Transformative
Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 7:49PM "Rather than seeking to be the next big thing - the church version of "America's Got Talent" - let's become the next transformative thing. Instead of our neighbors saying, 'Wow, you've got a big church,' let's create a movement where they say, 'Wow, your church makes a difference in our community, and around the country.'" Ed Stetzer
That quote pretty much says what I'd like our focus to be as I start my second year at FBC. Early in my Sunday morning series on the Sermon on the Mount, we looked at how that day on the mountain side Jesus was a man on fire. Not a fire fueled only by eloquent words, but He set the hearts of hearers on fire because He spoke with a burning bush authority they had never heard or felt before.
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20
Jesus called them to step out of the dry ritual of religion into the stream of His righteousness. My prayer is that we can step out of the dry ritual of programs for programs sake and ask ourselves how we can best equip our people and then motivate them to take Jesus to the neighborhoods of Dupo and the surrounding communities.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16
Rather than trying to be the next big thing, let's strive this next year to be the next transformative thing. The kind of transformation that starts within each of us and spills over into everything we do and say.
