Untitled Document

Miles McPherson is pastor of The Rock Church in San Diego, CA and also a national speaker to youth conferences. He is a former professional football player with the San Diego Chargers. Learn more about his ministry at www.therocksandiego.org.

27 Jan 2005 Miles McPherson

The power of God is at your fingertips. What's so hard about asking people if they know Jesus?

God has given us all the ability to dream, and He has called us to do something we can't do.

Daniel 2. He asks the soothsayers to do something they couldn't do. He asked then to tell him what the dream was and what it means. Of course, they couldn't. That's impossible.

God picks men and women to show Himself through. Sometimes He asks you to do the impossible. We must ask God what dream He has for us. If we dream then we can have a vision that will blow our minds. What ever you can imagine, God says, "is that all"?

Are you doing the impossible thing God has called us to do? Are you willing to be challenged and pursue a dream? Many of us pursue things we know we can do or understand. How boring! How faithless!

God has more in store for us than we can imagine. Just do it! Are you willing to be challenged? To tell your people that not sharing your faith is not an option? God says "Tell Him His dream for you". Then step into what you know, or walk into what you know. You won't know it all, but work with what you know. Tell God what you think you should do. Then listen to His response and obey.

There are so many people out there that are waiting and longing for someone to minister to them.

This is a life and death issue. Many of us are in the church business. It is the only institution created for people not in it. You don't get the dream right, and people die.

When He looks at us, are we doing the job that we are supposed to do?

Why should God keep your ministry alive? We need to tell God why He should keep our ministry alive. Keep blessing this ministry because I'm doing what you want me to do.

God has a vision for us. We can't not see it. Ask God "what is His dream for me?" An adventure awaits us. Don't stop praying until you see the dream. Anything else is just a job.

28 Jan 2005 Miles McPherson

Mt. 19. What's going to happen with everyone here after they go home after the conference? Decide on one thing you will take what you hear and learn home and apply it.

If we really want to do what God wants us to do, then we need to let go of some stuff.

There are 5 things about the rich young ruler.

How do we reach young people under 30? Most are not familiar with the Bible or the personalities in it.

1. Let go of your concept of being a good person. We are not good. We are sinners saved by grace. We all have a very evil wicked nature. We really need God. In every area of life we do things wrong.

Do folks see you as a broken dog made whole and healed or as a professional holy religious person? If we act perfect all the time, and we're not, people see through this.

Drop the pressure. We have not arrived; we're not perfect. Let go of the perfection concept, and let people see you as you are.

Jesus told the rich young ruler that he wasn't as good as he thought. There was something more he didn't know.

What works to build someone else's church may not work for you. You've got to find what God has for you. Put your faith in Him. David went out to fight Goliath in a way no one else had ever considered. They thought he would fail.

2. Is the Jesus that healed blind people flowing through you? Is the same Jesus in you that raised the dead? Do you pray to a God who does miracles, and how realistic can He be for you?

What are you going to give young people that is better than the fun and pleasure they are getting from the world now?

3. Let go of common religion. When you pray, do you say "God, I want to do everything just like you want me to do today"?

The definition of loving God is doing what He says. Lordship is about complete obedience all the time. Jesus can't be "kinda your Lord". Challenge people to do what God tells them to do, and when they don't, tell them they're wrong.

4. Let go of pursuing satisfaction from earthly riches. Sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you'll have treasure in heaven.

Do you really live to make Jesus smile? Can God depend on you for something?

We like to take credit for what is not ours in the first place. The church is not yours, the money is not yours, etc. Tell God your house, money, etc. is not His, and He can't take it, then see what happens! Even the ungodly are afraid to say something like this. Let go of it. We need to hear God say "well done good and faithful servant".

If you are faithful over a few things He'll give you more responsibilities.

4. Let go of the concept that you really can't be all God has told you to be. If you're holding on to something, let go. It's not impossible, it's Him possible. Do young people see God in you?

God says to us, "win". Not just fight or go through the motions. Win!

There will never come a day when you are done. Young people want to see someone who is always growing and learning and who hasn't yet arrived.

Bob Roberts is pastor of the Northwood Community Church in the Fort Worth, TX metropolitan area where they are being a missionary to the world. Visit www.northwoodchurch.org to learn more about their very unique ministry.

28 Jan 2005 Bob Roberts

What kind of a church does it take to see the world transformed? See Acts 17. The early church radically turned the world upside down. How about the American church? More to Lottie moon, bigger churches, more seminaries, this will do it, right? Wrong! We've been doing this for 200 years and we haven't turned the world upside down yet. We do many of the wrong things right, but fail to do the right thing for long.

The early church didn't have any of the programs, personnel, communication, and resources we do and yet turned their world upside down. The world is being turned upside, but by non-Americans. God is doing a great thing to the end that He is glorified.

What does it take to turn the world upside down? What is the DNA of the church? It has to do with T-church. (See www.northwoodchurch.org for more on T-life and the T-church. T stands for "transformed".)

What if the church were the missionary? The great Commission was given to the whole church, not to the IMB, denomination, etc. Missions is not something I do, it is who I am. It is not a focus, it is the result. I don't like the word "missions". It's not in the Bible!

I was mission minded like most Baptist churches. We've made missions a thing of the past by talking about the past. We need to train them for the present and get them out of the pew and into the world. How?

1. Pick a nation. We figured we would have to adopt a nation. We did away with mission trips. They were mini-vacations for our people. What if we got serious about nations being transformed. We have to focus on a nation and invest our lives in it.

We've got thousands of churches in the USA. What if just the top few hundred would pick a nation and go.

2. Get it out of the hands of the religious professionals. This is New Testament. We realized that people need to use their jobs to reach the lost. Layman must take their vocations overseas and minister through that.

What if God wanted thousands of us to prepare vocationally in order to use us in the opportunities of the future?

They do not need some institution or denomination to tell them what or what not to do. We believe in the priesthood of believers until the believer priests get out of line.

Turn loose, and let them do what God has told them to do. What does the transformed church look like?

A. Community development. Convergence. Help people use their jobs to engage community. They come up with the ideas, not us. (Bob shared much on his "people with special needs" ministry in the community and church.)

Eye doctors, dentists, teachers, contractors, mechanics, well diggers, whatever! Why should we rely on the government to do things that the church should be doing? The church should be the number one servant in the community. We must love people and see to the needs of the prostitutes and the poor.

B. Nation building. The Great Commission is more than proclamation. It begins in Matthew 5 and the life of the disciple. If you practice it only to convert, then you are not serving like Jesus. Serve whether they come to Jesus or not. Even if they walk away after taking what you offer, that's OK.

I want to be the love child of Billy Graham and Mother Teresa. I want to tell them about Jesus the whole time I'm drilling wells, building schools, orphanages, etc. Our laymen are doing business overseas to love in Jesus name.

C. Church multiplication. We mentor folks and train them and then send them out. God wants the DNA of a church to say "it's not about you and your church, it's about Jesus."

We need to go in with their agenda in their culture and not ours. Until you put your life on the line, you will not understand.

Dave Ferguson is pastor of Community Christian Church in Chicago, IL. They have developed multi-site campuses as their method for helping people find their way back to God. Learn more at www.christiancommunity.org.

28 Jan 2005 Dave Ferguson

Do life God's way.
The church is the hope of the world.
Be a close and loving family.
Have fun.

Drift is a problem. Just one degree can effect where you end up on a long journey. The direction of our family and church must be very intentional and focused.

Jesus came to catalyze a revolutionary movement for people to find their way back to God. He left these values: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses.

What if we discovered that day to day we were only able to hear about 5% of what God was saying to us, as if we were deaf or had a severe hearing problem? "You will receive power", means we will be Spirit led. The most (only) experience of a Christ follower is that we be Spirit led. John 10:27 says "my sheep hear and follow". Gal. 5:25 says "when God speaks we step".

Spirit-led experience.
1. God speaks. What happens between us and God is a relationship that takes years to develop so you understand. Four spiritual hearing aids:
-The Bible. Read it through a time or two a year to understand God's word. He wants to speak to us over and over and over again.
-Circumstances. Pay attention to what is going on around you to see what God is saying.
-In community. As we gather together God is able to speak to us.
-In prayer. Use a journal, write out a prayer and see what God brings to mind. Then write it down.

2. When God speaks we step. If we are going to be the ones that lead this spiritual revolution, then we must hear when God speaks. Some of us have one good ear and one bad ear. We hear part of what God says but miss the other part. As a church or Association, when God speaks we step. The key to church health and growth is that when God speaks we step.

Witness comes from the Greek word "martyr". It will be risky. When is the last time you took a risk on God? Faith is belief in action, but most of us are not faithing it. Faith feels like risk. Following Christ involves action. We're Christ followers, not Christ stand-stillers. See Mt. 25 in The Message translation regarding faith & risk. Faith is risk. Check out Heb. 11 and read the word risk where it says faith.

Don't turn back...risk it. We don't risk because of fear of failure and of success. We need to honor failure at times.

To be a missional church.
1. Risk it on emerging leaders. You can't talk about Jesus and faith without embracing risk. Any art is a risk. We need artists (music, drama, art, etc.) to come on board to help us. Set up an art show, and invite everyone to it. Artists are risk takers.
2. We've got to risk it on God. Don't do what you know you can do, do what God can do.

28 Jan 2005 Nancy Ortberg

The Emerging Church

The church is the continuation of Christ's presence in the world.

It is our job to put the 35 year olds and younger on our shoulders and ask them what they see in the future of the church.

1 Chron. 12:32. Each tribe gets a specific charge. To Isaachar He gives a special charge. We are in a unique position to understand what the shifts in culture are and pay attention how we, the church, do ministry.

Things that have changed. Two categories are trust and truth. When we grew up families did not split up, they remained in tact. It is not odd today. More than half come from broken homes.

This is a cynical generation. They've seen little integrity in church or politics. One of three kids growing up have been sexually abused. Today if you avoid talking of sex you will miss an opportunity to minister to a whole generation of broken people.

There are now two conversions. First to community and then to God. We must be an authentic vibrant community so folks can see if they can trust the Christian community or not. It is a trust issue.

Truth has changed with the introduction of relativism. Gone are the days that we open the Bible and say "here is what God says", and go on. Most do not accept the Bible like that any more. They are ignorant of it.

Church is not on most people's radar because they didn't grow up in the church. They have no idea what it is or what it offers. Many in their twenties who did grow up in the church are considering leaving it for something else. There is a black hole of an entire generation in their twenties who know nothing about church and struggle with truth and trust.

Are we building a community that really follows Jesus and His teaching? It comes down even into our finances. We must treat the money like Jesus would.

As we invest and develop in the areas of truth and trust we will see it pay off in the lives of many in the disillusioned generation.

Jesus spoke more of ministering to the poor than He spoke of prayer and typical "church" ministry. Does our church reflect the life of Jesus?

This generation is bringing the attention back to the importance of serving the poor.