Here’s a little nugget from the message on Sunday. February 17, 2013 -- this day marked our first Sunday Morning Worship Service. We are currently meeting at the Civic Center Music Hall – our next Preview Service in March 10 – weekly services begin March 31.
There are times that something must be done.
Times where we can’t sit idly by and allow what’s happening to continue.
I imagine that is how Peter felt the night that Judas showed up in the olive grove with a detachment of armed soldiers. Earlier that night Judas had left dinner and went to the chief priests and Pharisees and handed Jesus over to them for thirty pieces of silver. Peter wasn’t going to let this betrayal take place under his watch. Peter was brash and bold, and these accusers had no truthful basis for their charge against Jesus.
Peter was carrying a sword just in case a moment like this ever happened. He drew his sword and acted before it was too late. He struck one of the high priest’s servants and cut off his ear. Can you imagine the scene? Jesus and his eleven disciples were not violent, but here they stood with one of Jesus’s closest disciples holding the assault weapon in his hand. Jesus immediately commanded, “Put your sword away!” I’m sure Peter was ready to keep going, but he submitted to Jesus and dropped the sword. Scriptures say that Jesus touched the man’s ear and it was restored. What? Jesus heals the man arresting him? Please tell me that man became one of his followers.
This was Peter’s immature moment of stating what ought to be different.
WHAT HE DID WASN’T RIGHT, BUT IT WAS HIS BREAKING POINT.
I often wonder if most of us will ever even have a breaking point moment where injustice, oppression, a need, or a cause will ever stir us so deeply that we are willing to stand up and say i can’t take it anymore.
Our first Sunday Morning Worship Service at the Civic Center
Will we be STIRRED?
This church…isn’t starting so we can do it better than someone else. We aren’t starting because we like this area of town. We aren’t starting so we can have the church of our dreams.
We exist because God has called some – STIRRED MANY – to be about THIS.
So what is...THIS?
What should we be stirred about?
What are we doing here? Why do we need to be here? Why did some people move here for this?
Because…I believe you and I need this.
Because…we needed to be pulled out of our complacency.
We needed our faith to be become real. We needed our lives to no longer be normal.
I believe this church is going to be a church that awakens the stirring that lies within people get off their butts and do something for the kingdom. I believe this church is for the person who wants to not just receive, but chooses to give their life God’s purposes.
This city needs a group of people who CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE?
• Who can’t take our consumer minded church culture.
• Who can’t take the fact that the poor are so often overlooked.
• Who can’t take the fact that in America we’ve relegated our faith to being a private matter.
• Who can’t allow ourselves to continue to chase the wrong things in this life.
• Who can’t take the mediocre versions of faith that we’ve allowed one another to live.
And many of us know that we must do something with our life.
JESUS HAS DONE TOO MUCH AND GOD LOVES US TOO MUCH – TO CONTINUE LIFE AS IS.
This church will be a church that awakens people to pursuing God in a way that takes faith out of the being in a seat, it takes faith out of staying confined to our quiet times, and instead it takes faith into a place beyond reason.
• It will take our faith into places that God has to do miracles.
• It will take our faith to places where courage will replace fear.
• It will take our faith to places where people will drop everything to follow Him.
• It will take our faith to real action and work of the gospel.
You might think...'wow...you sound pretty sure of yourself.'
This is not about a n y o n e other than Jesus. He's already taught us many times who is in control of this thing.
SO WHAT IS…THIS?
It's a beginning.
THE BEGINNING OF DOING OUR BEST TO BE THE CHURCH THAT GOD HAS CALLED US TO BE.