Encounter

"In Your presence, there is freedom. In Your presence, there is hope. In Your presence, there is healing, love restores me; I am whole. No matter how far I run, You are with me. No matter how far I fall" As we sang that song tonight, I was reminded of the message this morning how that true change comes from being in the presence of Jesus. Tonight, we sang, we worshipped, we soaked in God's word. We were in His presence. I was thinking about the moment when Jesus showed up at Martha and Mary's house in Luke chapter 10. Martha is so upset that Mary isn't helping with all of the household chores, the cooking, the cleaning. I mean it was all for Jesus, right? She was so annoyed at the fact that Mary just sat at Jesus' feet, listening to every word. 

But Jesus comforts Martha and says "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all of these details! There is only one thing to be concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken from her."-Luke 10:41-42 (NLT)

Wait, what's that one thing? Could it be that we have traded the presence of God for busyness? More Christians feel "spiritual" when they're running around doing "ministry", but we forget that the only way we encounter Jesus is simply being in His presence. If we don't take time to worship together, pray together, be encouraged by the Word together, we tend to burn out. In our ashes, we blame everyone around us for not "doing" more or working harder. 

As we lifted our hands and sang our hearts out tonight, I thought of this:

1. Never Underestimate the Power of Worship

Worship is powerful. When we come together and lift our voices to God, it awakens the heavens. After all, that's all the host of heaven is doing...worshipping the King. God loves it; I mean absolutely loves it when His people pour their hearts out in worship. Worship unites hearts, ignites passion, and empowers lives. Never forget that.

2. Worship is Tied to Our Gratitude

I know, there's that word again, right? But it's true. People who aren't grateful have a hard time worshipping. When your gratitude is low, so is your worship. It's hard to lift your hands with clinched fists. People who learn the power of gratitude worship with freedom, passion, and authenticity. If you want to increase your worship, start by increasing your gratitude. 

3. Worship Leads to a Hunger for the God's Word

I always tell our worship pastor, Danya, that my job is easy when the band is on their A game. When they do their job and lead worship with passion and presence, people will amen through my entire message. Why? Because worship is what connects us to the heart of God. And when you connect to His heart, you can't wait to hear from Him. People value the Word of God when they learn to value a life of worship.

I think Mary figured that out.

What an amazing night. I pray that everyone applies the message to their lives and starts this week with an attitude of gratitude and worship. Invite someone to experience Jesus themselves next weekend. This is only the beginning of many "Encounters". 

Easter 2013

Ok, who's ready to do all over again??!

Haha! What an amazing weekend! I hope everyone got some rest yesterday evening, because this weekend we get to do baptisms :)

I just wanted to take a moment and thank each of you for your hard work to prepare for Easter. I hope you see the fruits of your labor. 80...yes 80...kids gave their hearts to Jesus this weekend!!!! I think everyone should encourage Bekah & all of our GKids crew & let them know they are greatly appreciated! We definitely have THE best children's ministry! We saw a total of 95 (we believed for 100) salvations this weekend! That is crazy awesome! Over 1,300 people attended GC this weekend with over 100 VIP packets handed out. So that's not including family units. Incredible weekend!

A special thank you to DJ Say So who kicked off each of our services with her amazing talents. And also the band who KILLED it this weekend! We had several guest band mates who did amazing. Thank you Danya for working hard to make our music excellent. And also to Production who had to work with brand new equipment for the first time. You all did amazing in the face adversity Saturday afternoon. Thank all of you for being amazing!

A few things to always remember:

1. Keep the Mission in Mind

Easter weekend is always huge, but let's not get caught up in thinking we've arrived. We celebrate what God has done, but we must realize that if we don't move people through their next steps then Easter was a failure. Our mission is a marathon, not a sprint. I've read the Tortoise and the Hare and guess what? The tortoise always wins! Slow, steady and with purpose team. That's how we have to stay focused. Let's make our phone calls, emails, and follow ups this week. We had over 30 people sign up to go through our Ownership class...amazing! But we have to do a good job of getting them connected and serving.

2. Celebrate Because God is Moving Everywhere

Stories from churches all over reporting incredible numbers yesterday! It's not just about GC, it's about God's Kingdom growing. New Walk in Tampa saw 240 people get saved! Incredible! Relevant in Georgia saw 6,000 people at their egg hunt and numerous salvations. Revolution just down the road saw nearly 600 people show up and their largest gift offering to date. Real Life in Arkansas also saw nearly 600 people with tons of new people. Newspring church had nearly 50,000 attend an Easter service!! Victory Hill where I youth pastored saw over 1,300 people show up for Easter!! I LOVE hearing stories of God moving! Be grateful that we get to be a part of what HE"S doing!

3. We Are Not Done

No time to let up on our city. Keep inviting people, loving people, telling people the glorious gospel. We have thousands that still need reaching. The best is truly yet to come, let's not let up! Put your foot on the throat of the enemy and let's win our city for Jesus!

From the Petty family, we love each of you heart and soul. Have an awesome week and remember...He's still alive :)

Pastor B