights.


The Other Side
INTERVENTION - Part 1


Intervention: to involve yourself in a situation so as to alter an outcome.

Mark 4:1 (NLT), Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. There was such a large crowd along the shore that he got into a boat and sat down and spoke from there.

Jesus’ First Trip to “the Other Side”

Mark 4:35 (NIV), That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to THE OTHER SIDE.” (Matt 8:28-34; Lk 8:26-40)

Underline the phrase, “…the other side.” This phrase was actually a technical term in Jesus’ day. It didn’t simply refer to GEOGRAPHY. When Jesus said, “Let’s go over to the OTHER SIDE...” He was saying, “Let’s take our ministry from Galilee over to a place called the Decapolis.”

Decapolis was a Greek Word for “10 Cities.” The Decapolis was "enemy" territory. The people who lived there were thoroughly pagan. A few Jewish people lived there, but they were in the minority. The dominant population group in the Decapolis were Gentiles…

In Mark 4:35 Jesus basically looked at his disciples and said, “Let’s get RADICAL… Let’s get out of the box. Let’s try something different. Let’s move from ministering to people who LOOK, ACT and THINK basically just like you and me, and let’s minister to the people who live in the Decapolis.”

The disciples were probably thinking, “He’s lost His mind…”

Keep in mind that Jesus has been drawing huge crowds in Galilee… But when he arrives in the Decapolis, NOBODY was there to meet him. Only ONE GUY comes out to meet him… Check out Mark 5.

Mark 5:1-2 (NLT), So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the land of the Gerasenes. 2 Just as Jesus was climbing from the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit ran out from a cemetery to meet him.

Mark 5:3-7 (NLT), This man lived among the tombs and could not be restrained, even with a chain. 4Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to control him. 5All day long and throughout the night, he would wander among the tombs and in the hills, screaming and hitting himself with stones.
6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him. He ran to meet Jesus and fell down before him. 7He gave a terrible scream, shrieking, “Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God’s sake, don’t torture me!”


Mark 5:9-10 (NLT), Then Jesus asked, “What is your name?” And the spirit replied, “Legion, because there are many of us here inside this man.”

The word “Legion” is a Roman military term that involved a group of six thousand soldiers. Evidently, that’s how many evil Spirits this man was possessed with… This is an indication of the kind of power that Jesus was up against… It’s interesting that all six thousand DEMONS CRINGED IN FEAR at the very presence of Jesus…


Here’s the USA Today version of what happens next… Ultimately, these demons ask permission to be sent into a group of two thousand PIGS… Once the demons enter the pigs, the pigs rush down a steep bank into a body of water where they ultimately drown… (Mark 5:11-13)


Mark 5:14-15 (NLT), The herdsmen fled to the nearby city and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran.

Mark 5:14b-15 (NLT), Everyone rushed out to see for themselves. 15A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, but they were frightened when they saw the man who had been demon possessed, for he was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane.

Mark 5:16-17 (NLT), Those who had seen what happened to the man and to the pigs told everyone about it, 17and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.


This is absolutely amazing! These people don’t respond by saying, “Wow! This guy has real power… I’ve got a sick mom, a tormented child or a troubled friend… This guy has the power to help him…” That’s not how these people respond… They actually beg Jesus to LEAVE…

In their mind, Jesus has power, but he’s from “the other side” and somebody from “the other side” could hurt them … Somebody from “the other side” could have an agenda… Somebody from “the other side” could have an attitude of superiority or judgmentalism… They’re actually afraid of Jesus because He is from “the other side.” And these people beg Jesus to leave… And He does…

But just before He leaves, the guy who had just been set free comes to Jesus…


Mark 5:18-20 (NLT), When Jesus got back into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go, too.

Amazingly, Jesus says, “NO!” The same Jesus who had invited twelve men, “Leave it all and follow me…” This same Jesus looks at this guy who had just been delivered from six thousand demons and says, “Don‘t follow me… Stay right here and share your ‘GOD STORY’.”

Mark 5:19 (NLT), But Jesus said, “No, GO HOME TO YOUR FRIENDS, and tell them what wonderful things the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.”

Matthew 5:20 (NLT), So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was AMAZED at what he told them.

This could be called Jesus’ “first road trip to ‘the other side’.”

Jesus wants to make certain His disciples get it… He knows that they have a tendency just to hang out with people who LOOK exactly like them, TALK exactly like them, and SHARE the same values they share… Jesus knows that these guys have a real tough time believing that EVERY SIDE belongs to Him and needs to be brought under His Lordship…

So, sometime later, Jesus takes this same group of guys a second ROAD TRIP to “the OTHER SIDE.”


Jesus’ Second Trip to “the Other Side”

Matthew 15:30-31 (NLT), Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. 30A vast crowdbrought him the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others with physical difficulties, and they laid them before Jesus. And he healed them all. 31The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking around, and those who had been blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel. (See Mark 7:31-37)

Underline that last phrase… “The PEOPLE ON THE Other Side” PRAISED THE GOD OF ISRAEL!"


What Changed?
One MAN Shared His “GOD STORY”!


If you want to get a glimpse of Jesus’ heart for “the Other Side” just take a walk through the Gospels…

The Heart of Jesus for “the Other Side”

• Matthew (Matthew 9:9)

• A Samaritan woman (John 4:1-26)

• The daughter of a woman from Syrian Phonecia (Mark 7:24-30)

• An outcast with leprosy (Luke 5:12)

• A dying thief (Luke 23:40-43)


YOU HAVE NEVER LOCKED EYES WITH SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T MATTER TO THE HEART OF GOD!


Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT), Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. 19Therefore, [YOU] GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”


A Simple Strategy for Reaching Out to “the Other Side”:

• Love and Accept People Unconditionally.

Romans 15:7 (NLT),
…accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.

• Pray like everything depends on God. Work live everything depends on you.

• Serve Someone Sacrificially.

Steve Sjogren writes that “…the simple power of kindness, small acts done with great love, can turn the church inside out.”

• Invest in People Consistently.

• Invite them to an Experience.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Ready for a Laugh? This is Your TIME!

This "pre-game" speech made me laugh... Really, really laugh... "This is your time! Now go out there and take it!" Enjoy.

ONE THING

I ran across this post on Challies blog and it blew me away...

It's a prayer by Pastor Scotty Smith based on the words of Psalm 27 where David said, "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple" (Psalm 27:4).

Here's what Smith prays based on David's prayer.

Dear Lord Jesus, if you would say “Yes!” to just one of my prayers… if you would fulfill a single desire and intense longing of my heart, how could I possibly choose wiser than King David? Though I were to assemble a catalogue of commendable requests and redemptive petitions, there is nothing more to be desired than to gaze upon your unmitigated, unfiltered, unabridged beauty.

For on that Day all will be made right. Indeed, Lord Jesus, when you are finally and fully in sight, everything will be made right. Every prayer I’ve ever offered in concert with the heartbeat of heaven will be answered. Every quest and question will either be dissolved or resolved. All wrestling with providence and interceding over circumstance will be done with.

I will shout on that Day what I sometimes only half-heartedly whisper in this day, “My God has done all things well!” There will be no more praying in part… no more knowing in part… no more hoping in part. We shall see you as you are, Jesus, and we shall be like you. (1 John 3:2)

Until that Day, Jesus, please show us… show me, more and more of your beauty. Reveal as much of your beauty to me as I can entertain. For by the light of your beauty my sin becomes much more reprehensible… the gospel becomes much more commendable… your kingdom becomes much more visible… but above all, you become so much more desirable.

Jesus, no matter what I oftentimes think, feel, pout, demand or say… it is you I want more than anything or anyone else. Keep me restless until my heart more fully rests in you. So very Amen, I pray, in the beauty and bounty of your great name.


What an amazing prayer!

What's the "one thing" you would ask God for?

Friday, March 12, 2010

ONE LAST REMINDER - SPRING FORWARD on March 13

Here's one final reminder to SPRING FORWARD one hour tomorrow night (Saturday, March 13) for Dunkin Donuts, Micah Massey and INTERVENTION @ a2 Church!

Spring Forward for Dunkin, Intervention and More @ a2 from Chris Goins on Vimeo.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Don't forget to SPRING FORWARD this Saturday Night!

Can you believe it? It's that time of year again!

Here's another reminder to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to remember to SPRING FORWARD one hour this Saturday night, March 13 before you go to bed...

Right now... While you're still thinking about it... Get up and put a note on the fridge, a sticky on your alarm clock, an alarm on your computer's calendar, an alarm on your cell phone, a sign on the front of your house, a banner on the ceiling over your bed...

Don't forget to SPRING AHEAD and set your clocks forward ONE HOUR this Saturday night! I can guarantee you that you don't want to be late or miss any of the action taking place at a2 Church this Sunday, March 14. (By the way, while you're at it, don't forget to set the clocks on your microwave, television, car, etc...)

Here's the buzz on all that's taking place this Sunday @ a2 Church.

First of all, we know you'll be "losing" one hour of sleep, so we want to make it up to you... That's why this Sunday we'll be serving DUNKIN DONUTS coffee, bagels and donuts in the Cafe...

The best part? It's all FREE! But it's also first come, first served... Another reason to spring forward, baby!!!

Second, this Sunday the a2 band and worship team will be joined by Special Guest Worship Leader, Micah Massey.

Micah presently serves as the Worship Leader for the Student Ministry (The Nine) and the 18-20-somethings Ministry (The Turn) at Free Chapel in Gainesville, GA.

Micah is a gifted singer, songwriter, musician and worship leader! We're pumped about Micah joining the a2 band and worship team this Sunday. The team will be "bringing it" as we raise the roof during an incredible time of worship before our great God and King!

And finally, a new message series titled INTERVENTION rocks a2 this Sunday!

Discover the impact one life can have when we simply make ourselves available to God.

God has a plan for our broken, messed up world... YOU are a part of that plan... Discover how God wants to use YOU... You'll walk away blown away by just how simple it is to make a difference in our world.

If you snooze, you really will lose... Spring forward one hour on Saturday night!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Need A Little Theological Clarity?

Acts 29 just made available a free e-book based on Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Should Know by Wayne and Elliott Grudem... You can click here and go to the site and download the FREE e-book.

Very concise, easy to read and Biblically straight on! A great resource for those of you tracking with our series UNSHAKABLE on doctrine...

Thanks Acts 29!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

"GOD WITH A BELLY BUTTON" Extended Message Notes - Unshakable Part 5

Four Amazing Realities:

1. Reality #1: God Came To Earth.

John 1:1-3 (NLT), In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make…

John 1:14 (NIV), The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.


Theologically, the term for the union of both natures in Jesus Christ is HYPOSTATIC UNION… It’s something that the church felt so convinced of that they issued a creed in A.D. 451 called the Chalcedonian Creed that basically said, “Jesus Christ is ONE PERSON with two natures (human and divine) who is both fully God and fully man.”


“This is, without question, the greatest miracle recorded in Scripture. The parting of the Red Sea is nothing in comparison. Fire from heaven that consumed Elijah’s altar? No big deal. Even the raising of Lazarus from the dead takes a backseat to a moment that no human eye saw. In the womb of a virgin, a human life was conceived. But no human father was involved… The Holy Spirit, in a miracle too wonderful for the human mind to comprehend, overshadowed a young woman (Luke 1:35). And in a split second that the cosmos is still reeling from, God ‘incarnated.’ He took our humanity.” ~ Joshua Harris, Dug Down Deep


“The God who came to earth came not in a raging whirlwind nor in a devouring fire. Unimaginably, the Maker of all things shrank down, down, down, so small as to become an ovum, a single fertilized egg barely visible to the naked eye, an egg that would divide and re-divide until a fetus took shape, enlarging cell by cell inside a nervous teenager.” ~ Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew


“God the Son, existing for all eternity, not became dependent, floating in the amniotic fluid of a female womb. The One by whose power the whole world is sustained, now nourished by an umbilical cord. The God-man would have a bellybutton…” ~ Joshua Harris, Dug Down Deep


Luke 2:10-11 (NLT), …the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!"

The most amazing word in Luke 2:11 is the word “born.” GOD had been BORN…

“…BORN in the painful, screaming, sweaty, pushed-out-between-the-legs-of-a-woman sense. Born in all the bloody, slimy mess of real human birth. Squeezed and prodded from the darkness of his mother’s womb by the powerful rhythmic contractions of her uterus…” ~ Joshua Harris, Dug Down Deep

“The God who roared, who could order armies and empires about like pawns on a chessboard, this God emerged in Palestine as a baby who could not speak or eat solid food or control his bladder, who depended on a teenage couple for shelter, food and love.” ~ Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew


How Do We Know Jesus Was Really God?

• He matches all the “fingerprint evidence.”


Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel”

Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel"

Matthew 1:18-23 (ESV), “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”


In his book, Jesus, Who Is He?, author Tim LaHaye says that there are at least 109 distinct prophecies which the Messiah had to fulfill.

1) Prophecies Concerning His Birth and Heritage.

• Seed of woman - Genesis 3:15
• Descendant of Abraham - Genesis 22:18
• Descendant of Isaac - Genesis 21:12
• Descendant of Jacob - Genesis 35
• Descendant of Judah - Genesis 49
• An Heir to David’s Throne - Isaiah 9
• The Virgin Birth - Isaiah 7:14
• Born In Bethlehem - Micah 5:2
• Travel In Egypt - Hosea 11:1
• Son of God - Psalm 2:7

2) Prophecies Concerning His Life and Ministry.

• Preceded By A Messenger - Isaiah 40;3
• Ministry Would Begin In Galilee - Isaiah 9:1
• He Would Teach In Parables - Psalm 78
• He Would Perform Miracles - Isaiah 35

3) Prophecies Concerning His Death.

• Betrayed By A Friend - Psalm 41:9
• Sold For 30 Pieces Of Silver - Zechariah 11:12
• Spat On And Struck - Isaiah 50:6
• Hated Without Reason - Psalm 35:19
• Hands and Feet Pierced - Psalm 22
• Scorned and Mocked - Psalm 22:7-8
• Side Pierced - Zechariah 12
• No Bones Broken - Psalm 34:20
• He Would Die Of A Broken Heart - Psalm 22
• Soldiers Would Gamble For His Clothing - Psalm 22
• The Sun Would Go Down At Noon Day And Darken The Earth In Broad Daylight - Amos 8:9

Isaiah 53 contains a Messianic Prophecy. In fact, it’s a chapter that’s all wrapped up in Messianic hopes, descriptions and expectations. It’s stacked with loads of “fingerprint evidence” that prophesied various aspects of the Messiah’s life and death, approximately 700 years before Jesus was ever born. For instance, it predicts that the Messiah…

• He would stand silent before His accusers…
• He would be wounded, beaten and bruised…
• He would die with thieves…
• He would pray for His persecutors…
• He would be rejected by the Jews…
• He would be buried with the rich..
• By His stripes we are healed…

A mathematician by the name of Peter Stoner, in his book Science Speaks, calculated the odds or probability of any one man fulfilling just 48 of the prophecies concerning Jesus that are contained in the Old Testament.

According to Stoner, the chance or probability of any one man fulfilling just 48 of those prophecies is 1 in 10(157)! That’s incredible! The chance or probability that anyone could fulfill just 48 of the prophecies concerning the Messiah that are contained in the Old Testament is actually 1 in 10 with 157 zeroes following! Yet Jesus Christ fulfilled every prophecy!


• His Virgin Conception.

Luke 1:35 (NLT), The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.


• Jesus performed miracles.


• Jesus actually claimed to be God.

Matthew 16:15-17 (MSG), “And how about you? Who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn't get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am.”


John 10:30, I and the Father are one.

John 8:58-59, “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

“…in naming Himself ‘I am,’ Jesus was declaring Himself to be the SAME GOD who revealed himself by the title ‘I am’ some fourteen hundred years prior when he spoke to Moses through the burning bush. As a result, those who heard Jesus rightly understood him as declaring himself to be the eternal God who saved Abraham and called Moses.” ~ Mark Driscoll, Vintage Jesus

Colossians 2:9 (NLT), For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body…


• Jesus forgave sin (Cross Reference: Luke 5:20-21; 7:47).

“Can you even imagine someone saying that he is God and has the authority to forgive your sin? Sin is the human problem. All sin is ultimately committed against God. Subsequently, God alone has the power to forgive the sins of sinners. Jesus could only forgive sin because he was and is, God. In making this claim, Jesus is inviting us to confess our sins to Him so that we may be forgiven through His substitutionary death and bodily resurrection…” ~ Mark Driscoll, Vintage Jesus


• Jesus rose from the dead!


2. Reality #2: God Became A Man!

Luke 2:11-12 (NLT), The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”

"His name is Emmanuel – the God who is with us – who is made out of the same stuff we are and who is made out of the same stuff God is and who will not let either of us go." ~ Barbara Brown Taylor

Philippians 2:5-11 (NLT), You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
 When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.


Hebrews 2:17 (NLT), …it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.

Hebrews 4:15 (NIV), …we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.


3. Reality #3: God Came To Ordinary People.

Luke 2:12, “….this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a MANGER, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”


4. Reality #4: He Came For Our Benefit and God’s Great Glory.

Ephesians 1:9-10 (ESV), And he made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to UNITE all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Galatians 4:4 (NIV), But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

Ephesians 1:21 (NLT), Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.

2 Timothy 2:5 (NLT), For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.


"What is both Good and New about the Good News is the wild claim that Jesus did not simply tell us that God loves us even in our wickedness and folly and wants us to love each other the same way and to love Him too, but that if we will let him, God will actually bring about this unprecedented transformation of our hearts Himself.

What is both Good and New about the Good News is the mad insistence that Jesus lives on among us not just as another haunting memory but as the outlandish, holy and invisible power of God working…in countless ways to make even slobs like us LOVING and WHOLE beyond anything we could conceivably pull off by ourselves."
~ Frederick Buechner

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Favorite Song?


My favorite song at the moment has to be "Beautiful Things" by Gungor. What about you? What's your favorite song at the moment? I look forward to hearing about what is really stirring your imagination, challenging your thoughts, rocking your world and just in constant rotation on your iPod... There are no wrong answers... Just what's going on with you?