Well if you could hear all of them you would probably freak. I want to share one thought with you because I believe that if we are not careful we will turn our churches into country clubs.  Sure country clubs are nice and entertaining places to frequent but if our churches become country clubs then there is no accountability, we can come and go as we please and we take just enough of Jesus until it starts to hurt or until He inconveniences us.

Sometimes I wonder what we are doing in the American Church.  We have brothers and sisters around the world that would give up everything to worship with their church family during the week.  In China, they are driven to meet in secrecy because the persecution from their government, yet they still meet and worship.  In Haiti I personally met families who live 2 hours away by foot, yet they still make it to worship.  Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani who has been given his own personal execution order could recant and his execution would be reversed, yet he still remains faithful and still continues to worship even in the face of death.  Believers are being persecuted all over the world for their faith and we can’t even make it to church because our child’s activities or because we stayed up too late watching some stupid fireworks.  The American pop culture church has lost their way, REPENT.  Now some of you will read this and say I am being too tough and its okay to miss church every once in awhile.  Here is what I have for you…in our Savior’s words, “Get behind me!”  You are the biggest part of the problem.  It’s not okay to miss fellowship with other believers and worship of our God.  The reason you would say this is because you think this life is all about YOU and you are sadly mistaken.  This life is not your own, you have been bought with a price and I can guarantee that Jesus didn’t suffer a brutal beating, have the flesh ripped from his skin, wear a thorn of crowns and drown in his own blood so you can be a half hearted Christian.

Today is the day to start living your COMPLETE life for God.  Don’t be satisfied with just almost and don’t live this life with regrets.  Lay it all on the table because this is exactly what our Savior Jesus Christ did.

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What church is not…

Church is not a country club
Church is not a museum of saints
Church is not a democracy
Church is not political
Church is not a retail shop
Church is not for the perfect or proud
Church is not designed to accommodate your schedule
Church is not a business or a business meeting
Church is not comprised of programs

That’s all for now. What is your definition or lack there of for the church?

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I was recently challenged with a new idea for spiritual formation in the church. Most commonly, the church will do there best to “assimilate” their members into the church. This commonly happens when we connect people to small groups or a bible study. Churches have full time pastors on staff just working to assimilate or orientate their people into the fold. Lets just pause for a moment and consider we might have been doing this in the wrong direction….?? Yes, possibly we have been doing church wrong for years. The purpose of assimilation is to connect your people and for discipleship. What we we started asking people, “What talents has God given you that can serve the body?” or “What are you passionate about?” “What makes you move?” You see, maybe, if we started identifying peoples God given talents and passions and equipped them to live and operate within God’s structure instead of the church’s structure we might see more participation and more assimilation than ever in the history of church. I don’t know, I’m just a nobody in this mix but its time to start looking at how we do church and ask the tough questions. What do you think?

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God is making some amazing moves in our church.  He is going to use us for His greatness and glory.  However, as we continue to grow we will experience growing pains.  Here are 3 thoughts that will kill our growth:

1. “My old church never did that!” – If you are saying this because there is something that you don’t like then this is a thought that can kill growth.  Think about it this way, 3500-4000 are closing their doors permanently this year so if we did everything like we use to then we will close our doors!  Our methods might be different but our theology will not change.
2. “There are too many people here, I just don’t know anyone anymore!” – There will be a day when you don’t know everyone at church…(you might already be that person) we should be excited about this.  We should also still go out of our way to make people feel welcome and attempt to get to know them.  This is why small groups are so important at journey.  Small groups is the glue that holds it all together and a great place to experience biblical community.
3. “The worship is too loud and I don’t know the songs!” – Did you know that the music we play on Sundays is not for YOU?  I know, probably not what you wanted to hear.  If we think that the music is for us and to make us feel all good and gooey inside then we are destined to kill growth.  Our worship is for God and God alone and we should be praying that God ACTUALLY hears our worship.

Church,  God is at work and we need to make sure we don’t allow our human nature to mess it all up.  I am excited for what is to come because I do believe we still have the best to experience.  Lets just make sure we stay on track and in tune with God.

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This is a mandate to all Journey Church members…let’s do something big for God’s Kingdom this week.  What can we do?  This is only Tuesday and we have the rest of the week to do something big for God’s Kingdom.  I am thinking of something radical, something different, something that will point people to Jesus.  I have been recently reading the book Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick and the book’s premise is challenging the readers to make audacious moves for the Kingdom.  He uses the story in the Bible about Joshua and how God made the sun stand still because Joshua prayed and believed that God would deliver.  I want the Faith that prayed that prayer.  The Faith the heals the blind, restores marriages and raised Jesus from the dead.

The same God of the Bible and the God that made the sun stand still is the same God that will do anything we ask him to do if its according to His will.  So what do you want God to do?  Lets take our place in the middle of God’s movement.  Will you join me?

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Today, we celebrated our Grand Opening at Journey Church and I am just blown away.  God was so good to us and I am so proud of our church.  I don’t think I saw one visitor not greeted and welcomed to our Church.  Worship was awesome…Jesus was preached…what else could you ask for?  Today at least 5 people that we know of surrendered their life to the Lord!!! God is good.  I am so honored to be your pastor and once again couldn’t imagine ministering with any other people.  I love my Jesus and I love my church!

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The reality is American evangelicals close more churches each year than we open new ones.  Like it or not, we are a post-christian nation.  This is why it is so important to plant churches.  I have read stories and met guys that had all the good intentions in the world for their church plant but for some reason or another they failed.  Here are three reason that contribute to the closure of new churches:

1.  Lack of Vision - Habakkuk 2:2-3 tells us to write the vision clear so it is easily understood and able to spread.  There are churches that I have walked into and no one knows the vision of the church.  No one can even articulate a version of the church’s vision.  Problem?  YES!  Vision is key to any church growth but vital for a church plant.  I heard once that if your staff is tired of hearing about the vision then your people will get it and if your people are sick of hearing the vision then your community will get it.  We want our communities to GET IT so preach it until you are blue in the face.

2.  Moral Failure - want to ruin your church plant?  Then have a moral failure.  NOT only you but your staff’s moral failures can ruin your plant.  It is important to have accountability in place to keep you clear of immorality.  Also since your staff can bring it down be slow to hire and give titles.  Your church  plant will thrive without fancy titles.

3.  Lack of Execution – Church planting is fought and won in the trenches.  This is probably one of the hardest components to church planting.  Most church planters are 60 foot view guys.  Let me explain, most guys are entrenched with vision and forget to seek and identify the steps to take to complete the vision which gives them a 60 foot view.  If you are a big picture thinker then you need to surround yourself with execution people, clipboard nazi and self proclaimed bean counters.

Church planting is our only hope so make sure you are ready for the pressures of church planting and educated yourself on the things that can bring it down.

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Well…no surprise but this Sunday way huge. It never gets old to hear people talking about ways to reach people for the Gospel. Here are some of my thoughts on Sunday

• 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 is probably the most convicting scripture that I have ever read, let alone preached
• We need to serve the nonbelievers in out community by proclaiming the Gospel
• Jesus, not having sin became sin for us.  THAT BLOWS MY MIND!
• The old is gone and we are new creations IN CHRIST
• We prayed for a Journey group that will be elevated Jesus on Wednesday…AWESOME!
• We we place our Faith in Christ we are brought into harmony with THE CREATOR
• Jesus Messiah…great worship song for today
• Our children’s team rocks.  I walked into a room full of leaders planing our first VBS
• If we aren’t about 1 Corinthians 5:17-21 we need to go flip burgers
• If you weren’t excited about the Gospel after church today then you need to check your pulse

The best is yet to come.

Pastor Jeff

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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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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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