State of the church:
5 words: We are at a confluence.
Confluence – the flowing together of two or more rivers.
Topographically - Picture of Pittsburgh, PA
Metaphorically a confluence is the coming together of two or more realities or movements.
· This is where we find ourselves – and by we I mean Grace church
· And being at this confluence something is about to be born or created out of it. Something MUST be created at this juncture in our history.
The River of Need (human, cultural, local, national, global)
· this river is at flood stage
· the needs of humanity are acute… maybe even apocalyptic
· The 6 broken places of the world have never been brokener…or more broken.
Injustice
· the cycles of poverty remain powerful
· human trafficking , illiteracy, misogyny, wealth disparity all are crippling realities
Isolation
· humanity becomes more lonely and solitary by the day
o National Science Foundation: 1 in 4 Americans have no one to talk to about important issues of life … 1 in 2 if you remove family from the equation
Pain
· physical, emotional, mental nags at and debilitates human beings
o We are chronically ill, chronically depressed and we live in a chronically anxious society
Hatred
· at least we’re doing better here – right?
o wrong –racism is a Stage 4 metastatic cancer of America and the world.
o in addition we suffer from ideological and political polarization that have ground dialogue to a halt.
Decay
· meanwhile the planet itself groans under the weight of systemic and thoughtless abuse.
Separation
· finally the granddaddy of all the broken places, the source of all the brokenness, the genesis of all things awful.
· We’ve got a severe sin problem that has separated us from the God of the universe.
· Never before in our nation’s history have so many been so far from God. And…I’m not just talking Europe or Asia or Africa but Carmel, Fishers, Westfield and Noblesville.
So…Houston…we’ve got a problem…a river at Flood Stage and there aren’t enough sandbags to contain it.
But…there is another River that is intersecting this Menace. There is a confluence happening.
The River of Grace
· and by Grace I mean the concept of God’s merciful interception of human need but MOSTLY I mean Grace Church!
God has created a very unique church that you and I are a part of.
· a church with an extraordinary capacity to meet the needs of the world.
· a church just loaded with leaders and servants of God
· a church with a way of looking at things that come from a deep commitment to the word of God coupled with a purposeful, authentic engagement of the world.
o It all began Sept 1991 – picture of that first day
o Within 2 years in Jan of 1993 …God gave us a hint of how he would work in our midst – CoMission
o by 1997 God had turned up the volume – grew by 800 in one week and doubled in size within a year of moving to this site.
o in the early 2000s – we planted or assisted in the planting of 5 churches: Bridgeway, Genesis, Trinity, Evergreen and Centro Christiano
o 2005 – Imagine … build out of this campus with GK, Student and South Auditorium
o 2012 – Care Center
o 2013 – Prayer and Worship Gathering
o And last year …
§ >200 surrendered to Christ
§ > 300 baptized
§ >900 Fishers
§ >500 way of discipleship
§ >400 families Care Center
§ >8500 at Les Mis
§ >9500 at Christmas Eve (Eve/Easter combo biggest ever)
Something very unique…and powerful is going on around here and has been for 23+ years. The Kingdom has been growing here from that mustard seed into a very large bush. God is working on a grand scale!
And it reminds me of two of Jesus most powerful illustrations:
· John 5
· Context – healing of a man on the Sabbath
· My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working. Whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. John 5:16-20
o the point I take from this – like Jesus when we see God at work we must join him in what he is doing. We must not ride God’s coattails – we must come along with him and do battle side by side.
o If God is working on a grand scale …our response must be just as grand.
· Matthew 25 – the story of the Talents – man entrusted 3 men differing levels of money – a little, a lot and a ridiculous amount.
Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness! Matthew 25:21
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48
Putting this all together…
The unique and powerful work of God at Grace has slammed into the ever growing needs of the world
· God has allowed us a tremendous amount of assets and resources
· He has been working all around us.
And at this confluence of the River of Grace and the River of Need … we have decided it was time to act in concert with God…to address in a much deeper way the needs of the world.
…after much prayer and agonizing as a leadership community we feel it’s time to launch re:generate – the multiplication of Grace church
· To regenerate is to take something that already exists and build on it or expand from it or create something new out of it. And that’s what we feel it’s time to do…in short to multiply Grace Church…In Hamilton County, Indiana and around the world.
· the most expansive, far reaching and exciting initiatives in the 23 year history of our church.
It is so expansive and so comprehensive that….
· It will require the most faith we’ve ever mustered
· It will require the most prayer we’ve ever offered
· It will require the most unity we’ve ever experienced
· And it will require the most money we’ve ever given
What is it? …well, that will have to wait for a few weeks. You’ll hear in time.
· this week with small group leaders and team leaders
· later this month CC
· Feb 7th we’ll launch a 5 week series laying it all out.
What happens in the next 90 days will shape the next 50 years of Grace Church.
And what does this mean for you personally? When I come back let’s talk about that…
(end state of the church)
From the state of the church to the state of your soul…
· let’s talk about you for the rest of our time then take communion together.
· If we corporately are going to be ready to engage with God at this confluence we’ve individually got to get our acts together.
· Step aside from the talk of Grace church…let’s just look at your life in general. If you are going to make it in the years ahead…you’ve got to get your act together.
I want to show you the single decision that will reshape you and set you up for the highest level of contribution to this world in your lifetime.
It’s so important that we are going to take the next 5 weeks to understand it.
What is that one decision?
I will deliberately distinguish the vital from the trivial.
· I will eliminate the non-essentials and pour my energy into the essentials.
· I will live a life of essentialism.
Last month I was deeply impacted by a book given to me by a friend.
(Picture of the cover of the book)
Essentialism: the Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeown
Not written from a Christian perspective but it is packed with Kingdom sensibilities. And it made me step back and look deeply at my own life.
Here are just a few nuggets from the book:
The way of essentialism is the relentless pursuit of less but better.
The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default.
It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.
This book encourages its readers to make this crucial decision:
I will deliberately distinguish the vital few from the trivial many.
Of course somebody was thinking about this long before Greg McKeown
Philippians 3:13-14
Context: Paul’s letter to church at Philippi
· reflecting on the stuff that was at one time important to him
· the stuff he invested a lot of time and energy in…
o his status
o his education
o his hard work and zeal in persecuting the church
· he says…I’ve rethought all that and to drop all that stuff for something much better – more essential… knowing Jesus Christ. This is my vital thing!
o knowing =
§ knowledge through experiencing
§ knowing by feeling not by thinking
§ firsthand knowledge
§ knowing by relationship
§ not text book knowledge
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
One thing = one thing before all others - exclusive of the rest;
· I’m an essentialist! I am living by the vital priority of my life
Note how he practically worked this out…3 crucial sub-decisions under the big one of living essentially…
Vs 13 - forgetting (to lose out of mind)
o for Paul it was eliminating what everyone expected of him
o and eliminating the stuff he had given his life to
o and this is important: it always means trade offs
The way of the Essentialist rejects the idea that we can fit it all in. Instead it requires us to grapple with real trade-offs and make tough decisions.
Something has to go. Some things have to go. You cannot live Essentially and do what you are doing.
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
Vs. 13 Straining (and pressing)
o living Essentially does not imply taking it easy
o it takes a level of determination – especially because EVERYONE ELSE WILL WANT YOU TO LIVE A CERTAIN WAY
If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.
And right now, many are.
Vs 14 calling (summons)
· Paul was saying – God has called me.
o I will allow the prime voice in my head be God’s
o I will live by the vital few things he has called me to.
I will deliberately distinguish the vital few from the trivial many.
The next 4 weeks will take a closer look at the vital few…
Community (relationship)
Evangelism
Generosity
Serving/engaging/ Calling
Communion:
1. Unity as a body
2. Focus on the most essential aspect of our lives…Jesus