Principles For Healthy Church Growth (From Acts 1 & 2) – Dave Smith #bgbg2

This is about principles not techniques for healthy church growth

From Acts 1 & 2

 

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach

 

The key to healthy church ministry is that it is the CONTINUING ministry of Jesus. Acts is not just the acts of the apostles but the empowering continuing work of Jesus. We can’t create growth.

We can position ourselves close enough to Jesus to follow His Spirit and do what he tells us.

It’s about following Jesus. That’s  job 1! And it takes the pressure off.

 

But if it was all about Jesus, every church would be growing.

Before Jesus does something through us he wants to do some things in us.

Jesus had prepared the disciples for what lay ahead.

 

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

 

God wants to do some foundational stuff, he lets us be broken down before he builds up through us. So much is seasonal in how he prepares us, it’s cyclical. Be alert to the season you’re in – if there’s not fruit work showing, maybe there’s root work growing.

 

We need a harvest vision.

“you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Get that ahead of now vision. God gives leaders a grace to see ahead of time. And he is able to do more than we can expect or imagine – that’s confidence not presumption. And you make your plan based on THAT. You see the big vision ahead and work back from that.

 

At this year (25 celebration) Stuart Bell said ‘hear that founding word again.’ So they say they want to play their part to see the UK come back to God.

If you’re stuck, maybe it’s a vision issue. Get back with God

 

LOVE where you are. Love your Jerusalem. Unless you love the place, you’ll never love and reach the people.

 

Ask the Holy Spirit to do an experiment with you to break the barriers.

 

Constant Prayer

 

When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.

 

The suddenly of God’s Pentecost starts because of the preparation in prayer. Yonghi Cho was asked how he got that amazing growth: ‘I pray, and I obey.’

 

Prayer is core to who they are. It grows out of him.

 

Prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue and he has a lot more interesting things to tell me than I have to tell him.

 

However you look at church history, revivals worldwide etc. – you see that when people seriously get hold of God in prayer, fasting, things happen.

 

In Sept 99 they started a pattern of fasting across the church

3 days one month. 1 day the next month.

They have ‘Deep Night’ prayer meetings regularly – create an atmosphere of presence, break through. We have to get hold of prayer and that’s how we advance and are protected. Don’t just have crisis prayer. 

 

The disciples were used to walking to the upper room to prayer. Never assume that people have got the basics.

Cf Willow’s Reveal.

Are the people getting built into regular daily Bible reading and prayer.

 

Right Leadership – and transitions

 

There was this strange thing that then took place about how they cast lots. Not the way we’d do it – but there’s something about leadership needing to be right before the Spirit gets poured out.

They had a forced leadership transition. But they said ‘we want someone who has our DNA, who’s been on the journey.

 

Some parts of the church in the world is it’s hire and fire.

Some parts of the church it’s family.

Both ways of doing it can be problematic.

 

We have to have a flexibility in our culture where some can be elevated and others not and it be okay and nobody throws their toys out.

 

Don’t get someone in because of their gift – have they got your DNA? Watch how much influence you give them.

 

Empowering Presence

Acts 1;8

 

His church was having an amazing time charismatically and spiritually, lying on the floor having a good time while lost people were staying well away.

 

The way they administered the moves of the Spirit were not furthering the work of the Spirit.

 

Look at Luke’s description of the work of the Spirit – it’s a prophetic empowerment for ministry, not lying down.

 

We have to think wisely about what we do and when.

We can learn to be attractive by being a little more attractional.

Roll on the floor before.

 

Maybe we don’t have to do everything in one service?

 

Have a deeper night regularly.

 

If they had not made those changes, they would never have got where they are – and they see MORE of the Holy Spirit moving and changing lives now and tangibly there – more than they ever did back then.

This is not diluting the gospel, but wise in the way we administer our Sunday service.

You don’t hear ‘My friend came in and was freaked out’

You do hear ‘My friend came in and just started weeping because they knew God is here.’

 

Have a swimming pool. A big shallow end and a deep end too. Don’t throw them all in at the deep end and expect them to swim! They call theirs ‘Touching Heaven.’

 

Mission

Most of what church does is aiming at the 20%. How do we reach the 80%

 

Finally

Nobody gets saved just because the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost .  You can have lots of Holy Spirit meetings.

 

PREACHING MATTERS.

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.

 

Do the work of an evangelist.

Lean into specials like Christmas. Where a whole lot of people invite a whole lot of people…

 

Get people to come, and then keep them coming…

 

Carefully crafted sermon series are key to reaching and keeping people.  Keep people on the journey, and build them into this kind of community…

 

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OMG! My talk from our last baptism service, and a BIG resource for free next year.

You’ve heard people say OMG a lot.
You’re going to hear a lot more about OMG in 2014.
Thanks to the amazing people at UCB there’s a mini-book in preproduction I’ve written which will see 50,000 copies handed out next year, together with multiple thousands of FREE booklets, a DVD, a website full of OMG moments – and a FREE follow up course and book to help people who change their minds about God through it learn what it it is to follow.
You can get a free sneaky peek at the content by watching this talk which a lot of it came out of. Let me know what you think, please.

The Biggest Challenge Of My Life So Far – Please Help Me Out!

I’m WAY excited!

Carl Brettle from UCB recently challenged me, “If you wrote an evangelistic resource that will connect to 21st Century people, I think we could make thousands of copies available to give FREE to churches.”

Woah.

I met him a week or so after to see if he was serious or whether that was just a rush of blood.

We discussed an idea I’d had about a year before that I’d been thinking and praying about and following that I’m just about to start writing and producing what will be at least two resources. I can’t give you the titles etc yet but there will be…

1) A short, punchy booklet and DVD resource linked to a website full of amazing testimonies challenging people to follow Jesus Christ

2) Another free resource for those who have done so (or are still on the edges of it) to help disciple them to make disciples.

Both resources will have dedicated websites to really help people who engage with the material at every level and we are planning on having tens of thousands of these resources available free to churches and outreach organisations across the whole of the nation!

This seems like the biggest challenge of my ministry so far in what Ivy believe is our ‘Year Of Opportunity.’

I had a bit of a wobble in the week about not feeling able to deliver then a great dream, where I was so encouraged by the Lord telling me HE has everything that is needed for this.

I’ll keep you in touch as I get more – but for now, if you pray, please would you pray for me as I start to put pen to paper – or rather fingers to keyboard on the first part of the resource. I am more daunted by the short booklet than the book to be honest as every word has to really count.

And if you have a few minutes to answer either of the following question that would help me too –

WHAT IS, OR HAS BEEN, MOST SURPRISING ABOUT GOD? 

CROSSED OUT – Carpenter worth less than the wood and nails?

The cross was not jewellery – it was  an obscenity. 2000 years ago if someone carved up your chariot on the road to Milan, you’d not stick two fingers or one finger or any other creative hand gesture. You’d make the sign of the cross in their direction. What starts and finishes many people’s prayers, began with an obscenity.

From http://www.designeau.com/thumbs/2013/01/12/jesus-on-cross-wallpaper-8370-hd-wallpapers.jpg

It was devised to be the most terrible  and humiliating way to die,  so that to say your leader went to a cross was the worst possible way to start a movement. It was foolishness to the Greeks and anathema to the Jews to say, ‘Our guy was crucified, come and join us.’ We cannot imagine the ‘Yuk’ factor that would bring to the common mind of the Roman empire which applauded the strength and might of its heroes.

Crucifixion was invented by the Phoenicians but perfected by the Romans and intended to be the most stigmatising (it has links to what we get the word stigmatising from), debasing and humiliating and agonizing experience. The idea was that NOBODY would ever want to be associated with anyone who died on a cross. There were lots of pretended Messiahs around at the time, but after the cross – nobody bothered to talk about any of them.

The cross, crossed people out. They didn’t matter anymore.

It was a death that deliberately stripped all dignity. You were belittled. That means you were being, littled.

After the death sentence was passed, the condemned person was stripped and paraded naked through the streets of the city, so that his punishment would be seen by all. The Jewish Law required that executions be made outside the city walls and the Romans accommodated this custom with criminals prominently put to death on a hill outside of Jerusalem. They wanted executions near well-travelled roads so all could see what became of any who were not a friend of Caesar.

You probably know how they had beaten this carpenter turned preacher, Jesus of Nazareth.  They flogged him with a whip laced with bone or lead to flay off the skin and bare the internals – they stuck his back together with a rough purple horse blanket and mocked him as they placed a crown of thorns upon his head and beat it into place with a stick. When they were finally tired of scorning him, they ripped off the ‘robe’ and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

Literary sources detailing the history indicate that the condemned person would carry to the execution site only the heavy crossbar (stipes). Wood was scarce and the vertical pole (patibulum) was kept stationary and used repeatedly. As he stumbled toward his execution the soldiers would follow closely behind, whipping him along the way.

When they arrived at the place of execution, the criminal would be both nailed and tied by rope to the cross beam. Recent archaeology indicates nails only 4.5 inches long would be used, in fact re-examination of a famous crucifixion victim may indicate that just one nail driven through one heel bone would suffice to keep a man on a cross if he were then tied with ropes. We know that Jesus’ hands were pierced but still this carpenter would be worth less than the nails and the wood – they often didn’t want to use too many nails or ruin the wood with nail marks too quickly so would often use a rope to hold the upper body. The victim would slowly die of asphyxiation just the same.

The position made it progressively difficult to exhale. The word excruciating was coined from this terrible pain. His legs were bent and his feet or heels nailed near the base of the cross—so he could push his torso a few inches and gasp for breath, until the pain in his legs became unbearable and he collapsed again.

It was not uncommon for death to take two days. Whenever the authorities decided (for whatever reason) to expedite the criminal’s death, his legs would be broken so that he could no longer push himself up for breath, and he would suffocate within a matter of minutes. Jesus died before that happened to him.

Unlike medieval art depictions, the cross didn’t tower high above the crowd. The dying would experience the torment of dangling just above the ground, at eye level, so tormentors could easily spit in his face, or set the dogs on them. The word crucify literally means ‘impale on a plank.’ Throughout the history of the Roman Empire, untold thousands were executed in this fashion. In AD70 after a rebellion they crucified so many they ran out of wood and just nailed them to the walls. We only remember one cross.

But Jesus’ cross was inconsequential. The sign above his head ‘King of the Jews’ – a bitter irony. He was nothing. Crossed out. As Jesus hung there naked, beaten and bloody, they taunted him, even the thieves he was crucified together with mocked him; his enemies watching him die helpless as the soldiers gambled for his clothes alone must have made his claim seem laughable.

Leading religious figures applauded, saying, “Let this Messiah come down off the cross so that we can see it and believe in him.”

And his friends – those who had believed in him – their worlds were spinning out right of control, and everything going wrong… they’re asking ‘WHAT IS GOING ON?!’’

What was going on? The Bible tells us what at the time only heaven could see, in Philippians 2:

When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honour of God the Father.

Jesus Christ hung there – because everything hung on it.

He was there, not as the victim of circumstances beyond his control, but because he chose to lay down his life for the sake of the world. As he had said to his friends in so many ways as he predicted the detail of what would happen: I am the good shepherd….No one can take my life from me. I lay down my life voluntarily. I have the power to lay it down when I want to and also the power to take it again. (John 10)

As Jesus was arrested, he said to his disciples, “Don’t you realise that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?” (Matthew 26:53)

He was saying ‘I could save myself ANY time, but if I did, how could YOU be saved?’

Jesus could have saved himself, any minute of that long Good Friday. But He could not save himself, because He wanted to save – you. Saving us, forgiving all our sins and giving us eternal life meant that he had to die on the cross to pay the price for your sins. It was not that HE was crossed out, but our sins were crossed out, forever.

And he was willing to do whatever it took, for that to happen. For the glory of his Father, and because he thinks we were worth it.

Jesus’ death on the cross is the only one that is remembered, the death symbol that brings life – because that’s what it took to bring about our reconciliation, and that was a price he was willing to pay. In the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prayed, “If it is possible, take this cup from me” — but it was not possible. That cup could not be taken away… someone had to drink it. Him or us…

He did what it took. He took what it took. Despite all the power available to the Son of God, the King of kings, he knew he couldn’t save himself, because he wanted to save me and you.

(This is part of my notes from our Good Friday service yesterday – the talk in full will be available soon as a free podcast at www.ivymanchester.org/podcasts)

James White – The Christian Mind (iDisciple conference WCAUK)

James Emery White – The Christian Mind

What is the modern (non Christian) mind?

1. MULTI-TRUTH

Pluralism. God’s like a mountain, all the religions are paths up the same mountain, and the names of God are all the same summit. Go to the multiplex, or home to Netflix, all those choices. This is NEW! Peter Berger – sociologist said Religion used to provide a sacred canopy over all of culture. Now that’s replaced by millions of umbrellas to stand under.

With the increase of options comes lots of choices of truths, all equally valid.

But if everything is true – nothing is true.

‘It’s raining.’ Either it is or isn’t. There’s a match with reality.

These days comparative religion teaches what is held in common with all religions. But you can’t be a Buddhist Christian. Ask the Dalai Lama! Their truth claims are opposite. It’s two different mountains. Same with Islam etc.

So, either you say ; someone’s right

or someone’s wrong

But you can’t say they are ALL right. That’s intellectually dishonest.

1. TRUTHINESS

Facts don’t matter. How you feel matters. You can create truth for yourself, despite the facts. If I can convince a majority of others that’s true, it is. (Follow link for more)

2. WIKIALITY

We create our own reality, and that becomes fact for us all. There is no truth outside of what the majority want it to be. If we say 2 + 2 = 5 for us, then it does.(Follow link for more/source)

3. MISTAKERS

Nobody is a sinner. nobody sins. Sociology and psychology has pushed sin out. We are just mistakers. Or in fact there’s something good about why we did it. ‘I’m sorry you got offended…’ Nothing is wrong, wicked or evil – so..

4. MORAL RELATIVISM

Anything goes. If it makes you happy, morality is a personal choice and opinion. If you’re not hurting anyone – except judgmental people of course. They are the only wrong ones. Look at Christian Smith’s work on this.

Why contrast this mind with the Christian mind?

Well this is a little disingenious. The fact is – the modern mind has BECOME the Christian mind! We are UNDISCIPLED here!

When Jesus restated the Shema (when quoting it verbatim as a Rabbi was essential) he ADDED in loving God ‘with your MIND…’

Paul was clear how change happens. Romans 12. RENEW the mind. Continually don’t let the world adjust you so much you fit into it without thinking. We are mirroring it, not challenging. This is diabolical.

Christians have to retain a prophetic voice. that has to come from a prophetic MIND.

Prov 23:7 As a man thinks in his heart – so is he.

Harry Blamires, ‘There is no longer a Christian mind.’

We have to start thinking about the big issues of our day in the light of our faith. Not having a compartmentalised mind. Where over here you have your work life, here’s your daily reading, here’s a tweet, here’s a show… and your thinking about one doesn’t link to the other things.

So you can be a Christian, but not let that reflect that in how you think about science. About films you see, social media. Do you integrate these things in terms of a Christian worldview?

Eg., where did we come from?

There are actually very few answers.

By chance (Naturalism)

We don’t exist (Hindu)

We were created

If we believe the latter, then there is meaning, and someone outside of us to whom we are accountable and from whom we derive value. Look at how MLK challenged unjust laws in his letter from a Birmingham Jail. It was based on the value of humanity based on a law above human laws.

John Stott said our battle is ‘a battle of ideas.’

We take captive every THOUGHT to make it obedient to Christ.

OR we think like everyone else.

Thomas Cahill – ‘How the Irish saved civilisation.’ As the Roman empire fell to barbarism, the Irish took up the Labour of copying western literature. This was then taken back to Europe and they saved it! Without this Christian mind, they would also have lost the ability to think. By the way, Islam would have taken over Europe then too.

There are few Christian warriors of the mind these days. Most retreat into personal piety or good works. We follow someone who died at 33. Don’t live a life that doesn’t offend people, if we don’t live as if we don’t care if we’ll die, we will be impotent.

We don’t need Divine Rehab but Divine Rescue

CENTER CHURCH – Tim Keller 

(Ivy GG notes – much of this material comes from today’s Ivy GG Leaders Day; thanks so much to all who made time to attend and for all you’re doing at ‘the church that meets at your house.’)

I have been very inspired as I read Tim Keller’s latest book, Center Church.

Check out the video summary at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_ZWlPUmVug

I downloaded it on my Kindle and began to highlight in yellow important phrases and concepts as is my usual practice, but there’s so much there it ended with what looks like a Christian version of the Yellow Pages!

DISCUSS:

Do you read regularly or is that something you find hard to make time for? If so how might you overcome that challenge so you keep on growing?

What have you read recently that’s encouraged, inspired or challenged you?

I outlined my understanding of what I’d read in the book to our leaders as follows:

The ‘model’ of church isn’t what’s most important.

We have at one end (D.F.) the DOCTRINAL FOUNDATION. What we believe – and as a result of that there will be some things we don’t believe too). We have a central core of belief – the Gospel – that doesn’t change.

DISCUSS: What is ‘The Gospel’? What’s the Good News as your group understands it?

Look up the word ‘gospel’ now in a concordance. Have you covered any of the elements of what the Bible says the gospel is?

Keller is keen to stress the gospel is good news about what’s been done FOR us.

As I read I thought, ‘It’s not divine rehab but divine rescue.’

Optional question: How might we twist this message and make it either ‘Good things we out to try to do’ (RELIGION) or ‘We don’t have to  live holy lives because God will forgive us anyway?’ (IRRELIGION).  Keller says the gospel is neither of those two, but something entirely different; GRACE! 

At the other end we have (M.E.) the MINISTRY EXPRESSION(S) – What we DO because of what we believe. Our church services in the club, cinema, warehouse, your home – are all ministry expressions. What else can you think of that are ministry expressions?  Ministry Expressions CAN change – whether we like change or not, it happens all the time. Some people get frightened by the pace of change and might want Ivy to just go back to doing things ‘the way we used to do them.’ Here’s a picture someone just sent me of that that might look like:

(Consider this a caption competition! Thanks to Paul Nattrass’ Dad.

Comment at the bottom -winner gets a free copy of either of my three books they’d like) 

In the centre is our (T.E) THEOLOGICAL VISION. – Who we ARE (because of what we believe).

Around Ivy we’d call that our DNA I suppose, it’s what makes us distinctive.

You can download the DNA here  if you want to look at it in more detail but from the earliest days – even before we had the banner and the pram push down the street, Ivy was founded to be Relevant to people far from God, Confident in God, Welcoming because nobody’s perfect and all things are possible, Outward-Looking because our God is on a mission in the world and wants us to join him, and Adventurous because nobody ever really met with Jesus and stayed the same.

DNA is important in how you replicate. Spend some time discussing our DNA.

Read John 20:10-18

Notice: Jesus said, “Go…and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 

Tell the people next to you, ‘You have your Father’s DNA!’  We don’t need divine rehab but divine rescue has happened so now his Divine DNA is at work in you!

PRAY for one another.

Pray for me!

Pray for our church, and especially the new ‘Ministry Expression’ at Ivy Sharston – and please plan to join us for its launch Sept 21st 4pm at the Message, Lancaster House, Harper Rd, Sharston  M22 4RG

The Cross That Sets Us Free

Colossians 2:13,14 “…you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

I took this photo on my iPhone the other day, just passing the Albert Pub in Didsbury and noticed how they’d put up a warning sign to deter parkers, on a cross.

Ever been clamped? I got my car clamped once – and I could tell the guys who did it just loved their job! Grrr… it was so frustrating to be stuck like that, subject to punishment. Not able to go where I wanted. Captive! I didn’t have the money to pay them and contested it vigorously because (unlike this one) the sign wasn’t clear or even visible from where I parked.

Finally, a friend agreed to pay half and then I paid the vultures who held my car, and was free!

I was so struck by how this pub has put their notice on a cross like this.

Jesus’ final shout of triumph from the cross on Good Friday was ‘It is finished!’ which we could translate as ‘paid in full!’ That’s what this friend did so we could be free – not stuck. He paid the penalty though he’d done nothing wrong – and it’s not paid with money but the most precious substance in the universe, his own blood.

The good news of Easter is you don’t have to be stuck anymore. He who the Son sets free, is free indeed!

God looks at the inside. Visitors don’t!

Continuing the Richard Reising insights…

Marketing is biblical.

At various times it says, ‘Jesus perceived their thoughts / reasoning in their hearts – and said….’

What was he doing? Managing their thoughts. Reshaping them where neccessary.

We have to have a finger on the pulse of what people think about us.

We have to be aware – and adjust. (that’s not ‘people pleasing’).

A great example occurred at Pentecost.

Acts 2 – in the midst of crazy charismania, when people were thinking, ‘What on earth is this?”

Peter stood up to manage their perceptions; ‘We’re not drunk as you perceive, this is what the Bible says, let me explain…’ Peter was sensitive enough to know, ‘I have to manage this perception.’ Result? Thousands were won to Christ that day!

In fact, God is the ultimate marketer. If you’re a Christian, it’s because He did whatever it took to reach YOU. He knew exactly what to do.

Everything the church does ‘markets’ for good or ill.   Someone will quote 1 Sam 15:7 where it says, ‘God looks at our heart.’ Well thanks be to God!

BUT look again.

Where does man look?

The outside.

People coming to check out God at your church won’t know your hearts, they’ll have to evaluate you by the outside.

People will come this Sunday and if they don’t know how to get in the door, and nobody welcomes them and connects, and nobody explains where their kids will be looked after – they will evaluate all that.  It’s what they do. We all do it when we go for a meal or wherever.

Now if you’ve been in the church a while, we let things go (people’s weirdness etc) because ‘we know their heart.’ But newcomers don’t know – so they won’t just let it go like we do.

1 Kings 10:4 tells about the visit to Solomon by the Queen of Sheba (she’s royalty herself so not easily impressed!) but she was impressed by what she SAW – what she saw pointed to the wisdom of Solomon. It wast what she heard. It wasn’t what he said, but what he did. The place. The organisation. The excellence of delivery. How they dressed. Their processes. Even their entrance way and the steps blew her away (the welcome?). It took her breath away.

Her response? ‘Happy are your men and servants.’ that by the way is how to get great teams – run them wisely!

Remember, however much time is spent on the sermon, before the message ever gets preached, our systems have been preaching. What do yours proclaim to the guests God is sending for you to be hospitable to?

So…

If there are no signs anywhere pointing to the loos or the coffee is, that says, ‘We know where things are, and we don’t care that you don’t.’

Inconsistent and poor artwork/ logos on your handouts say, ‘We’re amateurs. We don’t know who we are.’

Do everything with your eyes on the viewpoint of the OUTSIDER. Ask them what they think and be prepared for some surprises. Non spiritual people make NATURAL decisions about church.  You set the tone!

Debra Green – Mountains or Fountains

My notes from this, the first talk in our 40 Days of Ivy DNA Series: RELEVANT.

People are surprised when we as a church are normal rather than ‘religious’

Text –  John 4- the samaritan woman at the well.

1) Jesus asked – ‘Will you give me a drink?’ This is a very controversial conversation for him to have at all. He’s showing us the type of Saviour he is. He’s speaking to her in her language, about her every day life and needs. Connects with the familiar.

If we want to be relevant we need to offer and speak into what people need.

Cf Breathe City Church in Stoke- their ‘When‘ ministry: giving clothes to the poor in the city. Thousands of clothing packages given.

When we meet the felt needs of people, we’ll be relevant. We’re not relevant because the worship is great or the preaching is good: people outside of church are not even asking about that anyway!

But if we help people and connect in people in prison, in debt, when we are marked by hospitality, or playing football like our new team IVY COSMOS – it’s great fun AND an opportunity for a conversation. We don’t have to fall into the sacred/secular divide mentality.

Is there someone you can have a chat with over the water?

2) Mountain or Fountain?

The Samaritans and Jews had a lot of theological, intellectual, religious debate about worship places.

The subject isn’t a bad one. There’s a lot in the Bible about mountains – but this is a religious debate that’s really a red herring / smokescreen to get away from the real issue of life: it’s not WHERE you worship, but WHO.

She’s thinking to impress him with her religious knowledge and grasp on current affairs and debate –

But Jesus says, ‘let’s not debate Mountains – I want to talk about Fountains!’

Jesus will change the question.

It’s not about the mountain of religion

It’s about the fountain of relationship.

Her heart was getting filled in all the wrong ways.

It’s not about discussing imponderables till 3am – after that question, along comes another…

come to the fountain!

The churches that are growing are those that are not stuck in religion, and my clever arguments are not going to win people over to Christ. It’s more about making Jesus accessible.

The harvest is plentiful!

Where?

Where people are. Go where people are.

Because people are dissatisfied and needing a fountain – of living water.

DEBRA GREEN: Nehemiah 10 – 13. The house of God.

Debra rounded off our series tonight.

She began by talking about competing voices – a time in the week when there were 2 sat navs going in the church, which one do we listen to?

God’s word to is the Bible, and Nehemiah kept having to come back to that, and call people back to what the Lord had said. 10:28 Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding— these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes. At what age can a child understand and come into the things of God?

Josh 24:15 – Choose who you will serve! As for me AND MY HOUSE we will serve the Lord. That’s a mission statement – it means you will live different:

to be committed will affect your relationships. The Jewish people were told to keep their culture and lifestyle separate from those who did not have that same mission, or else it would end up deflecting them from his best for them.

It will affect your pocket: It’s making God Lord of our finances, giving back to the Lord from all he has given to us: …if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year’s produce and the exacting of every debt. Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: or the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the Law. And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; All this is about offering it all back to God. You can’t make Jesus Lord of all except your money. You may think you can’t afford to tithe? ‘As for me and my house…’ conflicts with that! You can’t afford not to. Making a serious commitment financially is part of your discipleship.

It’s our RESPONSIBILITY – that’s a word that comes again and again here. As people who belong to the house of God, will you also look after God’s house – or do you just want him to look after yours?

They say, ‘We will not neglect the house of our God.’

Chapter 11: Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities. And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.

10% of the people volunteered to go and move back into the city, even though it was still a mess! This is incarnational ministry, like the Eden workers going into the inner city in the name of Christ -to just love and serve in the hardest and most broken places. There’s a blessing that comes when we respond to a call like that.

Let’s pray for Eden, and whether we are called to that or not, we are ALL called to live a radical life for Jesus

verse 22: Also the overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha, of the sons of Asaph, the singers in charge of the service of the house of God. 23 For it was the king’s command concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers, a quota day by day. God talks about worship here: that we should give him thanks and praise.

It talks about one of Asaphs descendants; he was in charge of the worship teams, and Asaph was worship leader in David’s day; so one generation is passing something on to the next.

If you teach the laws of God unto your children you will pass on the blessings of faithfulness. There is a lot in Nehemiah about families worshipping together.

When something was achieved, many times in the Bible – there was an act of worship, celebration and purification: we see that again in Ch 12: Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the villages… I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs.

Musicians came and stood on the walls, with 2 large choirs on them. That’s how big and strong the walls were! That’s worth singing about!

The people got the trumpets out – that’s significant; warfare instruments, that called people together. 1 Cor 15:52 – it’s associated with bringing the dead to life! God is blowing a trumpet over your sound, a clear sound that raises you. When the choirs come together, there will be a sound in the city that will be heard far and wide.

The choirs went in opposite directions round the walls, to dedicate the whole city to the Lord. People did this for 40 days around the M60 when it was completed!

vs 43- Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

There is a sound that can be heard a long way off. It’s getting louder, this isn’t about volume. It’s about holiness, about people saying, ‘as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord…’ everyone could hear that.

We need to take the love of Jesus out into the streets. vs 46: For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God..

There had not been anything like that in 600 years – but when the people of God restored, rebuilt and they remembered the God who had done it and celebrated him, it affected generations after them.

When they celebrated his goodness and thanked him, great power was released! They often got a memorial stone and set it up as a visible reminder of a spiritual milestone. When Jacob did that, remembered that God had been with him, the name of the place – to the house of God.