Tag Archive - Encourage

The Work…

September 1, 2010 in Crossover, Encouragement with Comments Off

Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives! God has blessed me with people, that I believe each have a very specific gift and purpose in this work and in my life as I grow in Jesus. Because of this, I am gratefully humbled. Below are some thoughts that I wanted to share with you as they relate to the Body in Jesus for the work that lies ahead. 

  • No Doubt – There is no doubt in my Spirit that God has called us to a specific work for His kingdom and that is to RESCUE people from the grips of darkness and lift them into the light of Jesus Christ. I truly believe that we have been given the specific demographics of this rural community (Hemingway, Johnsonville, Pleasant Hill) in that task. As the Spirit led the disciples, he directed them to specific demographics where the work was greatly needed. So too has he called us to this work in this specific community.
  • Oppression – As the Spirit led the disciples into these new works they were almost always received well, until…LIVES BEGAN TO CHANGE. It was at those moments that they and the Body they discipled became a serious threat to the reign of Satan in a specific region. If we stand back and look at the disciples letters in the New Testament, it almost always dealt with revisiting those regions with words of encouragement and teaching. Why?…Because the spirit of Oppression(Satan) had settled among those New Works and attempted to derail them through disbelief, oppression, doctrine, argument, failure, opinions, life. We have experienced the first six months of being received well! But…LIVES ARE BEGINNING TO CHANGE! Be prepared…
  • Freedom – With much prayer and scoffing we have been set free in Jesus! We have broken the chains of bondage that has suppressed the Holy Spirit in our lives and this community! Let us not be fooled into believing that we can’t be imprisoned again! I want to encourage you to continue to be FREE in Christ. As we move forward in this work and the challenges become greater, do not let Satan cause you to do as you once did. Remember, you are free in Christ. Organized structure (meetings, decision makers, money handlers, divisional ministries) has its place, but it has nothing to do with the calling Jesus placed in the hearts of each man and women that has surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. Our freedom is Jesus therefore our focus should be Jesus!
  • Tasked – The disciples were tasked with spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people. They did not falter! They gave it their very best, nothing else they did compared to what they gave to this task. We must be careful to individually give our best to the task God has set before us. Do not grow weary, content, and satisfied, in the establishment of Crossover, but rather press forward in your individual tasks to the establishment of the Kingdom in this community.
  • Never been done! – This work has never been done! It is literally a new work. When something is new it is difficult, because it requires extra effort to understand and succeed. Of all the “successful” churches that we all talk about, none have successfully started a Crossover in a rural community. I challenge you to name one church that is nationally known that was planted in a rural community. God has truly blessed their ministries and I am thankful for them! But know that the work that you have been called to is unique! It has never been done before! While the Christian community, these Churches, and others, can provide great resources, and we should and will draw on them, they have no clue what Crossover needs to do to successfully accomplish the work God has given us, because it is unique, it is precious, it is one of a kind, it was given specifically to you! I want to encourage you to think about what God has placed in your heart, not what you may think is in the heart of others.
  • Uniqueness – The bible is clear on this subject that we are all unique. We are special! My challenge to you is to embrace uniqueness in the Body and among you, do not fight it as if it doesn’t belong. Everyone has something to give! Do not be afraid, even if you don’t understand it, to embrace an individual whether bond or free. I am not saying that we be a body without beliefs, but rather a body without constraints. Let’s not be concerned about what the community thinks, if we are certain about what Jesus thinks.
  • Love – The greatest command of all! Something we have all experienced at its most genuine level and sought to give to others as we try to love all people as we were loved. I want to encourage you to move beyond only being able to love within your group. The Body needs to experience that love! The love we have for others is what binds us together. Find it and give it every single time we come together as a Body! Tonight, for example, we will come together in celebration and fellowship of what God is doing. I challenge you to remove yourself from that place you feel most comfortable and love those who you do not know. Eat with them, Fellowship with them, LOVE THEM!
  • Discipleship – This is a warning to myself and to you. We must be diligent and effective in discipling each other and new believers. Discipling does not require new programs, or meeting, or even resources. What it does require is a genuine desire and effort to see God MAXIMIZED in each other! We must sacrifice more to disciple, exalt, raise, and walk, others in their journey in Jesus Christ.

We serve an awesome God! You are the best at what God has called you to do! DO IT!

Encouragement

July 21, 2010 in Crossover with Comments Off

Again, it has been a while since I last wrote. The work God has created through Crossover is just amazing! Since May we have seen a lot and I mean a lot happen. What a blessing. Through His provision we have been able to move into our new (leased) building and although it is a work in progress, we are so excited to have some more room. We were awefully squished in the Clubhouse, but I thank God for that place. I am pumped about watching God fill the new building and feel that squished feeling again!

We have seen over 100 in attendance, over 30 new believers, and 27 baptisms! Praise God! Our small groups have been very effective in teaching

and discipling and we are looking forward to new opportunities to educate and love everyone in light of the Gospel. Your faithfulness in Giving, Fasting, and Praying, is being rewarded by the Father in heaven, because not only are we seeing the corporate church grow, but we are seeing the people, the Body of Christ grow in him spiritually. The Holy Spirit continues to move upon our people as they apply the teachings of the Gospel in their lives. Wow!

Although it is summer time and many are going in various directions, I want to encourage each of you to continue in God’s word. Get in the flow! We just finished a 7 week series called Dare to Be Different. It’s focus was to encourage you to live out your faith in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. In doing so, you have the “courage” to be “unique” in our community effecting the lives around you for rightousness sake. If you have been traveling during the summer months, remember you can always stay plugged in by watching the sermons on-line.

Serving as your Pastor is priveledge and an amazing journey! God Bless each of you! With great expectation from God do I say…What’s Next?

I Love you All!

Chris

Strive for Perfection!

February 19, 2010 in Encouragement with Comments Off

This week has been a very stressful weak, from what I can tell, for many of us, not just myself. The Holy Spirit, has lead me to write this small note to you.
Perfection is not attainable in the flesh! We will never aquire perfection. We will never attain its loftiness. We will never be perfect! However, having giving our lives completely and wholly unto the Lord Jesus Christ, we are encouraged thru the Holy Spirit to strive for perfection!

I want everyone to know that I am not perfect and you are not perfect. Quite frankly, sometimes I feel as though I am the greatest of unperfectness! If thats even a word, but you get the point. No not one, me, you, the president, the pope, no human being is perfect! But Jesus Christ is. As a christian, we are to strive to be more like him. Only attaining perfection on that “great and terrible day”.

The Holy Spirit, our Counselor, has been freely given unto us. I must admit, as many of you probably need to admit, that I have not walked closely with the Spirit. I find myself now needing to seek him in my life. As I have begun to do so, I see many things in my life that need to change. You will too…but only if we each begin to LISTEN to the Spirit. I heard someone today say that, “my thorn in the flesh” was such and such. This week, I have realized and can honestly say that I don’t have a thorn in the flesh ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. I have a whole BRIAR BUSH!

Thank God, for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, and a big shout out, for thinking so much of us, as to give us the Holy Spirit. Without Him in our lives, we could never continue to strive for perfection.