Jeff Jackson Live

Sunday was awesome!! It is very exciting to see God at work in our church. If you didn’t hear Gale’s story you can watch it HERE. We started a new series, ReThink Training, and it was great to hear everyone’s responses after church. Here are some highlights:

• Prayer is essential to the livelihood of our church and our spiritual lives
• Fasting should be a part of our spiritual lives
• Our church brought in 65 pairs of shoes for edgeoutreach.com
• The backbone of our church will be built of spiritual disciplines
• Jesus gave us the model prayer in Matthew 6
• We can glorify God by acknowledging his plan
• The best is yet it come

Can’t wait for next week!

Jeff

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As we continue to prepare for our Fall launch, September 12th, which basically means we are going to take what God is doing and go public (John 12:32) I want to encourage you to be at church this Sunday.  We are going to continue our “RE” series “RETrain” a look at spiritual disciplines.  We are also going to be starting something that will blow your mind.  Make plans to attend this “don’t miss Sunday.”

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We finished the Foundation Series this Sunday and it was apparent that God was at work.  People were coming up to me after the services talking about ways they are going to reach our community, that pumps me up!! Here are some thoughts about Sunday:

• Its time to make BOLD moves for the Kingdom
• Jesus will always be there to bring us to safety
• There is a passion for the Gospel that is starting to stir in our church!!
• Fear sometimes keeps us in the boat
• We are going to intentionally reach our community
• When we make BOLD moves JESUS is elevated
• People experience JESUS when we make BOLD moves
• Jesus is inviting us to make BOLD moves like he invited Peter to walk on the water
• You guys gave the most in the history of our church!

This week was awesome and the best is yet to come.  Be faithful and available!

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Week two of Foundation and we unpacked Acts 1:8.  It was an awesome day as we started to understand just who we are going to reach as a church.  Here are a few thoughts.

• We have access the Holy Spirit (that’s the Spirit of God!!)
• We are going to rock our community
• God is stirring the hearts of our people to reach the unreached
• We all have a Jerusalem
• I love our new building
• Watch out IUS (go Lara and Heather)
• We have an awesome Youth Ministry team
• We have TONS of Kids
• Our volunteers ROCK
• Next week is going to be awesome as we unfold our plan to reach our community

Hold on tight Journey.  God is a work and he is going to use us in a big way but we must be willing a ready to go!

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We have so many talented people at Journey Church.  This week I had the distinct privilege to read  a very creative rendition of the Great Commission found in Matthew 28 by one our many talented people, Cole Harper.   I was talking to Cole prior to Sunday and we started talking about how the church in America has lost its first love and how we have distorted what the Great Commission embodies and have deduced the commission from our Savior Jesus Christ to something that is more focused on buildings, lights and HD videos cameras and a passionless life not focused on people who need Jesus.  Before all the emails and comments start coming in, I am not suggesting we can’t use buildings, lights and HD video cameras to promote the Great Commission but what is our motive, OUR kingdom or HIS Kingdom?  Without further ado, the American Spoiled Version of the Great Commission by Cole Harper.

Go therefore and make disciples of already lukewarm Christians, baptizing them in the name of cool buildings, consumerism and the fear of lost people, teaching them to ignore both the Gospel and that lost people go to hell. And behold, I am with you always [assuming your sound system is sweet] even as you pogo-stick aimlessly from church to church for the duration of your anemic, passionless lives.

Lets keep Jesus the main thing, shall we?  I can speak for myself and for Journey Church, we will not subscribe to this idea.  In fact, we will die flying the banner of Jesus Christ.  Who is with us?  The time is now.

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So…we started a new series called Foundation and Sunday we talked about the foundation of Journey Church.  To sum it all up…its Jesus!  But here are my thoughts anyway.

• Church in America is in decline and we are going to do something about it
• We have TONS of children (man it would be good if we had a Student and Family Pastor)
• Journey Church exists to share Jesus with people and to see them baptized and become disciples
• You exist to….well, tell people about Jesus and help them to become disciples
• It’s time to roll up our sleeves
• Yes, I said I would eat wood (sometimes my mouth moves but my brain does not)
• Some of you need to call Bart and tell him you want to LEAD a journey group
• Some of you need to call Bart and tell him you want to HOST a journey group
• American spoiled version of the Great Commission (need I say more?)
• Don’t know why but God is up to something huge in our church!! (stand by because its going to be awesome)
• Last day at Silver Creek
• The CROSS is real and we have a REAL command to tell people about Jesus

Next week we continue the Foundation series and we are going to talk about who we are going to reach as a church.  I have a strong suspicion it will be people who do not know Jesus but come and hear what our Biblical Foundation is for reaching people.

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That’s right Journey Church is moving!  We’re Moving!  It is exciting to be a part of Journey Church and to play a small part in what God is doing.  I can’t tell you enough how privileged I am to serve as your pastor.  I wanted to take a moment and remind you that we are MOVING!  God has really provided an incredible facility for our church to use.  Here are some things this building will help us accomplish:

• The ability to focus on PEOPLE and not facilities (because the association is allowing us to stay rent free, this is a privilege!)
• Allow our core team (which is you) to grow in strength and numbers before taking our church public (launch – September 12th)
• Provides more stability as we grow

Once again, God is at work doing so much through our church.  The best thing we could do is get out of the way and let God do what He desires (this doesn’t get you off the hook from serving).

IMPORTANT DATES:
April 14th – Work day at our new building
April 18th – First Sunday in our new building

NEW ADDRESS:
615 Park East Blvd.
New Albany, IN 47150

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I will keep this short.

• Jesus is alive
• Three people stepped over from death to live today!
• Its time to come home
• We are not going to stop until we hit 0%

Expect God is do big things this week through our Journey Groups and next Sunday.  Looking forward to it.

Jeff

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Just a few thoughts from Sunday morning as we wrapped up our series in Jonah:

• The best is yet to come
• God is at work in the lives other people, even our enemies
• We have not right to angry if we are taping into God’s grace
• We can’t have double standards
• Our children’s ministry and volunteers are the BEST!
• God is calling us to our community
• Change is among us and it going to be awesome
• New building same purpose
• God is freeing us up to focus on people and not facilities
• We had our first official business meeting with no cussing or name calling(are you sure we are Baptist??)
• God will use his people even disobedient ones, God is that awesome.

That is it for now.  Don’t forget to invite people to Easter Sunday and our Easter Egg Hunt and Cook Out.

Jeff

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There is a show on TV called 1000 ways to die. It always catches my attention but I really don’t have a desire to see all the different ways to die. In fact it kind of freaks me out that there are enough people out there that want to fantasize about death but that is another post. We can focus on on the different ways to die or we can CHOOSE to focus on the one way to live. I chose to live, how about you?

I was recently motivated by a Bible study from the book of Philippians. Paul is in prison, in chains, and continues to preach the Gospel. Not worried about what the guards will think of him when he tells them about Jesus, he continues to preach (Philippians 1:13). Not concerned about the people preaching the Gospel with wrong motives, he continues to preach (Philippians 1:17). He wants to die but knows he will be used for the Kingdom if he stays the course, he continues to preach (Philippians 1:23). The one continuous theme we read through this chapter is that no matter what Paul is faced with he continues to preach the life changing message of Jesus Christ, crucified, laid to rest and raised from the dead. What is your message? What will you preach? I am convinced there might be thousands of ways to die but only one true way to life.

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